I think i made the biggest mistake going to a state college? Help!!?

Question

I am getting an accounting degree from a california state college. I transfered from a community college to this cal state school. So far i have a 4.0 GPA and work as a bookkeeper/accountant to gain experience in my accounting field. I also am planning to do clubs, internships, and some community service to have a better resume. However, i feel like me going to this state college will hold me back in getting a good job and from pursuing my career goal. My goal is to get my MBA from a top program like UCLA or Berkeley, but someone told me that they wont even consider anyone from a state college no matter how good you look. I am so worried and feel like i made the biggest mistake of my life. I could have transfered to any college, but financially i could not afford to go to a UC school and i had to help my family out so i made the decision to help them out. Now i totally regret everything and i wish i could go back. Does anyone have advice or personal experience with this. Thank you.

Answer 1

I was a high school senior last year, I applied to one state college near home, and 3 UC's. I was accepted to all of the UC's and decided to go to UC Berkeley. I believe I feel similar to the way you do now.

I thought Berkeley would be full of opportunities for all of the money I am spending on it (25,000 a year), and I thought I would receive an excellent education at such a prestigious school. I was wrong.

Berkeley is not full of enlightened, open-minded people. Many of the students here are cutthroat -- they will do anything to get into graduate school, at any costs, without regard to their fellow students. The people at this college have never gotten anything less than an A in any class -- they've never gotten a B on an exam, they've never gotten a B on a paper, they're intelligence is just as inhuman as their personalities are. They've already gone to community college for 2 or 3 years while they were in high school, so all of the freshmen have pretty much learned everything they are studying in their classes already. The competition is unbearable. Unless you think you are like these people, the chances of getting more than a 2.5 GPA are very slim.

Some say that the opportunities at Berkeley are here for those who want to find them. There are student clubs to join, and activities to do. However, most of the clubs meet at night, and it is dangerous to walk around at night. When I first moved in, 10 people were robbed, shot, or experienced armed robbery in a 10 day period. One must be willing to risk their life to make friends at Berkeley.

The education is sub-par. I don't believe I will be prepared for my job at all if I stay here. Many of the professors hate teaching. They are only here to do research, and they therefore don't spend time teaching the material. Instead, during their lectures, they talk about the research they are doing with vocabulary that is incredibly precise and oriented only with their research -- they are impossible to understand. Some other professors like to rant on about their personal life, or how much they hate the authors of the textbooks that the students are using.

Professors, teaching assistants, tutors, and graduate student instructors don't care about the students learning. The system of the campus is just an assembly line -- the students go in without an education, and they come out with an education. There is no time to stop and ask the student what he or she wants, or if he or she needs help. Everyone just moves along, learning the standardized book material that everyone else is also learning. There is very little freedom to make one's own decisions. Most people leave the campus being prepared to do well on exams, but not being prepared for real life.

I think you'll find some similarities between UC Berkeley and the other UC's, and this is why I give the example of my college experience. I think I made a mistake coming to this school -- but I wouldn't have believed anyone else if they told me this -- I had to experience this myself. Next year I am transferring to a State university near by my home.

The reasons why a State University is better than a UC:
1.) There is less competition -- this means it will be easier for you to get good grades, which are important if you want to go to grad school.
2.) You'll be more prepared to do well in your career. State universities emphasize hands-on learning, internships, and preparedness, while UC's care about tests and papers.
3.) You'll be surrounded by people who have personalities, rather than robots just trying to get good grades.
4.) You'll avoid being caught up in the system of UC's -- survive or be left behind.
5.) You'll have more time to enjoy college -- make friends, join student clubs or student government, play a sport.
6.) You'll save money, and you'll get something better then you would have gotten if you spent 5 times as much money.

I think you made the right choice. But I completely understand how you feel. When my parents told me I should go to a State college, I didn't want to go. I told them I had to go to a UC -- it was my dream! But it hasn't lived up to my expectations at all. I see that they were right in the first place. Many people have to learn the hard way and experience different colleges for themselves.

And don't worry so much about the prestigiousness of the college you go to, This is all a joke to get more money out of students. As long as you go to an accredited college, you're going to get a good job in whatever field you choose. Perhaps an even better job, since you will be more prepared for real life, and you'll have better grades that are more reflective of your capabilities.

So just relax and have fun at the college you chose. I think you made the best choice.

Answer 2

Lol, no one here seems to understand that CSU and UC are two distinct school systems.

I do think the the business programs at UCLA and UCB are probably among the top programs in the country, and usually "top" programs are quite selective about who they admit. However, MBA programs usually like people with a lot of work experience, so if you build up a great resume you will have better chances.

As far as finding a job, you should have no problem. I am a chemist, and I have coworkers from CSU East Bay as well as UCB. And for you, as an accountant, not only is your job always available, you wn't even have UC competition because I don't think they offer any accounting majors.

Robin, I am sorry to hear that you are not enjoying UCB. What you are experiencing matches what else I have been told. But not all UCs are like that. UCD was quite different, people actually helped each other and did not sabotage fellow students, and aside from a couple classes they were not cutthroat.

And while CSUs are easier to get into than UCs, they are not easier to graduate from! The courses are almost as hard as at UC, and I know people at SJSU currently starting their 7th year. The classes are just as hard to pass, and SJSU has very poor logistics, often causing students to be dropped from classes for the wrong reasons. As of 2005 the computer science department at SJSU was still requiring programs to be turned in on floppy discs (c. 1990 technology). UC campuses generally have up-to-date technology, and very few problems with billing or scheduling.

Overall, UC is more research oriented, and looks better for grad schools, while UC and CSU look equally good to most employers.

Answer 3

First off you are interested in going from a state school to a state school (both UCLA and Berkeley are CA state schools) so their is no issue their. Secondly - not even Harvard and Yale wouldn't consider you for admission if your GPA is a 4.0 unless you scores on the GMAT were just awful. You should get into whatever college you want to get into.

Good Luck!!!

Answer 4

HUH? A UC school is a state college isn't it?

Getting into a masters program will be dependent upon your GPA and GMAT/GRE scores. Check with the admissions office to see where their students came from. Act accordingly.

Answer 5

I've made too many mistakes to narrow it down to just one. But the upside to that is that I haven't made a colossal enough screw up to place it into a league all of its own, as the undisputed "biggest." I think that's a noble goal in life: try not to screw up too badly, but learn from your experiences when you do.

Answer 6

Not everyone can afford to go to these top schools. You did something great by helping your family. I am positive you will be fine in the long run. Its great that you are getting a college education and you should not be second guessing yourself.

Answer 7

You didn't hurt your chances at all. Maintain that GPA and do well on your GREs.