6 answers
Shadi
Student
3
Questions
Asked
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Which university should I go to? NC state at Raleigh or Cal State, Long Beach?
I'm a international student from Iran and I have been accepted to both NCSU and CSULB and I can't decide which one I should attend :) Cal state is ranked 105 while NC state is 60 among Value schools. Cal state is a lot cheaper though and they offer scholarship for international students after their first semester but NC state doesn't offer many scholarships for international students and I didn't get scholarship anyway :) They both have a good On-Campus employment and also, I know I can be around a well Iranian community in Long Beach. I love Cal state's campus a lot better but NC state offers a very good program in engineering, which is the field I want to study. I'm planning to do double major in engineering and industrial design if I go to CSULB, engineering and politics if I go to NC state.
Do you think it worth to sacrifice the prestige and ranking stuff of NC state to go to Long Beach? I feel like my heart is mostly towards Long Beach due to the nice environment and the decent cost; but my mind is more towards NC state as its ranking is better (It's a lot more expensive though).
Oh and the last thing, I'm thinking of doing an exchange semester or year in Europe!
I will appreciate your honest thoughts and possible experiences :)
Thank you for your time to read! :)
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6 answers
Michelle M.
Entertainment Industry
1921
Answers
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Shadi !
Congratulations on your acceptance to North Carolina State University and California State University, Long Beach ! Yey ! I would like to give you advice as you plan to choose between the two colleges. I will start by saying that employers do not sit there with resumes and decide who to hire based on what ranking their school had. They're not looking up rankings. I will give you some things to think about and they are opinion based on life observation but you will have to choose one of the schools for yourself. Ranking of the name of the school has very little to do with the outcome of your college experience.
Since I went to a California State University school, I am very much in favor of CSULB. I know that years ago they had a stellar reputation as being one of the best CSUs. I never really hear anything about North Carolina State ever. That's not to say that it isn't a great school, but Long Beach has been an ongoing mentioned school to me. I actually would base it on all the good things you've described here about CSULB. You will find that the weather in Long Beach is excellent, too, with no humidity that may be in N.C. You'll have to decide where you'd want to live. I definitely "think it's worth" going to CSULB and it would not be a sacrifice. Rankings of colleges should not matter, especially when CSULB already has excellent word of mouth reputation and is less expensive for you.
Something that you may want to do is call both colleges. Ask them if they have a waiting list for their Engineering department to be a major. This may be a deciding factor, too. You've got accepted to the college, but how are their engineering departments, full ? Waiting list ? Available ? You can call and find this out.
Just as an aside, reconsider double majoring. You need to focus on your engineering courses which will take up a huge portion of your time. You can minor in design, but realize a double major is just rushing things and putting way too much work upon yourself. I really feel that double majoring takes the ease and focus out of a single major study. You can always minor in something or go on for a Masters Degree.
You have apparently researched both colleges and have come up with some convincing information about California State University, Long Beach. The lower tuition, good student and career services, availability of international student scholarships, gorgeous campus are very important factors. I can say that, and this is my opinion based on experience and basic information, that the people in California were always very accepting and harmonious toward people of various cultures, so you're right about that, too.
All this discussion may be helpful in your decision, but it will be you who makes that final choice. My biggest advice is to not double major and to know and be assured that ranking of the school you attend is usually not a "thing" that would prevent you from having a wonderful career in the end. It's what you put into your college experience and projects and you will undoubtedly have great opportunities.
I wish you all the best in your final decision !
Congratulations on your acceptance to North Carolina State University and California State University, Long Beach ! Yey ! I would like to give you advice as you plan to choose between the two colleges. I will start by saying that employers do not sit there with resumes and decide who to hire based on what ranking their school had. They're not looking up rankings. I will give you some things to think about and they are opinion based on life observation but you will have to choose one of the schools for yourself. Ranking of the name of the school has very little to do with the outcome of your college experience.
