<p>How important is it for you to go to UC? If I am planning to attend grad school, should I go to state instead? (because it is much cheaper!)
I mean, I don't have a job, financial aid and other stuff!!!</p>
<p>I'm an older/returning student. Based on my current circumstances I'm pretty much split 50/50 on whether to attend a close CSU, or go away to a UC. I like the idea of UC for undergrad, and CSU for grad school. </p>
<p>I personally think that any of these schools will give you a world class education. </p>
<p>I am wondering why you don't have a job or financial aid. You should have both, but I'm sure I'm not telling you anything you don't already know.</p>
<p>Good luck in whatever you decide!</p>
<p>I agree. I'm kind of split. I was actually having a similar conversation the other day. Grad school is more competitive and attending a particular school may have some weight on your admission. It is a reflection of your grade achievement, so a UC might help. I think either can provide you with a great education and you can certainly get the same job regardless of what school you go to. However, if two people are applying for a job with the same qualifications and one has a degree from a State school and the other a UC, the person who graduated from the UC may be more likely to get the job. It might open more doors that's all...</p>
<p>How do you know you will not qualify for financial aid? If you are declined a loan, you should write and explain your circumstance, perhaps this may help. I've done that and was approved. This was when I went to a private art school.</p>
<p>I currently attend a CSU and am applying to Berkeley (though my 1st choice is USC).</p>
<p>I have no regrets whatsoever in attending my CSU, but am looking forward to something new for the next two years. Here are some pros and cons, some of which I've heard from my teachers, some of which I've ascertained myself:</p>
<p>Pros of CSUs:</p>
<p>The State system was designed for facilitate undergraduate education initially, and really teach you things that will help succeed you when you graduate, even without a grad degree, whereas the UC's are more focused on and known for their graduate education, and don't put as much energy into their undergrad programs as they should, resulting in a lot of regurgitation-type, robotic, memorization learning. (This is what one of my sociology profs told me).</p>
<p>This [the CSU system] is fostered by having small class sizes, (my smallest class has been about 15 students, largest about 70) and a lot of teacher/student interaction.</p>
<p>My professors have been fantastic. I don't know if this is because I generally do a lot of research before I pick a prof, and know when to drop/exchange profs early in the semester before the drop date, or most of them are just generally good, but this has been one of the things that has been amazing for me. All of my teachers know my name, are EXTREMELY helpful in office hours, and really, truly care that that their students do well. </p>
<p>This is great for when you need letters of recommendation also. When I applied for a Service Learning Program overseas, and needed a few for USC, I could easily pick and choose from my old professors, who were more than happy to write them for me (2 actually volunteered to when they heard I wanted to transfer). </p>
<p>Cons of CSU:</p>
<p>(Keep in mind that I have been at my State school for just over 2 years, which means that I have been fulfilling GE requirements and such, and that my analysis does not include many upper-division classes).</p>
<p>The student body is lacking severely in motivation. Many, many students here have the mentality of "C's get degrees" and do the minimum required work to get that. This makes for an environment lacking, and almost devoid of intellectual stimulation. If you are somewhat intelligent and have more than a smidgen of motivation, it is not hard to get A's. </p>
<p>CSU's are quite easy to get into. I don't know anyone who got rejected from mine, and some students, in fact, elect to go to a CCC instead then transfer to a UC after 2 years. IF YOU PLAN ON TRANSFERRING TO A UC, TAKE THE CCC PATH. When I went to see an advisor at Cal about a year ago, she said that my chances of acceptance would be very slim coming from a CSU (this is after she looked at my transcript and saw that I had a 4.0). She said that if I really wanted to attend Cal, switch over to a CCC and do my last year there: many transfer CSU students do this, and when they apply a year later (after obtaining at least 30 units at a CCC), they are competing against an entirely different pool of applicants. I decided not to make the switch, because USC is where I really want to go, and they don't really care where I came from (they do seem to admit more CCC students, but they don't have to, like the UCs). Also, I live in an apartment right by campus, and I didn't want to have to drive to class everyday. </p>
<p>Commuter Campus: My school is seriously lacking in school spirit, and I have heard from many many people that it is hard to meet people here unless you live on campus, which is quite a small minority of the students. Sure, there are clubs and stuff, but the ones I've looked at kind of suck, the one my bf is in (an engineering one) don't do much, and not many members are became friends from it. This girl, who was in my into Chinese class, and is half-Chinese, half-Caucasian told me she went to the first meeting of a Chinese culture club and said they didn't feel welcome there at all, even though the club specified that you don't have to be Chinese to join.</p>
<p>One of my professors, who has taught at at all 3 systems (UCs, CCCs and CSUs) told me that for CSUs, he had to cut the readings assigned IN HALF, compared to the UCs, because 1) The students won't do the reading if he assigned more and 2) The CSU school requirements won't let him assign more. This professor is actually one of the more rigorous/hard ones, if that tells you anything. As for the CCC's, he said had to make the class even easier, but not by much, compared to the CSU classes. </p>
<p>I think that about wraps in up. In a nutshell: Good - professors, small class sizes. Bad - Student body, commuter campus. </p>
<p>Please don't ask me which CSU I go to - I'll just say this: it was much easier for me to visit Cal than USC. USC required a road trip to get there.</p>
<p>How much would my chances of getting in Grad school go down if I were to attend a top CSU instead of a Mid-Tier UC</p>
<p>I just re-read my earlier post, and I made tons of errors and typos, so sorry if it made it hard to read. I hope I didn't do that with my essays. Oh, and "applying to Berkeley" was supposed to be "applied" (for the fall).</p>
<p>Although the class sizes are large and the undergraduates don't get much attention, one of the most important benefits of the UC system is getting good connections. In general, it's much more impressive to get a letter of rec from a renowned scholar in your field than from some random professor at a CSU who you happened to know.</p>
<p>Unless one of your professors went to USC and you're trying to attend USC ;)</p>