EPISODE 73: 10 IMPORTANT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING LOCATED WITHIN THE SPRAWL BOUNDARIES

In this week's episode of Living in the Sprawl: Southern California's Most Adventurous Podcast, host Jon Steinberg shares his list of 10 important institutions of higher learning located within the Southern California sprawl boundaries. His list includes: Cal Poly Pomona, UCSD, Pepperdine, San Diego State University, University of California Irvine, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the Claremont Colleges, University of California Santa Barbara, USC and UCLA.

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Transcript

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Hello listeners and fellow explorers. This is living in the sprawls lovely and talented producer slash wife, Lisa Steinberg. I wanted to thank all of you for your continuous support of the show. As a new podcast on the scene, John and I self-support the logistics and research that go into the show. The number one way to support the show is to rate, review and share this podcast with everyone, you know, Many of you have been doing this and it has helped immensely. I also invite you to check out our website and the show notes for other ways to support the show. We are currently working with companies. We currently use ourselves. To get discount codes for our listeners and support the show in the process. These companies include. Every table, just CBD store, gold belly cats, botanicals, and so much more. By using the links on our website, you are letting them know we sent you an intern, supporting the show. You can also support us on Patrion and pod fan. Please check out the website@livinginthesprawlpodcast.com. For updates on companies we are working with our testimonies links codes and new living in the sprawl merchandise Again thank you to all of you our lovely listeners for tuning in every week and allowing us to do what we love Without further ado you're humble correspondent John steinberg Hello. And welcome to another installment of living in the sprawl, Southern California, his most adventurous podcast. I am as always your humble host and correspondent. My name is John Steinberg joined. In tandem by my lovely and tremendously talented producer, uh, slash my wife. Her name is Lisa Steinberg. We are the team here at sprawl enterprises. Ready to bring you yet another exciting foray into the vast expansive terrain. That we have lovingly decided to dub the sprawl. On today's show. We go back to school. In list. In all forms of higher education. As we examine what we believe to be. The most important institutions of higher learning to be found anywhere. Within the sprawl. I don't want to come across as a. Coastal elitist. But Southern California happens. To be blessed with a bevy of extraordinary. Colleges and universities. If you examine. As I did in preparation for today's show. Lists compiled by outlets like us news and world report. Caplin. And many others. Universities located within our purview. I have an outsized. Impact on national and global academic rankings. California. The world's fifth largest economy. Prides itself. On a statewide culture of innovation. Entrepreneurship. And directed research. Well institutions such as Stanford, Berkeley. And the like are located to the north. What we've going on down south. It's even more impressive. As we forecast. Into the future. The role of colleges and institutions of higher learning. It cannot be understated. Though. Online coursework. In virtual learning. May ultimately come to redefine the ways in which. Students. Learn on a day-to-day basis. I think we can say. With a high degree of certainty. That as long. As folks. Uh, lineup on mass to attend. The schools. Located between past the roadblocks in the north, in San Diego, in the south. We'll have a 200 year bumper crop. Uh, intelligent, capable. And most importantly, highly educated. Folks. Entering the workplace. So today. Let us. Cast our gaze on the 10. Most important institutions of higher learning. That we have to our credit located in our backyard, the sprawl. And number 10. Cowl. Poly Pomona. Originally. Founded on a parcel of land. Insane Demas. The school. That is widely recognized today as Cal poly Pomona. Has undergone. A pretty impressive evolution. After. Moving. Do a plot of land that was formerly occupied by a ranch belonging to serial magnet. WK Kellogg. Cal poly Pomona. Joined the Cal state system. In the 1970s. The school is widely. Lauded. For some of it's technical. Programs. A tremendous. Pathway for aspiring ophthalmologists. Those interested in all aspects of engineering. Cal poly Pomona. Both. An objectively impressive array. Of past pupils, including. The founder of Bitcoin. Academy award winning thespian forest Whitaker. Any number of. Impactful. CEO's. And the political figures. What Cal poly Pomona may lack in. Campus life. It more than makes up for. In terms of curriculum. In an overall commitment. To first rate academic endeavors. And number 10, we're going to start with cal poly pomona And number nine, you see S D university of California, San Diego. This. LA Jolla. Based campus. It's home to the nationally. Recognized Salk Institute. And has been. Home to. A myriad. Of noteworthy academics since. It came. Into the UC system. Over five decades ago. If you invest the gate. National lists of. Best. Science schools. Engineering institutions, you will routinely spot. UCS. D pretty high. Indeed. The school routinely. Lands in the top 30 of. All public. American institutions of higher learning. The not necessarily a, a beacon. For those looking to experience the quintessential Susie sorority, Joe college. Version of higher learning. Serious academics. Have earned their degrees at UCS. The. And gone on to chief at the highest possible levels. UCS the sometimes gets forgotten. Or cast the side. Because it's just, well, It's not as, um, shiny new, sexy as it were as some of the other schools. Within the UC system. But it's contributions are massive. And it's global imprint. Leaves. No doubt. That California San Diego must be included on any list. Of the best colleges and universities in Southern