University of San Francisco (Berkeley, Richmond: credit, travel, work)

[gv0928]

I've been seriously considering transferring to USF and wanted to find out what you guys could tell me, about the city, the school, and the interaction.

I'm at Tulane in New Orleans now, but am a New York City native, just in case.

I'd appreciate any help you could give me.

Thanks, guys!

[gv0928]

Can anyone shed light on this, please?

[sonarrat]

USF is in a neighborhood called North of Panhandle, which is part of the Western Addition. It's sort of a transitional area with some areas that are livelier and more diverse and some that are sleepier and more like the Richmond district, which is much more gentrified, middle-class and homogeneous (by SF standards).

[angelbug]

USF is a small Jesuit liberal arts school with not much to recommend it. My ex taught there for 30 years and I worked there for 5. During that time, I took 30 credits in business courses at night. The school, IMO, is really bad, though it had a good reputation long ago. The joke there is that they admit anyone who will pay the inflated tuition, and I almost believe it. In my accounting classes there were students who didn't know how to calculate the 2% discount on accounts receivables. I used to help my ex grade papers - it was a real eye opener that kids could get a college degree with writing skills that poor. During the time we were there, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges almost pulled USF's accreditation. The pity is that almost all the teachers I knew there were excellent, but the students were not. It was a very frustrating place to teach.

I work at a UC system school now and the quality of the students is much better. My kid is applying to colleges now, and if he were hell-bent on going to school in San Francisco, I would send him to SF State over USF any day.

Sorry to be so negative, because I don't like whiny posts myself, but I just know the place too well from a non-student perspective and I can't recommend it.

[gv0928]

How easy is it to get around the city from campus? Isn't the BART station too far to walk from campus? How is that whole thing handled?

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by gv0928

How easy is it to get around the city from campus? Isn't the BART station too far to walk from campus? How is that whole thing handled?

You can take the 5-Fulton bus, which goes between the beach and downtown plus the Transbay Terminal. It's a 24-hour bus, and it runs every 4 minutes during peak travel periods. It's still a very busy line but SF isn't big so it doesn't take that long to get across it.

[krudmonk]

It's a really nice campus and their soccer program is decent. That's all I know.

[City Boy]

Originally Posted by angelbug

USF is a small Jesuit liberal arts school with not much to recommend it. My ex taught there for 30 years and I worked there for 5. During that time, I took 30 credits in business courses at night. The school, IMO, is really bad, though it had a good reputation long ago. The joke there is that they admit anyone who will pay the inflated tuition, and I almost believe it. In my accounting classes there were students who didn't know how to calculate the 2% discount on accounts receivables. I used to help my ex grade papers - it was a real eye opener that kids could get a college degree with writing skills that poor. During the time we were there, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges almost pulled USF's accreditation. The pity is that almost all the teachers I knew there were excellent, but the students were not. It was a very frustrating place to teach.

I work at a UC system school now and the quality of the students is much better. My kid is applying to colleges now, and if he were hell-bent on going to school in San Francisco, I would send him to SF State over USF any day.

Sorry to be so negative, because I don't like whiny posts myself, but I just know the place too well from a non-student perspective and I can't recommend it.

As a recent graduate. I can tell you that you're way off base. Most USF students are top of the class Private school rich kids. There are ambassadors kids who go there, for a reason. The professors are all outstanding and the quality of education is better than any school around here.

The UC's are overcrowded and have 400 people in some classes. Who can learn that way? The largest class I had at USF had 40 students in it. The professors actually know who you are. You're giving out false information. To recommend SF State over USF is absurd and ridiculous. Do you work for them?

[jcp123]

I don't know much about USF itself or their academics, so I won't comment on that.

What I can say is that a degree from there might be burdened with the stereotypical San Frincisco liberalism, which may hurt its value in certain parts of the country. Again, I can't comment on whether or not it IS a liberally biased education, it's just the perception that many may have when they see San Francisco on your degree.

[City Boy]

Originally Posted by jcp123

I don't know much about USF itself or their academics, so I won't comment on that.

What I can say is that a degree from there might be burdened with the stereotypical San Frincisco liberalism, which may hurt its value in certain parts of the country. Again, I can't comment on whether or not it IS a liberally biased education, it's just the perception that many may have when they see San Francisco on your degree.

UC Berkeley is on of the most renown universities in the country if not world. Berkeley is far more liberal than San Francisco. Nobody cares.