Cal State University Vs. Private University

Share tips as you apply, write essays, interview...
This topic has expert replies
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 69
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2008 7:12 pm
Thanked: 3 times
Followed by:1 members

Cal State University Vs. Private University

by Nidhs » Thu Feb 07, 2008 7:07 pm
I am planning to take the gmat very soon and thinking about applying to some universities in California. Cal states are very reasonable for an mba. Also, since I am a California resident, I have an advantage (i.e if i'm accepted) of Studying at California State Colleges at half the cost of tuition normally charged if i weren't a resident of California. The big picture , (when compared to other universities (Pepperdine, USC)), California State University would cost me 1/4th the cost of other university. Does anyone know how good Cal states are for an mba.....for egCal state Long beach or Cal State LA.

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
Site Admin
Posts: 6774
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2006 8:30 am
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Thanked: 1249 times
Followed by:994 members

by beatthegmat » Thu Feb 07, 2008 9:25 pm
Cal States may be a good option for you, but be selective in where the school is located. Because these schools are smaller, their reputation reach may not be as extensive as some of the more expensive schools.
Beat The GMAT | The MBA Social Network
Community Management Team

Research Top GMAT Prep Courses:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/gmat-prep-courses

Research The World's Top MBA Programs:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/school

Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2007 8:41 pm
Thanked: 3 times

by dmagnia » Fri Feb 08, 2008 6:56 am
Stick to the UC's specifically Berkeley and LA.

User avatar
MBA Admissions Consultant
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon May 28, 2007 8:08 am
Location: Los Angeles
Thanked: 2 times

by MBAPodcaster » Mon Feb 18, 2008 3:49 pm
If you plan to stay in Cali after you get your MBA then a good regional school like a Cal State will have name recognition with local employers. You may have a tougher time if you want to work outside the state in the future. I think it depends on what your goals are for the future. The reason why the top bschools charge so much I think is because they know you'll be making enough to pay back those loans.
Janet
MBA Podcaster

Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 198
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2008 10:16 am
Location: San Francisco
Thanked: 14 times

by mbadrew » Tue Feb 19, 2008 1:44 pm
In California UC is the best way to go but don't be discouraged by Cal State. CSU offers a great product and if tuition is a factor then you should stick to CSU. If you can afford the tuition then go with USC, UCLA or CAL Berkeley.

It's reall what you want out of an education. Once you graduate you may have a hard time finding work but eventually you'll land a job. For example my background is in nursing and for me it doesn't matter. For my job CSU or UC carry the same weight.

Remember business schools are also a business and that's why their tuition rates vary.

Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2007 9:20 pm

by thesithlords » Tue Apr 22, 2008 2:11 pm
Hey let you give me my two cents of information. I have a very good friend who is the President of Nike subsidiaries, who has been the CFO and COO of GAP Inc. and he has told me that San Diego State University is a very good CSU school and has a great reputation in California. The question to should be how much can I afford. If you can afford to go to UCLA or Berkeley, then you should go to them because they have national recognition and if you get good grades you could be recruited right out grad school. My friend from NIKE said he never recruited (This was obviously before he held high ranking positions that he was a recruiter) anyone under a 3.7 GPA during their MBA program.

Hope that helps

Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2008 6:01 pm

by rainbowpo » Thu Apr 24, 2008 6:44 pm
that depends on your stats, such as gmat score, gpa, and working experience

Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 84
Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2008 12:42 pm

by dubc1982 » Wed Apr 30, 2008 10:43 am
I went to San Diego State University for Undergrad and think its a great school. I know their Undergrad Business program is very good, my friend's father was a professor for a long time. I think the MBA program is decent, but not amazing. Obviously, USC will be much better than SDSU. However, the amount of money you will save is amazing. I personally rather be working with $20k in debt than $120k. Even if you get that six figure job, the debt is going to kill it. Also, I'm not a believer that high ranking schools are automatically better. I have friends who went to USC undergrad and I am doing much better than them. I think its all about what you do when you're there, networking, etc. I plan on going to the University of Hawaii for my MBA (mainly because the program perfectly fits my needs). If I were going to go to a Cal State school for my MBA, I would pick SDSU because I'm pretty sure its the largest, more difficult to get into than others, beautiful campus/city, etc. I'm familiar with some other Cal State schools and I would not even consider them with SDSU.

Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 46
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 9:01 pm

by hillzheng » Sat May 10, 2008 11:27 pm
Cal State is a good public university