California. And number eight. Pepperdine. University. This. Malibu. Set campus is without question one of the most picturesque. Colleges to be found anywhere in the world. Nevermind the United States. Originally founded. And the 1930s by a fellow by the name of George Pepperdine. The school. was located. On 78th and Western in the south. Portion of Los Angeles now to anyone familiar with the geographic layout of the greater Los Angeles area. 78th and Western. And Pepperdine don't have a great deal in common with one another. And it was after. The 65 Watts riots. And. Some unfortunate incidents that took place. Toward the latter half of the 1960s that prompted. University officials to seek. A permanent campus. Location elsewhere now. Westlake village. Was tossed around. As was Calabasas, but ultimately Malibu. Was selected as the next landing spot for Pepperdine university. That's to say that. Your humble host, the correspondent has been fortunate enough to travel all across the country. Stopping at universities. In. Over 40 different states. I can't think of a more beautiful. Setting for school then Pepperdine. You literally have views of the Pacific ocean, the peace and tranquility of the surrounding Santa Monica mountains. Make the spot. A true outlier in terms of. Collegiate settings. Having said all that the academics while perhaps not on par with the over the top beauty of the setting. Our to be lauded independently. Chiefly among those institutions is the law school at Pepperdine. Which has a national. Reputation. The school has produced academy award winners, fortune 500 CEOs. And was once. A soft landing spot. For a former bill Clinton prosecutor, Kenneth Starr, who served as president of the university for a number of years. Post Clinton, the wind ski scandal. The Pepperdine waves have also made contributions. Within the realm. Of the entertainment industry. And even sports. But truly if there's. One selling point. It's impossible to kind of stop gushing about the vistas. That you can observe from this campus. It's truly a singular destination. And even if the academics were terrible, I'd still be inclined to include it on this list because there's just nothing like it in terms of setting. It's a private school. There's an enormous cross. When you first arrive on campus. But who cares? You're gazing at the Pacific ocean. In Malibu. So we have to shut out. Pepperdine. University. At number seven. San Diego state university. The Aztecs make this appearance on the list. As. One of the real. Triumphs of the Cal state system. Located. In the central east portion of greater San Diego. The university was once part of this. Really archaic and kind of impossible to believe actually. Existed. Portion of history. Where we had a bunch of schools called the normal school. But after. Much wrangling. When San Diego state became a card carrying member of the Cal state system, a number of decades ago. The university quickly made an indelible impression upon the California landscape. Here you'll find. A tremendous. Business school communications department. First rate athletics. Top notch, English department. Though San Diego state in contrast to some of the other institutions that we've just mentioned. Though it may not have the top of the line. Tippy tippy top academics, like a UCS D. Uh, Pepperdine, et cetera. Best some of its counterparts. With its prototypical American college experience. The Greek system on campus is robust. As I stated the athletics. Well, not necessarily on par with the likes of some other places. We'll talk about a little bit later. R. Without question first rate. San Diego state. Because we are raking these institutions. By virtue of their overall importance. Hass to make an appearance on our list and that's why it graces our program at number seven And number six, UCI university of California, Irvine. I grew up in the shadow of UCI. And got a firsthand glimpse. Into the fervent academic. Climate that surrounded the college. Never. Hailed for. It's the social offerings. UCI. Boasts world-class. Programs. In scientific fields. Engineering. And with graduates like Michael. Shay bond. Author of the adventures of Kavalier and clay. Which won the Pulitzer prize for fiction. 20 years ago. There's a surprisingly. Terrific. Creative writing and English department at. The home of the anteaters. Located. A 20 minute drive from Disneyland in one direction. And a 20 minute. Distance from the ocean in another. UCI. Is located in suburbia. But with. Readily available access to. Some of the most exciting things on planet earth. And wonderful place for serious academics. To hit the books. UCI is on the younger end in terms of schools that are a part of the UC system. But while young. Relatively speaking. The school is long on academic contributions, boasting. It wide cross section. Of alums. That can call themselves Nobel laureates. Pulitzer prize winners. Corporate. Heads. Some of the brightest. In the entire country have come out of the ranks of UC. Aye. And number five, Cal poly San Luis Obispo. The first. Of the three Cal poly schools. In the golden state. This central coast. Institution. Claims. A large number. Of important. Graduates. This is where Jamba juice was founded. Also. Urban dictionary. There's a kind of counterculture. Cloud at permeates the air. At the institution known by students in the larger community as slow. If you visited today. You'd never guess. That John Madden. On his degree on campus. Or that. Iconic St. Louis Cardinals, shortstop, Ozzie Smith. Once I took his final exams. On campus. Fascinating architecture, abounds. At Cal poly SLO. Helping us to forget the fact that this. Was where Kristin smart disappeared from in 1996. It's a little bit strange, unique. You only find a place like Cal poly SLO. In. A location as diverse and eclectic as the seller, California sprawl. And number four, the Claremont colleges seven. Small. Upper echelon, liberal arts institutions located. In the Eastern part of Los Angeles county. Claremont McKenna Scripps, Harvey Mudd. Claremont graduate college. Pitzer. These schools. Together. Have a collective student body population of just over 8,500. They're