San Francisco State University
Hallmarks and Quirks
Things I'm Good At:
- Film. I'm one of the nation's top film schools, according to Entertainment Weekly. Plus, San Francisco has got tons of film festivals.
- Music. Ever heard of Outside Lands? It's like Coachella, but cheaper…and less pretentious.
- Food. SF has some of the greatest fusion and ethnic cuisine around.
- Freebies. There are tons—and I mean tons—of free concerts, movie screenings, and festivities going around the city every weekend.
My Top 5 Must-Haves:
- Sweaters, sweaters, and more sweaters. Seriously, it gets pretty cold and windy here.
- Open-mindedness. I'm diverse, yo.
- Learn to say "hella" or at least not cringe when you hear it. (I'm looking at you, SoCal.)
- Longboard or cool bike. If you bring a fixie (bad idea), make sure you have brakes. My hills are perilous.
- BART/Caltrain card. Don't bring a car to San Francisco. Just…don't.
Why You Might Have Heard of Me:
- Awesome music scene. This is San Francisco, after all.
- Famous alumni. Yeah, some pretty famous people came here. I'll tell you about it later.
- International Relations. I was one of the first universities to offer a degree in that.
- Writing. I'm the only university in California to offer a BA in technical and professional writing. Take that, you Ivy Leagues.
On a regular Saturday night, you can find me...
I'll be all over the city. With diverse neighborhoods and plenty of bars and nightclubs, you can find anything that fits your style.
Like dancing to some samba or salsa? The Mission is for you. Are you partial to science and other mind-boggling goodness? The Exploratorium has your name written all over it. Or maybe you just want to take in the sweet sight of the city. If so, then take a trip up to Twin Peaks with some buds (ahem, friends) and enjoy.
Favorite Hangouts:
- Golden Gate Park. You can catch a glimpse of it in the Kite Runner movie.
- Dolores Park. There's plenty of green grass for picnicking or cloud-watching. Plus, there's a pretty awesome playground. You know, for kids…
- Fillmore Jazz District. This was known as the Harlem of the West in the '40s and '50s.
- The Depot. This is the coolest on-campus center for music, poetry, and comedy.
Quirks:
- I run on the semester system. This pretty much cuts your school year into two halves: fall and spring.
- There are some pretty great comedy clubs on campus that'll help you hit the big leagues…well, if you're brave/funny enough.
- Out of all universities in the U.S., I enroll the most international students. I'm the great American melting pot.
Famous Alumni:
- Jeffrey Tambor, from Arrested Development
- Kari Byron, from Mythbusters
- Johnny Mathis, singer, eclipsed only by that stupid-sexy Frank Sinatra
- Dana Carvey, from SNL and Wayne's World
- Rob Schneider, also from SNL. Yep—him, too.