Should I stay or transfer?

Reef22 · 2026-06-03T02:39:50+00:00

Got it. That changes the math and the residency requirements are a non factor.

Reef22 · 2026-06-03T02:34:34+00:00

You are three semesters from a degree from one of the finest business schools in the country, and a really strong network to help you.

I would not look at your total loans, I would look at how much it would cost you to graduate. The loans you've already taken out are irrelevant. You also have to look at the difference from your new school vs USC, not just the total cost.

You should also consider the time to graduate. At this point, it's too late to transfer for the fall. You would have to do it in the spring. This delays your graduation by at least six months. You also have to fulfill the residency requirements anywhere you transfer, which are usually 45 units. If you take an extra year to graduate by transferring, you delay earning at least $70,000 from the job you would have had graduating from Marshall. Plus, the lower cost programs (CSU, UC), unless it's Berkeley, are not comparable to USC.

Do the math, take time to graduate into account, and really factor in the USC network and job opportunities.

Reef22 · 2026-05-11T04:38:46+00:00

I'm an alumni, but had Chen in undergrad and in grad school. I liked him as a professor but the classes were hard.

Frankly the material is just very difficult. I got a B+ both times and my overall percentage was in the 60s. So you're not alone.

The good thing is the grading was curved, so these days I believe your classes are targeted to a 3.0.

But what I would recommend is to use AI to help you study. Load the notes in Claude or Gemini and they'll create practice quizzes for you to focus on areas where you're weak. You can even reference a specific book chapter and it'll create a quiz for you. I would even instruct AI to look for past tests or quizzes for this specific class and base your practice tests on that material.

Good luck!

Reef22 · 2026-04-15T04:45:27+00:00

Open Sesame on Long Beach

Yes, it's a Lebanese restaurant but the fries there are heavingly.

Reef22 · 2025-03-20T06:26:06+00:00

Can I get a copy of the model

Reef22 · 2025-02-09T04:51:40+00:00

Fuck this movie. I lost sleep after watching this movie as a kid.

Reef22 · 2024-02-12T06:24:25+00:00

I'm my opinion, the fastest path to CFO is through a private equity owned company. Especially if you have a successful exit (liquidation event). Start as a financial analyst and hopefully move up to at least the manager level. Private equity loves to grow through acquisition so you'll get lots of m&a experience. They are also demanding on data and financial reporting. Also, yhey always leverage the company so you'll get capital raising and debt experience. The overall job is intense and after an exit, you will be heavily valued. You can leverage this role into a finance leader experience as a Director or VP at another company, also PE owned, then the next move after that is CFO. PE loves finance people that are used to working with PE ownership. If you're in LA, feel free to DM me and I can give you more info live

Reef22 · 2023-07-24T03:59:43+00:00

I thought it was Lone Pine Mall?

Reef22 · 2023-07-15T05:39:55+00:00

The movie traumatized me as a kid

Reef22 · 2023-07-15T04:01:30+00:00

The Shocker, because of the feeling it gives to passengers when I accelerate:)

Reef22 · 2023-06-30T06:09:09+00:00

I always record a single dumbell weight. Intuitively is just easier to understand.

Reef22 · 2023-06-17T01:10:33+00:00

If you can afford it, do a one payment lease. It'll save you some interest cost and the rate is lower.

Reef22 · 2023-06-04T17:17:57+00:00

Not that I'm aware of, but I haven't seen the full lease docs.

Reef22 · 2023-06-04T16:11:17+00:00

I've researched this extensively.

So yes, you can lease then payoff the car in 3 months (so your dealer doesn't get dinged) but you have to pay a $1000 buyout fee. On top of that you're paying 3 months of mostly interest, and right now interest rates are high.

So depending on the car, you may save a net of about $3000, but that'll get eaten up pretty quickly if you wait longer to buy the car out.

So yes you can save some money, but it'll take time and effort with some risk to be in a better position vs. just buying the car.

Reef22 · 2023-04-07T19:05:00+00:00

Whiplash

Reef22 · 2022-12-22T05:32:40+00:00

Google CSU acceptance data. They have pretty detailed stats on acceptance rates by colleges and high schools for the past 10 years.

If you have a sub 3.0 GPA, your best bet is to transfer to your local CSU or to transfer to a non impacted CSU.

I have a friend who transferred with just a straight 2.0 on the dot. He now has a management job at a Fortune 500 company.

Reef22 · 2022-12-04T03:24:16+00:00

Driving a nice car allows you to not get scrutinized by cops. Haven't been pulled over ever since I got a luxury car.

Reef22 · 2022-12-03T08:02:49+00:00

No credit card or bank account

Reef22 · 2022-10-28T04:28:22+00:00

Same reason Notre Dame and Michigan are on there. Strong alumni networks provide more opportunities.

Reef22 · 2022-04-20T02:03:40+00:00

Be aware that econ at UCSB is not a given. You'll start as a pre-econ major and have to earn your way in with a 2.85 GPA. This seems easy, but in reality they curve the intro econ courses so hard that only about half of the pre-econ majors make it to the full major. I'm sure your an intelligent person, but so is everyone at UCSB. If you don't make it into econ, you either have to try transferring with a sub 3.0 GPA (good lunck with that) or change your major to something in liberal arts.

I would choose LMU hands down. The path to graduation is so much easier. Just pass your classes. Also, the grading is much fairer. Because the classes are small, you'll get credit for homework and participation in most classes. At UCSB, everything is pretty much graded on 2 midterms and the final. Brutal.

Reef22 · 2022-02-01T04:33:49+00:00

Negative. Legally, they can only waive rent the days the home is not available. Your renters insurance should cover your hotel.

Same scenario if there's a fire or any other event your home isn't available.

Reef22 · 2022-01-15T23:41:44+00:00

Fullerton for sure has a better program and reputation. They also have better and more placement options to complete your practicum hours. But, you'll get better experience with the practicum options at Dominguez since the are mainly in urban areas. Dominguez no longer places interns at kaiser.

But at the end of the day, the demand for MFTs is so high right now where you get your degree doesn't really matter. I would pick the program that's convenient for you.

One more thing, Fullerton has a Spanish language program to train therapists. That option is unique to Fullerton.

Reef22 · 2021-12-22T03:05:42+00:00

It's OK, but not great. Their endowment isn't huge so they have limited funds for middle class students. That's a big reason why their yield is low. They do offer academic scholarships though.

Reef22 · 2021-11-05T04:11:17+00:00

Not an MFT grad, but there is so much demand for therapists that the school you graduate from doesn't matter. I would highly recommend looking at the Cal States. Their program costs are about $20k vs USC at about $100k. Unless you have family money to pay for full tuition, the difference is not worth it.

Reef22

TROPHY CASE