Since I went to a California State University school, I am very much in favor of CSULB. I know that years ago they had a stellar reputation as being one of the best CSUs. I never really hear anything about North Carolina State ever. That's not to say that it isn't a great school, but Long Beach has been an ongoing mentioned school to me. I actually would base it on all the good things you've described here about CSULB. You will find that the weather in Long Beach is excellent, too, with no humidity that may be in N.C. You'll have to decide where you'd want to live. I definitely "think it's worth" going to CSULB and it would not be a sacrifice. Rankings of colleges should not matter, especially when CSULB already has excellent word of mouth reputation and is less expensive for you.
Something that you may want to do is call both colleges. Ask them if they have a waiting list for their Engineering department to be a major. This may be a deciding factor, too. You've got accepted to the college, but how are their engineering departments, full ? Waiting list ? Available ? You can call and find this out.
Just as an aside, reconsider double majoring. You need to focus on your engineering courses which will take up a huge portion of your time. You can minor in design, but realize a double major is just rushing things and putting way too much work upon yourself. I really feel that double majoring takes the ease and focus out of a single major study. You can always minor in something or go on for a Masters Degree.
You have apparently researched both colleges and have come up with some convincing information about California State University, Long Beach. The lower tuition, good student and career services, availability of international student scholarships, gorgeous campus are very important factors. I can say that, and this is my opinion based on experience and basic information, that the people in California were always very accepting and harmonious toward people of various cultures, so you're right about that, too.
All this discussion may be helpful in your decision, but it will be you who makes that final choice. My biggest advice is to not double major and to know and be assured that ranking of the school you attend is usually not a "thing" that would prevent you from having a wonderful career in the end. It's what you put into your college experience and projects and you will undoubtedly have great opportunities.
I wish you all the best in your final decision !
Dear Michelle, Thank you so much for your time! Knowing that ranking shouldn't be a factor was a relief! Thank you!
Shadi
You are so very welcome, Shadi !
Michelle M.
Dear Michelle, I was wondering why you think double major is a mistake.
Shadi
It is not a mistake for some people who were able to succeed with it, but I wouldn't advise it due to the amount of courses you'd have to take to do a double major. College classes are not just sitting in a classroom taking notes and taking tests. There's a great deal of reading, writing term papers and doing practicums and lab work. If you think you could work it out and can budget enough time, go for it, but the mistake would be if you're overwhelmed and not able to do your best in your courses because of so little time to focus on many classes at once. But go for it if you want, I just wanted to give my point of view. Have a great day !
Michelle M.
Anjana Mishra
Solutions Specialist
1
Answer
Sunnyvale, California
Updated
Anjana’s Answer
Hi Shadi,
Congratulations for receiving such wonderful admission responses. Being an international student in the past, I can definitely understand your dilemma. One thing that that helped me, was analyzing the return on investment, not just expenses for tuition/cost of living but more on the network that you would build during your time at the university which would ultimately help you obtain an internship or a full-time job opportunity. The network could be your cohort/ faculty members/ current grad students.
I also factored in the geographical location of the university. It is better to choose a university with a location closer to major city/job hub which increases your chances of getting internship opportunities and a full-time job soon after graduation that will eventually aid in your financial independence early on.
Hope I was able to help and best wishes for you!
Congratulations for receiving such wonderful admission responses. Being an international student in the past, I can definitely understand your dilemma. One thing that that helped me, was analyzing the return on investment, not just expenses for tuition/cost of living but more on the network that you would build during your time at the university which would ultimately help you obtain an internship or a full-time job opportunity. The network could be your cohort/ faculty members/ current grad students.
I also factored in the geographical location of the university. It is better to choose a university with a location closer to major city/job hub which increases your chances of getting internship opportunities and a full-time job soon after graduation that will eventually aid in your financial independence early on.
Hope I was able to help and best wishes for you!
