Choosing between SF State and UC Riverside. Planning on Electrical Engineering (EE). Which one is the best option for my major? Thoughts on the area and activities?
In terms of area, some things I’d want to consider is concerts/shows, foodies, diversity, and possibly getting around without a personal car.
I hear that Riverside is looked down on for its crime rate, should that be a concern?
I have a friend who is a UCR professor in the Engineering School. UCR has a fairly good engineering school. At the graduate school level, it is ranked in the top 70 in the US. SFSU is not even in the top 100. Usually undergraduate schools ride on the coattail of the graduate schools. It is a UC school and the reputation is better than SFSU. Crime wise, the area west of the University Village is a little seedy. UCR is about 1.5 hour from LA and can be longer if traffic is heavy. You would need a car to get to LA since public transportation is terrible. I hear there is not much to do outside of the campus area in the Riverside. I hear that there are a lot of southern CA students at UCR who go home on weekends.
If you like to attend cultural events, shows/concerts, etc., like LA, SF offers many and the San Francisco public transportation is excellent. Like many large cities, there is high crime in certain areas. Recently, there have been quite a few violent incidents on the SF public transportation systems, BART and MUNI. There are also quite a bit of homeless people in the SF streets.
Personally, given the two choices, I think an engineering degree from UCR is more marketable jobwise than one from SFSU and therefore, I would attend UCR. You might want to talk to others and make your own decision.
You might also want to visit both campus. I believe UCR has the Highlander Day on a Saturday coming up in April for new admitted students, which you might want to attend.
For academics, UCR by a quite a margin. Of course, SF >>> Riverside in terms of a city for food, culture, etc.
Know that SFSU has very little on campus housing, and has a fair number of commuters who live at home. SF is of course extremely expensive city to live in.
I dont know anything about Riverside crime as you mentioned, but SF definitely has its share of crime and I wouldnt think its the place to go if you want a quiet, super safe campus. Muni(the bus system) and all the characters who ride it will certainly open your eyes no matter where you come from.
SFSU is in a part of San Francisco that is both less interesting and lower crime than the parts of the city that tourists commonly visit. However, the Muni light rail train goes from SFSU to downtown.
UCR alumnus from a long time ago. Bourns College of Engineering is 2019 US News Top 100 ranked (#75)…very good program…the better academics for sure. Never had a problem with crime in the 4 years I was there…2 years in the dorms, and 2 years in off campus apartments (close to campus). It used to get a little dicey 5 miles or so down University Avenue at night, but was totally safe on and close to campus. I did go home about half the weekends…was a few hours away. Back then though…we didn’t even have the student center (with restaurants, movie theaters, shopping, etc.) right next to campus as well as the student recreation center (gym) that you have now. We still studied very hard and worked out hard in the old school gym, and had a great time! Was tougher to get around without a car back then…much more doable now. Is the fastest growing UC for a reason that still has that “personal touch” with a collaborative education…barely recognized the campus last time there. Best to take a tour and check it out for yourself!
I have a house right by SFSU, and where the campus is located is a perfectly nice area adjacent to Lake Merced and the ocean nearby. The Olympic Club private gold course is also nearby. Stern Grove is walking distance and has their concert series there every summer. It is away from most of the SF main tourist attractions which is probably a good thing. But the SF Zoo and Golden Fate Park isn’t too far away. The M car Muni Station is right at the campus which can take you downtown and other places. Chances are you won’t really need a car since the Stonestown Mall is right next door as well.
Having said all this, I would think UCR would be rated much higher for Engineering.
@ProfessorPlum168 wrote" I have a house right by SFSU, and where the campus is located is a perfectly nice area adjacent to Lake Merced and the ocean nearby. The Olympic Club private gold course is also nearby. Stern Grove is walking distance and has their concert series there every summer. It is away from most of the SF main tourist attractions which is probably a good thing. But the SF Zoo and Golden Fate Park isn’t too far away. The M car Muni Station is right at the campus which can take you downtown and other places. Chances are you won’t really need a car since the Stonestown Mall is right next door as well."
I think you’re selling the neighborhood a little too hard here. Not sure what relvance the Olympic Club has to a college student. I’ve been to the SF Zoo several times, and dont see much attraction to college kids there. You’re right the ocean is nearby, but unless the kid is a surfer with a wet suit, its not a very attractive place to go. GG Park is not close at all, with traffic and wait for the right muni, its 20-30 mins each whay. What you get at GG Park defintely could be a draw for some students, but prob not one a student who is particularly worried about crime. Stonestown Mall isnt much a of a selling point either. Its a mall.
SFSU is a commuter school, and any student traveling from out of the area to attend should really really love city life, making their own scene, and riding muni. The immediate surroundings and campus are neither traditional collegiate nor exciting urban life.
So tell me, you’d rather be in a city 50 miles from anyplace, or right in the greatest city on the planet? There are plenty of students at SFSU living in the area.
I’d say SFSU is a commuter school primarily, that its immediate neighborhood is dull, and that riding Muni everywhere to partake of city life will be unattractive to many. Lets not pretend it’s situated like NYU.
@ProfessorPlum168 : I live in the SF Bay Area and @hackeysack is absolutely correct. In addition, at night, like any urban campuses, SFSU is not the safest campus. Some of the areas east and southeast of the campus area are little seedy (i.e., the Ingleside; Oceanview Districts). Because the campus is physically large and there are areas that are isolated like the large parking structure areas, criminals from those areas go to the campus to look for opportunities. I know because I grew up in SF. Anyway OP probably already submitted his/her SIR.