Bad News for those Students thinking Cal State System Schools were your Safeties - Page 4

Cardinal Fang · 10-20-2009, 05:10 PM

I agree with Calmom about CSU Monterey Bay and CSU Humboldt. I've been to CSU Monterey Bay many times, because Fang Jr used to have roller hockey tournaments just next door. Don't be envisioning Carmel-- CSUMB is a good distance from the beach on the other side of the freeway, isolated in the rolling hills north of the Monterey Peninsula. It's not an unattractive area, but visit before enrolling.

CSU Humboldt is right in the small, hippyish city of Arcata, on Humboldt Bay. It is indeed a gorgeous area of California. I biked through the area three weeks ago, taking a needed rest day at a campground just south of there, and both times my friend and I stopped in Arcata it seemed a town bustling with outdoorsy students and businesses catering to them.

bluebayou · 10-20-2009, 05:33 PM

shrinkwrap:

SSU has a current ppt which identifies the local counties in the service area and gpa's required for impacted majors. Good luck.

Fall 2009 Conference Materials | Student Academic Support | CSU

campbellmom · 10-20-2009, 06:19 PM

I just found this link of a recent CSU press release. It says in the first two weeks, from 10/1-10/15, freshmen apps to CSU's are double what they were last year and triple for transfer students. The message is apply early, apply to the local CSU, and apply to other colleges outside the CSU system.

CSU | Public Affairs

The SSU powerpoint presentation linked by bluebayou shows priority counties for transfer students but I'm not sure if this applies to freshman applicants as well. My opinion after reading these posts and doing my own research, is that each CSU is going to set its own criteria about how to handle the influx of apps. If you look at the SJSU powerpoint from bluebayou's link, it is more specific about acceptance criteria for fall 2010 than SSU's.

vballmom · 10-20-2009, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Can anyone suggest good safeties for a California kid whose GPA might not land him at a good CSU

Not really a safety, perhaps more a match depending on your son's GPA, but your son might consider University of the Pacific.

Shrinkrap · 10-20-2009, 10:22 PM

bluebayou; Thanks!

LasMa · 10-20-2009, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Maybe some of the better CC's need to become BA granting colleges to take some of the pressure of the Cal States? (kind of like Marymount College in PV that grants AAs and BAs)

They wouldn't offer a wide range of BAs, but maybe some liberal arts majors.

How hard would that be?

The CCs are also staggering under the weight of budget cuts. Part of the CSUs' problem is that in addition to the downward pressure from the UCs, they are getting upward pressure from the CCs, which cannot handle the load they are being asked to bear. They are turning students away in droves from general-ed classes, the very classes which students need in order to transfer to a CSU/UC. Adding a BA program would require funding, and California is simply out of money right now.

Quote:

Are the CC budgets still somehow linked to the K-12 budget (or am I getting something confused)?

The K-12 budget is completely separate from the Higher Education budget, which includes the UCs and the CSUs as well as the community colleges. Education at all levels is suffering badly out here, from pre-K all the way through post-secondary.

any1can · 10-21-2009, 08:45 AM

Blue I totally agree with you. Actually, maybe the rise in academic requirements for CSU's may not turn out to be a bad thing. Some kids with less than a 3.0 thrive in college, but most struggle and many drop or flunk out be it for whatever reason. Many kids don't understand the importance of grades from the 9th (Cal Poly for example) and especially the 10th grade. It is hard for them to look beyond today, let alone plan for college which is 3 years out. I have seen this many times, by the time the 2nd semester of the Junior year rolls around, the kids takes a look at their transcript and regret that they didn't try harder. It is a hard lesson to learn but as you know, some kids won't listen to us as parents.

Shrinkrap · 10-21-2009, 12:37 PM

"Some kids with less than a 3.0 thrive in college, but most struggle and many drop or flunk out be it for whatever reason."

Is that part of a study or something? Do you have a link?

BfloGal · 10-21-2009, 02:03 PM

"Some kids with less than a 3.0 thrive in college, but most struggle and many drop or flunk out be it for whatever reason."

God I hope that's not true! I agree with shrinkrap-- need to see the data.

BfloGal · 10-21-2009, 02:05 PM

Re CSU Humboldt-- I've heard drugs are a huge problem there. Not that others schools are drug free, but I get the impression it's more of a problem there. Anyone heard anything?

Cardinal Fang · 10-21-2009, 03:15 PM

No firm data, but I certainly got the impression there was a lot of dope smoking in the Humboldt area. I didn't see or smell anyone smoking in the short time I was visiting the area, but someone offered my touring partner some weed, and someone else had a dog named "Cannabis," so marijuana is obviously not something generally frowned on there.

lilmom · 10-21-2009, 04:59 PM

A friend's S didn't take HS very seriously and didn't have the stats to apply to state schools. He did 2 yrs at a cc (with the intention of transferring) where he thrived. He was on the dean's list for 2 years and then transferred to a top school as biochem major and plans to go to med school. Some would call him a late bloomer, I call him a normal kid. Three of his friends did the same and are also at top schools. CCs offered them an opportunity to mature and develop their study/organizational skills. After talking to my friend today, I have a different view of cc's.

CSUEBadmissions · 10-21-2009, 06:28 PM

Hi BfloGal,

I hope you reconsider applying to Cal State East Bay (CSUEB). Your impression of our campus might be different if you took a look at our Website - Prospective Students Home Page.

Princeton Review has selected Cal State East Bay as a "Best in the West" college for six consecutive years.

CSUEB is also considered a national model for Freshmen Learning Communities and was cited as a "top–tier" institution among master's–granting universities in the West by the U.S. News & World Report's annual "America's Best Colleges" guide.

I’m also happy to say we are definitely not a commuter-only campus. More than 1,200 students live on our campus in our brand new Pioneer Heights residence calls. Many of our on-campus residents are freshmen and students from Southern California and out-of-state. And for the students who are not living on campus, there are many apartment complexes around campus for an off-campus living option.

You might want to take a look at our virtual campus tour at CSUEB Virtual Tour to see our campus for yourself. It’s located high in the Hayward Hills with a beautiful panoramic view of San Francisco Bay.

I’d be pleased to give you a personal tour. Please feel free to call me at 510.885.2030.

Sincerely, India Christman
Cal State East Bay’s Office of Admission
Go Pioneers!

bluebayou · 10-21-2009, 06:53 PM

^^India:

I have friends/relatives who graduated from Cal State HAYWARD -- they refuse to accept the rebranding. hahahahaha

a_mom · 10-21-2009, 07:04 PM

^
I also like CSU Hayward better! All other UC/CSU campus use the city name, it tells you where the campus is. Disclaim: I'm NOT a CSU Hayward alum.