San Jose State-no "to do's"

<p>I heard that something like 70,000 people applied to SJSU in what was expected to be 20,000. I still have no to do's. They messaged me saying they are sending them in late January, but I am worried. The message sounded like if I don't have any to do's by now the future is dismal. Does anybody else have this problem?</p>

<p>Here is what I’ve come to believe on what is going on based on the info I’ve read and a little bit of deduction.</p>

<p>Yes, they are swamped. They are not going to want transcripts (the most likely to-do one will be asked) from 70,000 students when only a fraction of them will be seriously considered based on ranking criteria. So don’t take the blank to-do list personally. </p>

<p>The questions you need to focus on to see if you have a shot at SJSU this year are</p>

<p>1) Are you considered “local”? I don’t recall the actual counties, but I think they include Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. This county residency is based on where you took the <em>majority</em> of your transfer credits. Folks from this category will be ranked by GPA and taken in order of that rank until the programs are full.</p>

<p>2) How’s your GPA? I don’t have a figure available and this is a wild-guess, but I would think in most majors a 3.3+ for LOCALS is probably an admit. 3.0+ for LOCALS probably also an admit. Below that is going to be tougher.</p>

<p>3) How impacted is your major of choice? Lots of space? Very little? SJSU lists the level of impaction of its majors (red, yellow, green) on its website. Impacted majors or majors with small capacity will be hard to get into if your GPA isn’t up to snuff.</p>

<p>The reality is that while a few years ago if a person had at least the minimum 2.0, they were likely to get into CSUs, I get the sense than students below about a 2.6 are going to start being shut out. I use that figure because SJSU is starting to raise minimum requirements. I believe Journalism is now a 2.4 minimum.</p>

<p>The CSU system is cutting 40,000 students (mostly freshmen, but also some transfer) in the next two years. Folks with lower GPAs are simply going to get shut out or have to consider the less competitive CSUS (MB, etc).</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>