Which UC or CSU would offer the better Chem Engineering program for a transfer?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

Just got acceptance back on, UC: Davis, Irvine and Santa Barbra, CSU: Long Beach and Cal Poly Pomona.
And at this point, I’m fairly up in the air on where I want to go. I was expecting to only get into Long Beach so I haven’t spent the time I should diving into the research of the campuses.
Things i’m concerned about:

  • Class size, I prefer a smaller class size since I can interact with the professors more.
  • Job outlook, Anyone graduate and have trouble finding jobs?
  • I’ve heard state schools prepare you for the job field while UC’s prepare you for research.
  • Cost of living, tuition i’m not worried about but I’m concerned about living cost / rent. It seems like UC Santa Barbra is quite expensive in that area.

    Any other pros or cons for each?
2

Oh and yes, I’ll be transferring next fall for Chemical engineering.

3

For class sizes, try the on-line class schedules to see if they list class sizes.

Also consider which of the schools’ chemical engineering lower division course work is best covered by the courses you took at your community college, so that you will need less “catch up” after transfer that could delay graduation.

4

Hi there!

I am also a transfer at Cal Poly Pomona. Although I can’t speak for chemical engineering. As an ambassador at the school, I do know that the engineering school is very competitive and is currently the biggest program on campus. With that being said, the average class size remains to be about 35 people per professor. Cal Poly has a learn by doing philosophy so yes we are great about getting students prepared for industry through internship opportunities and that is often a result of attending career fairs. I, myself, including other peers have obtained internships and job offers because of how well a Cal Poly is acquainted with the working industry. From what I’ve heard and experienced, employers prefer cal Poly students over a UC student because of the hands on experience we gain here. On campus housing is pricey, but the university village starts at 800/month for your own room. Rent can be even cheaper in apartments near campus with roommates and even sharing rooms.

Fellow Food Science and Tech Major

5

What is the best way to check for the lower division course work?

6

Check http://www.assist.org . Also, see if the target schools’ chemical engineering departments have web pages specifically for transfer students.

Examples from http://www.assist.org :

Santa Monica College to UC Davis:
http://web2.assist.org/web-assist/report.do?agreement=aa&reportPath=REPORT_2&reportScript=Rep2.pl&event=19&dir=2&sia=SMCC&ria=UCD&ia=UCD&oia=SMCC&aay=16-17&ay=16-17&dora=ENG.CHEM.B.S.
ENG CHM 51 and 80 (total 5 quarter units) are not covered at Santa Monica College, so they would have to be taken after transfer.

Sacramento City College to UC Irvine:
http://web2.assist.org/web-assist/report.do?agreement=aa&reportPath=REPORT_2&reportScript=Rep2.pl&event=19&dir=2&sia=SCC&ria=UCI&ia=UCI&oia=SCC&aay=16-17&ay=16-17&dora=ENGR.CHEM
CBEMS 45A, 45B, 45C (total 11 quarter units) are not covered at Sacramento City College, so they would have to be taken after transfer. In addition, the listed lower division electives are also not covered.

7

Thank you! That actually is a huge factor for me now.

8

UC Santa Barbara is renown for their chemical engineering program.

9

What ever you do don’t go to Cal Poly Pomona. The teachers are ill prepared and dont know how to teach/what to teach and you can barely understand their accent. I was so unprepared for the industry that I had to go into finance just to make decent money.

10

Sure…

They walk right pass the Cal engineering kids and head to the ones from Pomona. Not.