SDSU - good education, nice weather
Written: Sep 28 '00 (Updated Sep 28 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Decent academic programs
Cons: Bureaucracy, Large student body, bit of a party school
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| imbrium's Full Review: San Diego State University |
San Diego State University (SDSU) is a huge campus with over 30,000 students. Bureaucracy can be a problem; if you go to SDSU, be prepared to be treated as a number for much of the time. Despite the bureaucracy, I have had wonderful experiences with many members of the staff and faculty, at least one of which went out of her way to fix a paperwork snafu.
San Diego has very nice weather, especially within five to ten minutes of the coast. SDSU is about 20 minutes from the coast and, during the summer, it gets quite hot (over 100 degrees Fahrenheit sometimes). For people who enjoy watersports (surfing, sailing, etc.) SDSU may be a perfect choice because of its proximity to the Pacific Ocean.
SDSU is in the part of San Diego called the "College area". Parts of the College area are fairly bad, but the areas directly surrounding SDSU is decent.
SDSU has a reputation as a party school, which is true, but the serious students don't have to party. There are plenty of non-binge-drinking entertainment options for people who choose not to participate in such activities.
There are several housing options. You can live on-campus in the SDSU dorms or in a privately-owned dorm. As far as living off-campus, rent in San Diego is very high. Two college roomates can expect to pay $300 to $400 each for a decent two bedroom apartment. One of the less expensive options for SDSU students may be La Mesa which is a few miles east of the campus and is mostly a fairly nice town (but it does get very hot). El Cajon, further to the east, is even less expensive but isn't as nice as La Mesa (and much hotter - as high as 110 degrees on some summer days).
Now, for some specifics. I went to SDSU for my second Bachelors in Biology (emphasis in zoology). I feel SDSU has a good undergraduate zoology major. It offers fascinating classes in topics such as animal behavior, ornithology, mammalogy, marine invertebrate zoology (I highly recommend all four classes). I learned a great deal in these classes and feel I got good value for my tuition money. I was less impressed with some of the chemistry and physics faculty (some were good, some not).
I also took some Russian classes for fun and was overall impressed with the Russian professors at state, they all seemed to be caring and competent. I have also taken classes in the Native American literature and the Conflict and Conflict Resolution department and was quite happy with both classes.
Overall, SDSU is a decent school with decent academic programs.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
imbrium
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Member: Deborah Flores
Location: San Diego, CA
Reviews written: 14
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
I love reading, languages and zoology. So many interests, so little time.
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