March 2006

New in March

We recently returned from college visits in northern California. Check our previous newsletters for details on more colleges in this and other areas. Our first stop was the University of the Pacific in Stockton, not far from the Napa Valley and San Francisco. University of the Pacific offers many pre-professional programs including both pre-dentistry and pre-pharmacy with several tracks to their graduate programs. Explore the many degree offerings in areas including the music conservatory, the business program and a wide range of engineering programs. Many students participate in the university's study abroad programs, and those who do are required to take a course to prepare them for their experience and the return home. Pacific also has a four year graduation guarantee and provides merit aid to qualified students. Pacific is proud to provide balance between academics and other parts of student life, as evidenced by this campus sculpture displaying these two aspects in a literal form.

The University of California at Davis, the large state university close to Sacramento and an hour from San Francisco, is the agricultural and engineering branch of the UC system. Environmental studies, food science and viticulture are popular programs and include solid requirements in chemistry. The studio art department is one of the best in the country and the interdisciplinary electronics lab (IDEA) allows students to create productions by integrating photography, video, digital editing and the internet. The Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts is the venue for events from around the world. Located in the middle of farmland, the campus is two hours from the ocean and close to Lake Tahoe and the Sierras. UC Davis has the highest graduation rate in the UC system.

Farther south, we visited the University of California at Santa Cruz. Located on a bluff above the Pacific ocean (photo left), the campus buildings are spread across the hills and nestled in forested glens, each independent from one another. The new Baskin School of Engineering offers a variety of undergraduate programs and is growing rapidly. The school's proximity to Silicon Valley has allowed students to participate in valuable research and internships with many of these nearby companies. UCSC offers many strong programs in the social sciences, marine science and biology.

California Poly San Luis Obispo is a four-year public university located near the California coast between Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara. The philosophy at CalPoly is “learn by doing” and includes schools of architecture, engineering, business, liberal arts, education, science and math, agriculture and liberal arts. This small college town is a great place for students who also enjoy the outdoors.

See the March newsletter for more new information.