<p>I have to agree with Shrinkrap, even though those three schools are CSUs, unless you live in their service areas they are going to be as hard to get into as any UC.</p>
<p>to alamemom:</p>
<p>If this was Facebook I would click on LIKE. 
(Regarding your post below:)</p>
<p>And finally, I do not agree at all with the post that says receiving a degree from a California State University would “limit” your future educational and vocational goals - if fact, as a CSU graduate who has gone on to graduate school (at a selective private university on a fellowship - GASP!) and who has managed a succesful career, I would say that is utter nonsense</p>
<p>Interesting post as I am now trying to answer the UC vs. CSU question for myself (and see there is a thread on that specifically). I object to UCR and UCSC being called lower tier UC’s. They are of the lower tier of admissions-ie. lower average stats to get in, but there is nothing to suggest that they don’t both attract smart, bright, inspired students. UCR has a very unsexy campus (though beautiful grounds if you don’t count the mismatched building styles) in that it is in Riverside- not a ‘destination’ in the way a Santa Barbara or San Diego is. And Santa Cruz- my D thought it was gorgeous. We live in a very homeogenous, conservative suburb and we both loved the alternative vibe. Okay, but back to the CSU’s- as a mom, I’m attracted to the smaller classes, the professors who teach for the love of it, vs. the research focus (not a bad thing in itself, but that part can be a professor’s passion in stead of the classroom duties), the notion of getting a student involved early in a practical application of the major. My concern is as noted: how is a classroom dynamic changed when majority of kids are less “studious” (as measured by HS grades/SATS). My D is in IB and used to high level of instruction/discussion and pace. </p>
<p>That said, we visited SFSU and Sonoma and Cal Poly so far. Hope to check out Long Beach and San Diego State soon. SF just had that dynamic quality that comes from an urban environment and so many diverse students. Sonoma was pretty but lacked energy for us. Cal Poly, well I wanted to go there! We’ve been warned that higher stats are required for admission to out of region CSU’s. So we keep researching, OR and WA too. S is in a small private school (Redlands) and loves it but D wants more choices of majors and the CSU’s offer a lot to a student who is searching (yes, I understand how Cal Poly limits that objective).</p>
<p>It seems you are just basing your choice by prestige. Let me tell you something. I am a freshmen at sdsu in the engineering program ( aerospace engineering ). Last semester i was crushed with the decision i had to make. I turned down uc davis for sdsu, why? Sdsu was cheaper (pretty much free since i am a commuter), my parents could not afford a uc. I am also Hispanic, and i know you want to make your parents proud and show people that Hispanics are not just gang bangers. But csu’s are not that bad. Its about the student not the school. I had descent stats CR:550, Math:640 ,writting:450 In sdsu they offer great help for minorities. I am pretty sure it is the same in other CSU institutions. In the end i think it was destiny, and I am having blast in sdsu and i believe i made the right choice. Just remember it is about the student not the school.</p>
<p>^^^ I like your attitude, red619! My daughter was also accepted at UC Davis, but she chose to attend Cal Poly SLO. She’s a freshman. It wasn’t about the financial aspect, although Davis would have been higher. She just felt that Cal Poly and the San Luis Obispo area (beaches, etc.) were a better match for her. However, she was also accepted to USC and that was going to be a lot more expensive. So, she had to make the choice not to attend. But, like you, she felt she made the right decision in the end. And, she *does *plan to go on to grad school.</p>
<p>my sister graduated from csu san bernandino, and that did not limit her. she is currently completing her master’s program at USC.</p>
<p>I agree that it’s not the school that makes the student, it’s the student who makes the school. Interesting fact: my archaeology professor attended undergrad at CSU Fullerton and graduated with a 4.0 after transferring from a CCC, gained acceptance to the MFA film program at UCLA which is amazingly difficult and is now working on a PhD in anthropology at UCLA. The sky is the limit…</p>