Austin Holland
sales management
2
Answers
Tampa, Florida
Updated
Austin’s Answer
Congratulations! While rankings are crucial, it's also beneficial to investigate the local communities of the universities to determine which might give you a more homely feeling. Is there a sizable Iranian community in either location that could help you feel more at home if you start missing your homeland? It would be worthwhile to examine the alumni networks and see if one university has more robust internship opportunities or is renowned for its supportive environment. Have you had the chance to visit either of these places, or do you know anyone studying there who could provide advice or insights?
Afshin Shirazian
Sales Consulting
1
Answer
Irvine, California
Updated
Afshin’s Answer
Shadi jan,
Congratulations on having multiple options! This is a good position to be in regardless of the difficulty in making the decision. By now you may have already made a decision as this was posted a couple months ago. I was also in a similar position for my schools where I had to decide between an in-state option, closer to home vs and out-of-state option, further from home. In your case I would recommend making the best choice based on where you are leaning towards after all the considerations. No matter what decision you make you will be able to create a life that you desire. I would also suggest that sometimes not choosing the 'comfortable choice' can help us grow as individuals with new challenges, experiences. By going to California you may grow your network and find local opportunities easier after college. By going to NC State you may build a strong network in your chosen degree path and have the reputation of the school supporting you. You can always try to transition to California later on. There are unique aspects of life in America both on the west coast and eastern states such as North Carolina. You really cannot make a wrong choice here. Which schools have the stronger exchange program with more destination options in Europe? Take care and best wishes.
Congratulations on having multiple options! This is a good position to be in regardless of the difficulty in making the decision. By now you may have already made a decision as this was posted a couple months ago. I was also in a similar position for my schools where I had to decide between an in-state option, closer to home vs and out-of-state option, further from home. In your case I would recommend making the best choice based on where you are leaning towards after all the considerations. No matter what decision you make you will be able to create a life that you desire. I would also suggest that sometimes not choosing the 'comfortable choice' can help us grow as individuals with new challenges, experiences. By going to California you may grow your network and find local opportunities easier after college. By going to NC State you may build a strong network in your chosen degree path and have the reputation of the school supporting you. You can always try to transition to California later on. There are unique aspects of life in America both on the west coast and eastern states such as North Carolina. You really cannot make a wrong choice here. Which schools have the stronger exchange program with more destination options in Europe? Take care and best wishes.
Karin P.
Lecturer
375
Answers
Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Updated
Karin’s Answer
Hi Shadi,
Congratulations on your wins! How exciting!
CSULB and NCSU are two very different schools. Rankings can be based on all kinds of criteria. Some are mostly based on research income and paper output. Some are based on affordability (bang for the buck). Some are based on reputation among peers. There are also different categories such as institutions that offer doctoral degrees and those that don't. Young universities vs established universities, and so on. Make sure you look at rankings that matter to you.
I do think that rankings are important. NCSU is a name brand in engineering, while I didn't even know that CSULB has an engineering department. I could name a few people doing great work at NCSU off the top of my head. Don't underestimate what your pedigree can do for you. It's not the only (or even most important) thing that matters, but it can give you an edge. Just how important the ranking of a school is, depends where you are headed. In the world of science and research, rankings are important. In industry, they would value practical experience much higher. In fact, they might prefer degrees from a lower-ranked school because students might be less theoretically and more practically trained.
Ok, let's look at both schools. CSULB doesn't grant doctoral degrees, NCSU does. That might not seem important right now, and of course it's perfectly fine to get your PhD at a different school (or not getting a PhD at all). But not having graduate students also means, there will be fewer big research programs, less equipment to train on, fewer facilities and fewer opportunities to get involved in untergraduate research. On the other hand, you are close to top tier universities like UC Berkeley or UC Santa Barbara and a number of National Labs (Berkeley, Sandia, Lawrence Livermore) where you could do summer internships. CSULB might even have established research collaborations. You are also close to lots of high-tech industry, again opportunities for internships and projects. If you develop a network of contacts, you can smooth your path to industry.
