With the school year almost being over, it’s about time for the current and incoming juniors and sophomores to be considering life after high school. For most people, that means college, and for most people, college means stress. So to relieve some of that pressure, here’s some quick information about Occidental College that could make your transition a little easier.

Occidental College, or as the students call it, Oxy, is located in the Los Angeles area of California. Although Los Angeles is a large, exciting city, Occidental has it’s own enclosed grounds just off of Campus Road. It offers majors across 40 different departments and programs as well as numerous possibilities for independent research and experiential learning. The school being in such close proximity to Los Angeles allows for students to have countless opportunities in the city; internships with big, well-known companies, class excursions to museums or the beach, there’s always something going on that’s not only fun, but educational as well!

The students at Occidental are very diverse and unique, everyone is interested in many things. My tour guide used her two best friends as examples: a footballer in the Glee Club and a cappella group, and a pre-med extraordinaire majoring in theater. Another thing the guide noted about the students at Oxy are that many of them are quite athletic. There are nine boy sports and 10 girl sports on campus, and weekend festivities commonly include biking around the city or going to the beach to surf.

The most valued characteristic of Occidental, however, is the major sense of community. Students live on campus housing for the first three years, and many seniors choose to stay on campus for their fourth year as well (maybe if you’re lucky, you’ll live in the same dorm Barack Obama had when he was a junior at Oxy in 1979). Along with the 13 co-ed living halls, students can choose to live in themed-living halls with peers who share their same interests. Options like the Women’s Center, Multicultural Hall, Sustainability House, or any of the other various options bring students under one roof to enjoy their similar interests together.

The students and faculty at Oxy are open-minded and always try to make everyone feel welcome, and that can include you! If the school seems like something you’d enjoy, consider becoming a future Occidental Tiger!