I am a first year student in the Smittcamp Honors College at California State University, Fresno. I have lived in Fresno my entire life and while my scholarship covers tuition and on campus housing, I am very unhappy. I have attempted to branch out and meet new people however, a majority of the students at Fresno State are students from Fresno, so I know a lot of them from high school. And these people have different aspirations in life than I do. Greek life is very heavy and seems like the only way to branch out however, I do not wish to join a sorority. I feel that through the honors college I don’t have much academic freedom considering I am not able to choose the honors classes I want to take. On-campus living isn’t very lively and other than my honors classes, I don’t feel academically challenged. After graduating I plan on moving to So Cal so I was considering transferring to a school down there my junior year. I have found several schools that offer my major and since I have a grant that would cover tuition, I would simply have to work to pay for housing, meals, and books. I think that transferring would better set me up for my future because I plan for it to be in So Cal. Moving to So Cal as an undergrad would allow me to network with people in the location I plan to move to after graduating and the internship opportunities are far greater in So Cal than in Fresno. I know that I would be giving up a free education however, it isn’t even really free considering I have to pay for university fees (about $500 a semester) and my meal plan (about $5000 a year). I question if a scholarship is worth forgoing my happiness. I love LA, spend a lot of my time there, and feel that I would be happier there. Thoughts?
First before making a decision, check out the cost of housing in your target Southern California areas since Fresno housing/apartment prices are a deal. My son just recently moved from Fresno to Inland Empire area (Riverside/Temecula) for work. He was renting a bedroom in a 4 bedroom condo in Fresno for $375/month. He has not been able to find anything under $1000/month sharing with 1-2 roommates.
I cannot see how you plan to go to school full time and try to work to earn enough to cover your expenses for the LA/Southern California area.
My advice is stay in Fresno with your full scholarship and apply for summer internships in Southern California which will help you make some contacts so when you graduate, you will be in a better position for a permanent job in LA.
I don’t think going to school and working 20 hours a week is impossible to do considering I am doing it now here in Fresno. Where I want to be I’ve found housing for $700 a month which is doable working 20 hours a week. @Gumbymom
@colegegal15: If you think you could manage it, then I would definitely try to make it work. Best of luck.
there is no harm in applying - see where you are accepted, then figure out if the $ will work.
sounds like you have a lot of good reasons to transfer. If you have some particular schools in mind then you should look at their catalog to see what classes they require to prepare for your major, for breadth requirements, etc. The classes differ slightly from CSU to CSU so you may be able to tailor your class schedule now to ease your transfer.