This was the closest state school to me which made it appealing because I could save money and also attend a decent school. They had the major I wanted which made sense to me. I also liked the idea of a big school but a small program. The school has 40,000 people but my program I see the same faces in most classes.
Course Curriculum
I really like what I’ve been learning so far. I think my high school was harder, but I’m learning things that are at least interesting to me and I think that means something. I’m not struggling but I’m learning and I think that’s how a school should be.
Exams
My SAT score was 1220 because I only took it once and didn’t want to take it again. I didn’t take any other tests. It was required that you take either the SAT or ACT for admission but I don’t think there was a minimum score you had to get. Like many state schools, if you live close you can have a generally lower test score than if you’re coming from out of the area.
Internship
They do have opportunities but it’s hard to find out about them. I’ve never had one so I’m not sure how to go about it. Some of my friends work in student leadership which isn’t hard to get involved with, but you can only work limited hours (I believe ten a week) and it seems to be a LOT of work.
Fees
I believe it costs around $7k a year to attend full time. I did not get any loans or scholarships to cover this. I am not international so I’m not sure, but my guess is the resources are limited due to this being a state school. Financial aid is first allocated to California residents and then whatever is left can go to others.
Examination Structure
I honestly don’t have a million exams here. A lot of our finals are online or essays instead of tests which I love. The tests are typically multiple-choice too which is fantastic.
Faculty
Some of the faculty seems odd, especially when they have non-native English speakers who’s can’t write overly well-teaching journalism classes. But honestly, nothing slowed me down when it comes to faculty.
Hostel
I live at home to save money. I also typically bring food to school. On-campus living is VERY pricy and off campus is a little less but still too much for living in the suburbs. I would like to move closer to campus but am dreading paying for it.
