Cal Poly SLO vs SJSU for Software Engineering [transfer student]

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I’m an international student transfering from a 4 years private university. I’ve gotten accepted in SJSU and am still waiting to hear from Cal Poly. I’m really torn between these two schools. They cost almost the same if I live on campus so cost is not a factor here and my parents have already agreed to pay for my education. Below is some of my personal pros and cons for both school

SJSU:

Pros:

  • Near relatives but might still need to live on campus (I’m not sure if I’m living with them yet)
  • Located in Silicon Valley so that might help with job prospect
  • Good reputation for tech jobs (I heard that nearby companies hire from SJSU a lot)
  • Some of my friends from my current university will be nearby because they’re going on an internship

Cons:

  • Commuter school (I heard that people usually keep to themselves so it might be hard to make new friends)
  • Limited campus housing and apartments nearby are really expensive
  • I heard it’s very hard to get into some class so that might delays my graduation

Cal Poly SLO

Pros:

  • Prestigious and have a great reputation for engineering
  • I really like their learn by doing method
  • I think I’ll get more of a college experience here compared to SJSU
  • Cal Poly is more rigorous compared to SJSU (based on the ranking)
  • Easier to get on campus housing

Cons:

  • I don’t really like the location as I frequently travel and it’s not near any international airport
  • I’m not sure about the job prospect compared to SJSU
  • Have to start over in making friends because I have no friend near this area

I’m leaning toward SJSU because I’ve already gotten in, my friends are also close by and my parents prefer me to go there too. In general, SJSU is more in my comfort zone. However, I would really love to have a great college experience making friends and learning from a rigorous curriculum and I feel Cal Poly fit this preference of mine a bit more than SJSU. I’m really torn between the two of them. I would love to hear any inputs to help me make a decision. I haven’t gotten in to Cal Poly yet but I want to start thinking about it now since I want to decide on a school as soon as I heard back from Cal Poly. Any response is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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CPSLO is more residential, while SJSU is about half residential and half commuter. So there should theoretically be more campus-based social life, although initial experiences as a transfer will not necessarily be the same as for a frosh. Even at more residential campuses, junior and senior level students commonly live off-campus.

SJSU does have location advantage / convenience for recruiting in computing, although CPSLO has a good enough reputation to attract recruiters from across the state. However, as an international student, it will be more difficult to get recruited regardless of which school you attend and graduate from, since the employer not only has to hire you, but has to sponsor a work visa for you to work longer than the OPT duration.

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I would preferably not going to grad school but I would if I don’t manage to find a job during my OPT. I have a feeling that since I’m an international student, attending SJSU doesn’t give me that much benefits as a local since employers need to sponspor my visa and I saw many job listings that require permanent work authorization in the US. Do you think going to the school with a better reputation and a more rigorous curriculum is a better idea for an international student? I’m prioritizing job prospect over everything else. Would love to hear your thought on this.

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You may want to consider whether either of these schools is more favored over the other by employers in your country of citizenship or residency (or where the work visa barriers are much lower), since you may have to go there for work if you cannot get a job and work visa from a US employer.

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Go to the one you desire most - both will get jobs - but it will be tough in this environment to gain sponsorship in the US.

Good luck.

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