Ok guys so I’m at the point were I need to decide which college to transfer because each of these universities have different classes from now on… I have already completed all the classes that these both universities overlap on. I am a student at PIERCE COLLEGE in LA. I also want to stay local that’s why I have not considered any other school. My list of classes and respective grades are as follow:
CHEM 101
A
CALC 1
A
CALC 2
A
CAlC 3
A
DIFF EQUA
A
PHYSICS 101
A
PHYSICS 102
A
GENERAL ED GPA on classes that both universities will accept is 4.0… In Summary my GPA is 4.0 on all transferable courses. Something I worked really hard for, so I’m proud of myself
My big debate here is should I transfer to UCLA or CSUN. I hear that CSUN’s Mechanical Engineering program is very hands-on and is very good. Which is something i think could help me find a job soon after graduation or get internships. Whereas UCLA’s Mechanical engineering i hear is more theoretical. Honestly I am Considering UCLA just for the name.
Also, after working a couple of years, I plan on getting a degree on Astronautical engineering or Aerospace Engineering from USC. ( Might be relevant to your answers or not just wanted to say my plan so I can get a better answer from you guys.)
Another part of my plan is to work on space exploration, so i want to work for any company like NASA, SpaceX, Northrup Grunman, Rocketdyne, etc. Which university is better or would be better for me…
PS i live 5 min away from CSUN and 1hr away from UCLA (including traffic). The 405 freeway is a traffic jam beast
there is no absolute “right” answer. For one, we don’t know how well you interview. You may have done amazing things, but if you are so nervous you can’t answer technical questions or talk about your accomplishments it is going to be tough no matter where you went to school. The ‘hands-on’ CSU approach is oversold; you will have labs and opportunities to take part in student-run clubs at any engineering school. A kid at CSUN who just takes the classes needed to graduate will be far behind a kid at Irvine or UCLA that was active in student projects.
So what matters to future employees? GPA is key; some screen and won’t talk to kids with less than a 3.2 for example. After that they want to see internships and participation in clubs where you build something. Getting to know profs is also a good idea, they typically consult for industry and may have contacts that can help kids they know. You may already be a bit behind in that some kids find internships the summer after sophomore year from 4-year schools but it is going to be quite difficult from a CC since engineering companies will not be on-campus to recruit.
And there is a halo effect of sorts; employers know that it is harder to get into UCLA than CSUN, that the classes may be more challenging at UCLA (although they are by no means easy at CSUN!!) Here is a comparison point: I know someone that transferred from CSUN to a UC. In a sophomore Physics class someone raised their hand to complain they were spending 1-2 hours a nite a few times a week on the homework. Prof says “Are a lot of people doing that?” and many hands went up. Prof says “Ok, I’ll assign less.” Nobody ever complains about the workload at a UC, they expect to be challenged in science/engineering majors.
So my gut answer is UCLA if you can get in, but if you work hard and take part you can do fine with an engineering degree from any acredited program.
