<p>Which of these CSUs (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, CSULB, CSU Chico, SFSU, SDSU, CSU Montery Bay, CSU Sonoma, and Humboldt State) should I apply to? Could I get into a UC?</p>
<p>GPA 3.83
ACT 28
Out of state (Washington)</p>
<p>I have grown up in humboldt and go to Arcata High. Humboldt is definatly different especially for someone whos never been in an area like this, but i think it is probably one of the best college towns ever. Everyone around is chill, no commercilized coporations around. The homeless are there, but they are usually all really nice. Theres a guy called rag man pete, who everyone is friends with. Id rather be in a town with nice hippies than some stuck up, materialistic suburb.</p>
<p>What do people do in Humboldt?</p>
<p>Lorena:</p>
<p>you could likely get into several of the UC’s, but, please be aware that OOS tuition is ~$40k for the UC’s. U-Dub is a much better value, IMO.</p>
<p>I know U-Dub is a much better value, but I am getting real sick of Washington. How much is OOS tuition at CSUs and which one would you recommend?</p>
<p>check out the post elsewhere asking if the CSU system is tiered. it is, with SLO at the top of the 23 campuses.
that said, even the 23d best school in the system must have something for which it is noteworthy.</p>
<p>The problem is that the question of which school is “best” or “top” has little meaning outside of the context of “best for who” and “best at what”. Each school has its strengths and weaknesses, as a campus environment and as to its different academic departments. Chico and Cal Poly SLO are definitely “college town” environments. CSULB, SFSU, and some of the others tend to be more commuter schools. CP SLO is the “best” academically but that’s largely due to the reputation enjoyed by its engineering department. Humboldt is known for marine biology. Chico and SDSU are known for business, etc. In other fields other CSU’s may be “better”. So it takes some research to determine which is “worth going to” for any particular student. If you’re going strictly by “general reputation” that tends to be reflected in the academic strength of the students who elect to go there. Here’s a list of the reported average high school GPA of students who enrolled in the following California public U’s last year as freshmen: UCLA: 4.12; UCSD: 3.98, UCSB: 3.76 CalPoly SLO: 3.76, UC Davis: 3.74, UCSC: 3.48, SDSU: 3.48, UCR: 3.42, Chico: 3.28, Humboldt: 3.17. But those are self-reported numbers, and I’m not convinced that every school uses the same formula for calculating the average GPA. (In fact, I’m a little suspicious about some of the numbers I’ve seen which I haven’t listed here.) But I’d say that the overall reputation of those schools pretty much follows that list.</p>
<p>Keri, yep, everything you say is true. But then again, if you check the safety records for SDSU and Chico, you’ll find lots of alcohol violations as well. :)</p>
<p>Lorena, For history, Cal Poly SLO, SDSU, Long Beach and Sonoma would probably the ones I’d look at first. Unfortunately, history is an impacted major at SDSU and I think also at Cal Poly SLO - double check.</p>
<p>Honestly, you can get a decent education at any of the cal states. However, just as with any college list, it’s important to give some thought to which campus fits you and your needs/wants best. Start by thinking a bit about who you are, your personality - would you describe yourself as crunchy granola-y, career oriented, someone who likes to party, artistic, serious about school, etc., etc. etc. There is a cal state to fit all of those types, but not all types would be happy at all cal states. Just as if you were considering private schools, you need to have an overall sense of where you would feel most comfortable.</p>
<p>Then, think about the specifics of campuses. Do you want a large school (SDSU has 35,000 plus students and is still growing), a smaller school (Sonoma has 5,000 students), a school with an innovative curriculum (Monterrey Bay)? Do you want an urban school, a suburban school, a rural school? DO you want a school with lots of diversity? Do you want a residential school or could you live with a school that clears out at the end of the day or is dead on weekends? Do you like the idea of frats and sororities or a campus where there is lots of political activism? What is your idea of a good time - is it beer bashes on Greek row, hanging out in the dorm with friends, or hiking in the redwoods? How far from home are you willing to go — California is a big state, getting from one end to the other can be a schlep: are you comfortable with being far from home, or would you rather go someplace where you can get home on weekends? And so on…</p>
<p>i’m also a history major than plans to transfer either this spring or next fall…i got acceted so far to sonoma, sac state, and san bernardino for spring 2006 and applied to long beach, fullerton, and northridge for fall 2006. was thinking about sdsu but history is impacted. i’ still not sure which school to go to. any help or advice would be appreciated</p>