SJSU or Community College for Mechancal Engineering

aquapt
Tue, 25 Mar 2025 06:52:27 +0000

tsbna44:

If you’re able to get the AF ROTC scholarship, why would you go to CC?

OP didn’t say anything about a scholarship. Fewer than 30% of AFROTC participants get scholarships, and only a fraction of those are full-ride.

Doing ROTC and serving after college means a different outlook on post-college employment, though.

OP, would you have to take on debt for SJSU? If so, would it be an amount that would be manageable to pay back once you are serving?

For engineering, in most cases the pacing is better in a 4-year program where you don’t have to push most of the specialized content into the last two years; and the opportunities to get involved in research, and major-related clubs and teams (Student Clubs | Mechanical Engineering) are richer. Plus there’s the social continuity… and while I’m not an authority on the inner workings of ROTC, I assume there are leadership opportunities that may be more easily accessed if you’re in the same program for 4 years.

SJSU is an excellent school for engineering. Is your concern about committing there mainly about cost, or is it that you’re willing to sacrifice the four-year CSU experience for a shot at a UC? I’ll say that by the time you get out of the military, with experience already under your belt, I think it’s unlikely that the difference between a SJSU degree and a UC degree will have much impact at all on your subsequent career prospects.