This college is an excellent school if your goal of going to college is for an education. The class sizes are small, about 30 students in my largest class section which is General Chemistry and my smallest class, Seminar, probably has about 15 or so students. For a lot of science major students, the first year of General Chem is the hardest however the professors hear have open office hours and various on campus tutoring centers to help with the subject. Same is available for Math and English courses as well. As a freshman in the Honors/Science living learning community, which is a special dorm that houses the head of the math department as well as honors program, I can literally knock on my neighbor's door, and a math professor is out to help me with my homework even if it is something as trivial and reviewing how to factor polynomials. For students that really want to learn, the Seminar program is excellent as it teaches students the basic historical ideas and literature throughout time that any educated person should know. Also, if you are planning on attending graduate school, the professors and programs here are really designed to hold your hand and help you get a good grade instead of a large school or even worst, a large public school (like a UC) where their main goal is to see who is the last one standing.
Do you enjoy the experience at your school?
The campus is beautiful, the buildings on campus is reminiscent of Spanish Missions and there are trees and grass all over campus. The campus certainly has enough room for anything you need, but is compact enough to walk from one side to another in no more than 10 minutes. The weather is pretty nice, it is sunny during the day but it gets cool during the night and morning. These is a feeling of peace on campus that is perfect for an educational institution and really gets you in the mood for learning and being relaxed. They offer many things to the students such as dances and events held by the Campus Activities Board. Some of the things that I've attended is friendship bracelet making night, Salsa lessons, and a pretty big school dance. They offer yoga, pilates, and other fitness classes that are free for students to attend. They also have a counseling center, where you can get a therapist or counselor to talk to for free to manage stress. There are many clubs and organizations that are on campus to be a part of and many of them go on trips to San Francisco, Southern California, and Tahoe during winter.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
While the sticker price of the school is around 50,000 like all other private schools, I believe over 80% of the students that attend Saint Mary's have some kind of financial aid, whether academic or need based. There are so many free services here such as free plays, games, activities, clubs, shows, recreational classes, etc, that it is really worth it because everything is paid for. Isn't it nice for the teachers that you are paying so much money for to actually know your name? Also, if money is a concern there are many jobs available on campus as well as outside of the campus in the Walnut Creek area to help pay tuition. In the end all those little nice things, like free planners, weekend of welcome (the first weekend of school for freshman where activities are planned to get everyone familiarized with the school), and the free bbq every wednesday afternoon (community time), really makes it more worth it. Even now, a public UC school costs 30,000 dollars so the gap is no longer as big as it used to be.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
Definitely come to campus to check it out, especially if you are in the area. I fell in love with the school when I came here to check it out because at first the idea of a small and secluded school didn't appeal to me, but once I saw for myself the beauty of this place I couldn't resist. They have various overnight programs for accepted students to get to know what the school is about before deciding. Definitely apply, especially since they are pretty generous with waiving application fees, it is worth while to give it a shot. The school is getting more and more well known and it amazes people because we are this tiny Catholic school but we've made it to the 5th place I believe on Forbes magazine of colleges who's graduates make the most money in 10 years. We are up there with Stanford and UC Berkeley. We were also ranked in US News and Weekly as one of the top schools on the West coast and we have numerous famous and successful alumni that love this school so much they are constantly supporting it. This school is truly one of the nation's best educational institutions and we are known for that as well.
Which types of students will excel at your college?
Do not be concerned about being religious. We have people of all backgrounds, races, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs here on campus and everyone is treated equally and with respect. Just because it is a Catholic school does not mean you must be Catholic or even religious to attend. It does mean however that 2 religion courses will be required to graduate but they are not difficult and it is a great to be educated about religion as it is plays a huge role in society. Even if you don't believe in it, it is good to know what people mean when they say the forbidden fruit or know who Moses is, it should be considered general education. Students that are looking for a quite environment rich with opportunities to be involved in the community while getting a top notch education should strongly consider what Saint Mary's has to offer. At the very least, come by to check it out! We have student ambassadors that love school this school as much as I do and are dying to tell you why.
