San Jose state vs Cal Poly Pomona

turtlerock
Tue, 01 Mar 2016 21:55:56 +0000

@fluffy2020 , good questions.

I had a few options for schools, including in-state and out-of-state. I had been living and working in San Jose for several years, and had plenty of friends/family attend SJSU, so I was rather familiar with it before deciding. I ultimately decided SJSU because it is within walking distance to my job (so I could keep my job while also going to school) and the department chair for my intended major seemed like an awesome person. The other school on the top of my list was UC Santa Cruz - absolutely beautiful campus, but just too far down Hwy 17 for me to commute, work, etc. And, surprisingly to me, the experience has been fantastic. In hindsight, I would make the same decision, as I feel it’s just worked out so well. There’s so much to do that I didn’t originally think about, from neat student organizations, to university-sponsored and department-sponsored events. For example, the university promotes all kinds of student involved events both social and academic all year long, and in the Economics Department (my major) other academic and social events are opened up specifically for econ majors. I always thought about SJSU, and college in general, as just got to class, take an exam, and move on. But there’s a lot more to it socially, and intellectually if students take even just a little bit of initiative.

So, I have heard example after example of how it takes longer than 4 years to get a 4-year bachelor’s degree at SJSU - one of my own family members took 5 years. Again, I heard a lot of this before I even attended there, so I really looked at the requirements for a degree and made my own 4-year plan - and stuck to it! Now, I worked full-time the entire time at SJSU, so I could only ever handle ~12-14 semester units each term (about 3 classes). If you do the math, 14 units x 8 semesters is 112 units, but the requirement to graduate is 120 semester units. So, it’s certainly feasible for students who do not also work, or work more part-time, to take 16+ units each semester (about 4 or 5 classes) and graduate “on time” in 4 years. For me, because I only took about 12-14 units each semester, I had to also take classes each summer and winter term as well (these are called “irregular terms” because instead of the traditional 16-week long semester term, they are intensive either 2-, 5-, or 10-week sessions). So I basically attended classes full-time all year round for 4 years straight to meet all the requirements to graduate on time. This wasn’t easy and I certainly felt burnt out at times, but in the end, it kept me on my 4-year plan. Again, if you can take 16+ units each semester, then you shouldn’t have to take irregular terms unless you do not make an academic plan, and constantly adjust it as you go. Seriously, SJSU is a CSU, so by definition is deficient in some areas for funding, which is noticeable in the academic advising areas. Do not rely solely on university academic advisors, take control of your own academic plan, and adjust it each semester as you go. For example, I laid out an excel spreadsheet with all my intended classes each semester (yes, this initially takes time, but is worth it to set yourself up for success), and I updated it for completing the courses, the grades I received, and made slight adjustments as some new course became available or my originally selected course didn’t fit my schedule. Also, a lot of students take more than 4 years because they’ve changed majors (maybe more than once) along the way. Someone taking preparatory and major courses for Biology for 2 years, and then decides to change his or her major to Philosophy, for example, will now find themselves behind other traditional Philosophy majors because he or she may have to take those preparatory courses for which he or she should have taken within those first 2 years already. If you change your major to another major that is not within the same college (i.e. College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Engineering, etc), then just be willing to accept that it may not delay your intended graduation timeframe. Registration for classes at SJSU is on seniority basis by unit, meaning that the more units your have (i.e. the closer you are to graduating), then the earlier your registration date and the more likely you will get into the classes for which are your first choices. SJSU does set aside some sections of popular introductory classes and traditional first-years courses for incoming Freshmen, so you won’t exactly be stuck with the last pick of the litter. Once you establish a growing unit count, then registering for classes doesn’t pose that much a challenge. You can also obtain priority registration privileges for certain things, like being a scholar-athlete (officially play in intercollegiate sports for the university), or participate in student-government (Associated Students at SJSU). I received priority registration for being a military veteran.

I’d say, subjectively, that SJSU seems fairly diverse to me. All ethnicities represented to some extent, and certainly there are student organizations that specifically promote this diversity. So the student body I’d say is diverse. The university faculty and staff, on the other hand, can certainly vary from department to department.

Anything and anywhere you’d need to go will be within walking or short transit rides away from campus, so you don’t need to bring a car, and indeed you could save the money you’d otherwise pay in parking, gas, insurance, etc. A car would be nice to go outside the area, like going to SF or LA or anywhere in between on a long weekend (California has a lot to offer!). Otherwise, public transportation does exist for some of those areas as well (i.e CalTrain for SF). If you make friends, a lot of other students at SJSU are commuter students because they or their families live in the area, and will likely have a car, then you can ride share with them.

Hope this all helps.