I sought out to ask some fellow freshman about why they chose the University of San Francisco and what their experiences have been thus far.

We are truly in the best city ever. San Francisco has such rich culture and diverse occupants. Between undergraduate and graduate students, our school makes up about 10,000 people! Being a small Jesuit university, our education is more personalized. James Dumlao, a freshman economics major shares that “The Jesuit tradition is applied secularly. The attention to Mind, Body, and Spirit translates to a true well-rounded education.” He shares that our school has surpassed his expectations already!

The University of San Francisco’s class of 2020 is composed of a diverse collection of students. The students I obtained opinions from are intended majors ranging from economics, politics, computer science, psychology, marketing, biology, history, and sociology.

Fatima Ali shares that, “The best part about USF is the privilege of living in the city! Living in such a beautiful and cultured city is an amazing opportunity and there's always something to do.” Students at USF are experts at exploration, though we are only freshman- many people have found their favorite spots in the city already! These include, the Golden Gate Bridge, Dolores Park, Union Square, Corona Heights, Twin Peaks, Ocean Beach, the Exploratorium, Haight and Ashbury streets, and St. Ignatius Church!

Jevannie Dixon, comes all the way from North Carolina. She discloses that San Francisco differs from her hometown because here there is an abundance of people with a wider assortment of diversity! The University also prides itself on diversity, in 2015 the freshman class had 23.8% International students. I would say that if that many people are coming here from other countries... we must attend a heck of a great school.

Simi Kishnani strives to be a marketing manager for a social media company, she shares that she chose to come to USF because of the location and the amount of opportunities it provides for its students! This was a very common response among my peers. The University of San Francisco was their top choice mainly because of the opportunities it has for all students.

Gia Saini, Biology major on a Pre-med track, shares that she came here because of the great science program! Many students come to USFCA because this school “offers 44 majors and 46 minors in the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Management, and School of Nursing and Health Professions.”

Sarah Lavin and Diana Celedonio note cultural differences between their hometowns and San Francisco. Sarah previously lived in Temecula, California, she says that her hometown is “politically very conservative" so I would conclude that coming to San Francisco, a known progressive city, has been a big culture shock. And Diana Celedonio mentions San Francisco has “different slang” than her hometown of Tustin, California.

We all come from very different backgrounds and make up a diverse freshman class. Students come from all over the world to get an education at the University of San Francisco. Overall, this small portion of our freshman class is pretty content with the city and our school! GO DONS!

Statistics found at: https://www.usfca.edu/about-usf/what-you-need-to-k...

Big thank you to all the freshman who contributed their feedback to the pressing question, why USFCA?

Students interviewed: Diana Celedonio, Fatima Ali, Gia Saini, James Dumlao, Jevannie Dixon, Sarah Lavin, and Simi Kishnani