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Information about SDSU / Frequently
Asked Questions
These are the most frequently asked questions; I thought it
would be helpful if I put all of them in a document rather than mailing
personally to every single student.
1) My first concern is tuition waiver. Is it possible to get
aid after a student comes there??
The chances are not that great, either u get the aid before you come here
or u never get it 'cos that's the law here in cal
state, but it's very cheap as compared to other univs
... so if u r getting aid from somewhere else do consider those options
too.
2) On-campus job.
Would it be extremely difficult to suffice daily needs without one in hand ??
Currently the job situation is bad…. two reasons for bad scene... the
first is obviously the WAR... it has certainly affected everything...As they
have cut their budgets massively for the spring semester... i hope the situation improves in FALL .. The second reason
is California
State as a whole is going through a
major financial crisis ... they have cut the educational funds tremendously and
it has certainly affected all the cal states... But i
think u should be able to find a decent job in FALL...Minimum is $6.75 per
hour...
3) About the campus
recruitment scene?? Tell me is there like a major discrimination between
UCSD and SDSU.
Well campus recruitment ...it depends upon how seriously u take it...
Campus placement after
graduation?
...it's pretty good ... people get jobs if they try
hard...UCSD is mostly research oriented
4) How would you rate cal state univs in general in comparison to Univ of California?
Every Ucal is respected but not every cal
state..... cal states don't have much of the funding as
they are state univs .. on
the other side Ucals are privately funded ... all
industries put their funds in Ucals so they have all
the great research labs .. But in turn they also have really expensive tuition
fees...
5) What is the amount
of expenses in the first yr?
For grad student for the whole year, the fees is around $7000 (2*2538
(tuition) + 2*1088 (reg) + 675 (insurance)).. plus the living expenses of 350 per month ... but if u get
campus job u end up earning 500 to 600 a month so the only concern should be to
manage the fees plus may be extra 1500 to 2000 dollars ..Also u don't have to pay the whole fees at once. u pay it semester by semester ..so
for first sem u will pay somewhere around 2538+1088+
675 (that's for whole year)..
6)* How much does a fresher get paid for an hr at the most?
(Hourly pay)
It depends on the type of
job u r doing... if u r working in a cafe u will be paid
California min wage ie. $6.75.. if u r working as a gardener in physical plant u will get $8
.. if u r working as a lab asst .. may be $8.5 to 10 .. Computer consultant.. Again 8.5 to 10 .. Working as
RA/TA/GA... Depends on the professor but min for them is $12
7) Can u tell me how should I
prepare myself be4 I land up there.
Get as many books as
possible ... all the reference things .. ... get ur basics clear ...
8) How is SDSU in
CS?
It depends on your area of interests ... there is very limited research .. u can check the
department site for the course structure ..be sure to
check that! u never want to pay for something u have
already learnt ..
9) What are the JOB
prospects after completing MS?
As I have already said students do get jobs provided they really work
hard! There's no job guarantee as such….. a few
students in CS & EE dept have got internships ..
10) Is there any
assistantship provided for CS students? If any what is it?
NO!! I haven't seen a single person in last one year getting
assistantship in CS dept. If you don't get assistantship with your admit then u will probably never get it... There's no
research so not much of the funding... Campus jobs are the only mean to survive
besides ur parent's
pockets!
11) How many
units that a student should take/sem?
Graduate Students have to take 9 units in first semester
12) What are popular courses in CS?
I really don't know how to answer this question, see it totally depends
upon one's own choice. Usually people take some programming classes like OOPs or Database MGMT or NETWORKS.
13) Should I start from the 600 level courses?
You can start directly from 600 level courses but I would suggest that
you attend a few classes before you make up ur mind to
attend 600 courses. Sometimes students find them a bit tougher
14) How many courses should a student normally
take?
For CS ...3
courses are enough to keep u busy all day throughout the
semester.
15) Is there any course that is required to be
taken?
If there is any
prerequisite for you it must have been mentioned in your admission/welcome
packet. Look for a pink colored sheet ..it should be on
there . If u have a classified standing then you should
be ok!
16) I am not able to register and get a pin from the
e-service portal. How do I get the
pin??
Have you paid your registration fees?? i think you won't be able to
register or access eservices unless and until u pay the fees ...
17) Can you provide me information about Mechanical Engineering?
You can go ahead and join mechatsdsu@yahoogroups.com! They have really unique way of answering
questions through "online polls"!
