<p>I’m about to graduate from CSULB with a degree in Computer Science. My GPA is somewhere between 3.4 and 3.5. Will take the GRE soon. I’ve gained A LOT of work experience during my undergrad career. I’ve had 4 internships, all of which helped me explore different aspects of software development. Recently, I was hired on part-time after interning for two consecutive summers at my current firm (Fortune 100 tech/aerospace company) and have been offered a full-time position for when I graduate. I plan to get a a year or two of work experience, but definitely want to get a graduate degree. Don’t get me wrong; I LOVE CSULB, but I’m looking a more academically challenging environment and a more prestigious name. So, just how competitive are the UCs these days? Irvine is by far my first choice, but I’m also considering Davis, Irvine, Santa Barbara and Riverside (UCLA, UCB and UCSD are a bit out of reach for me, I think). Will the CSU degree hold me back? Should I consider going out of state instead?</p>
<p>Really? No answers? :/</p>
<p>There are plenty graduate students at UCs who went to CSUs for undergraduate. I know a few from CSULB. :)</p>
<p>I suggest you discuss your plans with some of your professors and prepare some documents now so that when you ask for letters of recommendation in a few years, they’re able to remember you. The most important thing is research experience though and it sounds like your experience is mostly industrial – but did it involve research? Perhaps your letter writers are your bosses from internships. It would be good to have at least one professor who can attest to your acadmic ability, but hopefully would have more to say than ‘Joey got an A in my class,’ but it doesn’t sound like you have time to do a research project this year. If you can get patents while you work for a couple years, that also can boost your application.</p>
<p>Are you interested in a Masters or PhD? Does the company you plan on working for have a program where they pay your tuition for graduate school? If they will fund you, it might be easier to start with in a Masters program and then switch later on if you find a professor you want to work with who in turn would be interested in funding you.</p>