Occidental College, founded in 1887, is a private, liberal arts college, one of a few located in a major metropolitan area. The school is known for easy access to professors, research opportunities and the high level of diversity on campus, in the faculty and in the student body. Students with excellent writing skills graduate from Occidental, and the school attracts open-minded students, serious about themselves but concerned about their neighbor. Its 120-acre campus, including buildings of Italian Renaissance architectural style, is located in Los Angeles.