California Colleges

[aliss...@gmail.com]

Hey guys, I'm new here at the group, so I don't know if this kind of post is appropriate. I'm a computer engineering student here at Brazil. I'm applying for and exchange program to study at USA and I'm here to ask you guys suggestions about colleges in California.

But why am I asking for this kind of information in a web developers group? As a computer engineering student, I have a strong interest at web development although I'm just starting to learn. As your group is based in San Diego, I thought why don't ask web developers in San Diego about great colleges?

I also did some academic research on embedded systems for robotics. Due to it's excellence in many computer science/engineering fields I chose California so that I can improve my skills either on hardware or software.

So, if anyone can help me, I'm considering three main points on choosing the colleges:

• Region: Life quality, good weather (warm), interesting places to visit (and grab a couple beers).
• College programs / community events: Such as hackathons, study groups, courses, conferences, good tech events, active developers community, etc.
• Public transport: As it will be my main way of transportation, I would prefer a city which I could go everywhere using public transport (bus, subway).

If you can recommend more than one college, I'll appreciate. I have to choose three for submitting my proposal.

Thanks in advance :) 

[aliss...@gmail.com]

Anyone?

[Rob Kaufman]

Hi,

  Public transport is one of the hardest things about California.  It basically means LA on the whole is right out the window.  San Fransisco is alright, and San Diego is possible (but not amazing).  Sacramento and the rest of the central part of the state are right out. So is anything north of SF.

 Its important to remember that California is HUGE. Different cities are not close together.  It takes 10-14 hours by car to drive from one end of the state to the other.

  I know you asked about individual colleges, and I can’t speak to the robotics departments at them. UCs are generally much larger than the Cal States, but all the California system schools are fairly good.

Best,

Rob

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On Mon, Nov 17, 2014 at 5:32 AM, aliss...@gmail.com <aliss...@gmail.com> wrote:

Anyone?

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[Ian Young]

First, the good news: as long as you don't go to Humboldt, just about any California college town should have nice warm weather. San Francisco gets a little cool and foggy, but in the grand scheme of things, it's not bad.

 

The bad news: as Rob pointed out, I think you might be disappointed by the public transportation options in many California cities. San Francisco is about the only large city where living car-less is a good option. In LA/San Diego/Sacramento, buses exist but they are not always convenient, and many areas are terrible for walking/cycling. Welcome to American car culture :(

 

However, many good UC schools exist in smaller towns that are much more livable - small enough that walking/biking are effective for everyday life, and with small but effective bus systems. UC Davis is lovely. UC Santa Barbara also seems quite nice, and I've heard good things about UC Santa Cruz.

 

San Francisco is probably the most interesting city (certainly the weirdest), but the school selection there is tougher. UCSF doesn't do undergraduate degrees, and Stanford and Berkeley are great schools but very difficult to get into. Maybe there are others there that I don't know about.

 

Also, check out Pomona. I'm not sure about transportation, but there are 5 colleges there so it should have lots of stuff going on, and Harvey Mudd in particular is a very good school for the sciences (though also difficult to get into).

[aliss...@gmail.com]

Rob and Ian, thanks for the response!

Ian, UC Davis an UC Santa Barbara are already on my list! 

I think UC Santa Cruz, Pomona College and Harvey Mudd doesn't accept undergraduates (or too few). What do you think about UC Irvine and USC (despite their "bad" location for public transport)?

Again, thanks! You guys don't know how much you're helping me :)

[Rob Kaufman]

Cal Poly Pomona (which is also in the Pomona area) is a great CS school. USC is a very high reputation school. Irvine is really good for theory, but in my experience can be light on practicals. 

Best,

Rob 

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[aliss...@gmail.com]

Hey Rob, sorry for the late response.

After searching on Universities that accept the exchange program from Brazil, I decided to apply for San Diego State University (primarily).

I have to choose 2 other Universities, and I have these options:

California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Northridge
California State University, Fullerton

Do you guys know any of them? Or which do these cities would I fit better?

Thank you!

[Rob Kaufman]

I know a few people enrolled at Fullerton, they seem to like it. Of the 3 Long Beach is the only one I’d think of as walkable / transportation accessible.

Rob

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[aliss...@gmail.com]

Rob and Ian, my choice is:

1. San Diego State University
   
2. California State University Long Beach
   
3. California State University Fullerton
   

Thank you guys so much for the help!  

I'm trying my best on the essays, so I can end up at San Diego State University. If I get approved (I'll know in February, and if i do, I'll be going to CA on Augst or September) I'll let you know, and maybe we could meet so that I can thank you guys in person :)

Best regards!

[Rob Kaufman]

Excellent! Good Luck =-)

Rob

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