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Is it really as bad as it sounds? Is it impossible to get out in 4 years/Will I ever get any of the classes I need? Is the place really ghetto and without an fun/college student areas nearby?
{No, havent applied yet--but I may in the very near future}.

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Saturday, February 28, 2004 - 05:19 pm: Edit

You can get out in four years if you are very assertive about crashing classes. That's the main problem at SDSU - it's hard to get into required classes, especially in impacted majors like Business and communications. However, I have heard that students accepted into the honors program have an easier path in terms of getting into classes.

SDSU is NOT in the ghetto. It's surrounded by a lower middle class neighborhood but not a really terrible area at all. The new trolley station right on campus will make it easy to get to lots of fun places in San Diego.
Make sure you visit to see if SDSU is right for you - as I said, you can get a very good education there but you need to be very assertive about it. It's not a school for people who expect a lot of hand-holding or personal attention. But then, I don't think that most cal states offer that.

By Matt10318 (Matt10318) on Sunday, February 29, 2004 - 11:20 am: Edit

WHat do you mean by crashing classes? You mean showing up and taking tests? How would the University have it on file that you took the classes if you arent officially in them to begin with?
How would one go about getting the classes they need WITHOUT crashing? Any guidance members to talk to? Any counselors? What are the specifics about Journalism as a major? What classes could I take in HS to eliviate the course load in college? What does impacted mean? Do ANY Jouranlism students get out in 4 years as well? Is the program "hands on" that you know of?
Also--I hear they are going to begin downsizing each entering class. WHEN will this begin and will it have an effect on the number of open classes {I MAY be applying/entering for the freshmen class for the fall of 2005}.

By Uschicka (Uschicka) on Wednesday, March 03, 2004 - 04:51 pm: Edit

Crashing classes means that you show up the first few days of class even though you are not registered for that class. If people drop the class you can add it.

There are of course counselors to talk to. If you are accepted into the honors program (which I was, although I didn't end up going there) you get priority registration. Also, a lot of the reason people have problems graduating in 4 years is because everyone tries to take their classes at the perfect times (afternoons, no early mornings, no fridays, etc). I was told that if you are flexible about class times, you will have a much easier time registering.

By Matt10318 (Matt10318) on Friday, March 05, 2004 - 02:48 pm: Edit

Hmmmm
So i CAN gradute if I do what I am doing in HS now....Taking classes at 7:30am and not bitching about it?
if I take AP's {US History for example} and a fourth level of Spanish, do I NOT have to take them in college? I heard that at SDSU you did NOT have to take a langugae at all if you have completed Spanish Level 4...so if i get a 3 on APUSH, will I not have to take it there?
whats the campus like? nice? {whats the trolleye system they are building}?

By Mexor (Mexor) on Tuesday, March 09, 2004 - 04:31 pm: Edit

i got in here today (they emailed me) ..im from MA, so i didnt think i would, but thats good! i don't think im going to go here though ..more looking at u redlands / chapman

By Sunnycagrl15 (Sunnycagrl15) on Tuesday, March 09, 2004 - 11:34 pm: Edit

i got in too :-d and so did my best friend, yay

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Wednesday, March 10, 2004 - 12:02 am: Edit

I'm thinking about going there, i'm going to check it out more in late March, when i go down to San Diego....hopefully Carolyn can give me advice on places to check out, while i'm in San Diego. I got accepted to the Business program and would like to graduate in 4 years, i figure i'll take some courses over the summer perhaps? because don't you have to pay rent all year around, so it makes sense just to stay down there.

By Matt10318 (Matt10318) on Wednesday, March 10, 2004 - 07:46 pm: Edit

Yes---would talking classes during the summer enable you to graduate in four years at all? would you have to pay to take them?
i mean, is it POSSIBLE to do so in four school years or would i basically be a shoe in for 4 year grad. if i took summer courses too?

By Matt10318 (Matt10318) on Sunday, March 14, 2004 - 10:35 am: Edit

please--bump/answer my question.

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Monday, March 15, 2004 - 03:07 pm: Edit

You could probably finish in 4 years w/ summer courses.

By Pimpmike (Pimpmike) on Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - 07:25 pm: Edit

The only reason ppl don't graduate SDSU in 4 years is because they are alcoholics and fail a few classes.

By Kluge (Kluge) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 05:57 pm: Edit

The 4 year graduation rate at SDSU is 9%. Ouch. And the 6 yr. rate is 44%. I'd say a combination of hard-to-get-into classes and lots of distractions. Still - 9% is a lot of people who did accomplish the goal. So it can be done.

