Study in CSU LA, or San Fran? (San Jose, San Francisco: for rent, credit)

[marceta]

Hey everyone,

next year I am planning to go on a Uni exchange and have decided to go to california. It seems like there is just soo much to see and do!

I am having trouble deciding on a spot though! Cal State University has 23 campuses, and I pictures and text on the internet just don't seem to help me make a decision.

I am weighing up between the busy LA, or the scenic, historical San Fran. They seem like the places to be!

Can anyone give me some advice about these cities (ie cost of living, crime, etc). Even better, any American's that know about their seemingly alien college system (to an Aussie) - an explanation of which campus is the best would be awesome!

Thanks, Peter

[NorthernCalifornia]

CSU's tend to have a focus department. Some are very good in their field, Humboldt State University (Humboldt State University) for example is a leader in natural resources science and very desirable in that field.

SF State is well regarded for its English department. SF is expensive but the school is in a far-corner of the city where one can find cheaper housing nearer school, the trade-off being less "in the action" and the area is not particularly "historical" in terms of cable cars and all that.

I recommend visiting the websites for a number of schools, typically they will advertise clearly their top departments. What are you studying?

[NorthernCalifornia]

As for how the "system" works, the University of California schools are top-notch public universities in the United States. Most have very large campuses and strong Graduate programs in particular. They are competitive and attract students from all over the state and country.

The California State Universities are more regional public schools, smaller in size and with greater focus on Undergraduate education. A large percentage of CSU's students are typically from the area where they are situated. There are however a number of CSU's that are more like smaller UC's with less focus on Graduate programs but still very excellent universities.

Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, Humboldt State and San Francisco State are some of the better CSU's.

[marceta]

Thanks for your reply guys,

I am studying Bachelor of Information Technology (Network system) and Business (International Business). I am having a great deal of trouble matching subjects for the "IT" course (you seem to call it computer science, and I can not find one relevant to networking), so I think I will just to Business subjects. Which is a good business uni? I think that CSULA has good business certifications.

Also, say I went to San Luis Obispo, how much for a bus down to LA or SF for a day? Also, which uni would offer cheap living costs? Because SF seems to be wayy out of my price range.

[ImRandy]

The largest college at SFSU is the College of Business. They have a concentration in Information Systems but the focus is more on programing rather than networking. This isn't to say that you couldn't take classes with a different focus. SFSU will allow you, with the guidance of a faculty advisor, to create the degree you want. It isn't an easy or straight forward process but it has been done before.

[marceta]

Thanks for the input ImRandy. I don't really want to go through anything arduous, as its really hard on this end and I need to make sure that I am doing subjects that are identical so that I get the credit for it!

Also, if any of you know, would I have needed to complete the pre-reqs for American subjects if I am an internation student. For example, if the subject "International Communications" had a pre-req, would I need to do it, even if it is the subject that I need to match?

[mono#9]

marceta--Haven't you heard? California without a car is practically impossible. If you park yourself at a college, you'll do okay on a bike, but as for going to other towns and sightseeing--well, you might be able to find a Greyhound bus--and maybe a train--going your way, but it probably won't be cheap or convenient. And once you get to LA, you'll need a car. Maybe you could rent a car for a weekend trip.

As for prereqs--you'll have to talk to each department on that. Every university has it's own rules, and usually every department has its own rules, too. There might be some that accept testing in place of classes. My kids, all recent college grads, haven't found depts to be too accomodating, tho'.

[marceta]

ohh...thats not good! well could you recommend a state that has a good public transport infastructure? I will really be needing it (although I hope to make friends that have cars lol)!

I know its a bit off topic (california), but these are my possible options, so which would be relatively cheap, but still offer some great culture and american sightseeing?

Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona All faculties (UG only)

California State University
23 campuses in California All faculties (UG only)

Central Washington University
Ellensburg, Washington State All faculties

New Jersey States Colleges
Several locations in New Jersey All faculties (UG only)
Northwestern University
(The Medill School of Journalism) Evanston, Illinois Business (PG only)

Oswego State University
Oswego, New York State All faculties (UG only)

Purdue University
Lafayette, Indiana All faculties (UG only)

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, New York State Business

San Jose State University
San Jose, California All faculties

University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama All faculties

University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida All faculties

University of South Carolina - Moore Busines School
Columbia, South Carolina Business (PG Only)

University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)

[NorthernCalifornia]

SF State sounds like a good deal. You can absolutely live in San Francisco without a car. LA, not so much.

If you can afford $500-700/month for rent you can do SF no problem.

[marceta]

yeah that rent wont be a problem, ill have like 7500AUD...and the exchange rate isn't that bad anymore. I think San Fran will be a good choice.