<p>I hope you get into
ucsc, san jose state or sf state would be good second choices to UC IMO</p>
<p>I hope you get into ucsc, san jose state or sf state would be good second choices to UC IMO</p>
<p>I have numerous times that in the larger Sacramento area, companies usually hire more a lot more engineers from Sac State then UC Davis. Main reason is like Lemiatre said, the UC system teaches to get ppl ready for graduate school and research, while the CSUs give more hands on and are ready to work in their field right out of college.</p>
<p>If my child is working towards a degree in engineering; and they have been accepted to sjsu, san francisco university and sac state, which one would be the best?</p>
<p>@helpnow</p>
<p>SJSU, no question.</p>
<p>Sjsu… duh lol</p>
<p>Thanks for the information!</p>
<p>Lemaitre1:“Since CSUs are considered to be “teaching” rather than “research” universities, graduates of CSUs have a difficult time getting into graduate schools and have almost no chance of being accepted at a medical school, highly ranked law school or leading MBA program. The state justifies this caste system by saying it is the only way to offer an opportunity for a four year degree to all Californians at a cost the state can afford.”</p>
<p>Do you have any evidence to back this up? I am not sure if this is accurate. While it may be be difficult to transfer from a CSu to UC for undergrad institution, I doubt that it is as unlikely as you have said to transfer to a good graduate school from a CSU. The reason why such a low percentage of students get admitted into graduate schools from CSu’s is probably, as you have said, that they lacked motivation in the first place, and thus received bad grades and test scores.</p>
<p>In fact, it might be even easier and better for one to attend a CSU instead of an UC if he/she is sure of graduate school. CSU generally have lower standards, and it would much, much easier to get into a graduate school from a CSU than a school with higher standards. Would you agree with me in that?</p>
<p>Agreed, CSUs are about average for state u’s, and if you are staying local you will always meet up with tons of fellow alums in business.</p>
<p>@Annoyinggirl Also consider that CSUs tend to have a much higher dropout rate. There are many students that go to CSUs who clearly shouldn’t be there. They put the partying/social scene ahead of studying, and it ultimately catches up with them. Those who do well at the CSUs have a decent chance of getting into grad school. I’ve met a couple of grad students at UC Davis who went to Chico State for their undergrad.</p>
<p>One more thing, if you decide to go to a CSU, do NOT fall into the trap of believing the academics will be easier than a UC.</p>
<p>Hesdjjim’s warning about assuming academics will be easier at a CSU than at a UC are illustrated by what I posted on a different thread.</p>
<p>“I would be careful about assuming courses at SFSU would be easier than equivalent courses at UC Davis. I know that for example CSU Sacramento and UC Berkeley use the same textbook (Stewart, “Early Transcendetals”) for Calculus I,II, and III and comparing the midterm and final exam questions that my elder son who is now taking Calculus III at Sac State gets and those for the same course posted on the UC Berkeley web site, they seem to be of about equal difficulty. The difference in the capabilities between the Sac State and Berkeley student bodies shows up in the statistics that while about 90% of students who matriculate at Berkeley eventually earn a Bachelor’s degree, the figure for Sac State is only about 40%.”</p>
I completely agree that entering CSU’s cuts you off from most nationally recognized business schools. For example, at UCLA Anderson School of Management in the full-time MBA program, only 5-8 students per year hail from the CSU system, and predominated by San Luis Obispo. We have 240 domestic students, so for 23 CSU’s to send a combined 5-8 people annually is a paltry number. By contrast, more than 40 students come from UCLA or UC-Berkeley into UCLA Anderson. I am sure the stats are even worse for Stanford Graduate School of Business.
I also have never heard of anyone from the CSU’s enter medical school.
CSU’s are schools with very low admissions standards (except SLO) that can offer an excellent education. Computer science is computer science wherever you go.
UC-Berkeley economics grad
UCLA Anderson MBA Candidate