LMU is a small, jesuit school overlooking the marina in West Los Angeles. Class sizes are small, staff are approachable and you'll rarely have a class with TA's. Lots of campus service organizations and clubs as well as a strong Greek program. The student body is diverse and the neighborhood surrounding the school is safe. A car is recommended as public transportation will not get you most places you want to go. You'll have to work hard in most classes, but you'll also have access to many materials and supplies that other schools don't. Great fine arts programs including theater, film, graphic design, animation.
If you are planning on being an English major, don't count on reading anything other than classics from England a la the Norton Anthology of English literature. When I was an English major I mistakenly thought that the department would offer courses in literature outside of England and outside of Europe and the west. I find LMU to be a good school for volunteerism as well as for non-liberal arts students with relatively clear-cut career tracks, such as business, elementary and secondary level teaching, engineering, film and communication arts. For a liberal arts education you are better off going to a UC or some other better-funded school. LMU does not offer as many resources and safe spaces in the way of cultural, racial and sexual diversity. However, as a small to medium sized campus, it's easy to make friends and to create relationships with professors. For the most part, socially, everyone is open and accepted as long as they do not have extreme political views or idiosynchratic behavior.
