My son got accepted to both Sac State and SFSU we wanted to know what current or past students thought of these schools. He is going to major in Mech Eng and will have to live on campus because we’re from Los Angeles.
Academically, they are comparable. One is in SF and the other is Sac. Plenty to do in/around both but, he’ll wear shorts more in Sac. I haven’t been in the SF dorms but, Sac has some old cinder block ones and a nicer new one. All the dorms are clustered at the North end of campus and you could easily get by without a car.
But… San Francisco is an amazing place to live! Busses and BART go everywhere, you can pretty much walk to Golden Gate Park or a quick bus ride, same for the beach or zoo. It’s near a lake which is a regional park yet you can hop on a bus and go see all that SF has to offer. The weather is cool/foggy in the morning and sunny in the afternoon. Sacramento it just HOT and HOTTER but none of the beauty and sites to see that SF has. The SFSU dorms are standard Freshman dorms which are your typical old style, or apartment style newer ones, or some older house-like apartments. Despite everyone talking about what a commuter school it is, there are MANY people who live on campus and the ones that don’t, often live in Park Merced which is the apartment complex right next to it, some of whose apartments are actually part of housing. My daughter is a Sophomore at SFSU and I highly recommend it. PS: SFO is easier/cheaper to fly in and out of. Lots of great deals to LA.
A quick re-visit of my previous post. On the engineering front - do a Google search about which campus wins the most engineering competitions. (SAE/Concrete Canoes, Steel Bridges, etc)
http://www.csus.edu/sacstatenews/articles/2013/11/Engineering11-15-13.html
http://www.csus.edu/sacstatenews/articles/2014/07/HornetRacing7-14-14.html
http://www.csus.edu/sacstatenews/Articles/2012/12/CEWinners_12-04-12.html
http://www.csus.edu/sacstatenews/articles/2015/01/documents/hornetracingcompetition.pdf
http://www.statehornet.com/sac-state-underdogs-beat-ivy-leagues-at-competition/image_c8f0552e-183e-5d52-895b-c84a91b217b4.html
Not much comes up under SF State Engineering Competition…
One school is in SF, the other Sacramento, that’s a big difference in how he’ll spend his non-classroom hours.
Being in SF is good or bad depending on your perspective. No question SF offers loads of nice views and recreational opportunities. It is also a very expensive place to live. If your son likes a big-city environment and has the budget, that makes the choice pretty easy.
If your son is at all budget conscious and likes the outdoors, Sac has a lot to offer.
Sac State is adjacent the American River and it’s 30 mile+ bike path that receives national recognition regularly. There’s even a mini-Golden Gate bridge adjacent campus, crossing the river. It is close to the State Capitol and has a student run aquatic center that teaches sailing, wakeboarding, etc at Lake Natomas, known as the best rowing lake west of the Mississippi. There’s a huge ski/snowboard club and it is easy to get ‘up the hill’ for a day in the snow. The city of Sacramento has more than 1m people now so, there are plenty of dining, live music, nightlife, shopping, etc. Off campus housing near Sac is down-right cheap compared to SF ($350-400 per bedroom). No question it can get hot in Sacramento in the summer, plan on 10-12 days over 100 but, that’s really concentrated in July and August when school isn’t in session. That’s when those rivers and lakes come in handy.
Flying in and out of Sac airport is a breeze and, you really can get just about anywhere from there. There are lots of daily flights to LAX, Burbank and John Wayne.
Outside the classroom, what is your son into?
sac state has slightly better scores/gpa from incoming freshmen. i doubt it matters too much. sacramento has both the the big city feel and out doorsy things to do. I lived here the second half of my life and am also going to sacramento state. SF is cool but, obviously, theres alot of people in a small place.
i only visit SF so i cant give you a whole lot of info on that part.
Sac State offers MS in Mech Engineering
Visit both cities. They might as well be in different countries they are so different. Go and stay right near the campuses as the neighborhoods are very different. It is foggy all.the.time in SF, and some of the time in Sac. Also talk with anyone who has been there and any profs you can find. We had success walking into the engineering buildings at other CSU’s and talking to helpful profs.