Should I transfer to a UC as a junior in the fall of 2016?

[Anonymous]

I'm currently a junior at a CSU school. By the end of this semester, my grades might be good enough so that I'll be able to transfer to a UC this fall. The problem is that I can only transfer as a junior, not a senior, meaning that I may have to wait till the Fall of 2017 or Spring of 2018 to graduate, and I'll feel out of place if I graduate college at 23. However, if I stay at my CSU, I could graduate in the fall of 2016 with 2 grad courses under my belt. If I finish my Bachelor's at the CSU, I'll probably only be able to go to a CSU for grad school, which I'm okay with. Will it be harder for me to get a job if my BS and MS are from CSUs? What should I do?

[Anonymous]

Depends on CSU, UC, and major. Can you commute to the UC you hope to attend and, if not, will that mean you have a significant increase in room & board? What's the tuition differential these days? What kind of grad school are you interested in?

FWIW, my family has both CSU and UC grads. And everyone got the kinds of jobs they were looking for. But there aren't any head to head comparisons since they're in different fields -- eg public school teacher wasn't handicapped by BA/MA from a CSU.

[Anonymous]

I'm the OP. I'm getting a BS in mathematics if that makes a difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depends on CSU, UC, and major. Can you commute to the UC you hope to attend and, if not, will that mean you have a significant increase in room & board? What's the tuition differential these days? What kind of grad school are you interested in?

FWIW, my family has both CSU and UC grads. And everyone got the kinds of jobs they were looking for. But there aren't any head to head comparisons since they're in different fields -- eg public school teacher wasn't handicapped by BA/MA from a CSU.

+1 My sister and I both graduated from CSUs and had no trouble with jobs or admission to grad school (nursing for her, business for me), although we both worked for 5-10 yrs before going to grad school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the OP. I'm getting a BS in mathematics if that makes a difference.

What CSU are you attending?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm the OP. I'm getting a BS in mathematics if that makes a difference.

What CSU are you attending?

Northridge. Although I'm dually taking online classes through a community college.

[Anonymous]

So what's your grad school (or career) goal?

[Anonymous]

Hey OP, I'm 23 and in my final semester of my undergrad. I'll be almost 24 when I graduate. What's the issue? You won't be out of place. Ages in my 4th year/grad courses range from 20-50 - most of us are 22-26. It's really not an issue. Do what's best for your future and will get you the best degree and opportunities. It's silly to base a decision like this on age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey OP, I'm 23 and in my final semester of my undergrad. I'll be almost 24 when I graduate. What's the issue? You won't be out of place. Ages in my 4th year/grad courses range from 20-50 - most of us are 22-26. It's really not an issue. Do what's best for your future and will get you the best degree and opportunities. It's silly to base a decision like this on age.

Why? Our time on this earth is finite, and I feel like it's foolish to act like we're going to live forever. At 23, the Average American Male is about a 3rd through his life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hey OP, I'm 23 and in my final semester of my undergrad. I'll be almost 24 when I graduate. What's the issue? You won't be out of place. Ages in my 4th year/grad courses range from 20-50 - most of us are 22-26. It's really not an issue. Do what's best for your future and will get you the best degree and opportunities. It's silly to base a decision like this on age.

Why? Our time on this earth is finite, and I feel like it's foolish to act like we're going to live forever. At 23, the Average American Male is about a 3rd through his life.

Wow. This poster hits the big 70 this year. I'm a dead duck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hey OP, I'm 23 and in my final semester of my undergrad. I'll be almost 24 when I graduate. What's the issue? You won't be out of place. Ages in my 4th year/grad courses range from 20-50 - most of us are 22-26. It's really not an issue. Do what's best for your future and will get you the best degree and opportunities. It's silly to base a decision like this on age.

Why? Our time on this earth is finite, and I feel like it's foolish to act like we're going to live forever. At 23, the Average American Male is about a 3rd through his life.

Wow. This poster hits the big 70 this year. I'm a dead duck.

I guess that's why all the aging rockers are dying - their time is up.

Actually though the average age for American males is 76, not 69. And if you've lived to 70, your life expectancy is then longer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey OP, I'm 23 and in my final semester of my undergrad. I'll be almost 24 when I graduate. What's the issue? You won't be out of place. Ages in my 4th year/grad courses range from 20-50 - most of us are 22-26. It's really not an issue. Do what's best for your future and will get you the best degree and opportunities. It's silly to base a decision like this on age.

Agree with this pp. I don't know if it is in your best interest to stay at your CSU or transfer to UC. The question in my mind whether you want to go to grad school and, if so, is the UC department prestigious enough to connect you up with people who can help you with that? So look closely at the department. But if you're just looking for employment after college, what may help you most is that you network now and do as many informational interviews as you can with people in the field you're interested in.

But, whatever you want to do, this pp is right. Do not worry about feeling out of place if you transfer to a UC. I understand why you feel that way. I was afraid to take a semester off during undergrad because of that. But it will not matter in the work world and it won't matter in grad school. You're in the process of transitioning to adulthood and things like being a year or two older won't matter. In fact, your profs may appreciate your increased maturity. I know when I taught at the college level, I loved my older students.

[Anonymous]

Yes, absolutely, if it's UCLA or Cal. A no brainer of a decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hey OP, I'm 23 and in my final semester of my undergrad. I'll be almost 24 when I graduate. What's the issue? You won't be out of place. Ages in my 4th year/grad courses range from 20-50 - most of us are 22-26. It's really not an issue. Do what's best for your future and will get you the best degree and opportunities. It's silly to base a decision like this on age.

Why? Our time on this earth is finite, and I feel like it's foolish to act like we're going to live forever. At 23, the Average American Male is about a 3rd through his life.

Wow. This poster hits the big 70 this year. I'm a dead duck.

I guess that's why all the aging rockers are dying - their time is up.

Actually though the average age for American males is 76, not 69. And if you've lived to 70, your life expectancy is then longer.

Hence why I used the word "about".