Humboldt State vs. San José State

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1

Humboldt State University

[/list]Pros[ul]

[] One of the few residential campuses in the California State University system. Also one of the few remaining college towns in California.
[] A very intimate and peaceful campus; when I visited I felt a sense of community and I got a very weird feeling that this is where I am meant to be. No words can explain how beautiful it is, very small as well.
[] If I consider graduate school (which is very likely since to become a Statistician a master’s is basically mandatory), I could probably settle for the curve in most of my classes since the student body is not that competitive and the fact that a quarter of entering freshman drop out within the first year. As the saying goes, “a private LAC for the public price.” One of the least impacted CSUs as well.
[]The environment, air quality, and weather are all ideal for me. I want to exercise and have my family visit a comforting place…my little brother has asthma and it has been difficult for him since we live in the Los Angeles county.
[] Time would go by very slow and I settle into the tempo of Humboldt State easily. This is how I would want it to be.
[] Bonus: I would actually want to live here for undergraduate. The rent and house values here are pretty damn ideal. Also, there is no crime here besides thefts. Humboldt State sent a message to all of its students about a sound like a “gunshot” occurring, which pretty much says that nothing dangerous happens here.

[/ul]Cons[ul]

[] The distance from the Los Angeles county may not be worth it since its prestige is not very high, unfortunately.
[] Homeless or quirky people aka the literal “you do you” saying and weed/drugs are prevalent. Also a lot of stealing, especially in Eureka. Also, I am pretty sketched out for how the student body will be since nearly anyone can get in as long as they do the a-g requirements.
[] I am planning to become a Statistician, and internships would be tough to deal with unless if I focus on the Biological Sciences/Natural Resources, which I am not completely set on yet.
[] My overall rank is in the top 23 (considering ECs and all, not just academics), and people would be shocked if I chose to go here. I also do not know if an employer could take a degree from Humboldt State seriously, even though I am pretty much set on going to a NCAA FBS Division I grad school.
[li] I may become severely depressed since it rains a lot. I love rain but some research suggests that if you do not get enough sunlight one can expect to be depressed.[/li]
San José State University

[/ul]Pros[ul]

[] FBS Division I athletics; this is a huge reason why I applied here. However, it is not known to be a big athletics school, despite of it being in the same level as Cal, UCLA, Fresno State, and San Diego State.
[] Since I want to become a Statistician, I will have no problem of becoming one if I attend here. Silicon Valley, do I really need to explain?
[] It’s in the sleeping giant of the Bay Area, San José. There will be so much to do in the city and the surrounding area. Therefore, I will have the appropriate college experience since there will be so much to do. I always wanted to go to northern California from the Los Angeles county, and San José would be a great start.
[] The diversity is unreal here, I have never seen a college with better diversity in California, arguably the nation.
[] San José State offers much more in terms of academics than Humboldt State.
[] Bonus: Public transportation is the best in California, hands down. I truly love public transportation and I hate how in Los Angeles nearly everyone follows the propaganda of having a car and frowning upon. I am most likely not living in Southern California and I am staying far away from it, and San José State would give me a jumpstart.

[/ul]Cons[list]

[] It is EXPENSIVE here. This is one con that I truly hate about San José State. If I live here for the rest of my life, I will be jealous of other states who pay so little compared to Californians just because they do not have a beach by them.
[] Several people and sources informed me that it takes forever to graduate from here. There is a joke at San José State that goes, “You will spend at the very least 7% of your life here.”
[] The immediate location is not good. I always see on the subreddit of San José State of people dying here each year and it’s the most I have seen out of any university I have applied to. Although it’s mostly the homeless people, it’s still bad.
[] It is large and urban. I want to experience a rural place and I do not know if I could deal with another urban place…and I would really want to see people again instead of seeing them once a semester, or even a year since San José State has 30K people.
[li]Commuter and no spirit whatsoever from what I heard, I want to be in a place where people are proud of representing their school.[/li]
What do you guys think, go to the school where I feel better at or that is better for my career?

2

Your list suggests you have done a lot of research. Your pros and cons are pretty spot on. Humboldt is not very selective and a love it or hate it place. SJSU is a big commuter school in an urban area. Both offer some really outstanding programs but, neither is particularly known for Statistics.

Somehow, you have narrowed your choices to these 2?

If these are really the only 2 on your list, it sounds like you are sold on the N Cal Coastal lifestyle -suggesting you’d feel comfortable, do well in school and take advantage of what the school and area have to offer. Few find it a reasonable place raise a family (too remote and not enough stable employment) That can make for a great college experience.

If you are looking for someplace bigger and less remote and eclectic than HSU yet smaller, less urban and residential than SJSU, why not look at Sonoma and Chico? Both are very residential, and are surrounded by nice communities.

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@NCalRent Thank you, I know that the choice of my college is really important. I have already visited Humboldt State, and I got a kick in the gut that told me I belonged there…I also visited the spring break of Junior year.

Yes, those are my only two options. But I live in SoCal and it’s filled with people who value rankings and other similar measures greatly from the propaganda.

It’s a really long story, but I’ll try to make it short as possible. Initially, I wanted to go to NorCal…and my list included UCB, UCM, UCD, UCSC, HSU, SSU, EBSU, & SFSU. Once I told some people about this list they were mostly shocked. Due to peer pressure, my list changed to UCB, UCLA, UCSD, UCD, SDSU, Fresno State, SJSU, and HSU. I convinced for Humboldt State because it was my safety school, even though they still thought CSULB was the better option since I live in their guarantee-admission area. I ignored them so I just secretly did Humboldt State. About a month ago or two, I got a supplemental questionnaire from UCSD and UCLA with a 3.04 UC GPA and 1460 overall SAT but with 12 APs and (imo) superior ECs/personal statements, I don’t know how…but I had to rush it anyway due to my personal circumstances heightening those two weeks like no other, for some odd reason. I soon got swayed by UCLA because of my friends and family only to get rejected, of course. I was on the edge to appeal, but I just really don’t like the UC system right now…California in general. I didn’t get into SDSU and because I turned in a paper late Fresno State too. This leaves San Jose State and Humboldt State. I am relieved but upset at the same time since I wasted so much time and that I keep saying “what if” about if I actually did produce drafts for the supplemental at UCLA and UCSD, since they give NO actual information about it. The supplemental questionnaire is filled with vague information…and it’s contradictory. It’s like “you’re on the borderline”, “it’s random”, “they only assigned it to you for their research”, “you only got it because you had a circumstance/disability, it doesn’t mean anything”, or some other b u l l s h i t. They should replace the supplemental questionnaire with the interview, just like Virginia. Even if I did appeal, I doubt they would care anyway. California is all in about the $$$ now, especially the UC system. Imo, it’s not holistic anymore. I am planning to move out of California, so that’s why I’m anxious to go to Humboldt State so that it would be easier to explore the U.S. But yeah, luckily things turned out the way I initially wanted it to be, only two colleges in northern California. I wish I did Sonoma State though. Nevertheless, I still like Humboldt State more than Sonoma State.

So here I am today. Lol

4

Time to trust yourself - Head to HSU and drink it in.

Good luck