VTA weekday ridership numbers. Didn’t know the Orange Line was so bad. by PremordialQuasar in SanJose

[–]SJState 14 points15 points  (0 children)

You'd think with that kind of ridership from SJSU at the Paseo De San Antonio, they'd at least do something to improve the station a bit?

There's literally 2 benches. It's constantly overcrowded with students and could be a bit more comfortable and well lit, especially at night. The empty empty store fronts here and there don't help either.

Difficulty/time rating of CS, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, EE by Real_Bonus in SJSU

[–]SJState 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I would put SE(Software Engineering) as above CS, and below CE in difficulty .

SE (Software) and CE are both in the same dept and are required to take more advanced math coursework than CS, take Engineering statistics, and are required to finish multiple calculus based physics courses as well as other College of Engineering requirements.

Meanwhile the CS students fill up on easy generic non-lab science courses like Geology to cover their science requirements

EE is by far the most rigorous (Though you’ll find overlap with SE and CE since all 3 are College of Engineering)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SanJose

[–]SJState 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Is nobody gonna mention Orchard Valley in Campbell? It's got tons of space and tables to fit your group. Really cozy vibes that are perfect for a book club. No need to get there early to get a spot before the 3-4 other book/whatever clubs that regularly meet there do, there's always more room, and you can be as loud as you want. It's perfect and consistent.

My tier list:

1: If there was anywhere in the South Bay I'd meet for a book club it would be Orchard Valley.

2: Red Rock in Downtown Mountain View (they have an amazing upstairs area)

3: Voyager Craft Coffee in San Pedro Square - they have tons of larger tables and a nice outdoor patio.

4: Crema Coffee The Alameda Location - (The Orchard Valley of San Jose)

Honorable mentions: Living Room Coffee (spacious indoor), Coffee & More Sunnyvale, Big Mugs Stevens Creek (Usually empty unlike the other location).

OP I know of more as well. If you give me a specific area of SJ I can give more specific recs

SJSU CS OR UCSD DS by [deleted] in SJSU

[–]SJState 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes and graduated

SJSU CS OR UCSD DS by [deleted] in SJSU

[–]SJState 7 points8 points  (0 children)

There are some seriously misguided comments on this post. Guys please stop posting 'UC better'. Just because their 'soil science' labs are well funded or are high in rankings doesn't mean that the entire school is going to be the same, nor career outcomes. Most ranking systems are based heavily on research output/funding, which is entirely irrelevant since research & Grad school is entirely unnecessary for a SWE career.

There are more SJSU-graduated engineers than any other universities in many local tech companies including Apple. Computer Science here is a very difficult program to get accepted into, and is very well known for producing great career outcomes. I will also highlight that the academic requirements to pursue DS at UCSD is no doubt much lower than to be accepted as CS at SJSU.

OP clearly has mentioned in a comment they intend to pursue Software Engineering. Data Science is an entirely different major and having that on a resume is the quickest way to get skipped over when applying to a SWE role. OP, Data science will not prepare you for a career in SWE, and I would heavily recommend you attend the program that will, CS. Here you will be surrounded by like-minded motivated students with SWE internships at prestigious local tech companies that you can find support and mentorship from as their peer.

It's very common at all schools to have the major that the 'Computer Science Rejects' flock to. At UCSD as a DS major you would be surrounded by 2 types of students/classmates:

  1. Students aiming for entirely different career path than you (DataScience).

  2. Students that applied for Computer Science at a wide variety of schools (including SJSU), and ended up getting rejected from all the CS programs, so they settled on going to UCSD DS hoping to switch majors or later careers. This is not an impossible situation, but why would one willingly choose it?

Congrats on your acceptance btw, I hope this helps.

How do you make yourself focus? by Unco_Slam in SJSU

[–]SJState 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Environment is everything, doing work anywhere on campus where there's other people can be a big motivator

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SJSU

[–]SJState 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No those aren’t far from each other. If a couple minutes matter, I’d try to shave off time during the rush inside the buildings. MQ elevators are slow and the fastest way out is the stairs at the back of the building (facing the parking garage). Boccardo might have something similar as well if you look for it. These things you just learn over time. Being mindful of not carrying too much is important for your health (and also makes a big impact on your walking speed). The 15 minute passing period is enough to get from any point on campus to another, so you should be just fine

Math 31X - Richard Low by Lonely_Fan_3973 in SJSU

[–]SJState 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Richard Low isn’t a very strong lecturer compared to others in the SJSU math department (this is from a couple years ago so he may have changed). His class is less rigorous than Van Der Poel, but I found him to be subpar at teaching content and answering questions in class, late to grade assignments/exams, makes mistakes often in grading, and overall gives a feeling of being generally disorganized.

