Is University of San Diego still a Catholic school? (transfer, price)

[kdb05f]

Originally Posted by rosiesd

no worries. It's an easy mistake to make since loyola marymount u. And santa clara u., the other two of the "big 3" california catholic colleges are jesuit. (there are other catholic colleges in california but there 3 are probably considered the "best" catholic schools in calif.)

to me, jesuits were always the "cool" priests.

usf?

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by kdb05f

usf?

Yes, the Univ. of San Francisco is Jesuit too. Fine school, but less selective than the other three. As I said, there are also a number of other Catholic colleges in California as well.

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by RosieSD

Yes, the Univ. of San Francisco is Jesuit too. Fine school, but less selective than the other three. As I said, there are also a number of other Catholic colleges in California as well.

Saint Mary's College of California (Moraga - near Oakland), for example, is Salesian.

[TR95]

Originally Posted by silverkris

Saint Mary's College of California (Moraga - near Oakland), for example, is Salesian.

That would be Lasallian. Salesian is a high school in Richmond.

[3tzus]

To the original question, the answer is Catholic "in name only". Very liberal, and does not support and promote Catholic orthodoxy. My son graduated from USD so am very familiar with it.

[TristramShandy]

Originally Posted by 3tzus

To the original question, the answer is Catholic "in name only". Very liberal, and does not support and promote Catholic orthodoxy. My son graduated from USD so am very familiar with it.

Definitely more progressive . . . like the Pope. I teach there.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by TristramShandy

Definitely more progressive . . . like the Pope. I teach there.

Yes, USD is more mainstream than some people might expect of a Catholic university, and yet USD still doesn't offer contraceptives in their student health center.

So USD may still not fully align with some people's definition of progressive.

Still, it's a terrific school.

[TristramShandy]

Originally Posted by RosieSD

Yes, USD is more mainstream than some people might expect of a Catholic university, and yet USD still doesn't offer contraceptives in their student health center.

So USD may still not fully align with some people's definition of progressive.

Still, it's a terrific school.

Right. Their progressiveness goes more towards immigration and its outreach to other religions. The campus is definitely split on issues like contraception . . . although, at least from my vantage point, the sides are quite respectful of one another. Overwhelmingly, the kids here sincerely seem to be good kids.

[Axxlrod]

Unrelated, but USD is a poor value in college education. Too expensive, too limited in focus, degree not worth much outside of SD county.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by Axxlrod

Unrelated, but USD is a poor value in college education. Too expensive, too limited in focus, degree not worth much outside of SD county.

Hmmm, interesting assessment. What are you basing it on?

Here is some factual data, using UCSD and SDSU for comparison.

4 year graduation rates:

University of San Diego 66%
University of California San Diego 59%
San Diego State 29%

Percentage of recent graduates employed full time within 3 months of graduation:

University of San Diego 92%
University of California San Diego 56%
San Diego State University 48%

Median starting salary of recent grads

University of San Diego $53,750
University of Califoria San Diego $$53,072.
San Diego State $46,100

(You will earn a slightly higher starting salary if you are an engineering grad from UCSD vs. USD, but in other majors, it is pretty much a wash).

Undergraduate classes with 50 or more students:

University of San Diego 0%
University of California San Diego 31%
San Diego State University 25%

Now in terms of cost, USD definitely has a higher published rate. But, in my experience USD can be very generous with merit scholarships and need-based aid, and when you factor in the higher chances of graduating in 4 years, sometimes the difference in price between USD and UCSD is a wash (this is especially true for out of state students)

SDSU's price for instate students is hard to beat though, even with financial aid and the lower four year graduation rate.

And, USD has a quarter of the number of students at UCSD and even less than compared to SDSU, but it does have plenty of excellent academic programs to choose from. (It's been a while since I looked it up, but it used to be that SDSU had more majors than UCSD, and I'm not sure anyone would say UCSD has "limited" programs. )

That said, some students want a HUGE school like SDSU, some students have a particular major in mind that is only offered at a particular school, some students want a school with small class sizes... in short, no school is going to be the right fit for 100% of students.

USD may not be right for YOU, but it may be a great choice for another student. I think it's probably a stretch to say it is a bad choice for ALL students.