This college is an excellent school if your goal of going to college is for an education. The class sizes are small, about 30 students in my largest class section which is General Chemistry and my smallest class, Seminar, probably has about 15 or so students. For a lot of science major students, the first year of General Chem is the hardest however the professors hear have open office hours and various on campus tutoring centers to help with the subject. Same is available for Math and English courses as well. As a freshman in the Honors/Science living learning community, which is a special dorm that houses the head of the math department as well as honors program, I can literally knock on my neighbor's door, and a math professor is out to help me with my homework even if it is something as trivial and reviewing how to factor polynomials. For students that really want to learn, the Seminar program is excellent as it teaches students the basic historical ideas and literature throughout time that any educated person should know. Also, if you are planning on attending graduate school, the professors and programs here are really designed to hold your hand and help you get a good grade instead of a large school or even worst, a large public school (like a UC) where their main goal is to see who is the last one standing.
The campus is beautiful, the buildings on campus is reminiscent of Spanish Missions and there are trees and grass all over campus. The campus certainly has enough room for anything you need, but is compact enough to walk from one side to another in no more than 10 minutes. The weather is pretty nice, it is sunny during the day but it gets cool during the night and morning. These is a feeling of peace on campus that is perfect for an educational institution and really gets you in the mood for learning and being relaxed. They offer many things to the students such as dances and events held by the Campus Activities Board. Some of the things that I've attended is friendship bracelet making night, Salsa lessons, and a pretty big school dance. They offer yoga, pilates, and other fitness classes that are free for students to attend. They also have a counseling center, where you can get a therapist or counselor to talk to for free to manage stress. There are many clubs and organizations that are on campus to be a part of and many of them go on trips to San Francisco, Southern California, and Tahoe during winter.
While the sticker price of the school is around 50,000 like all other private schools, I believe over 80% of the students that attend Saint Mary's have some kind of financial aid, whether academic or need based. There are so many free services here such as free plays, games, activities, clubs, shows, recreational classes, etc, that it is really worth it because everything is paid for. Isn't it nice for the teachers that you are paying so much money for to actually know your name? Also, if money is a concern there are many jobs available on campus as well as outside of the campus in the Walnut Creek area to help pay tuition. In the end all those little nice things, like free planners, weekend of welcome (the first weekend of school for freshman where activities are planned to get everyone familiarized with the school), and the free bbq every wednesday afternoon (community time), really makes it more worth it. Even now, a public UC school costs 30,000 dollars so the gap is no longer as big as it used to be.
Definitely come to campus to check it out, especially if you are in the area. I fell in love with the school when I came here to check it out because at first the idea of a small and secluded school didn't appeal to me, but once I saw for myself the beauty of this place I couldn't resist. They have various overnight programs for accepted students to get to know what the school is about before deciding. Definitely apply, especially since they are pretty generous with waiving application fees, it is worth while to give it a shot. The school is getting more and more well known and it amazes people because we are this tiny Catholic school but we've made it to the 5th place I believe on Forbes magazine of colleges who's graduates make the most money in 10 years. We are up there with Stanford and UC Berkeley. We were also ranked in US News and Weekly as one of the top schools on the West coast and we have numerous famous and successful alumni that love this school so much they are constantly supporting it. This school is truly one of the nation's best educational institutions and we are known for that as well.
Do not be concerned about being religious. We have people of all backgrounds, races, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs here on campus and everyone is treated equally and with respect. Just because it is a Catholic school does not mean you must be Catholic or even religious to attend. It does mean however that 2 religion courses will be required to graduate but they are not difficult and it is a great to be educated about religion as it is plays a huge role in society. Even if you don't believe in it, it is good to know what people mean when they say the forbidden fruit or know who Moses is, it should be considered general education. Students that are looking for a quite environment rich with opportunities to be involved in the community while getting a top notch education should strongly consider what Saint Mary's has to offer. At the very least, come by to check it out! We have student ambassadors that love school this school as much as I do and are dying to tell you why.