<p>I got into a couple UCs, as well as CSUs. I was just wondering, does it really make a difference for grad school if you go to a CSU or UC? I feel like it doesn't make THAT big of a difference, as long as you have a decent GPA.</p>
<p>I think it depends on your major, what you do while in getting your ungrad degree, and as you said your gpa. I don’t think attending a UC is an automatic ticket into grad school and I do not think a CSU will keep you out. I know plenty of people who started at a CSU who attended grad school, law school, and even med school. That said, I am curious why you would want to attend a CSU over a UC.</p>
<p>I personally think that going to a UC might give you an edge over someone who went to CSU. And like Yenmor said, what you do besides school (i.e. internships, research, jobs) plays an important role. UC’s will probably have more of those opportunities compared to a CSU. If you’re worried about the money, I guess CSU might be the way to go. Good luck!</p>
<p>An anecdote: a friend is a professor at a UC in a science department. The friend has a grad student who did undergrad work at a CSU. My friend the professor says that though this grad student is hard working and will certainly finish their PhD, the student has really struggled at times in classwork. My friend says that you can see clearly that the undergrad prep from the CSU wasn’t of the same caliber as you see from undergrads coming from the UC system.</p>
<p>One anecdote, in one academic field. For what it’s worth. My two cents: if money is an issue and you’d have to take out loans for UC, not worth it. But if there are no serious money issues, and you are headed for a science/tech major, opt for the greater rigor at UC.</p>
<p>I want to major in political science and minor in business (specifically marketing), or vice versa. I am debating between a Cal State and a UC because I know that at UCs the professors don’t really teach that much; they just have TA’s do a lot of the work. At CSUs, it is the professors who do most of the teaching. </p>
<p>SlitheyTove: What you said makes complete sense. Thank you</p>
<p>Which UCs and which CSUs? The difference in reputation and presumably course content and rigor at each campus within each system can vary considerably.</p>
<p>UCLA versus CSULA may be a different comparison from UC Merced versus Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.</p>
<p>Yes, it makes a difference, and often a big difference. Don’t over think this. Pick one of the UCs. Go attend a sophomore or junior class or two at the UC you’re most interested in. I doubt that you’ll see TAs doing the work.</p>
<p>UCs: UCI, UCSC
Cal States: SDSU, Cal Poly Pomona</p>
<p>In terms of student competitiveness (which can affect the content and rigor of the courses) based on admissions profiles in the common data sets, UCI > UCSC > CPP and SDSU, but the differences are not huge.</p>
<p>CPP does seem to emphasize business and other “practical” or “career oriented” majors more.</p>
<p>What you may want to do is look at course offerings at each school to see if any of them are much better or worse at fulfilling your academic and professional interests. Also, try asking on the forums for each school to see if students there have any thoughts. And don’t forget to consider other factors, like net cost after non-loan financial aid and how you like the social scene at each school.</p>
<p>thanks ucbalumnus!</p>