I began my college career attending University of California, Santa Barbara and then transferred back home to Sacramento State my junior year. At first I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like being back in Sacramento. I’d tried my best to leave the city when I went away to school. Nonetheless, I ended up back where I started and have since grown to appreciate the city I had always taken for granted. However, never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I’d be attending Sac State. Both of my parents attended Sac State, in fact my dad still takes night classes here. I also never thought an education from a California State University school could even begin to compare to a UC education. Boy, was I wrong.

To begin with, I envisioned Sac State as being a commuter school. Over the last few months, however, I’ve noticed students actually enjoy spending time on campus outside of class. Whether they’re just hanging out with friends or becoming involved in a campus activity, there seems to be a real spirit about this campus that was sorely lacking at UC Santa Barbara.

Sports are another positive experience at this school. Football games bring unity in the student body, as well as the surrounding community. Not only do students attend games, but so also do the members of the community, which I believe makes for a better relationship between the school and the community. The UC I attended was more isolated from the surrounding city and was its own town in a sense, the city of Sacramento seems to embrace the school as another facet of the community.

It is also pleasing to see the wide variety of speakers and entertainment offered by Associated Students, Inc. and other campus organizations. On any given week, there is some form of entertainment to suit a wide variety of tastes. With such a diverse student population, this variety is important. This brings me to the last and most important difference between Sac State and the UC schools – the diversity.

Having grown up in Sacramento, and having lived in a very diverse community my whole life, I experienced culture shock when I went away to Santa Barbara where roughly ninety percent of the student population was white. While this didn’t make the time I spent there any less valuable, I’d always believed that living in a diverse community makes one a more well rounded individual. Coming back to Sacramento and seeing the diversity of the students and staff at Sac State, I knew my time at this school would not only educate me for my future profession, but also for living in a country which seems to grow more diverse with each passing year. The diversity of this school is one of its strongest assets, and one each student should be thankful for.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking the UC system. In fact, I had some of the best times of my life while attending a UC school, but I would challenge anyone to say that you can’t get just as good of an education at a CSU school. While there may not be the prestige associated with having a UC on your diploma, Sac State and the other CSU schools offer just as many opportunities for those who are serious about their education.

I was wrong about Sac State, and happily so. I’ve made some awesome friends in my first few months here, and encountered some wonderful professors. Honestly, I wouldn’t trade my education and experiences at Sac State for all the UC diplomas in the world. Sacramento is my home, and my time at the University has made it all the more worthwhile.

Erin Kauffman majors in government and women’s students and resides happily in Sacramento. She can be reached at [email protected]