Coming from a CSU for undergrad to UCs for grad school in particular. Will coming from a CSU disadvantage me? (Masters in Computer Science)
What kind of “graduate school”?
@ucbalumnus computer science
PhD programs may be concerned about your undergraduate department’s reputation in terms of whether it produced (what they see as) worthy PhD students.
@ucbalumnus is that the same for masters?
CSU students can do well at UC grad schools. If they accept you, they must think you can handle it. I went from CSU undergrad to UC grad (MSEE) and know many others who went to UCs (and Stanford) for grad school. That said, CSUs generally have smaller class sizes and seem less intimidating. CSUs are more teaching based whereas UCs are more research based. I think it’s better to go from CSU undergrad to UC grad than UC undergrad to CSU grad. CSU classes are usually taught by professors; UC classes are sometimes taught by grad students.
My advisors did not care where I did my undergrad.
Yes, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t get into a good CS program from a Cal State. You won’t necessarily be at a disadvantage because graduate admissions is more complex than simply where you went to college, and it would depend on other factors in your application. So you should go ahead and apply to any UC or other good CS programs if your profile as an applicant otherwise matches what they’re looking for (GPA, GRE, interests, etc.)