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What is the academic reputation of LMU? I know it used to be somewhat of a joke, but it appears to be getting more and more difficult, so I was wondering if anyone knew anything about it? Is it a good school? How's the academic reputation? How are the students? The campus? After college, is it easy to find a job in the Los Angeles area after graduating from LMU? Anyone know anything about the school?

By Erin (Erin) on Thursday, April 10, 2003 - 12:42 am: Edit

I don't know a whole lot about it, but I did spend a few summers there for a summer camp. I don't think its academic reputation is too great, but it's also not too horrible. The students that I met (mostly ones who worked at the camp) seemed like a lot of fun, very laid back and smart. The campus is small, but really pretty; it's on a bluff overlooking Los Angeles and has a big belltower. The dorms we stayed in were decent, too. Sorry I can't answer more of your questions.

By 49ersfan (49ersfan) on Thursday, April 10, 2003 - 12:44 am: Edit

How would you rank it academically with other schools? Like is it at the same level as UCSB? or USD? or Colorado? USC? Devry? (lol).. you get the point. How would you rank it?

By Thedad (Thedad) on Thursday, April 10, 2003 - 01:26 am: Edit

"Laid back but smart" I think sums it up very nicely.

Below UCSB and (gag) usc, on a rough par with Colorado. You *can* get a very decent education there...nobody outside of L.A. will have ever heard of it.

By 49ersfan (49ersfan) on Thursday, April 10, 2003 - 01:28 am: Edit

Could you give me more information on the school? Any information you can give me would be very helpful... I'm just really curious about the school... especially it's academic reputation, and what people think about it.

I've been accepted to Colorado, but I prefer LMU cause of it's size.

Also, I have no intention of living somewhere outside of Los Angeles.

By Thedad (Thedad) on Thursday, April 10, 2003 - 01:49 am: Edit

I have a friend who got her Masters in English there and found it to be pretty good...and she's a pretty sharp cookie. Another friend teaches Dance there and finds the students pretty sharp. This says nothing directly on the question of undergrad academics, however. I've heard the English department is pretty good...don't know much of anything else. The younger grads I've met there have made favorable impressions on me but again that's subjective and intangible...though I'm something of a curmudgeon and usually am not impressed all that easily.

By 49ersfan (49ersfan) on Thursday, April 10, 2003 - 01:53 am: Edit

Do you know anything about it's academic reputation though? like when a company in los angeles, for example, hears a student graduated from LMU, what does the company think? LMU is such a small school that I'm having trouble finding out... like I know what a company would think if some guy graduated from Harvard, or if he graduated from some awful school, but what about LMU? I've heard the campus is amazing, the people are nice, but I haven't heard anything about it's academic reputation in Los Angeles.

By Mrpancake2000 (Mrpancake2000) on Thursday, April 10, 2003 - 09:13 am: Edit

my dad went there. got a job right out of college...still working there after 25 years. I'd say it served him well. It is a great school, with a beautiful campus. From what I know, it is fairly respected, although I would have to disagree with thedad and say it is above or at par with ucsb, but maybe less known. great school, still.

By Thedad (Thedad) on Thursday, April 10, 2003 - 09:23 am: Edit

Oh. In that sense, while LMU may not be Harvard, people don't sneer or giggle when you mention that that's where you got your degree from, if that's what you mean. It's not a handicap in the job market, imo.

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Thursday, April 10, 2003 - 01:25 pm: Edit

Just curious - what's the atmosphere like at LMU?
Is it a school where everyone goes home on the weekends? How conservative is it, being a religious school? How diverse is the student body? I'm curious because my daughter's catholic high school seems to send 10 or so kids to LMU every year.
Carolyn

By Thedad (Thedad) on Thursday, April 10, 2003 - 02:24 pm: Edit

I don't know for sure.

The sense I have is that it isn't particularly religious or conservative. Probably not as liberal as a Northeastern LAC.

As for diversity, per PR'S THE BEST 345, it's 7 percent African American, 11 percent Asian, 19 percent Hispanic, 50 percent Caucasian, 2 percent international, leaving 11 percent to be from an undisclosed location.

By 49ersfan (49ersfan) on Thursday, April 10, 2003 - 07:51 pm: Edit

Anyone else know anything about LMU they could share? I'm just really curious about the school.

By Edrobin (Edrobin) on Thursday, April 10, 2003 - 10:37 pm: Edit

My opinion is that it exists and is a school for either (1) students with little academic potential; or (2) students with terrific academic potential who want to live close to home.

Any students from my daughters' highly competitive private high school who have gone to Loyola were either terrible students (but Catholic) or excellent Catholic students otherwise afraid to compete in the mainstream.

By Thedad (Thedad) on Thursday, April 10, 2003 - 10:59 pm: Edit

Per PR's BEST 345: Average SAT I Verbal 573, Math 581. Not Ivy caliber but not terrible; virtually the same as U. of Colorado and U. of Washington and better than U. of Oregon. 30 percent of class graduated in top 10 percent, 95 percent in top 25 percent of high school class.

By Proed (Proed) on Thursday, April 10, 2003 - 11:01 pm: Edit

My niece attends LMU. She's bright and majoring in English with an eye towards law school. She absolutely loves the small classes and contact with professors and feels that the tuition is justified. She hates that so many of the students go home on weekends. She loves her dorm room with its great view. The food is so so...lots of carbs. LMU is a respected name on the west coast in terms of name recognition...but as my niece says, "It's not where you go...it's what you do when you get there."

By Thedad (Thedad) on Thursday, April 10, 2003 - 11:51 pm: Edit

"It's not where you go...it's what you do when you get there."

Exactly. As is true with all places, something to be borne in mind with all the hype of HYP.

I do now recall that the food is so-so.

By 49ersfan (49ersfan) on Saturday, April 12, 2003 - 02:47 pm: Edit

Anyone else know anything about LMU?

By Crackcorn (Crackcorn) on Saturday, April 12, 2003 - 11:01 pm: Edit

I know someone who went to LMU, did well and then went on to Hastings Law School (at UCBerkeley). So a degree from LMU probably wouldn't hold you back if you do well there. In the same general locale, Pepperdine U. probably has a better rep.

By Thedad (Thedad) on Saturday, April 12, 2003 - 11:09 pm: Edit

As a potential employer, picking resumes out of the stack, I'd be more interested in LMU before Pepperdine. Of course, what's *in* the resume is important, too. But as a preliminary screen....

By 49ersfan (49ersfan) on Sunday, April 13, 2003 - 12:40 am: Edit

Why would you be more interested in LMU before Pepperdine?

By Thedad (Thedad) on Sunday, April 13, 2003 - 01:40 am: Edit

A significant--I won't say "all"...it's usually stupid to say "all"--portion of Pepperdine students are kids who come from upper or rich white families who want to send their kids to a conservative environment where they won't be contaminated by "them"...whoever "they" are; the isolated location in Malibu is perfect for that. (About 25 years ago, Pepperdine was located in South Central LA at 83rd & Vermont...they did a "white flight" to Malibu.) LMU is more diverse: Asian/Black/Hispanic student population is almost 50 percent higher at LMU compared to Pepperdine...and in business in SoCal, it's very useful to have employees that are comfortable in a multicultural environment.

There are also other reasons of subjective opinion that I'm not willing to go into on-line. Drop me an e-mail if you're really curious. I'm going to be off-line from tomorrow morning until 4/22 or so, however.