Which is the better school for Mechanical Engineering? My son is trying to decide where to go. He has been accepted to all 3 but needs to make a decision. We know these are not the top Engineering schools like CSULB or Cal Poly SLO but if you could give your opinions on these it would be so helpful.
He is entering as a freshman and would be living in the dorms.
For Mech E, I’d say they are all pretty good. The campuses are very different. Sac and SF are much larger and more ‘commuter’ than Chico. Tour all 3 and i bet one floats to the top quickly.
At Chico, Brick buildings, creek flowing through campus and tight integration to down-town - or it will feel like you are trapped in a small town.
SF State isn’t really well integrated with SF - It is a big city with lots to brag about - so SF State doesn’t get a lot of attention. If you need the buzz and anonymity of a big city, that’s perfect. If you are looking for a sense of community/identity, it is a little hard to come by. (there are clubs/frats etc)
Sac is in-between. With more than 1M in the metro area, there’s plenty to do, all the time. The campus is surrounded by the American River, some raised train tracks and Hwy 50 - all of which kind of cut it off from Sacramento Bridges and tunnels are OK but, the campus doesn’t have a cohesive feel to it. Lots of students live in apartments/condos/houses within a few miles of campus. There’s a mix of old and new dorms on campus and a pretty nice off campus facility.
My son lived in Lassen Dorm (the old cinder block kind) in Chico last year and LOVED it. In his dorm, students could easily leave their door ope to the hallway - making it easy to socialize. Other dorms on campus forced the doors closed and it made the floors pretty dead, and made the walk-by lunch invite sparse. He is in an off campus apartment a short walk from campus this year and still loves it. He is a Biz major but, has friends in Engineering programs who work a lot harder than he does (not that he’s slacking but, these kids spend a lot of time in the library).
I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them so, i’d have no qualms suggesting you follow your son’s lead but, my wife and I went to Sac many moons ago but, my kid is at Chico.
Congrats and Good luck