Consider this versus a UC

Introduction
Well, if you are an interested high school senior looking for a University that offers the thrill of having an education and being able to live in one of the most unique and diverse cities in the country, San Francisco State University is a great choice. If you live within California, you pay "fees" because tuition is paid by the state, expect to pay about $1,400. We are known as the cheapest 4-year university in the Cal State University System and definitely cheaper than Cal (UC Berkeley).

Our history is very rich, during the 60's we were home to the Third World Strike where students demanded Ethnic Studies and the university was shut-down for a whole year. Today, some of our very popular choices include nursing, business, and the television/broadcasting department. We also have the ONLY College of Ethnic Studies in the nation. If you want to learn about your heritage or the history of other cultures, consider taking Ethnic Studies as your option for General ED.

Campus Life and Social Life
SFSU is a "commuter" university. There are six public transit lines that pass by the university and goes everywhere within San Francisco, and San Mateo County. A short ride away is the BART (Rapid Subway Transit) station which can get you to places such as the East Bay (Oakland, Richmond, El Cerrito, etc.) and San Mateo County.

We do have on-campus housing for all levels of students (freshman to grad) and is a great option since the price of living in San Francisco is high. If you live on-campus, there is no worries of paying for food because your housing plan includes meals.

There are not many parties because we are a commuter university. Parties are prohibited by housing, but official sanctioned parties are scheduled by housing. The greek clubs as well as the ethnic clubs do offer get-togethers, events, parties, and performances throughout the year.

For sports, we do not have a football team, although we do have the field for it. We focus on baseball, basketball, and track.

During weekends, the campus is very peaceful. There are very few class sections happening during the weekend. Advertisement
Academics
SFSU is a great choice if you want to avoid those huge lecture halls that many universities are famous for. A high majority of your classes will be held in classrooms with a maximum of about 45+, but about 1/4 to 1/2 drop-out of the class and it become a more intimate class. The classes in highest demand for General Ed will sometimes be in lecture halls (examples: US Government/Constitution, and Human Sexuality).

In my experience, the professors do care about you. Within the College of Ethnic Studies, if they offer office hours, they are definitely there when you need them. This is the same for everyone else. If you need help, advice, or having trouble with homework or projects, your professors will be able to assist you.

I major in Asian American Studies, and the professors that I meet get to know me very well. In a way, I am part of the family and get to understand how things work inside while I also make a net of new friends that take the same courses as me.

As for professors, let me tell you, try Asian American Studies classes! A lot of the professors are great people. If you want to consider one of the most popular classes and highest ranked surveyed class, take AAS (Asian American Studies) 355.01 or 355.02 - "Psyche and Behavior of Pilipinos" by Professor Dan Begonia. Regardless if you are Pilipino or not, the lessons you learn from this professor will last a lifetime.

Student Body
Our student body consists of a lot of people that are local, which means that they live within the San Francisco Bay Area. A lot of our housing residents come from Southern California, and our university heaviliy promotes us down in So. Cal. because you get to be away from home, but you are just an hour flight away from coming home.

In Closing...
If don't have the SAT/ACT or GPA, or don't have a lot of money to afford SFSU, please consider a California Community College. The tuition for in-state students is $28/unit, SFSU charges $1,400 for 6.1 units and above. You can take the first two years of general ed at a community college and transfer as a Junior to a Cal State University or even a UC! Just pay attention to the list of courses you need to take to be able to transfer properly. REMEMBER: REGARDLESS IF YOU TAKE 4 YEARS AT SFSU OR 2 AT A CC AND 2 AT SFSU, THE BA OR BS DEGREE WILL STILL SAY SFSU. Same goes if you want to go to Cal.