I’m trying to decide between going to San Jose or San Diego. The school I really wanted to go to was Cal Poly Pomona, but I was unfortunately waitlisted. I will still go there if they do decide to accept me. But obviously I still need to decide on a back-up plan in case they don’t.
How would you say these schools’ programs stack up against each other. I’ve searched on this site and from what I’ve gathered San Jose has the better program. And of course they also have the added benefit of their graduates being recruited by companies in Silicon Valley. So is the San Diego state electrical engineering program good? Is San Jose’s that much better? And how are the job opportunities, recruiting, etc. in San Diego?
I like the idea of San Jose because of its location in Silicon Valley, but at the same time I feel like I would enjoy San Diego more.
SDSU has a better reputation and is much more residential. Big names from the silicon valley recruit their grads aggressively. Unless you hate or can’t afford it, SDSU is the clear choice.
When you say “Big names from the Silicon Valley recruit their grads aggresively”, you are referring to San Diego? If so, that is great to hear. So then San Diego has a pretty good program as well?
I’ve definitely been leaning toward San Diego because I know as a college overall it is better. And it is also only two hours away from where I live as opposed to five with San Jose.
I am saying I know current SDSU students (May grads) currently in the interview process with Google, Adobe, VMWare and HP. The positions are in San Diego, the Bay Area and elsewhere.
Most students switch majors at least once - meaning you are likely to graduate as something other than EE. SJSU has a stellar reputation for a couple of stand out programs (CS and Nursing are 2) - the rest of the school is OK. SDSU’s reputation is stronger across the board. - meaning, SDSU is, likely to be stronger in the field in which you’ll earn a degree.
I am not bad-mouthing SJSU - it’s a fine school with lots of successful alumni. The companies listed above hire loads of Spartans too. Assuming it doesn’t break the bank and you aren’t allergic to sand, I think SDSU is a better school - hands down.
Thanks for your answer. I have one thing I’d like clarified though. You mention SJSU has some stand out programs. Wouldn’t electrical engineering be one of those? I understand your point about changing majors, but I honestly think I will graduate as an electrical engineering major. If anything, I suppose it’s possible I would change to another engineering discipline, such as aerospace or mechanical.
http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/narr/admission/rec-10079.11705.html
I can’t claim to know the relative ranking of every major at all CSUs - Unlike most CSUs SJSU gives you a big hint by posting the admission threshold for each major. They use an eligibility index that combines your CSU GPA with your math and reading SAT. GPA*800 + SAT. So, a 3.5 CSU GPA and 1200 SAT yields a 4000 Eligibility index.
As you can see from the link - the admission thresholds vary widely - with CS leading the pack at 4550, followed by pre-nursing @ 4050. While Engineering-General requires a 4000 for admission, EE requires just 3500 - suggesting it is one of their less competitive majors. Many majors are accessible with a 2900, (C+ and 1000 SAT)
SDSU doesn’t publicize their threshold but, read these boards a bit and you’ll see it doesn’t vary nearly as much by major and hovers around 4000-4100 campus wide. The campus’ across the board selectivity means even Athletic Training, Dance and Humanities majors graduate with credible degrees.
Again, SJSU graduates thousands of well qualified students every year and there are lots of very successful alumni working in the tech industry but, I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about which program is stronger.
Probably more important - in my book is the residential nature of SDSU - most student live on or very near campus. While SJSU is more of a commuter school. Commuter schools serve an important purpose but, if you plan to live on campus, you’ll get more out of a residential school.
Good luck
Apparently SDSU is over impacted, like beyond impacted. My teacher got back to me about why the articulation agreement isn’t updated since 2009 for my major. She was informed caused they are so crowded I guess. But the thing I want to know (visiting with a tour next Friday) will my courses be transferrable and correlated with SDSUs for sure??? I am engineer too.
Don’t confuse impacted with crowded. Declaring a program or campus Impacted allows them to limit enrollment and raise admission standards. It means that, though there are a lot of students, there are plenty of seats available in required classes.
When you tour the campus - stop some students and ask them how hard it is to get classes.