UCSC vs SDSU

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

I was admitted to both schools and have trouble deciding which one to attend. I was accepted to UCSC for Business Management Economics and SDSU for Pre-business Administration Marketing. I am planning on going to graduate school so which college would look better on my application and/or resume? I feel like they’re both equally ranked and we all heard of UCSC being a “lower tiered UC” and SDSU being a “higher tiered CSU,” so which school is better overall? And which school is better for my major?

I’m also a transfer student and would like to consider the social aspects of both schools. Any opinions or information will help, thank you!

2

I can’t speak to the social aspects, it’s not something I’ve ever really investigated at any schools tbh

However I do want to point out that you shouldn’t necessarily place all your faith in rankings or “tiers” for which school has the better individual programs. But you probably already know that, so I’ll go to my next point.

If you’re planning to go to grad school, and in particular a competitive grad school, your undergrad institution (along with it’s rank or “tier” or whatever) is a relatively small part of your application and a relatively small consideration to adcoms (especially when the difference between rigor/caliber of potential schools is not that earth-shattering, like this case.

What you should really be thinking about if you want to start building up a good grad school application starting now is what you’re going to do in and (especially) outside the classroom with regards to spending time with professors in fofice hours, building up good relations with them (for great recommendation letters), getting involved in out-of-classroom projects (for the experience AND those letters of recommendation), etc. whatever is standard for your major

This is all in addition, of course, to getting stellar grades in all your classes. Once you’ve figured out the kind of things YOU are going to do as an undergrad these next two years to make a great grad school application, then look into each school’s program, research/visit the departments, view course/extracurricular offerings at both universities, and decide which will allow you to your best in (re: excelling academically and doing those extra things that make up the meat of good grad school applications)

I can’t speak to Business-related info on either school so it would be terribly misinformed of me to suggest one over the other, hopefully someone who is into business can come offer some opinion about it. UCs are all, after all, research institutions with a focus on their grad schools and so they (generally) are known for doing a pretty good job in preparing you for grad school, perhaps SDSU has a similar reputation but tbh I haven’t heard much about it.

UCSC is the most beautiful place I can imagine living an going to school on the other hand (although careful if you have strong allergies lol) and idk about SDSU. I would of course encourage you to visit both campuses as well. Feel free to PM me for anything :slight_smile: Hope I helped a bit, and congratulations on being admitted to both schools!

3

By grad school do you mean get an MBA?

4

I think it is kind of a wash - go where you feel most comfortable, you will excel there, giving you your best shot a a job and grad school.

5

yes

6

The top CSU are Chico, Cal Poly SLO, maybe one or two others. I haven’t heard anyone put SDSU in the list.

As for an MBA, it depends what kind you want. If you’re thinking of a “Masters of the Universe” job in consulting or Wall Street you need a top-tier MBA. Those programs expect applicants to have a few years relevant work experience first. College plays into this because the firms that recruit at Stanford are not always as keen to look at Santa Cruz or SDSU kids. On the other hand if you’re thinking of an MBA to learn solid business skills and get a decent job there are a lot more programs out there, many of which will take kids right out of undergrad (although some real-world experience is still a good idea)

Regardless of what college you attend, having internships is going to be a key to looking good to employers when you graduate. You just have the 1 year at college to position yourself for a summer job after your junior year. Try to get involved in school and network thru student clubs and the like to maximize your opportunities.

If you know any current or recent students you should talk to them. UCSC has a certain vibe, it’s still 1967 there politically.

7

I’d take a look at the classes required for each program and decide which better suits your interests and needs. Personally I’d also choose a school with an eye toward where I want to live and work in the future. If I were in your position, I’d probably pick SDSU.

8

I currently go to SDSU so I can speak of social life for you. Greek life is HUGE here, there’s a lot places to get involved on a campus. Everyone is pretty nice and the school has a good feel to it. SDSU has a really good business college, I can’t speak on UCSC as I don’t know where they stand. I honestly love SDSU, I’m only trying to transfer so I can move back up north. I’ve visited UCSC while in session and they have very different feelings, I’d recommend you consider where you would fit in the most as they are both wonderful schools. I myself might be transferring to ucsc, I kinda like the atmosphere there.