I attended UCR in the 90’s. And I left UCR after my freshman year. I ended up transferring to Chico for nursing, and it was the best decision ever. UCR is extremely lacking in social things to do. As freshmen we were very bored very often on the weekends. By the end of the year, those that could go home on weekends did. That being said, I made life long friends in those dorms that one year. UCR is a very difficult science school. Be prepared to get C’s in some science and math classes, something the kids don’t think will happen, but believe me, it will. There are many more scholarship opportunities at UCR to lure the top kids away from UCLA, BERKELEY etc. and they had a medical program that you could finish it all in 7 years. So there are some very top kids you compete with for grades when there’s a curve. I’m thinking medical schools look at more prestige of a school so a UC might be a better bet for your child, but the grades might be a bit lower versus a cal state like SDSU. My daughter wants to go to PA school, and those aren’t as focused on “where did you go to school,” but more on “what was your GPA in the pre reqs”. So a school like SDSU will challenge her, but I think she’ll pull a bit higher GPA than UCR. She likes UCR too. She just got into SLO nutrition, but really wants SDSU as her top choice. Crossing fingers.
So what are the dorms like in terms of quality? Are they cramped, good quality etc?
Well she got into Kinesology Pre-PT at SDSU and a bio degree at UCSC and a Nutrition degree at Cal Poly so it’s going to be out of those three for pre-med.
That’s great! Congrats to her.
For SDSU kinesiology, not all of the lower division pre-med courses are covered:
Same for CPSLO nutrition:
UCSC biology BS requirements closely match pre-med courses (if the correct physics is chosen):
This does not prevent a student in SDSU kinesiology or CPSLO nutrition from doing pre-med, but the student needs to carefully fill in the pre-med courses where they are absent in those programs.
My son was in the old red bricks Olmeca at SDSU which have now been renovated. Double occupancy and communal bathrooms. He had no issues with the dorm accommodations. Moved off campus year 2-4 before the 2 year on-campus requirement.
Kids are pretty adaptable when it comes to dorm life.
https://housing.sdsu.edu/communities/maya-olmeca
My niece was in Tenochca triple and had a good experience with her roommates.
https://housing.sdsu.edu/communities/tenochca
Check out the Housing website also dorm tours can be found on Youtube.
My son’s 2nd year roommate was Pre-med and found the Pre-Health advising very helpful. https://hpao.sdsu.edu/
Visiting is the best way to determine if SDSU would be a good fit. Pre-med course requirements will be tough and competitive anywhere. I know my niece said Organic Chemistry was the hardest class she had ever encountered but survived.
Like at many schools (including SLO!) the Freshman dorms at SDSU range from older to newer. The Triples and Quads are not spacious.
Each student has different ideas of “quality” so it’s hard to answer that question. What is often a bigger issue is how the roommates work together in the environment in terms of tidiness, following dorm/campus policies, respecting each other’s hours, etc.
Most students figure out how to make it work for those first 8 months and bond with their friends over what will be lifelong memories of any challenges. 2nd-year required on-campus housing is usually a step-up from Freshman dorms.
IMO, the dorms at SDSU are not in the negative column when comparing schools. In fact, 2 years guaranteed housing is a huge plus.
How about being able to study? If my son isn’t much of a party guy would he be ok? Will he be able to thrive as a “non-party” guy?
Plenty of non-party students at SDSU. If the dorm room is not conducive to studying, some dorms have specific study rooms or the library. Many of the parties are held at the Greek houses off campus so if he is not interested in that lifestyle, then it should not be an issue.
Plenty of non-party activities for students to participate in at SDSU. The Aztec parents association plans non-alcoholic events on campus for all students to enjoy.
My D22 is in a sorority and loves a good party, one of her roommates is the opposite and yet they both seem to be thriving. The roommate has found a great group of friends and by all accounts seems very happy. The school is large and I really believe there is a place for all.
The campus is pretty stunning.
And they are going to be playing in the mens NCAA basketball championship game!
Not sure anyone is still reading this thread but, our son is a Freshman at SDSU and loves it. When we’ve visited campus we’ve been struck by how happy the students look, and he’s said it’s been easy to meet many different types of people, make friends, and find study partners. He’s also said he was blown away by how many really smart students he’s met in his classes and dorms; he said his dorm roommate is the smartest person he’s ever met. Yes there are big parties, but it’s almost more like SDSU is better set up for big parties. It’s hard to explain the whole vibe unless you’ve been there. Each Cal State is different (I graduated Cal Poly SLO), and it’s hard to sum them up via the common data set–though obviously that info really helps. A visit and talking with current students and professors is the only way to really see it.
Our Northeast public high school sent EIGHT kids there this year! Nuts! Many are applying this year for the fall. It is def rising in popularity. My DH is from CA and a Cal grad and cannot get over the “old school view of SDSU” as accepting all who apply and being a huge party school. Times have def changed. He was shocked when he saw the In state acceptance rate was like 39% last year. The 8 kids who are there as freshman love it- only thing they don’t love is how far it is and the time change, but everything is perfect they say.
Wow. EIGHT!! We live in Pasadena, CA and maybe 8 in the entire city got into to SDSU!! Guess they don’t want kids from 90 miles away…
SDSU has an agreement with some San Diego public schools—if students maintain a certain GPA they are automatically admitted. My D is at UCLA and her roommate is from SD and she came from one of those schools (a huge high school). Her roommate said that hundreds of her classmates went to SDSU. I wonder how long such a policy can last with SDSU’s star on the rise.
The SD HS program is probably the compact for Success.
Yes, that’s it. Looks like it ends this year.