which college to pick? (CA)?
trying to figure my options out. im deciding between:
Humboldt State University
San Jose State
CSU Fresno
Mount St. Mary’s College
I really really love Humboldt because of the location (rural, surrounded by redwood forests). i love the community (there is some kind of fair going on every weekend whether it be apple harvesting or 4/20 celebrations). i also love that the student body is liberal and the town filled with hippies. BUT it does have the stoner reputation which im afraid will make future employers iffy about hiring me.
SJSU is my parents ideal choice for me because its only 50 minutes away and i could visit every weekend. BUT its REALLLY boring and san jose is not the best college town.
CSU Fresno is the largest one (over 25,000) and its a typical campus with football obsessed people. BUT i HATE Fresno because its boring with farms and climate that will give me a heat stroke.
MSMC is PRIVATE but its mostly ALL GIRLS except for people in the nursing major (mine). and its CHRISTIAN which will really piss me off because im a practicing Jew and my grandma said she would kill me if i went to a christian school. but its in LA which is a great city with a lot to do.
please give me your two cents. thanks 🙂
i would but i was stupid enough to slack off in freshman and sophomore year so i dont have better options. :/
4 Responses
jerry758
21 Feb 2010
David
21 Feb 2010
you should aim higher than these average schools
Outrageous1
21 Feb 2010
We can’t help you pick a school. It’s about what is the best fit for you. However it would be easier to transfer to a better school from CSU Fresno. I would not go to MSMC. That would be the last choice.
marys.momma
21 Feb 2010
Some California friends of mine are deep into the college application process. They’ve made extensive use of a couple of thick books available at bookstores or through Amazon.com that describe colleges in detail, including rankings, strong programs, lifestyle, costs, etc. If you’ve already decided on a nursing major, you can research all the colleges that offer it.
Guidance departments are pretty well swamped with duties related to college and scholarship applications, so you and your folks will have to do almost all the research yourselves. It’s a very time-consuming process. My friend says, "It’s no wonder so many kids throw up their hands and just enroll at the nearest community college. They have no idea how to go about selecting the best colleges to apply to."
One thing you could do is visit your local hospitals and talk to the directors of nursing. They would probably have some serious ideas about nursing programs in California.
Lifestyle factors are fairly important, but I think the quality of the dorms and the school food are more relevant than the character of the town, the climate, or other off-campus elements. You’ll be spending the majority of your time with course work, studying, and campus activities. You’ll probably be too busy with assignments and deadlines to go home every weekend. Once in a while you may be able to take a weekend trip just to get away, but recreational opportunities are lower-priority when choosing a college.
Of the 4, I would go to Humboldt State University, for all the reasons you suggest. Don’t worry about the pot scene—enough excellent students have come out of there that employers will form their own opinions about you. Worst case–they will ask for a urinalysis, so avoid the poppy seed bagels before interviews.