One of the last two colleges AP College consulting visited before the great shut in began. But what a great visit it was! Besides meeting with a former client who is happily finishing out her freshman year there, we met with multiple admission officers and got treated to a private tour by a highly informed junior.

Below are some shots and highlights of our trip

Beautiful campus within the hills of Moraga, CA, this school has the best of both worlds with easy access to San Francisco via BART and incredible natural beauty of California bay area.

Major stars include:

Ø English (extensive communications major),

Ø Biology, Education (lots of partnering opportunities with local schools and beyond)

Ø Engineering: 3 year BS available with a 2 year masters through Washington University of St Louis

Research Opportunities abound especially in the sciences:

Ø 25 paid summer positions were available: students live on campus, receive a stipend, and work on programs such as air quality in low income areas, studying lizards, managing walking trails.

Ø January terms allow students to explore new fields of interest or deeply explore a current interests. Abroad programs are also an option.

Successful Student Profile: Admissions officers shared that students who thrive at St. Mary’s are

Ø Service oriented

Ø Look beyond a name to the core and substance of institutions

Ø Tend towards working towards transformation in themselves and the world around them.

First Generation makes up 30% of student population. Their successful High Potential Program is geared to first gen students coming from low income backgrounds.

Athletics Division III sports class for over 12 sporting areas: lots of team and school spirit going on here.

Admissions insights:

Ø weighted GPA is considered

Ø interviews are informational

Honors Program available: includes capstone project and close collaboration with faculty. GPA of 3.6+ required for entry. Honors program housing available. As well as STEM housing.

Financial Aid: Need blind and does not require CSS making financial aid more accessible to many

Grad School rate to Law and Medical school is high: grads have gone onto Med School at Univ. of Washington, University of Southern California, Creighton University and University of San Diego to name a few. Law schools include Berkley, Hastings, and Santa Clara

Saint Mary’s College of California