Career Development
Center
  Occidental College
 1600 Campus Road,
Coons 109
 Los Angeles, CA
 90041-3314

 Email: careers@oxy.edu
 Phone: 323.259.2623
 Fax: 323.341.4900

 

Employer Information

Why Hire an Occidental College Graduate

Occidental College consistently ranks in the top tier of national liberal arts colleges in U.S. News and World Report's annual directory of "America's Best Colleges."  In 2004, Occidental College was ranked #40. The magazine also ranked Occidental College #10 among "Best Value" liberal arts colleges, #24 nationally in selectivity, and #4 in diversity.  Newsweek named Occidental one of 12 "Hot Schools of 2004" in its September 1 issue. The "hot" list also appears in the 2004 edition of the Kaplan/Newsweek "How To Get Into College Guide." This is Occidental's second appearance on the "hot" list in three years.

The College

The mission of Occidental College is to provide a gifted and diverse group of students with a total educational experience of the highest quality - one that prepares them for leadership in an increasingly complex, interdependent and pluralist world.  The distinctive interdisciplinary and multicultural focus of the academic programs seeks to foster both the fulfillment of individual aspirations and a deeply-rooted commitment to the public good.

Occidental College is an independent, co-educational college with an enrollment of nearly 1,800. There is approximately 120 full-time faculty.  As a liberal arts college, Occidental offers challenging programs in every discipline, from the sciences and the social sciences to the arts and humanities.  As a small college, Occidental fosters a strong sense of community, one that emphasizes personal attention, close relationships and collaboration between students and professors. 

Occidental is located in the hills of Eagle Rock, a residential neighborhood at the northeastern edge of Los Angeles between Glendale and Pasadena.  

The Students

Students and faculty at Occidental are engaged in an intellectual partnership in which student initiative and responsibility are encouraged.  To an unusual degree, student may participate in the construction of their own educational programs, independent study and interdepartmental programs are encouraged.  

Students represent varied intellectual interests, socioeconomic background, racial and ethnic groups, religious beliefs, nationalities, and social and political convictions.  Occidental has been nationally recognized for being one of the most diverse small colleges in the United States. Since 1987, our graduation seniors have won three Rhodes Scholarships, three Fulbright Fellowships, four Marshall Scholarships, five Truman Scholarships, seven Goldwater Science Scholarships, 22 National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowships, and 18 Watson Fellowships. 

The dossier of this year's incoming class affirms the institution's ability to garner outstanding students: 

• The 2005 - 2006 Freshman Class, represents the most selective class in the history of the college. The SAT range of enrolled students was 1220 to 1370.  
• They represent 37 states, D.C. and 11 foreign countries.
  States with highest representation include: CA (38%), Other Western States (27%), Northeast (16%), Southwest (5%), Midwest (7%), South (1%) and International (6%).

• 52% female
  13% first generation

• 6% African American
  15% Asian American
  45% Caucasian American
  13% Latino
  <1% Native American
  4% International
  16% Undeclared
• Rank in High School Class
  39% were top 5% 
  60% were top 10%
  80% were top 20%
  86% were top 86%