Accepted
business marketing
gpa uw 3.8, w 4.2
sat 1250
@StacysMom24 I think our Ds applied to several of the same schools, several of the smaller private schools ( Gonzaga and USD) as well as the states (SDSU, UCSB etc). My D is having a hard time deciding between the larger state schools (cheaper but with merit aid but we can do one of the smaller ones) vs the smaller schools. I think she’d probably do better at one of the smaller schools. Never did I think this process was going to be so stressful.
Anyone thoughts? I think she’s narrowed her list down to SDSU, Davis, Cal Poly vs Gonzaga, University of Portland, Seattle University??
@hermom1 I was worried about my DD attending SDSU, but they have done a good job of creating “communities” so the school doesn’t seem AS big. She also got involved in the Greek system which helped a lot, too. She actually has diagnosed social anxiety and depression, so I was very worried. But, she has thrirved and grown so much in her confidence! I cannot speak for the other schools…I am a former Aztec for Life, so hard to be impartial!
SDSU is now a top choice for my D . She was waitlisted at UCSB and UCSD, and still waiting to hear from UCI. She was accepted st UCSC and UCD, but prefers SDSU. She really liked the campus when we visited in the Fall. The student body seemed diverse and friendly, lots of school spirit, and string academics. Her main concern is safety and housing. Whenever she mentions SDSU, someone invariably makes a comment about the school being in a bad neighborhood, and the proceeds to tell her some story about someone’s friends child having s bad experience…
Does anyone have first hand experience to share, hopefully about fact that campus is safe? And any inside information on housing would also be appreciated . My D is looking for a non smoking/no drug or alcohol environment.
Thanks
Son accepted in Dec for Mechanical Engineering.
Accepted into Weber Honors mid-February.
4876 EI with 10+ AP classes.
Haven’t heard about the Honors scholarship yet–keeping fingers crossed but know it’s super competitive.
From Northern CA.
Waitlisted at Cal Poly but now he is thinking this is a better fit (not flipped curriculum, easier to transfer majors if he decides ME is not for him.)
@Moose2019: My son whom graduated May 2018 and my niece, a current Freshman felt/feel perfectly safe on campus. Granted some areas off campus are not great, but with any big city, you need to be aware of your surroundings and use common sense.
There is Substance Free housing offered at SDSU but it is a college campus so there is no way of getting away from drugs and alcohol completely.
https://housing.sdsu.edu/student_success/learning_communities.aspx
Moose2019- we went to sdsu open house this am and spent a few hours driving to hot spots. im not sure what would be considered bad around here. theres older neighborhoods but i didnt see any bars on windows or gang bangers. feeling purttty good this weekend in paradise. love the campus and the kids- thumbs up from my D!
I live local to SDSU and the area surrounding the school is terrible. Not only is it a public college area but also a poor area.
When D was accepted this year I was happy our Financial aid has her living at home. There has been too many issues with females in and around the dorms. Issues like: peeping toms, robbery, cell phones being stolen out of a persons hands, a man was recently roughly feeling girl up when they were walking around form & this happened to several young ladies walking in pairs. These are just a few things over the last year or two that were big enough stories to make the news & each one affected multiple young ladies.
My oldest S, his BFF (current yr 4 of 5) goes to SDSU . The bff & I were talking the other day about his extreme freshman yr of drinking. I was talking about my concerns for my D with the party school atmosphere (which SDSU is known for). He felt that going from a teen not allowed to go to hs parties where he may have seen alcohol then to go to school where underage drinking is rampant hurt him. There was little he could do socially without drinking.
Our school had 72 admits out of 500 seniors this year. Our top 100 students have very high gpa’s. I know several of these teens have already submitted their SIR. My S was admitted for junior transfer next fall and D as a freshman. While we as local parents know all the bad from SDSU we also know it is a great school with amazing opportunities and all of our kids would do well there.
I have already begun extensive talks with D about the negatives and how to protect herself (she dances ballet in balboa park & carries mace to/from her care). If she opts for SDSU I would personally encourage her to do the same around the dorms & off campus. We continue safe talks regarding the alcohol everywhere & what can happen at any college to a young drunk lady.
Even with all the negative I would not hesitate to se either D or S there. I have been told by bff that on campus is extremely safe. As much as it pains me to say this, we need to let our kids fly, no matter what school, and no matter how I/we feel let them succeed.
Good luck in your decision. If she goes there, for junior year she can move 10 min away, be in a super safe area, take the trolley to school, and pay less rent for a nicer place.
@StacysMom24 I am so glad to hear the campus was nice and the surrounding neighborhood not as bad as thought. We are considering San Diego State as well. Did you learn anything about residential life or campus activities? Feel free to share your experience if you would
@teambyerline We cross posts. I am glad you shared your thoughts as well to keep us all informed of the area
I share as a lifelong San Diego resident who has seen the good and bad of San Diego. SDSU campus is pretty nice & I don’t want to scare anyone from coming here. As a mom to an 18 yr old D I want others to know that when coming to a party school like SDSU we just need our kids to be well educated on the negatives & positives.
Good luck with all the decisions. D is deciding between SDSU & UCLA and sadly I think I know which one she will rightfully pick. We
Thanks for the honest and detailed information- it’s really helpful. I think my D be fine. She attends high school in adowntown area and has learned how to avoid/deal with the issues she encounters. The area around SDSU doesn’t sound too much worse.