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 08:42 pm: Edit

Kattie -
I read what you wrote in the other SDSU thread, very good points. Anyways, I just visited the campus and found that the newest dorms Ciucacalli suites are by the far the best. I've heard they auctually have good dorm food and make most of the food on the spot, as opposed to slopping some funky stuff on your plate. By the way, most of the dorms had pools, which is always a plus. They have a few huge parking garages on the eastside of campus, located right next to the dorms. There are two large bridges from the dorms/garages over the busy street that lead you onto campus. The campus had a very nice mediterranean feel to it. At times I felt like I was in a spanish villa. The campus was much newer and nicer than I expected it to be, it seemed like every other building was relatively new. They built a new recreation center, which is extremely nice and they have an outdoor concert center which seemed pretty cool. The movie, "bring it on" was filmed on the SDSU campus. Not too mention the weather at SDSU was better than directly on the coast, because it was 73 degrees and sunny in the mission valley, but 10 minutes away on the coast it was foggy and not nearly as nice, which i'm guessing you'll find most of the time.

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Friday, April 09, 2004 - 02:00 am: Edit

Anyone else choose SDSU for FALL 2004?

By Matt2005 (Matt2005) on Saturday, April 10, 2004 - 11:33 am: Edit

what is SDSU's name like? could I get into any grad schools with it?

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Saturday, April 10, 2004 - 04:07 pm: Edit

From what I've been told it's really reputable in the San Diego area, and it's reputation is growing everywhere else.

You can get in a good grad school with an SDSU degree..grad schools look at other things besides the name of your school, for example medical schools look at this:

*
College GPA

*
Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT)

*
Personal Statement/and or personal statement

*
Letters of Recommendation

*
Motivation

With all of these factors in the mix, it doesn't seem *where* you got your undergraduate education matters. Even though SDSU is becoming much more reputable.

By Kluge (Kluge) on Monday, April 26, 2004 - 02:28 pm: Edit

About the "can you graduate in 4 years" part; I found out that the reported graduation rates are based on the freshman class which enrolled in 1997. Apparently, SDSU adopted a competitive admissions policy in 1997, and since then the average SDSU freshman's "stats" have gone from 3.18 gpa/983 SAT in 1998 to 3.52 gpa/1071 SAT average in 2003. For 2004 the average admitted student is 3.69/1129. (For an idea of how big that jump is, the 1997 freshman SAT average was at the 40th percentile; the 1993 freshman average is around the 60th.)
SDSU's graduation rates through the incoming 1999 freshman class show a significant upward trend. From 1996 to 1999 (incoming classes) the 4 year graduation rate went from 6.8% to 12+%. The 5 and 6 year graduation rates showed similar substantial increases.
All of which is a long-winded way of saying that you maybe shouldn't judge the SDSU you'll see in the next few years by the stories you've heard about the school from the past. The school seems to be in the middle of some pretty significant changes.

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Monday, April 26, 2004 - 07:43 pm: Edit

That's what i've been talking about right there. It's reputation is going nowhere but up. It's in the beginning of taking off. I've heard it referred to as the next Cal Poly.

By Copper45 (Copper45) on Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - 12:05 am: Edit

IM my friend if you are going: Izzie63. She is going and is from Fairfield, CT and knows no one else going.

By Kateincali86 (Kateincali86) on Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - 11:56 am: Edit

I registered, but I'm not sure where I want to be living next year... does anyone know about the different dorms, including the "LLC"? My school counselor said the "LLC" is mostly for people with learning disabilities. Is that true?

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - 01:27 pm: Edit

this was for 2003...by the way...they haven't released the 2004 information yet. For 2004 the average admitted student is 3.69/1129

For fall 2003, the average eligibility index of first-time freshmen outside of SDSU’s service area was 4,076 (984 if based on ACT). The average high school grade point average was 3.69. The average SAT I total score was 1,123; the average ACT composite score was 24. The freshmen eligibility index for fall 2004 may be higher.

It will be interesting to see the 2004 stats, since they had 15,000 more applicants.


Yeah Kate, I don't know about the LLC either..seems a bit odd. I think Chappy, Zura and Tenochca are the dorms to pick.

By Kluge (Kluge) on Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 02:00 pm: Edit

Kate - I never heard that. I think your counselor has confused the LLC with something else. SDSU has a "Freshman Success Program" which includes an "Integrated Curriculum" option which puts a group of freshmen together taking the same classes - so you'd have a group of 20 - 30 students all taking a package of the same classes their first year (not all your classes - just 2 or 3 of them.) They have different packages designed for students with different majors, or undeclareds. I think it's designed to create an opportunity for students to get to know a reasonably sized group of other students and form study groups for the classes they have in common, which could be really helpful on a campus with 4,000 freshmen. The LLC is basically just the same thing but taken a step farther, with the students taking an integrated package also living in the same dorm. Most of the LLC packages require a minimum SAT score of 550 on the verbal exam - some require AP English with a score of 3 or better as a prerequisite.

