Colleges can help provide access to a wide range of job opportunities that couldn’t have been attained without college degrees, often including higher-paying jobs and usually leading to higher job satisfaction. The four colleges that were researched for this project include UC Santa Cruz, Citrus College, the University of La Verne, and Harvard University. UC Santa Cruz, located in Santa Cruz, California was founded in 1965 and has 10 colleges on its campus which each support their own unique focus on solving global issues. Citrus College, which is located in Glendora, California, was founded in 1915 which makes it the oldest college in LA County. The University of La Verne, located in La Verne California, was founded in 1891 and has over 8,000 traditional-age students, making it one of the more diversified universities in the United States along with specialized programs to help adult learners flourish. Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a very well known university that was founded in 1636 and is one of the top-ranking universities in the entire world. There are many things that one would want to look at when trying to find the right college including the majors that each college or university support, tuition fees, extracurricular activities, and sports which will each be addressed in this research paper.
UC Santa Cruz’s admissions require each individual to have at least completed 15 A-G courses with 11 being completed before the end of the Jr. Year, a GPA of 3.0 or higher with no grades being lower than 3 and for the individual to have completed the ACT Plus Writing exam with the Essay exam. UC Santa Cruz’s tuition fees for undergraduates cost $13,989 with the average on-campus California residential budget being about $37,260, the off-campus fees averaging $35,601, and the average commuter cost being $29,016. These include the costs for books and supplies, personal expenses, transportation, room and board, and campus health insurance. Requirement wise, UCSC is a somewhat hard school to get into and price-wise, it is about average and well worth the price. According to UC Santa Cruz’s main website, “UCSC offers undergraduate majors in the Divisions of Art, Humanities, Physical and Biological Sciences, Social Sciences, and the Jack Baskin School of Engineering” (University of California, Santa Cruz). One example of a major within one of these groups would be marine biology. Any students that wish to have marine biology as a major are recommended to take high school biology, advanced mathematics, chemistry, and physics classes. UC Santa Cruz hosts a variety of extracurricular activities including many physical education classes, various intramural sports, sports clubs, athletics, exercise classes, and personal training classes. UC Santa Cruz also has a large variety of recreational classes including water-based activities like scuba, boating, and a number of summer activities. Besides the classes, UCSC also has various hiking trails and smaller activities within separate colleges. UCSC also has a few fraternities and sororities. The large number of water-based activities are possible due to UCSC’s proximity to the beach. UCSC’s many exercise and health classes show a focus on the personal health and fitness of students. Overall, USCS is a great school for students wishing to get a good education while still being able to have an immersive college experience.
Citrus College is a community college located in Glendora, California. Citrus College’s admission specifications require each applicant to have a letter of recommendation from a teacher, counselor, or highschool contact. They are also required to have a minimum GPA of 3.25, eligibility for English 101, and that they have submitted their high school transcripts. Citrus College’s tuition fees are free for California residents, who only have to pay the enrollment fees of $46 per unit. However, out of state and international students must pay $282 per unit as well as the enrollment fees of $46 per unit. All students may also have to pay for the Class Pass which allows students to ride the Foothill transit, health service, parking, parking permits, student representation, assessment fees, and financial assistance. In terms of price, Citrus College is a great school for Californians due to the fact that they don’t have to pay for admissions. Citrus College has a wide selection of colleges for undergraduates to choose from, one of which being Pre-Engineering. Some requirements for applying for this major include taking Engineering 101, Calculus with Analytic Geometry one through three, Physics A: Mechanics, and Physics B: Thermodynamics and Electromagnetism or Physics C: Waves, Optics, and Modern Physics. Citrus College’s list of sports includes basketball, baseball, golf, soccer, cross country, swimming, water polo, and volleyball. Citrus College’s available extracurricular activities include a large number of clubs. Some examples would include the Anime Connection club, the Book Owls club, Gamers Guild, Speech Club, and two Fraternities and Sororities called Alpha Gamma Sigma and Phi Theta Kappa. Pre-engineering requires a high number of math classes which would make it a bad choice for anyone that finds math difficult, however, if anyone greatly enjoys math, then engineering could be a good fit. Citrus College’s variety in majors and academic paths alongside its low price for Californians makes it a great choice for anybody that wants to be able to have a successful academic career without spending high amounts of money.