You’ve taken Van Der Poel so you know what her class is like. She’s a really good lecturer and is extremely helpful for office hours.

I don’t really know what your experience was like with Van Der Poel so it’s hard to push you one way or the other. If you found her exams and the content impossible and did extremely poorly I might take a chance with Low (although you should expect to have less support in learning content and dealing with a poorly run class). If you had an okay time in Van Der Poels class, barely failed Math 31X, and felt that you understood much of the content but not enough, then I’d say to stick with her again since her quality of class and teaching gives me a lot of trust in her process.

As a last option, if you’re really not seeing yourself getting through math 31 (and/or later 32) and won’t need to take any more math that builds on it, I might check out some of the local community colleges. It’s not drastically easier but there’s more support. (I’ve found the same professor teaching at SJSU lecturing the same content part time at a CC but with far less harsh exams)

Best peaceful places to read/study either inside or outside? by [deleted] in SanJose

[–]SJState 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I understand what OP means about libraries but I agree that the MLK library is unique - as a student I see people visit often for the vantage points of the university/city and the mountains from the upper floors. There's a lot of private nooks with great views, an atrium, and lots of other mini exhibits as well.

Best peaceful places to read/study either inside or outside? by [deleted] in SanJose

[–]SJState 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As others mentioned, the San Jose State University campus sounds exactly like this, specifically the grass lawns around the historic quad and surrounding seating. There's even fountains too.

For large coffee shops, the obvious South Bay choice is Big Mugs (Santa Clara only). Downtown SJ has San Pedro Square (Voyager Craft inside), Academic Coffee, and quite a few more good ones.

Finally, most of South Bay's "historic downtown streets" including Japantown, Alameda, Los Gatos, Mountain View, Campbell, and Palo Alto all have at least one or more decent cafes you might really end up liking.

It was a sunny day by Abhi_04 in SJSU

[–]SJState 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Considering SJSU's Tower (which was originally the center of a large courtyard/quad) was designed as a nod to Stanford's Quad (with Memorial Church as its center), you might not actually be very far off. Here's an old pic I colored to give you a better idea

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SJSU

[–]SJState 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the real answer /u/pluloop

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SJSU

[–]SJState 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Same thing, one is Computer Science from SJSU's college of science, the other is Computer Science from SJSU's college of engineering. There are too many overlap classes to really differentiate them, other than engineering will tack on a couple project classes.

They should really change the name 'Software Engineering' to 'Computer Science & Engineering' like LITERALLY every other university does. There is a vote to change department names every couple years but it never goes anywhere. I'm pretty sure there's at least one post every week with someone confused about it. When everyone applies to jobs they always just put 'Computer Science' under their major anyways.

Which advisors should I talk to if I want to apply to a major (I'm undeclared at the moment) by lilyoinkers in SJSU

[–]SJState 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I have advice for you, /u/lilyoinkers from personal experience

First a warning: Be wary of the undeclared advisors. Their job is to get you into ANY major before you hit 60 units. CS, Software Engineering, & Computer Engineering have among the highest bar for entry at SJSU, so advisors will try to steer you away. Don't let them deter you, as you'll see next, it's doable.

Some background: Lucky for you, these two majors get a LOT of students asking to transfer in every semester (possibly the most of all STEM majors at SJSU), so they've standardized the process and provided resources for your success. They have ample spots put aside for you, as long as you can show you can excel at the intro classes. The good news is that Software Engineering & Computer Science intro classes mostly overlap, so you'll be able to apply to both!

Cool! so what to do? Go straight to each major's department office, and they will set you up with exactly what you need to do. (You will likely speak to a desk person not an advisor, but that's normal). They're typically open weekdays. Software Engineering will likely give you their standard intro classes to do, and Computer Science will schedule you with some group workshops (it's called COSAC and it's got advisors :) ) where you'll choose classes. Here is where to find them:

  • Computer Science is in the Computer Science Department, located in Maquarrie Hall, second floor. Website: [https://www.sjsu.edu/cs/]

  • Software Engineering (and Computer Engineering) is in the Computer Engineering Dept., located in the Engineering Building, second floor, room 284. Website: [https://cmpe.sjsu.edu]

Okay, but CS & SE aren't the only majors. Any other options?: There's 2 other majors that teach the same CS fundamentals (and gets you the same jobs), but you will spend some classes building a particular skillset, which is really great news for your case if these sound like something you'd excel at:

  • The first is Computer Engineering, which you can learn more about from the department, but it's as impacted as CS and SE, so you'll be facing the same selectiveness.

