On June 19th, some of CAP’s 2015 FTC’ers visited Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine…and ate lunch in Malibu just for kicks. With so many amazing local schools on our list, we made our choice based largely on geography: the students wanted to be near the beach. Since some L. A. schools easily meet their criteria, the choice was made!
At LMU, students broke into small groups and completed a scavenger hunt, which, thanks to Lina’s sleuthing, included questions such as: “Take pictures on a bench that’s been dedicated to an alumnus,” “pick up a copy of a free campus newspaper, The Los Angeles Loyolan,” and “take a picture in front of Sacred Heart Chapel and the Clock Tower.” The students had a blast and learned a lot about the school, particularly how hard it can be to run from one place to the next on a tight schedule! They felt like real college students, navigating a campus, talking to students and staff, and finding their way with a map.
After lunch near the beach (of course), we headed over to Pepperdine University, where the students were given a guided tour. They learned about campus housing, classroom sizes, student resources, and the stunning view.
Since these students are a few years away from attending college, they are very focused on considering what general traits they seek in finding the right school: academic programs, class size, extra-curricular activities, geography, even whether or not there are ample trees to read under on campus. This day at the beach provided them with two different campuses and cultures, and they will continue to build their list until they identify those colleges that best meet their personal needs. Who knows, maybe LMU or Pepperdine will be on someone’s list!
