Are CSUs worth it ? A desperate average student looking for guidance.. (includes stats)

Student Lounge International Students
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<p>A Newbie here!
I am in middle of applications. I am limited on application funds and I have specific interests so I am not applying to a big lot of UNIVs and definitely not to ivies (why?), well you'll find out in 10 seconds.<br>
Intended Major : Computer Science or Physics</p>

<p>My stats (very below-average academic reports):
SAT I : 2160 (680,780,700)
SAT II : Maths- 760, Physics- 780
9-10th : 7.8 cgpa
11th : 56%
My school is pretty strict about 11th. If I had to break it down further:
Maths : B, Physics : A, Chemistry : B, English: A, CS: A (yep, still 56%)
The report card lists both the things, I definitely likes the grade spread-out :b
12th : 80% (I have already received AISSCE certificate) </p>

<p>Before you go on and say "Your grades are very poor, you should have worked hard" and all, well what's done is done I never realized that those numbers would come haunt me here.. </p>

<p>I have kind of above average ECs, I can't state them all cause that might make me recognizable. Some of them include : Inter-School Extempore Competition winner (twice in a row). Inter-School Quiz winner (featured in newspaper), Volunteered for a lot of companies, self-employment and indie development. + I filled the gap year with a lot of learning including learning violin.</p>

<p>Here's my list : Stanford, UCLA, UCDavis, Occidental, Santa Clara, Cal Poly Pomona, San Jose State University. </p>

<p>I just wanted to know, if I get rejected from first 5.. would it be 'okay' if I join Cal Poly Pomona or SJSU ? I am not implying they are bad schools, it's just they're State univs. and are no where near the other prestigious schools. And I've heard social life is bad as most people in state univs. live outside campus. </p>

<p>As an Indian, prestigious college does matter but what matters more is that If I go out there I need to be sure the degrees I'll get from there will get me somewhere. Obviously I'll try to make the best of whatever school I join but there are just some factors you can't ignore. Stanford gets you job more quickly than a CSU that's I guess blatant, right ?</p>

<p>Break it on me as brutally honest you can, even if that include " give up and rather join a college in India ? ". I need to be sure that the loans I take won't go in waste. I don't wanna be a bad examples to little ones in my family.</p>

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<p>Calculate your CSU/UCGPA. <a href=“GPA Calculator for the University of California – RogerHub”>http://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/&lt;/a&gt;
FYI: UC’s are also state universities. Prestge is overrated. Go to a school that you can afford, has your major and where you will be happy</p>

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<p>Are CBSE PCMCs Considered Honors ? </p>

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<p>If you are an international student, can you afford our state schools? $55K?</p>

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<p>Truth is, I can’t. That’s why I am reluctant to push the send button on UC campuses.
It’s better that I use application money for TOEFL instead right ? At least it would make me stand a bit better for SJSU.
I wonder why one Public University Sytem (UC) charges 24,000 out of state while other (CSU) charges significantly less… </p>

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<p>UC’s and CSU’s are funded by California taxpayers. If you do not pay taxes here, then you should not get a break in tuition. UC’s are also in a different category than Cal states, The Cal States are setup for local California residents, that is why if you are in a Cal State in-service area, you are given priority. The UC’s give priority to all California residents not just local area residents.</p>

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<p>I am also wondering if the Science stream subject in cbse would be considered honors ? Since they’re quite rigorous. </p>

<p>By the way the 7.8 and 56% is definitely gonna hurt you real bad :confused:
At least you have 2000+ SAT </p>

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<p>Stanford had the lowest acceptance rate in the world last year, and is particularly difficult for internationals. It is less likely that you will be accepted to Stanford than to any of the ivy’s. Use that money for TOEFL, or try for CalTech. You have very good grades/scores. You may wish to look at other schools as well. From your list, SJSU may serve you best. There is a large international community, many opportunities for internships, and Silicon Valley companies recruit from there. Also, some of the professors are very notable Silicon Valley entrepreneurs taking some time to teach. For physics, I would look at UCSB. I am not sure where Occidental or Santa Clara come from. I think of Occidental as a liberal arts college, and know little about Santa Clara.</p>

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<p>@ItsJustSchool‌ I had actually finished the essays and questions for CalTech but then I found out the enrollment number for CalTech. Even though it’s acceptance rate is a bit higher, the enrollment number is merely 1000…
Also I’d literally need to score 2400 in SAT, and I think I’m on the cap with 2200. Plus I’m a guy. If after all these arguments you still think I should apply, I’ll give my luck a shot and do it.
Can one possible reason for low Stanford acceptance be that they probably get 20 times more application than caltech?<br>
Also I don’t think I can pay for UCSB so all UC are out :confused: </p>

<p>Edit : “You have very good grades/scores” … D-did you miss “don’t” ? T_T</p>

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<p>Regarding SAT’s: Many believe that once you score a 2100 (some say 2250), you have shown that you can do the work at any selective university. In other words, the SAT is a threshold test, not an optimization test. So your test scores are either very, very good or excellent. They place you in the top 2% of test takers in the 2013 testing cycle.</p>

<p>A’s and B’s are good. Being an international student makes the competition more intense.</p>

<p>I have no way of advising you with anything other than opinion.</p>

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<p>I think you might get into San Jose State University.</p>

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<p>Look for cheap universities in places with good internship opportunities. I know UC Davis engineering graduates who earn their masters degrees at SJSU because of its excellent location. I have a friend who earned her electrical engineering masters at CSU Sacramento, interned at Intel and was hired by them upon graduation with an $80k starting salary. In engineering fields, prestige matters little compared to where you intern and how well you develop your skills.</p>