The University of La Verne is a Private College that is located in La Verne, California with seven different campuses including the main campus. The University of La Verne’s admission requirements states that all applicants must have their “Application for Admission and Application Fee…, a personal statement…, Official High School Transcripts…, Letter of Recommendation…, their SAT or ACT Test Scores(optional)…”, All applicants must have also completed “four years of English; three years of Social Science; passed or surpassed Algebra II; and two years of Science; one must be a lab”(The University of La Verne). The tuition fees for the University of La Verne are $43,050 with general living costs being $17,528. The University of La Verne’s tuition fees and requirements make it fairly easy to get in and the education they provide should be worth it overall depending on if the student is searching for a lenient environment that can help them be successful even when balancing a busy schedule. The University of La Verne’s selection of majors for undergraduates includes various majors like creative writing, psychology, physics, and computer science. With choosing computer science as a possible major, some requirements will have to be met which include at least 48 semester hours of computer engineering, information science, internet programming, and software courses as well as the core requirements, at least two elective courses, and meeting the supportive requirements. The University of La Verne’s list of sports includes football, softball, swim, dive, volleyball, water polo, soccer, golf, cross country, baseball, and basketball. They also have a variety of clubs as well as fraternities and sororities. Overall, The University of La Verne carries a wide variety of interesting majors and sports. The University of La Verne’s leniency with adult learners as well as its various opportunities make it a good choice for any adult that has to cope with a busy schedule while still getting the most out of college.
Harvard University is a very well known University located in Cambridge, Massachusetts with a renowned quality of education that makes it one of the top colleges in the entire world. In order for applicants to be admitted into Harvard, they must fill out the common application, coalition application, or Universal College Application and the questions for each of them. They must also submit a $75 fee or request a fee waiver, submit their ACT or SAT, a recommended 2 SAT subjects, optionally their AP or other examination reports, their school report and high school transcript, two teacher reports, midyear school report, and their final school report. Students wishing to attend Harvard University must pay $47,730 in tuition fees and $17,682 for room and board. Harvard’s tuition in comparison to the level of education that one will receive while attending makes the price well worth it, however, the admission requirements make it extremely difficult to get accepted. Harvard University has over 50 undergraduate fields called concentrations which include Arts & Humanities, Engineering and Applied Sciences, Sciences, and Social Sciences. An example of one of the courses in Arts and Humanities would be Folklore and Mythology. The requirements for this field include “I. Six required half-courses… II. Two half courses outside of the student’s Special Field that are either Folklore and Mythology courses or courses cross-listed with Folklore and Mythology… III. Five half courses in the student’s chosen Special Field approved by the Committee… IV. Language Study… V. Seniors Honors Thesis (or Non-Thesis capstone option)… VI. General Exam”(Harvard University). Harvard has a wide variety of sports which “include baseball, basketball, crew, cross-country, fencing, field hockey, football, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, rugby, sailing, skiing, soccer, softball, squash, swimming, diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo, and wrestling”(Harvard University). They also have a large number of club teams that include different martial arts teams, dancing, cycling, cheerleading, table tennis, and ultimate frisbee. Harvard’s academics are greatly centered around the liberal arts and sciences with their undergraduate degrees being designed to allow students to plan and set academic goals. Harvard has an overall well-balanced college experience alongside its top tier education make it a great choice for anybody who has the opportunity to attend.
In conclusion, each college can be a great choice depending on what an individual is looking for from their college experience. UC Santa Cruz is a good choice for any individual that seeks an enjoyable college experience while still getting a high-quality education. Citrus College would be a great choice for any Californian that is looking for a quality college without having to pay high amounts of money in tuition fees. The University of La Verne would make a good choice for any adult that wishes to get a college degree due to its leniency and programs designed to help them be successful. Harvard University is an all-around high-quality school and if anybody has the opportunity to apply and are accepted, they should take it since not everyone has a chance at such an opportunity. Out of all of these colleges, the most personally fitting choice out of each of them would be UC Santa Cruz.
Works Cited
- University of California, Santa Cruz. 2020, www.ucsc.edu/
- Citrus College. 2020, www.citruscollege.edu/
- The University of La Verne. 2020, laverne.edu/
- Harvard University. 2020, college.harvard.edu/
