<p>I am helping my D learn about the UC’s and CSU’s. My S goes to a small private (Redlands) and loves it but she wants a bigger school. I do not understand the UC hype as the best public institutions in the nation, and I do understand that in general much of that is directed at the top three hardest to get into (Cal, UCLA, and UCSD or D?). I don’t understand how you get an excellent education in classes with hundreds of kids. At the CSU’s you’d have smaller classes all four years and the professors are focused on teaching, not research. My D is a smart girl (tho not an elite like some of the kids who ask to be chanced and then post their 4.5’s and 2350 SAT scores-lol) but is vry unclear about majors. It won’t be engineering nor business. She’s taking IB courses now (not diploma as she wanted a life) and I want her to have classes where standards are high and everything isn’t multiple choice. Can anyone provide tangible reasons why the UC’s are so highly touted? And if you’re a CSU fan, what determined that? I know a few of the CSU’s have become more selective but does that imply a better education? Thank you for your thoughts.</p>
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<p>You can’t learn if you put more kids in a class? And you don’t think professors at UCs are focused on teaching? Here’s my experience from UCSD. Even though the classes are big, professors are always open to answering questions. Some of them ask the class to ask questions. Professors are always available at office hours and you can e-mail them any day. If professors get a lot of the same questions, they’ll e-mail the entire class the explanation. I even went out to lunch with one of my professors and we talked for 2 hours straight. Also, there’s discussion sections for most classes where 30-40 kids in a class get together with a TA and just go over problems. So, there you go.</p>
<p>I go to UCD and I have been in big (~500) and small classes (~20). To me, there isnt much of a difference. If you are in class, and you want to learn, you are going to learn. Much of it really depends on the student themselves. And just as KingsElite said, most classes have discussion sections. But I think at UCD what I’ve seen is most classes have about ~20-30 per section… but I might be just bad at estimating haha (I’m basing this off my lower division chemistry and math courses)</p>
<p>I don’t think that UC is recognized as the best public institution in the nation because of just their top few schools. Most of the UC campuses have top notch equipment and good faculty. But in a way, UCLA and UCB is a bit further apart from the rest of the UCs academic wise, but its not to say the other campuses aren’t excellent as well.
Um… I think the UCs</p>
<p>I can’t speak for all of UCLA, but from my experience the only departments where I have found teachers being passionate about the subject and were actually “teaching” have been in the literature departments and art history departments.
I have found that in other departments like Philosophy and Psychology, professors tend to “teach” less in the sense that they don’t really provide anything “new” to what can be read in the text book/readings.
I think in departments like Art History or Literature or anything where a professor’s point of view, or knowledge can impact the perception or reading of the “work”, you’ll tend to get more teachers “teaching” and less of “lecturing”.</p>
<p>@hermanliu320</p>
<p>Now that I think of it, maybe 30-40 is the number of kids that are in a section and only 15-20 show up. I was in a class of 150 kids and there were 2 kids signed up for my section. 2!!! Me and some other chick. Talk about individual attention.</p>
<p>kingselite, you just made me realize. I did not even think about it, many people dont even show up. I never even showed up to any of my sections after the 1st one… the optional ones at least… Now I think about it, sections that have quizzes are more usually more populated.
Haha! How easily I forget things.</p>
<p>2 people? HAHAHHAHA! I have yet to have something even close to that happen to me, but I am only going into my second year… so lets see.</p>
<p>Hi Maenidmom~</p>
<p>Well, I will try to answer this based on our experience at a UC. </p>
<p>It was great! The school is huge and brimming with activity…a lot of school spirit, a lot of enthusiasm. There is a great deal of research/writing going on at a world-class level. There are great opportunities for students to be involved in research. My kid was laboratory research assistant, and a paid personal research assistant for a professor. There are amazing opportunities at the school. I think there is a different level of passion and excitement that comes from not just learning about a field of study, but truly contributing to that field of study. No problem getting to know professors and communicating with them. The teaching was terrific in most cases. This was a joyous education from start to finish. The personal and academic growth was impressive. Truly, there was no downside in our experience. However, I will say that we come from a very large public high school, so there wasn’t that sort of culture-shock.</p>
<p>Conversely, I think the levels of opportunity for world-class research are less at CSUs. Although there are remarkable students and professors, I’m sure, probably not quite as many are as accomplished as some of the brilliant academics at the UC level. It sounds corny, but it is an honor, as a student, to have a conversation with some of these professors… with these people that have reached such a high degree of expertise in their field.</p>
<p>A close friend elected to attend a CSU and told us she regretted it because she really felt like the general level of students’ academic ability and motivation seemed less at her school. </p>
<p>That said, another friend attended Cal Poly and, of course, had a perfect educational experience in her field and accomplished great things. I do think ,though, that this had to do with the fact that Cal Poly is highly regarded in her field.</p>
<p>I do think there is a quality education to be had at any of these schools, but there is a fairly significant difference in some areas.</p>
<p>This is in no way intended to be anti-CSU at all…just meant to respond to your questions.</p>
<p>Best of luck to your family with all these decisions!</p>
<p>The other thing to consider is that the vast majority of Cal States are commuter colleges. Thus, the collegiate experience is much different than at most UC’s which tend to be more residential. How about some mid-sized privates? USC? USD? Santa Clara?</p>
<p>The only CSU that can be mentioned with any UC is Cal Poly SLO. SDSU is better than UCM but that’s about it.</p>
<p>UC is better than CSU because UC programs are longer, classes are harder, and professors are tougher. UC students work harder and learn a lot more.</p>