UC vs Cal State systems?

[TriDeltaGal]

Okay, not to ensue a riot but there has to be a reason why six out of the seven UC universities consistantly are in the top 50 universities in the nation.
(Now, I haven't checked this year's U.S. News and World Reports but I'm 99.9% sure they are still in the top 50 on the basis of past ratings)

Here is some information I got off of reliable college websites:

The University selects freshman applicants who are academically among the top ten percent of California high school graduates.

UC: To provide undergraduate and graduate instruction through the doctoral degree with emphasis on research and professional education. Offer preprofessional programs in law, medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine.

CSU: To provide undergraduate and graduate instruction through the master's degree in liberal arts and sciences and professional education, including teacher education


As for the difference of UC and CSU bachelor programs:

UC: Undergraduate programs are designed to prepare students for graduate and professional work. Curriculum emphasizes theory and professional preparation.

CSU: Undergraduate programs are designed to provide a combination of theory and application necessary for graduate work or employment in one's chosen field of study.


In my experience, as I am now taking graduate level courses at a CSU, the caliber of thinking among students is far different. I have classmates who complain that 50 pages of reading in a class is too much... damn I had over a 150 pages a week in some classes as an undergrad at UCLA and mind you I was taking 4 classes a quarter. Furthermore, one of my professors forces us to do peer editing on papers and many of my classmates have yet to grasp the idea of a properly formatted college paper with double spaced lines and the use of simple sentence structure.

As for class size, sure at UCLA I had some huge classes but I always knew I could speak to my professors and get help, but the vast majority of the students didn't feel the need to speak to the professor or a TA to pass and get an A in the class. Most didn't need the hand holding that is so prevalent in my classes at CSU.

The rumors about CSUN or Long Beach State becoming a UC have been running rampant forever but I fail to believe that the UC Regents are going to make any CSU into a UC when they are currently finishing UC Merced as well as the current financial crisis in the CA educational system.

I have many friends and family members including my brother that went to Long Beach State, Cal Poly SLO, and SDSU but I honestly don't think you can compare the two. They emphasize very different educational structures as well as curriculum demands on their students. If there wasn't a difference, there wouldn't be two systems.

Okay, so I'm sorry if that was bitchy and holier-than-thou but I am sitting up reading for a class and I had to stick up my UCs because the posts seem a little one-sided so far.


Edited to de-bitch it a bit! Sorry I'm having a bad night!