Hey everyone I was wondering which school should I attend ( am a transfer applicant not first time first year but just wanting to get others opinions) It seems the 2 best CSU schools for business are SLO AND SDSU and I was wondering which should I go with. Given that i both get accepted I face 2 scenarios, A attend SDSU and have to commute 40 miles back and forth everyday but I graduate debt free or B attend cal poly but have to take out loans for housing so leaving college with a maximum debt of 32k which option would you choose? Lately I have been leaning towards CAL Poly because of how easier it is to obtain a internship and ultimately a job.
I think you go to where you have the best experience. SLO is probably better but there will be plenty of internships in jobs and San Diego as well.
I’ll tell you this - driving 40 miles each way (80 miles a day) has cost - gas, maintenance…just think when you need new tires or brakes - so perhaps the $32K is really less.
btw - you cannot borrow $32K from the federal loans - are your parents going to take on debt?
To me - if you can go away to college, it’s best to go. How will you handle the commute when you need to go back for a meeting, project or what will you do all day as you wait for said meeting or project. Living at home and going to SDSU to me, would seem not easy.
In the end, where do you feel most comfortable - that’s where you should look toward.
Good luck.
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Are you unfamiliar with the San Diego Tech and Health/Medical Pharma industry?
If you can afford to go to Cal poly and your parents are willing to pay for your housing and your travel expenses, then go for Cal Poly if you get in.
Driving in Southern California, 40 miles each way, will be a hassle for school. You will have some classes that are going to be in the evenings. Sitting in evening traffic, trying to get to class, is not fun. Oh and finding parking, DAILY, at San Diego State can be insane. You will have to get there very early (before classes), to find parking off of Montezuma or College Avenue.
Alright, I know I just came from the airport all the way to northern san diego country where I live and I felt like that was a long drive one way Im not sure how I would be able to manage doing that over and over again i feel like that would get very dull and not a good use of time. I just want to make sure and get other voices to see where everyone elses head is at on what to do in this situation.
I think the best experience would be in SLO honestly, driving 80 miles a day sounds tiring incredibly i would much rather be on campus/ near by campus.
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and what if it were multiple times. But you cannot borrow $32K - so are your parents going to step in and borrow?
How about living at SDSU? What would the cost differential be to live at SDSU vs. SLO?
@eyemgh is the Cal Poly SLO guru - any thoughts on SLO and living - i.e. some schools you still need a car because you live 15 mins away. Other schools, you don’t even need a car - you could take the train home, and thus live cheaply and save $$ etc.
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My son didn’t have a car first year. He brought one second year. We visited him at Thanksgiving. He hadn’t started it in over a month. Students get a bus pass, so he rode the bus or rode his bike almost everywhere. There is an active Facebook group for ride share. I think the perfect balance is to have a car, but not use it much.
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honestly i am not sure how we will get the financial side of everything straightened out once acceptances begin to role out
Based on the last response u can go car less. Save $$. Take the train home or catch a ride. I’m sure many drive to San Diego from slo and would share for gas $$ when u needed to go
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I think it is great you are looking ahead, but as you have stated in your original post, you have not been accepted to either school so what happens if neither come through with an offer of admission? Did you apply to any schools within reasonable commuting distance?
Both schools are great options and both will have internships opportunities in your field. Only you can decide how much debt you are willing to take on.
Fair point. If you are in North County, did you apply to San Marcos as a safety and likely school you can attend from home….as another potential option with greater acceptance likelihood.
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I did not like their program, I think I have really good odds with me being a veteran and good grades
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As better as Cal Poly SLO is compared to SDSU to me, it’s not worth borrowing $30,000. I sent you a PM. I’ve got 3 degrees from SDSU, last one in 94. Job wise it shouldn’t be a big deal between either school, getting great grades is probably most important. Debt is a heavy burden!!! Thank you for being a vet!! Bill
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Before you take out those loans, please contact the Veteran’s Affairs offices at each school. You may have access to Vet housing at SDSU and CP-SLO. You do have benefits that you merit.
https://arweb.sdsu.edu/es/veterans/military_veterans_education_benefits/index.html
Thank you for serving!
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I know this might sound a little odd but what about renting a room (Airbnb or VRBO) near SDSU according to your schedule. Maybe you stay overnight twice per week. You would be surprised how low the cost can be.
I use room rentals all the time and if you develop a relationship with the person, it could be a win-win. Especially if you did it ahead of time.
Just a quick look and saw this. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/10541993?adults=1&check_in=2022-04-05&check_out=2022-04-07&previous_page_section_name=1000&federated_search_id=b3aa2998-69a9-4ec7-ae70-e2cdfae58819&guests=1
Good luck!
You are talking $32K, worst case, TOTAL for all 4 years, right?
Being debt free, is ideal, but the general rule of thumb is don’t take more than one years salary in leverage.
SDSU isn’t without cost. An 80 mile per day RT commute is going to have a mental cost. In pure dollars though, using 180 schools days per year and AAA average cost per mile, you’ll have $9200/year in automotive expenses.
According to College Scorecard which harvests data from students that had Federal subsidy in the forms of grants or loans, the median salary for a BA degree at SDSU is $42K. It’s $64K at CP. Those aren’t skewed by tiny sample size (1521 SDSU and 605 CP) or self reporting.
I don’t think this is as easy as saying just go debt free.
NOTE: My son is a CP grad, so I might be seen as biased. I certainly like the school…a lot. I do this analysis all the time though. It just so happens that this time it happened to be his alma mater.
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2 years, the cost of living on campus or just near campus is incredibly expensive. I am thinking of just living off campus at SDSU and using the financial aid to cover it hopefully.
If everything is working how I am thinking it should, SDSU tuition is 8,500 give or take and my FA should be around 13,000 ish cal grant and pell grant I could use that left over money to fund me living close to campus and just paying out of pocket for the few thousand. but that is if everything is correct and thats how FA works. this is my first time applying for FAFSA
i am considering something similar to this now.
With the extra 64k but being 32k in debt would not work very well when on the opposite lets say even if do pull in 50k but end up debt free on a longer scale I would still be making the same if not more money but I am still quite unsure of everything.
This worries me about anyone going to college in CA. When you get out, where could one possibly afford to live ? It’s crazy!! Off topic but I ajj look ways think this fOR kids planning a life in CA