San Diego State University — Attraction in San Diego

Being the youngest of 13 kids and having my own 2 kids in college, I have been exposed to many colleges throughout the US. This university is absolutely the worst institution in my experience, in terms of its administrative services. I'm not sure if it has to do with SDSU being a state university that the employees/staff there behave like typical public employees, that they pretty much don't care. Student Account Services has been the most frustrating for me, especially when my child is an out-of-state student. Should any issue arise, I can't just go there to speak to anyone face to face. First Semester-Freshmen year: My son told me that his meal plan was suspended because his fees were not paid. According to my bank, the check was sent to the address listed on the website but the payment never got to where it's supposed to go. When I called or when my son stopped by Student Account Services multiple times to check the status of the payment, we were told that the payment could have ended up in one of the offices and that it would be difficult to track the payment. Not once did the university send me or my son a notification via email. While the staff there dragged their feet, my son couldn't eat. The manager of Student Accounts Services was apathetic to say the least. It took a few days to straighten this out while my son was locked out of his meal plan.

Since that disastrous start, I paid via eCheck. Things seemed to be ok until one time my son entered the wrong routing number on the payment. Without any notifications via email, the Portal immediately locked us out of the eCheck option. The only ways to pay was via a wire transfer or credit card. There is no second chance to correct our own error.

Out of State Tuition: The university bills for all sorts of charges, except for out of state tuition. Why is that? Why does the system have to be so bureaucratic?!

We received broadcast messages from the university president, sounding all positive, supportive etc. and that he and his staff care about the students and their experiences at the university. But I'm not buying that. I had contacted him and his staff about my frustrations with Student Account Services but I never heard back from anyone, not even an acknowledge that they had received my email. I didn't expect any of the operations to be changed overnight but it would have been nice if someone at the administrative office acknowledged my email which was sent to at least 5 recipients.

Class registration: computer system is not up-to-date with all prerequisites. For example, if Chem 101 and 102 are prerequisites for Chem 105, the computer system would only accept 101 as the prerequisite. Any students who took chem 102 in this scenario would not get his/her class.

So no...I am not impressed with the administration at all. My son is finishing his junior year. I am looking forward to him graduating from this university so I can finally be rid of these frustrations. There are quite a few other institutions in the San Diego area such as UCSD, USD that are much better than SDSU. I would not recommend this school to...

I went to SDSU over 15 years ago. Although I could have attended a tier 1 school, I decided to enroll at SDSU for various reasons. Having just gotten out of the military with a wife and kid in tow and working at a high tech company, I needed a degree quickly: graduated more or less in 3 years with an Engineering Degree.

I didn't party at all or very little and just studied; I really don't understand how you could party and take calculus, physics, and electrical engineering classes but I guess there are students that were much smarter.

So, really the question is how did my degree stack up in real life? As soon as I graduated from SDSU, I went from being a technician to a full-fledge Engineer: bypassed having to work as a Jr Engineer. I became a Senior Engineer about 2 years later.

I really dont care what college you go to as long as you are able to apply it to your present situation or career. This I believe is getting a great education: being able to apply what you learn in college to not only your job but how you relate to other people: found out having social skills is a great asset with a good foundation in the Sciences. I met great professors, friends, and was challenged academically by SDSU. It was exactly what I wanted in SDSU: no more no less.

If you're tackling a very difficult major, beware, partying may not be the best road to travel at SDSU. I have seen countless times grades being posted with the last 4 numbers of your social security grades south of D. If you can't make the grade as the saying goes, they will drop kick you and have no problems replacing you with someone else.

SDSU is located in a great city with spectacular views of the ocean. LA is about 2.5 to 3.5 hours away; TJ, Mexico is about 30 minutes away; Las Vegas is about 6 hours. Although I've never done it, you can ski at Big Bear.

There are also many people at San Diego with degrees from SDSU. With an Engineering degree, I have had no problems finding a job at San Diego. I've also worked at many companies in different parts of the country and had no problem relating to and working with colleagues with fancier degrees on a project. We studied the same concepts in...

San Diego State University is the definition of smart value. You're getting a top-tier education in one of the most vibrant cities in the U.S., surrounded by innovation, research opportunities, and real-world industry connections — all without drowning in debt. SDSU blends academic quality, coastal lifestyle, and career outcomes into an experience that actually prepares you for life after graduation.

The professors are accessible. The programs are forward-thinking. The campus is buzzing with energy. Whether you're studying business, engineering, media, or public health, SDSU gives you real opportunities — not just big promises and bureaucracy.

Now, let’s rip the mask off UC Davis.

For all its smug rankings and outdated prestige, the reality is ugly: the **10-year median return on investment for UC Davis is only $58,000. That’s barely above water for what students and families are forced to pay. So much for all the hype.

And let’s not forget the culture — conformist, political, and suffocating. Think differently? You'll be labeled. Want to speak up? Expect to be written up. UC Davis is a place where being too smart or too original is dangerous.

Bright minds are sidelined. Innovation is stifled. The campus rewards quiet obedience and bland mediocrity. It's not a community — it’s a machine that spits out worn-down graduates with debt and disappointment.

UC Davis markets itself as elite. But the numbers don’t lie, and neither do the students quietly transferring out. Low ROI, low support, high stress.

San Diego State wins because it empowers students, not boxes them in. It offers freedom, affordability, and real career value — everything UC Davis pretends to...