In terms of housing, how do most freshman choose roommates? Is there a good screening/matching process by the housing office, or do the freshman search themselves?
@teambyerline what are some of the areas the upperclassmen live off campus?
@staceysmom Was Webers at Open House today? If so, Any more insight on when decisions will come out for those still waiting?
Thanks so much
Just east of the school is La Mesa. There are several great apartments that are right next to the trolley. The trolley to SDSU is maybe 15 minutes, no way too expensive parking permit, and no wasting gas while driving circles looking for a parking spot.
Just east of the school is Kensington, hillcrest, and North Park. You have a mixture of wealth, regentrification, and older poorer neighborhoods.
If it was my daughter I would have her move a bit east, traffic after 8:30 isn’t bad, great public transportation, lots of apartments & rooms for rent with long term residents.
I’m not sure how SDSU matches roommate I’m sure someone else can let you know that.
@Moose2019: If the housing application is the same, you can specify the following:
- Room type: Single/Double/Triple
- Living/Learning Communities
- Some personal preferences: Early riser, cleanliness etc…
You cannot select a specific dorm. LLC’s change dorms from year to year.
Son had a random roommate and they got along fine. My niece selected one HS friend as a roommate and they had another random roommate and things are working out for all three.
@Moose2019 yes! i stopped by the booth and asked. a faculty memeber told me it would be by the end of the first week in April. good luck!!
Good Morning Everyone,
My D and I went to the SDSU open house all day yesterday with her BFF and Mom too. The four of us split up to cover what the individual girls wanted to see, then met up later for the Weber Reception (both girls are in).
We enjoyed the study abroad presentation. SDSU has 22 majors that require study abroad in order to graduate, so they provide a wide variety of experiences. However, they were clear that these were part of the total Cal State travel options, and they should be available at all Cal State schools. That was helpful, now I know that not all of them are not campus specific.
We went on to the International Business major presentation next, and although the program is clearly well put together, rigorous and respected, my D felt that it was a bit too rigid for what she wanted to do. If she chooses to attend SDSU, she will likely change her major.
Then we spent some time with the information booths, and D really liked the wide variety of people, clubs and programs. It helped her get out of her shell a bit and start talking to other students. She met with a girl from the International Security and Conflict Resolution club (and major), and it really resonated with her. She will likely go poly sci with a minor in ISCR.
Then we went over to tour Zura Hall - long lines, short tour. But, it’s very clean and well done inside, and has some very nice spaces in it. We were a little surprised at how boys and girls were in such close quarters with one another. (In the same wing.) But, neither D nor BFF seemed to have an issue with it. I must be old fashioned. 
I wanted to share a key piece of information we did get from the housing booth yesterday. Even though D is from an address in the “service area” for SDSU, we want her to live on campus for as long as possible. So, we clarified with the housing team about the Sophomore live on campus requirement for service area students. They were VERY clear that not only did the Sophomore live on campus requirement NOT apply to them, but that even if they wanted to live on campus, their requests would be put at the bottom of the priority list. Furthermore, since Fall 2019 was the first year that they have done such a requirement, they had no data or knowledge about how much housing would be available for Sophomores for 2020. The representative said to expect that D would not get housing as a Sophomore in Zura or any other dorm on campus. D is young for her grade and we do not like the idea of her living in an apartment at age 18. And, although she can live at home, it’s 25 minutes away from campus, and I think it would separate her too much from the school. Hmmm, much to think about.
Then D and I walked around and ate lunch. It felt a really busy and crowded, a bit overwhelming, but I’m sure that this was just because it was open house day and there were a lot of extra people on campus.
Off to the Weber reception, which was very well done and gave a lot of good information. I could really feel how much the staff at Weber cared about the kids, their success and their well being. I think the program is good in that it creates a special experience and helps kids really broaden their horizons as well as supports their needs.
Our friends reported that the Biology major session was also very well done, and that as they walked through different parts of campus, they went through a lot of the Art and design areas and thought they were amazing!
All in all an extremely well done Open House! Gave us much to think about as we come closer to our final decision.
Good luck everyone!
@sdscoutmom: The housing issue for 2nd year local students was brought up by @Banker1 since her D wanted on-campus housing as a local for 2nd year. I understand that moving off campus can be an issue, but there plenty of apartments within walking distance (next to campus) that could be good options. Paseo Suites even has a bistro meal plan and my son was in Paseo Place off Hardy street next to campus. The key is to start the hunt early and get your deposit in. My son placed his deposit in December Freshman year before Winter break for the Paseo Place apartment. He was close enough to campus to continue making use of the on-campus food services but also had the option cook some meals on his own.
Just some food for thought and unfortunately they do come out a price $$$
@Gumbymom Thanks Gumbymom! As always, you have sage advice. I will pass this along to D’s BFF as well. It looks like SDSU will be their final choice. And, right now it’s my D’s second choice. So, they both might be going.
Thanks again, it is comforting to know that there are some better choices.
Accepted
GPA: 4.25 weighted
ACT: 32
Major: History/Social Science - Secondary Education
Accepted to Weber Honors College
Now just waiting for D to make a decision.
Also Accepted: Cal Poly SLO (invited to Honors), NAU Honors, WSU Honors, Utah Honors, Boise Honors