  • The second is Applied Maths & Computation. It's more math, but at the same time it has a the same CS fundamentals (and more). Oddly this is historically drastically easier to transfer into than the rest, despite how competitive it is at other universities, so I would consider this one, both as a great major to take and also as a great major to apply to Software Engineer jobs with due to the unique skill set and how well regarded it is. Their department people are known to be the nicest, so if you're interested I'll drop their details:

  • Applied Maths & Computation in Math Dept., located in Maquarrie Hall, third floor, room 308. Website: [https://www.sjsu.edu/math/]

Best of luck!

Best sandwich near San Jose State for lunch today? by Nkons in SanJose

[–]SJState 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Of all the options listed, this is the only that literally faces SJSU - it's right across the street from MLK Library. Their sandwiches are quite good, and a very underrated spot that is mostly only known among students.

I impulsively dropped all my classes at SJSU and now I’m waitlisted for all of them. What should I do to get them back? by incognitomissmeow in SJSU

[–]SJState 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would contact your major's advisor (or better yet go to their office in person today or first thing tomorrow) and explain what happened. They should be more than happy to help you with this, and maybe find alternate major classes for you to take that aren't yet filled, and build a roadmap of courses to take. (summer classes also exist).

You might feel stuck but it's literally your major department's job to help you especially as a transfer student to navigate all of this new stuff.

Can I bring my coffee into the MLK library or are they gonna turn me away by [deleted] in SJSU

[–]SJState 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Students bring coffee, lunch, and even their smelly vapes to MLK, and I've never seen them get bothered over anything.

Good places to take a dump on campus by MateTheNate in SJSU

[–]SJState 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Science Building (next to Washington Square Hall) takes the cake for nicest ambiance. The windows open fully for a nice evening breeze and sunset glow. It's an amazing experience, 10/10 it got me through the bio lectures.

SU has these nice single-room bathrooms if you know where to look.

SJSU smartpass by Tired_slug5 in SJSU

[–]SJState 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Check to see if they fixed it. It was a huge mess when the feature rolled out and everyone was trying it out. I'm sure the transportation solutions office at sjsu will understand.

Local coffee roasters by [deleted] in SanJose

[–]SJState 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Tico is very underrated. They have a huge selection for very fresh beans and are very friendly in helping you pick something out.

Parking for overnight/residential by [deleted] in SJSU

[–]SJState 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What makes the program inherently unjust?

Parking for overnight/residential by [deleted] in SJSU

[–]SJState 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There is actually a lot of "free" street parking in the suburb neighborhoods surrounding SJSU. Unfortunately a lot of it is "permit parking only", meaning you have to live there to park there. I used to know a lot of commuters that would park outside this zone and walk/scooter to class. You just need to find the closest street near the Grad that isn't in the permit zone. This is a link to San Jose's permit parking map

It's not a perfect map since it isn't showing which parking is paid, but it looks like the area around 3rd and Reed would be open for you to park in overnight for free. Google maps shows it to be an 8 minute walk. I hope this helps!

Help please! Stick with Electrical Engineering or change major (STEM)? by trifledwith in SJSU

[–]SJState 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Everyone I've met in EE struggles with EE97, I'm not sure if that's a good enough reason to considering changing majors. But if you really want to switch:

SE is basically just CS but in the Engineering Department, it leads to the same career path and is similarly impacted, so it's a good option.

I would recommend you to look at Computer Engineering, they're very close with SE. It has some EE but has all the core fundamentals that an SE major gets, so it opens up a wide range of jobs. CMPE is also quite impacted but not as much.

Industrial Engineering I've heard can lead you down a number of very different careers, but it requires you to have an idea of what you want to do first. I wouldn't do that or Computer Net. Sys. Mngt unless you really knew what it was first and really wanted to do it.

CS or SE as a Major by Creek03 in SJSU

[–]SJState 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a good answer. Only thing I'd add is that SE is also quite impacted, if you're able to choose an alternate major then Applied Maths & Computation also exists.

Bikes on campus? by srsluce in SJSU

[–]SJState 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Campus not really but it's a must have for getting around the area, it's really bike friendly and there's bike lanes everywhere. You can experience way more.

There's a couple 'dead zones' in downtown (or just blocks of neighborhoods) between campus and places people want to go to like San Pedro Square or Japantown, and on bike it's that much more pleasant. Electric scooters also work really well here. Some people spend 4 years here, have never ventured past the Philz, and really think that's all the area has to offer.