I can’t decide between the two schools! My intended major is either architecture/design or engineering. I like UCI for its prestige and educational rigor, but I’m not too sure I will enjoy the campus environment, or that it will be the right fit for me. UCI is also way too close to home. On the other hand, SFSU has my major, industrial design, and has a great location. However, I have been reading a lot of negative reviews about SFSU with its class registration, poor campus life etc.
First, is money a consideration? If so, SFSU will mostly likely be cheaper, but it will depend on FA package.
Visit both and see which one you feel fits you best. Take the time to talk to other students on campus, not just the tour guides to get a good prospective. When it comes to reviews, take everything with a grain of salt. Find out for yourself about good and the bad.
If you got into UCI, you are qualified for LOTS of schools. Why is SF State your only other option?
Sfsu is going to be 85% commuter or so. How will you handle the empty campus on weekends?
However, it has the major you want, one that’s not common and with great prospects .
If you choose UCI, will you be living on campus or at home? if on campus it’s unlikely to be anything like what you know at home. I agree that it’s very different from sf though.
@NCalRent The other UC’s that I applied to were more competitive. I got rejected at UCLA and UCB, and wait-listed at UCSD. I also got into SDSU and SJSU, but I’m not really feeling those schools.
@MYOS1634 I used to live in the Bay Area when I was younger, but moved down to So Cal. I don’t think I could be able to handle it empty, however, I heard UCI is also a commuter school as well. If I choose UCI, I will be leaving on campus since the drive is an hour and a half. I visited UCI today. I liked the school enviroment, pretty chill and great weather. UCI seems to have the rigorous educational community I want in a school without being too competitive and hostile, but SFSU seems to have the majors and perfect location.
UCI is probably your best choice - particularly since you plan to live on campus. There are plenty of resident students to keep things interesting 24/7.
I’d encourage you to take another look at SDSU. Of the schools you list, it will have the most on/near campus student residents and the classic ‘college experience’.
Good luck.
Both are good schools. I would do more research on your field, or at least the direction you think you will be going. If you plan on working in OC after, I would definitely recommend UCI then, but if you want to work in the Bay Area, then I would recommend SFSU. Also, take into consideration where you’d feel more comfortable living. I deferred admission to SFSU and USF because I just didn’t want to live in the heart of the city and didn’t get that gut feeling that I needed to go to either when I visited.
Maybe considering living on campus at UCI? Being fairly close, you’d definitely save a lot of money, but freshman year, students who live on campus really do bond and get the typical college experience. You can always evaluate whether you want to live in Irvine or commute after that pivotal first year.
@NCalRent Thank you, I’ll try looking into SDSU. Do you know what majors SDSU is known for?
@WriterJane15 I plan to major in Architecture/Design, and SFSU also has an Interior Design major. If I go to SFSU,I feel like I would be more closer to my major. I would love to work and live in the Bay Area after college, but I have a feeling most of the jobs for architecture is in SoCal, since most of the top architect schools are located here. I know I would like to go to SFSU because I grew up in the Bay Area and every time I visit I get this happy and welcoming feeling like I’m at home. I am going to see SFSU in a couple of weeks. Besides location, did you find any good pros in SFSU?
Honestly, I never actually visited SFSU after getting in. I got a pretty hefty scholarship from USF, so I decided that if I did end up wanting to study in SF, I would go there instead (ended up somewhere else in the end.)
I ended up at a UC, so I don’t have the experience of going to a Cal State. The people I do know who went to SFSU ended up transferring out…I can’t really speak to if it was location or something else though. Having grown up fairly close to the city though, I just knew I didn’t want to live in the midst of SF, but that’s just preference.
*Another perspective is that since the top architecture schools are in SoCal (again, I don’t know too much about the field), you may be competing more for those entry level jobs post grads. Honestly, I wouldn’t worry too much about the job market, since I believe USC is the highest ranked for your major, with CalPoly close under? Keep in mind, CalPoly architecture grads do really well in the field, and they’re certainly not in a prospering geographical location for that.