each. Small. Liberal arts institutions. That exists to provide students with a first rate. Classically inspired education. Pomona college was actually the first. Established in the 1920s. But as more institutions kept popping up. The reputation for the Claremont colleges. Only. Grew and Ranked as some of the most difficult institutions. To get into. Anywhere outside of the Ivy leagues. The Claremont colleges, particularly Claremont McKenna offer incredible programs in degrees. In. Politically inclined majors and minors. Also international relations. And all seven of these institutions. Kind of share. The greater Claremont community. If you just had one of these schools. I don't think it would merit inclusion on the list like this, but when you consolidate all seven of them, It is a truly impressive crop of. Places where the kids can learn. And number four. The claremont colleges And number three, you see S B. California Santa Barbara. It's not quite Pepperdine, but you CSB. Is objectively a lovely place. To learn. Set in the. Eila Vista community. Students are welcomed. Bye. A charming, cool breeze as they saunter. Toward the quad. Santa Barbara. The which. Uh, draws comparisons with Emily's Amalfi coast. Has been a Haven for post secondary learning. For 70 plus years now. You CSB. Is the first place that we've really talked about today. That is more or less a great combination of academics and social life. The prototypical college experience. With academics at the higher end of that scale, if you will. And you CSB. Students have an opportunity to learn from world-class instructors. While simultaneously joining. Impactful and important. Clubs. The opportunities. Afforded by admission to a place like Santa Barbara, our seemingly limitless. Proving. That Santa Barbara offers far more than just. Gorgeous beach days, the university of California, Santa Barbara. Is one of the best. Colleges to be found anywhere in the sprawl. Matter of fact, It's the third best. And number two. There was really no way around it. Had to pick. University of Southern California, the Trojans. Certainly one of the most famous colleges or universities to be found anywhere within the Southern California sprawl. UFC has been around. Since the. Late 1880s. And has evolved. From a college. Concerned with religious matters to. One of the most easily. Recognizable. Bastions of higher learning to be found anywhere in the world. Because of its proximity to the entertainment industry. USC has. I would say the. Most. Uh, claimed. Film department in the country. They'll never let you forget that George Lucas earned his degree here and Steven Spielberg couldn't actually get in. The academics at USC are first rate, but maybe not even to the level. Of the athletics. Infamously OJ Simpson won a Heisman trophy here as did Reggie Bush. Matt liner, Carson Palmer. Mike Garrett, Charles White. If you attend a game at the Coliseum, you'll see. Well, you won't see number 32, but you'll see. Everyone else's retired. Jersey numbers. In the stands. UFC has found itself embroiled in scandal in recent years. Of a meat to nature. And of a. Celebrities and immensely wealthy people paying for their kids to cheat their way into college level. But none of that can take away from the fact that U S C is. A ridiculously important. Outlet for higher learning. It had to be done. On our list. The most important colleges and universities to be found anywhere within the Southern California sprawl. It's USC at number And that leaves us. At number one. U C L a. The Alma mater of half of the living in the sprawl team. My lovely and talented producer slash wife is a. Bruin. World-class academics. Meet a vibrant. Social scene. And. Probably the. Most impressive. Collection of athletes. To be found anywhere in the entire country. Jackie Robinson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Bill Walton. This is where John wooden. Made. The most impressive collegiate dynasty. At the NCAA has ever seen. People like Arthur Ash. And James Dean. Are not to be. Withheld when talking about. Folks that have attended the school. UCLA holds a very special. Place in the heart of anyone that grew up. Or resides or has ever traveled to Southern California. The Westwood. Based. Campus. Has been seen in countless films. Television shows. Commercials and music videos. In 2021. UCLA received over a hundred thousand. Applications for admission. Into the undergraduate class. The acceptance rate hovers at around 12% as of this recording. Making it one of the most difficult places to gain admittance to. In the country. One of the leaders with this idea of there being a public Ivy school. Contingent in the United States. UCLA. Literally just received more applications than any other school in the nation. A beautiful. No pun intended sprawling campus. That boasts. Amazing museums. At world-class botanical garden sculpture garden. Billy Wilder theater, Royce hall. And of course Pauley pavilion. The school is frankly. So, uh, amazing that perhaps. You may forget. That the football team plays. At least 15 to 20 miles away in Pasedena. That's okay. Because everything else about UCLA. Is at the absolute pinnacle. For higher learning. That's going to do it for another episode of the program. We would like to thank everyone for their continued support of the show. A couple of easy ways to demonstrate such support hop on apple iTunes, or wherever you download the podcast. Leave us a five star. Reading and. Kind of review that stuff really helps us out a great deal. Follow us on Instagram. The handle is living in the sprawl podcast. Drop us a line@livinginthesprawlpodcastatgmail.com. We'd like to draw your attention to our tremendous website, hop on there, get your hands on some. Much coveted living in the sprawl merchandise. On behalf. Of myself. I am as always your humble host and correspondent. My name is John Steinberg joined by my lovely, extraordinarily talented producer slash my wife. Her name is Lisa Steinberg. We are the team here at sprawl enterprises. Thanking you. From the bottom of our hearts for listening to yet another episode. Of living in the sprawl. So the california's most adventurous podcast talk to you all quite