Daughter to decide between PSU and SDSU for Computer Science. Has been accepted into the CS/Engineering department at both schools. Both are OOS - we are in Seattle.
Looking for more opinions, questions, thoughts on the two schools.
Daughter is very self directed so I am not concerned about her attending a large school.
Set aside cost (if we need a tie breaker cost might be used).
My concerns/priorities are academic rigor (getting appropriate amount) and breadth of career opportunities (not being limited to one side of the country based on school’s location), and overall college experience. Also believe diversity and women in STEM presence is important for her too.
Have not been able to do campus visits and doing so before May 1 is unlikely (except maybe SDSU).
Thanks for any feedback.
Myles
Penn St is the more reputed school and program here. If there is no concern on meeting the GPA needed to declare the major, then penn st would be my choice.
Since it is not clear you are admitted to UP, in case she is admitted to a satellite campus at penn st, then go with sdsu. also sdsu is warmer weather if it matters.
I should add that at PSU she is admitted at University Park
From College Navigator, some typical diversity numbers of interest, although they are for the whole campus, not the CS major:
| Population |
SDSU |
PSU |
| Pell grant |
26% |
23% |
| Female |
56% |
46% |
| In-state |
83% |
63% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native |
0% |
0% |
| Asian |
13% |
7% |
| Black or African American |
4% |
6% |
| Hispanic / Latino |
34% |
8% |
| Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander |
0% |
0% |
| White |
33% |
62% |
| Two or more races |
7% |
4% |
| Non-resident alien |
5% |
8% |
1 Like
I first start with ABET accreditation although not as important for CS majors vs. other Engineering majors but it does provide assurance that a college or university program meets the quality standards of the profession for which that program prepares graduates.
Other than name, I know little about Penn state but I would look over both schools CS curriculum and if she has any special interests in AI, Networking, Cybersecurity etc… that one school might have better course options.
Here is the SDSU MyMap link which will give a 4 year plan for CS: My Map
CS is a very marketable major and school name matters little once your student gets some job experience. My younger son was a CS major (2018 grad) and he was able to obtain 2 great internships, secured a job as a Cybersecurity analyst straight out of college and now works for a high profile Cybersecurity firm.
You might want to check out the Career centers for each school and which employers recruit from each campus. Career Services | Student Affairs and Campus Diversity | SDSU
Bottom line, which school would be her best fit based on academics, finances and the social aspect.
Best of luck with her decision but I will say my son had a wonderful experience at SDSU.
at CSU schools the classes are surprisingly small, often 30-50 students. I’m not aware of any large lecture classes with hundreds of students. You can see this at SDSU by looking up classes at An error has occurred. The flip side is CSU does this by hiring large numbers of adjunct faculty. They generally have a PhD. The model at many large publics such as the UC system is to deliver intro classes in large lecture halls, then have a 1x/wk meeting with a grad student in a discussion section.
I wouldn’t worry about rigor. She’ll get all she can handle at either school. CS is a challenging subject and the programming assignments are going to take long hours to complete. Just about any school is capable of teaching standard subjects like CS. Where it makes a big difference what school you go to, IMHO, is for subjects in the liberal arts (English, History, etc) where class discussions with your fellow students contribute greatly to developing your thoughts on the material.
As for jobs, the largest employers are going to recruit on-campus nationally. Smaller employers tend to recruit in their region. But the internet has been a big leveler. Students can look for internships and jobs anywhere and with Zoom do screening interviews.
I think the biggest relevant difference between the two is the college experience (weather, location, campus environment, sports, etc). Many students would favor one school over the other.
Well, PSU it is. Despite its distance from us and higher cost I am very pleased. The three of us think it will be a great fit.
Thanks for all the opinions and information you all shared with me.
Myles