<p>This is the major problem, where is the line drawn between a strong CSU and a weak UC. Also when you add in the major it is a mess.
Which is better UCLA Poli sci or CSULB Business Fiance?</p>
<p>Lets say you want to do environmental business, like work for “Waste Management” or something that is a business and environment related</p>
<p>Is it better to go to CSULB and do a business major or go to UCLA and do Environmental Studies?</p>
<p>It seems like even though the UCLA student didn’t do anything in business, they still have the edge because somehow, someway their major can be at least 1% related to their work.</p>
<p>You’re making way too many unfounded assumptions. I can tell you that UC Berkeley Comparative Literature majors get great jobs in the publishing industry – big business – while CSULB business-y majors never ever do. Unless you have statistics, as someone else mentioned earlier, there’s no point in speculating so wildly.</p>
<p>Now, of course someone who went to UCLA will be looked upon more favorably than the CSULB graduate. This is common sense. If you had to choose to trust someone with something important, would you choose the smarter or less smart candidate? That’s not to say that CSULB grads can’t be smarter than UCLA grads – but they generally aren’t (I’m pretty sure this is indisputable based on the nature and rigor of applying to and being accepted by such universities).</p>
<p>Furthermore, major isn’t so big a deal. Unless the job is technically specific, like in engineering, it’s not too hard to be qualified for the coveted 9 to 5 business career. English majors, they’re more-than-proficient writers and critical thinkers; a Classics major might be equipped in the same regard; and so forth.</p>
<p>What it comes down to, regardless of major and alma mater, is intelligence and drive. Connections help, too.</p>
<p>This is depending on the person. Generally people at UC’s are considered better, so UC’s seem better than CSU’s, but that’s because of the person and not the school. If you can actually find a nice job with a polisci or econ degree then more power to you.</p>
<p>With regards to the low-tier UC’s such as UCSC and UCR, the introduction of UCM has allowed them to slash their acceptance rates by quite a bit. UCR is almost finalized with its med school, that coupled with them keeping out under qualified applicants should actually make it rise dramatically in rankings. I do agree with your take on the baby theory though, since UCM is the UC scapegoat instead of santa cruz and UCR I don’t it improving much in the future.</p>
<p>Also the comment on international people knowing about UCB and UCLA and not knowing about the existence of the other UC’s is pretty spot on.</p>
<p>My two sons go to CSU Sacramento where one is junior majoring in Geology with minors in Physics and Math while the other is a freshman majoring in Physics and minoring in Math. My older son’s SAT scores were above the average for accepted applicants at all UCs except Berkeley but due to ADHD, which is now well controlled, he did not have a good HS GPA. I agree that if Exxon-Mobile is recruiting geologists they are much more likely to hire a Geology major from UCLA than from Sacramento State but it is hard to imagine an oil company choosing a Communications major from UCLA over a Geology major from Sacramento State to work as a geologist.</p>
<p>Somebody with a degree in Physics from Sacramento State is always going to be perceived as being much smarter than someone with a Communications degree from UCLA. Physics and Communications are at the opposite ends of the spectrum in cognitive ability required to obtain a degree with Physics being a subject that only a relatively small number of students at UCs and CSUs can succeed in. Sacramento State’s Physics Department does not have the facilities that UC Berkeley does but they do use the same textbooks. For a job that requires strong quantitative and science skills, it is hard to see an employer hiring a Humanities major from UCLA over a Physics major from Sacramento State. My younger son had SAT scores that were higher than the average for accepted students at UCB, particularly in Math, but ADHD and mild Asperger’s Syndrome, now better controlled, resulted in a 3.1 HS GPA. </p>
<p>Very smart kids do find themselves in CSUs for a variety of reasons but I believe they can find good jobs if they major in challenging subjects that teach skills that are demanded by potential employers.</p>
<p>Cal State isn’t on the same level as UC. I think the best Cal-state = the worst UC (Merced, Riverside). Berkeley kids are MUCH smarter than Cal State Long Beach…(academically). Cal State students are good for entry level jobs <$30,000 a yr while UC kids get like $50,000+ salary.</p>
<p>I think this is the classic problem with CC, whenever there is a disagreement that can’t be resolved, someone invariably resort to calling someone else’s ideas/opinions stupid. It reminds me of the fight between my little nephews fighting over a toy. </p>
<p>I think there is nothing wrong with CSU people defending their valid perspective on their university system. </p>
<p>I also think the UC supporters also make many valid points about why UC education could be superior. </p>
<p>But as I said before, once you enter the workforce, it is an entirely different arena. You might have a 4.0 at Cal or CSULB, but that GPA will DEFINITELY not see you through for rest of your career, let alone the successful completion of your first gig out of school.</p>
<p>You are right; insulting people is the last resort of a person with no argument. With that being said, I think there is quite a bit of pretentiousness being written in this thread. So many of you are missing the point of the thread. The op’s original question was not whether UCs are better than CSUs, it was whether a degree from a UC that has nothing to do with the job is better than a degree from a CSU that directly relates to a certain job. The example of business works perfectly. How can someone from a UC get with a degree in history get a business job over a person from a CSU who has a degree in business management? It really does not seem to make much sense because the person from the UC has no knowledge of business, yet he will most likely get the job. Lemaitre1, I think you’re right; a physics degree from a CSU is much more difficult than an English degree from even the top UCs. Getting into a UC does not indicate that you are smarter than a person from a CSU, it just means you are a better student. Anyone who thinks they are smarter just because they got into a UC has a major inferiority complex, and is trying to overcompensate</p>
<p>I would not dispute that most UCs are superior to most CSUs since they have far greater resources allocated to them per student. When it comes to how employable a graduate will be the issue of just what the student studied at their university will often be the most important factor. A Physical Science or Engineering graduate from a CSU is going to get more job offers and a higher salary than a Political Science major from a UC. Many employers need people with quantitative and scientific knowledge and skills but rarely, if ever, are looking for political scientists.</p>
<p>To answer OP’s question, disregarding whether his/her unfounded assertion is actually true: UC graduates are hired over CSU graduates because they’re more likely smarter than their CSU counterparts. Either that or they’re harder workers, on average. It’s not so much about the major as it is about aptitude, intelligence, and work ethic.</p>
<p>N.B. Once again, this excludes highly specialized fields, like the sciences, which all but require a certain level of specific learning. The business world is very broad and diverse, however, and draws employees from all over the place.</p>
<p>@annie Not that it matters since you should be choosing what school is right for you, the general consensus rankings of those schools you listed is: UCB > UCLA > UCR > SDSU > Merced. The last two is debatable, since that is my opinion.</p>