From the availability of classes to rising fees over budget cuts, Cal States have received a lot of negative attention lately. While Sonoma State is not immune to these issues, it does appear that students are able to obtain their classes and graduate on time, if they are flexible. General education courses are available. But you may have to take Biology at 8 AM or find a way to attend a class on a Friday afternoon. Students have to learn to take advantage of the courses that are open- which often means they are not at the most convenient times.

Sonoma State is also the type of school where you can build relationships with your professors and become involved. The campus is not daunting or intimidating. In fact, several students that I spoke with all said the same thing: it is a friendly place.

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Today I had the opportunity to visit beautiful Sonoma State University. I would consider Sonoma State to be one of the hidden gems of the Cal State system. It offers a small school experience at a public school price. The campus has about 7500 undergraduate students. The average class size is about 23 to 28, which allows students to have a personalized academic experience and to build relationships with their professors. Another impressive factor at Sonoma is their housing system.  They have several fairly new residence halls, but they also offer special interest housing.

During the first year, students can choose to live with other students who have interests similar to their own. They can choose anything from diversity to adventure to healthy living. There are also Freshmen Interest Groups (FIGS). These are groups directly related to the academic area of interest. This helps students get a jumpstart in their major and also helps with course selection.

Now, I know a lot families have concerns about applying to the Cal State system right now due to the budget cuts that are taking place in the state of California. I asked about budget concerns while at Sonoma State and the general consensus is that yes, there are budget cuts and in order to accommodate that, there are talks to raise some of the fees. Students are strongly encouraged to voice their concerns over the rising fees. However, I would like to point out that there is a lot offered in those fees. Students have access to a recreation center, they have free technology repair, even free bicycle repair.

So there are a lot of things that are covered in those fees, in order to, I think, offer a great college experience. Another concern is the availability of classes. There are seven impacted majors here at Sonoma State. These majors are a little more crowded which makes them a little more competitive and classes are little more difficult to get. Overall though, students are able to get their classes, if they are flexible. That means that you have to be willing to take some 8 AM courses and some Friday afternoon classes in order to get those general education requirements done. Overall, I think Sonoma State will offer a high-quality college experience to any student.

Katherine Price
Educational Consultant

The post Cal State Hidden Gem- Sonoma State first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

The post More on Application Numbers first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

• Applications are up 19% from this time last year.
• Last year only 6 schools were “impacted” in admissions- meaning they needed to take competitive measures because they had so many applicants.  This year that number has doubled, up to 12 and it may continue to rise.
• Last year only 6 campuses stopped accepting applications by November 30th.  This year the number is up to 14.

All of these factors are adding to the pressure cooker that is the California educational system.  Here are few other concerns that are stirring the pot:

• Maintaining diversity:  In addition to concerns that a tuition hike will influence the diversity on California’s public higher education campuses, there is also concern that higher admission standards may decrease the number of students of color as well.  While applications for students of color are up in the Cal State system, James Blackburn, director of enrollment management, admits that he still does not know how changes in admissions requires will affect the make up of the campus population.
• Options for low-income students:  The Cal State and UC systems have always been known for their affordability, but if students are not admitted, what are their other options?
• Less counseling:  Understaffed guidance counselor offices are trying to keep up with the shifting admissions trends, but are having issues finding time to reach students who need to know this new information.
• Pressure on the admissions side:  Due to state budget cuts and furlough days, admissions offices are understaffed too.  Add that to a sharp increase in the number of applications that have to be read and the number of rejected students they have to answer to.

Being a California native, I know how much students rely on the California higher education system to pursue their dreams of obtaining a college degree.  I doubt there were many students at my high school who did not apply to at least one Cal State or one UC.  I know things have changed a lot since I applied to colleges; students are learning to think more “outside of the box” and more are venturing out-of-state, but I also think California students need more guidance now than ever before.  Also, the public higher education system in California serves an ethnically and socio-economically diverse population and the changes being made could deeply influence the face of higher education in the state.   I don’t know that we will see the true affects these changes will have for years to come, but by then it may take even more money for the system to “recover” and return to where it is today.

Educational Consultant

The post The New California Public Higher Education System first appeared on College Admission Counseling.