By Calichickangel (Calichickangel) on Thursday, April 29, 2004 - 01:38 am: Edit

Hi my name is Henriette, and I will be attending SDSU in the Fall if anybody currently going there or planning to go there would like to chat im me on aim (CaliChickAngel)

By Kateincali86 (Kateincali86) on Friday, April 30, 2004 - 11:17 pm: Edit

Doesn't anybody know about the the other dorms (not LLC)? I have heard that Cuicalli is not good for freshman because its hard to meet people, but that's about it.

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 03:42 pm: Edit

Anyone going to the student orientation in Northern California?

By Lilmsruby (Lilmsruby) on Friday, May 07, 2004 - 02:38 pm: Edit

Hi Calichickangel I'm going to SDSU in the fall!! wooh-hoo for us!! .. What student orientation date is everyone choosing?

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Saturday, May 22, 2004 - 06:02 pm: Edit

i'll be there july 26th...San Diego, California.

By Foreigngirl (Foreigngirl) on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 07:04 am: Edit

hey......what kind of stats do u need to get into SDSU? I am an international student and would like to apply this fall!

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 05:00 pm: Edit

The average GPA for this years incoming class is projected to be around a 3.7-3.8. The SAT 1 will probably be in the mid 1100's for the average. We'll have to wait and see for sure though.

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Friday, May 28, 2004 - 12:08 am: Edit

my friend just got a revoked, because they raised the eligibility index from what they originally intended to have it. She had like a 3.4 and a 1080, so I think they revoked many people. That sucks they got accepted (and enrolled) and they're now taking away the admittance.

By Foreigngirl (Foreigngirl) on Friday, May 28, 2004 - 12:32 pm: Edit

oh my gosh that is awful! I didnt even know universities were allowed to do so! Scary thing!

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Wednesday, June 02, 2004 - 04:47 pm: Edit

Another friend got a letter yesterday...he had a 3.0 and a 1380 on his SAT. I feel really bad for him.

By Foreigngirl (Foreigngirl) on Thursday, June 03, 2004 - 06:21 am: Edit

so what kind of stats do you need or what kind of EC'S in order to be "safely" admitted and not be scared to be revoked after already being admitted?

By Kluge (Kluge) on Thursday, June 03, 2004 - 12:33 pm: Edit

Saved - Are you sure their current year grades didn't slip from their previous gpa? Admissions are usually conditioned on continuing to maintain the grades that got you there - I'd expect that San Diego would have the same rule. I find it hard to believe that a college would just say "Sorry, we changed our mind."

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Thursday, June 03, 2004 - 06:41 pm: Edit

Yeah my friend got a 2.8 first semester (he was in a bunch of tough AP classes). So his GPA dropped from that 3.0 and he didn't make the new elevated eligibility index.

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Thursday, June 03, 2004 - 06:42 pm: Edit

Foriegn-
I really don't know, it just seems like they randomly picked people this year, I know peopel with really high stats who were rejected and people with lower stats who got in.

By Kluge (Kluge) on Friday, June 04, 2004 - 12:13 pm: Edit

Saved - it sounds like your friends were right on the border in terms of admission, and their senior grades dropped them below the line. The numbers you put up make for a CSU index of about 3800, and SDSU's average for admitted students this year was close to 4100. I don't have any inside information, but I'd guess that the index cutoff was around 3800 and they just dropped below that with their first semester grades. I wonder if second semester grades will cause more people to get cut? It's a tough break.
Still, 1380 SAT and rejected from San Diego State? I wouldn't have seen that coming...

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Friday, June 04, 2004 - 05:37 pm: Edit

I'd say you're probably on the money. My school is really competitive and our grades are "tough" to earn. His 3.0 at Acalanes, could've easily have been a 3.7 anywhere else. It's a shame I go to such a competitive school, because grades are heavily weighted at SDSU. .05 in a GPA could make all the difference, between staying in and revocation. Basically I need a 3.2 my second semester senior year or i'm most likely going to get revoked too. Atleast I'll be in the same boat as that guy, and he's one of the most intelligent guys I know.

By Kluge (Kluge) on Friday, June 04, 2004 - 09:30 pm: Edit

Man, that's harsh though. I've heard about Acalanes - one of the top (and toughest) public high schools in the state. Gotta watch out for that senioritis.

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Monday, June 07, 2004 - 09:41 pm: Edit

I'm really hoping SDSU doesn't cut more people for the second semester. I'm looking to be fine, as long as I don't screw up my math final. I improved my GPA from a 2.4 to a 3.2 in two weeks, so I'm happy. If only I applied myself academically like I had the last two weeks or so the entire semester, than I wouldn't have much of a problem. My advice for anyone reading this who intends on going to SDSU next year, make sure you work relatively hard senior year, it's not a free ride.

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 - 06:11 pm: Edit

i'm loving it here. every minute of it. I joined the finance and investment society and today I get to meet steve ross, he was the head manager at Nicholas Applegate, controlled about 10 billion dollars, he's an SDSU graduate ;). I'm quite excited.