San Jose State University
| Total Grad Surveys | 20 |
| Females | 6 |
| Males | 14 |
| Avg years at University | 1.7 |
| Research Quality | C (4.8) |
| Research Availability | B- (5.9) |
| Research Funding | C (4.5) |
| Graduate Politics | C+ (5.2) |
| Not Errand Runners | B (7.3) |
| Degree Completion | C+ (5.0) |
| Alternative pay [ta/gsi] | C+ (5.5) |
| Sufficient Pay | B- (6.1) |
| Competitiveness | B- (5.8) |
| Education Quality | B- (6.3) |
| Faculty Accessibility | C+ (5.6) |
| Useful Research | B- (5.9) |
| "Individual" treatment | C+ (5.5) |
| Friendliness | C+ (5.6) |
| Safety | B (7.3) |
| Campus Beauty | B (6.8) |
| Campus Maintenance | B- (6.4) |
| University Spending | B (6.7) |
| Extracurriculars | B- (6.4) |
| Scholastic Success | C+ (5.6) |
| Surrounding City | B (6.7) |
| Social Life/ Environment | B- (6.5) |
Research FundingC
Not Errand RunnersB
Grad. students who are self financing this degree be ware. Tuition payment schedules for this school are cold blooded. SJSU asks for complete payment way in advance of the semester and will drop you from class if you do not pay before the semester. If this is your first semester they will completely dis-enroll you from your program. Receiving a refund check required me to continuously prompt fin. aid councilors to push the payment through. When you call no one will look at your account, they just ask for you number and twiddle their thumbs while you think they are looking at your information. A simple call to check your account will take 35 minutes. You always speak to an assistant who knows nothing first. The bursar and financial aid office are at odds with each other making a simple call for assistance in form of a fee deferment a day at the circus.
Basically you pay way up front for one semester. They make you wait until after the next semester payment is due before you see your grades so if you have VS benefits or an employer willing to pay for passed classes it will still require you to pay up or get out before you complete a semester and get reimbursed by your program or employer.
Student services are horrendous, I am completely shocked by the lack of competence and knowledge every person I speak to at this institution displays. I have 6 years of studies behind me and these people are making me feel like it's my first college experience all over again. What a bureaucratic disaster. These few uninterested front line staffers make the whole school pathetic. Not to mention the stiff careless payment policies which will deal with you, your finances and the assistance you are eligible for on their terms and their terms only. Would never recommend this school to anyone who is not entirely above the current times and average income bracket. Very disappointed!
Recommended: College Academic Survival Guide
PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT COME TO THIS DEPARTMENT! IT IS SO MESSED UP!!! First, when I say the faculty is condescending and unhelpful, I'm talking mainly about the administration. Most of the faculty is decent enough and Anita Schaak is the saving grace of the whole damn place- she is actually a great teacher and the only reason I'm still there. June McCullough is pretty decent too. Other than that, people make you feel like you are dirt or just have lukewarm sentiments toward you and don't help you enjoy learning or the profession. Anyways, the office personnel treats you like shit- it's only one woman and she gives you the meanest looks and obviously doesn't want to give you her time even though that's why she's there. Oh also, she leaves the office randomly and locks it so when you want to go in for important files and such (which is often) you can't. Theres way too much drama there and students have no control or say in anything. Information is not distributed well to students (you would think they could e-mail everyone once in awhile but they don't) so we are often left scrambling asking each other when VERY important applications or meetings are being held. The students basically rely on each other so thank god I have some support. Clinics are disorganized and not equal at all and you can't sign up for classes until like the day they start practically. Oh also, the department is super unethical. I could go on but theres way too much to say. I know several students who were accused of a variety of things they didn't do and the asshole students who DID do them (plagiarize, lie, cheat, steal) got off the hook simply because there was no "evidence" even though everyone knows who did a lot of it. This department is disgusting and I wish I had done more research before I came. I hope I can help some people...
Recommended: The Purpose of a Higher Education
My views are based on my own personal experiences dealing with staff and faculty of my department and the international office, and are, therefore, subjective opinions.
The staff is not as friendly as one might hope. Their attitude, sometimes bordering outright rudeness, leaves much to be desired. Of course, given the the number of students approaching them for information and/or help daily with is huge, it is understandable why they sometimes snap at you in response. However, isn't that why they are there? This is not a generic case however. There are some who try to help you in a calm and professional manner, but those people are not the ones you have to deal with every day.
The international department is probably the worst I have seen in the United States, and I have been to a number of universities here. The front desk itself makes you feel unwelcome. I go to see an international adviser and the person sitting at the front desk asks me with a sour look on his face what I want to talk to them about! If it was something I want to talk about with the front desk, I wouldn't ask for an adviser. Again, given the influx of students, they might be trying not to bother the international advisers, but it just leaves a sour taste in the mouth if, as an international student, I cannot talk to an adviser when I want.
The department faculty is relatively good. The professors are helpful and more or less available during office hours. They are not the type who will go out of their way to help you with something, but after everything mentioned above, I wouldn't expect anything. Politics sometimes plays a role in the department. I once had Professor ABC telling me that he would not support my project because I was working under Professor XYZ.
The electrical Engineering Dept of San Jose State is one of the rudest in the entire university. They lack professionalism, to the extent that some of them yell at students. The dept is unorganized and lacks funding. Coming here was a huge huge mistake..However the other engineering dept Like Aerospace and computer engineering are much better, facility and staff are more friendly.
I did got my B.S. from a smaller university and there was more research opportunities as an undergraduate then there are for Graduate students here. You have to pay quite a bit of money to participate in extracurriculars, and the gym here is trashy, it makes me feel like I am on the set of Rocky II in Apollo's old gym. But on the positives, the teachers are pretty helpful because they are not busy doing research, and the classes aren't bad.
I spent 1 1/2 years here getting my B.S. and due to the univerisity's policy have been able to complete my Master's in only 1 year. In 3 1/2 years I've attained 2 degrees, one advanced! GO TO THIS SCHOOL!!
It is not hard to get in to the University. However, the admission and administration process will give you some hard time. Also, somehow SJSU does not have enough resources to handle any question regarding to study or admission.
Students are more tend to getting a good grade rather than enjoying learning in the school.
Electrical Engineering Grad courses are just about okay, with special bias towards ASIC/VLSI. The Department can have more part time faculties, especially top people from the Silicon valley. They are the ones who teach current trends and techniques. Best place to look out for jobs because of its vantage point among the Bay Area companies. The tution fee is raising exponentially. I started off in Fall 2002 with a fee of $3K for 9 units (International student), but now I pay $5K for 9 units. I dont see anything beneficial for me because of the fee raise. The EE Department needs to show more alacrity in helping out students. Many students are working professionals, hence there is a lot of competition in a class.
UMm.. I have been in this university for close to 18 months now and I still do not feel I know my collegues. I also feel the Faculty are not approachable. Considering that I have been one of the most popular students' and really enjoyed my undergrad..this college has been a let-down as far as my expectations go.
SJSU is a great school for Grad Studies, again, depending on what you want to study. Since SJSU is assuming most of their Grad Students have more than a few years of experience, they schedule almost all of their classes in the late afternoons/evenings.
This helps for the folks working full-time during the days and want to take classes in the nights. But of course, it cuts off possible interactions with Undergrads in terms of the AS clubs/organizations.
Definitely, Grad Studies will be MUCH tougher than undergrad studies, so I guess maybe that would be the trade offs so you rather go party with your friends/co-workers than hanging around school.
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Too many indians in the engineering department.
Lack of on campus jobs.No response from faculties, student organizations or career center in terms of job availability. poor online portals.