SOCAPA Los Angeles is hosted at Occidental College, one of the oldest and most beautiful college campuses in the West. Situated across Griffith Park from Studio City and Universal Studios Hollywood, Occidental’s Eagle Rock neighborhood has a cozy, suburban feel while being close to all the action. Chosen as home base by the film industry because of its nonstop sunshine and beautiful scenery, Hollywood has become synonymous with entertainment. Not only is Los Angeles the center of the world’s film industry, but it also plays a central role in dance, music, fashion and art.
On weekends, SOCAPA students take trips in and around LA to sites ranging from the Walk of Fame in Hollywood to the boardwalks of Santa Monica and Venice Beach. Activities include the best of summer at camp as well as the LA entertainment scene, and may include visits to live tapings, film studios, beaches, theme parks, and other tourist hot spots. Visiting filmmakers and actors from the industry drop by at least once per session to screen and talk about their work.
Students who live locally or who have friends/family to stay with in Los Angeles are welcome to attend the program as Day Students. Day Students commute to campus each day and return home each evening after classes.
Most of SOCAPA's meals will be served in The Marketplace in Johnson Student Center. Marketplace offers a variety of food for students to choose from - wood-fired pizza, made-to-order pasta, deli specialties, fresh baked goods and a salad bar. On the weekends, SOCAPA students go off-campus for trips to area attractions and are responsible for three meals over the weekend while out touring LA.
Braun Hall - 1600 Campus Road, Los Angeles, California 90041
SOCAPA provides evening and weekend activities for boarding students ranging from a relaxing cool off swim after a productive and exciting day of class, to karaoke night with friends in the lounge or a viewing of the summer blockbuster hit. Weekends are filled with a sampling of LA's excitement: a fun day at Universal Studios, walking around Hollywood, and getting dinner out on the town. SOCAPA brings together the best parts of summer- having fun with friends and seeing and experiencing new places- and a productive learning experience.
Our staff only does airport transfers on the first (opening Sunday) and last (final Saturday) days of each session. We will greet you at the baggage claim area for your flight wearing a SOCAPA t-shirt and holding a sign with your name and drop you at your airline's check-in counter when you leave; unfortunately, we cannot escort you beyond security.
Please note that you must fill out the online Travel Form at least 2 WEEKS PRIOR to the start of the program.
There is a fee of $85 per airport transfer from LAX or Burbank to our Los Angeles Campus. There is an additional fee of $100 for each direction of unaccompanied minor service (arrival and departure). Unaccompanied minor service must first be purchased through your airline and then added to your SOCAPA travel information.
If you have made air arrangements outside our scheduled dates, times, or airports we service, you will need to arrange for transportation from the airport to the residence hall.
Day students should plan to begin the program on the afternoon of the first Sunday of their session, just as residential students do. Schedules and important information is shared during this orientation, and students will also meet their classmates and teachers.
Depending on the program, most class activities begin at 9am and end at 5pm, Monday through Friday. Most programs require at least one or two nights of evening work (editing time, night shoot time, etc.), and some 3-week programs also require students to attend 1 of their final weekend days, such as during a longer shoot day for filmmakers and actors. Students are responsible for following their individual program schedule and respecting that others are counting on them to be there for early call times, evening production meetings, etc. They should also note that schedules may change due to weather, special events, or other circumstances, and watch for communication from campus about these changes. Day students do not have residential staff to remind them of changes, so they’re responsible for paying attention to knowing where they’re supposed to be for class or events.
Evening activities typically run from 7pm to 10pm, with some variance. The break between when class ends and evening activities begin is a dinner break when residential students might shower, change, nap, get supplies for their film or photo projects, buy dinner, work on the songs they’re writing, etc.
Day students should be aware that most of our attendees are residential students who live in our dormitories, and that our programming is structured for students who are in our care 24/7. Day students often befriend others in the programs and can participate in our evening extracurriculars, but they won’t be a part of evening floor meetings, floor mixers, roommate experiences, or other quintessential parts of sleep-away camp that residential students enjoy.
Day students are encouraged and welcome (but not required) to attend any of our structured evening and weekend activities at no extra charge. In the past these have included guest artist speakers, karaoke nights, trips to Stomp, laser tag, bowling, or Times Square, etc. When they don’t have classes schedules, some day students choose to return home at 5pm, which is also fine.
Occidental College policies require all Day students to purchase lunch meals through the Occidental College meal hall. Day students are charged an additional Meals and Activities fee of $185 per week of attendance to cover the cost of lunches in the cafeteria, access to Occidental campus, and tickets or entrance fees for class and extracurricular activities. Day students should be prepared to purchase their own dinner when joining us for the evening.
