Hi everyone,
So I have narrowed my college selection to Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Marcos. If I go to CPP then I will get a B.S. in Finance, Real Estate, and Law whereas if I go to CSUSM I will be getting a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance. I was wondering which school is better in terms of job opportunities post graduation? I know that CPP is ranked higher than CSUSM but I would be commuting to CPP from Temecula, CA so it will be a bit of a drive. I also found out today that CSUSM’s business school isn’t accredited by AACSB whereas CPP’s business school is. I plan on using my Finance major to either help me start my own business, become a CFP, or go into another field such as the medical field. I would just like to become educated in Finance as I know that it will benefit me no matter what field of work I get into plus it’s a good degree to fall back on which is why the accreditation is a concern. My main concern is that CSUSM’s business school isn’t accredited but at the same time I hear that people get hired right out of CSUSM especially since they are working hard to build a solid name for themselves as they are fairly new compared to colleges such as CPP. Does the AACSB accreditation really matter? I feel like I am putting it on a pedestal but I read that it is pretty important if you want a solid business education. Also, I know that employers look at work experience more than school but would it matter if I join clubs? If I go to CSUSM then would I be able to network and join clubs such as the Finance club whereas if I go to CPP it will be harder to do so. Thank you and I know that it is weird to be asking this since I don’t even really want to go into the field of Finance but again I would just really like to get a solid education in Finance so that I can use my degree to my advantage later on. Business alumni answers from CSUSM and CPP would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Both are CSUs so, academically, they are both fine. For something like business, a specific program’s accreditation isn’t nearly as important as engineering. Despite its relatively short history, San Marcos is a legit school with the heft of the CSU system and WASC accreditation in its pocket. You’ve hit the nail on the head - if you take the time to build a network and demonstrable skills in clubs, internships, etc. you will have the upper hand in the job market come graduation. You won’t build those skills sitting in traffic.
Go to San Marcos and make the most of the time you’ve got.