Another factor: CSULB has about 7 different engineering programs, NCSU has about 15. In your early years, when you are still figuring out what flavor of engineer you want to be, more options are probably better.
Of course, you should also like your campus and be happy. An established community from your country might be important to feel "at home". But NC is also lovely, You'd also be close to the beach and the Atlantic is warmer than the Pacific.
Money (tuition and scholarships) is of course another consideration. Only you know what is possible and what you are comfortable with.
So, my vote would be for NCSU on the basis of academics (one of the few times I disagree with Michelle). But it's of course your decision, considering your priorities.
I hope this helps and doesn't confuse you further! Enjoy your journey to become an awesome engineer!
KP
Congratulations on your wins! How exciting!
CSULB and NCSU are two very different schools. Rankings can be based on all kinds of criteria. Some are mostly based on research income and paper output. Some are based on affordability (bang for the buck). Some are based on reputation among peers. There are also different categories such as institutions that offer doctoral degrees and those that don't. Young universities vs established universities, and so on. Make sure you look at rankings that matter to you.
I do think that rankings are important. NCSU is a name brand in engineering, while I didn't even know that CSULB has an engineering department. I could name a few people doing great work at NCSU off the top of my head. Don't underestimate what your pedigree can do for you. It's not the only (or even most important) thing that matters, but it can give you an edge. Just how important the ranking of a school is, depends where you are headed. In the world of science and research, rankings are important. In industry, they would value practical experience much higher. In fact, they might prefer degrees from a lower-ranked school because students might be less theoretically and more practically trained.
Ok, let's look at both schools. CSULB doesn't grant doctoral degrees, NCSU does. That might not seem important right now, and of course it's perfectly fine to get your PhD at a different school (or not getting a PhD at all). But not having graduate students also means, there will be fewer big research programs, less equipment to train on, fewer facilities and fewer opportunities to get involved in untergraduate research. On the other hand, you are close to top tier universities like UC Berkeley or UC Santa Barbara and a number of National Labs (Berkeley, Sandia, Lawrence Livermore) where you could do summer internships. CSULB might even have established research collaborations. You are also close to lots of high-tech industry, again opportunities for internships and projects. If you develop a network of contacts, you can smooth your path to industry.
Another factor: CSULB has about 7 different engineering programs, NCSU has about 15. In your early years, when you are still figuring out what flavor of engineer you want to be, more options are probably better.
Of course, you should also like your campus and be happy. An established community from your country might be important to feel "at home". But NC is also lovely, You'd also be close to the beach and the Atlantic is warmer than the Pacific.
Money (tuition and scholarships) is of course another consideration. Only you know what is possible and what you are comfortable with.
So, my vote would be for NCSU on the basis of academics (one of the few times I disagree with Michelle). But it's of course your decision, considering your priorities.
I hope this helps and doesn't confuse you further! Enjoy your journey to become an awesome engineer!
KP
Kieran
Video Producer & Visual Designer
12
Answers
Updated
Kieran’s Answer
Hello Shadi,
Congratulations on your acceptances to both NCSU and CSULB. Personally, I would consider CSULB as you have a community there, and they offer scholarships. You don't want to graduate with debt and loans. I would say the prestige and rankings of NCSU don't matter as much. Coming from a student in California, I have not heard anything great of North Carolina. It would be different if it was CSULB vs Yale or an Ivy League that has much more prestige to the name. Additionally, think about the opportunities outside of academics. Do you want to explore life in California or in North Carolina?
Congratulations on your acceptances to both NCSU and CSULB. Personally, I would consider CSULB as you have a community there, and they offer scholarships. You don't want to graduate with debt and loans. I would say the prestige and rankings of NCSU don't matter as much. Coming from a student in California, I have not heard anything great of North Carolina. It would be different if it was CSULB vs Yale or an Ivy League that has much more prestige to the name. Additionally, think about the opportunities outside of academics. Do you want to explore life in California or in North Carolina?