The Meaning of SJSU

The meaning of San Jose State University (SJSU) will have a different perspective in every individual’s opinion. This university may be a source to attain a four-year degree, might be seen as a commuter school to majority of the students or even perceived as just a party school. This university has much to offer, the diverse location, culture, and resources available make San Jose State appealing to vast range of people. Being a Spartan is a privilege for me. I know San Jose State or any college in that case does not guarantee happiness and success but when I made the decision to attend a four-year college, I knew it was an opportunity to test myself and see what I can achieve. It opens the eyes of every inspiring student and allows us to see the numerous possibilities. Being a Spartan excited me to keep moving forward, and makes my ambitions and visions to get even more powerful. San Jose State gave me an opportunity to achieve my dreams and gives me the desire to make this world a better place by providing my knowledge in my career. I know that what I gain from my education at San Jose State will be my tool. The biggest asset gained from a college degree is sheer knowledge. Academically San Jose State is a well-established school that allows students to explore their freedom as they please by offering vast majority of options according to their needs. San Jose State University offers the most established engineering programs by providing plethora of opportunities in Silicon Valley. Also it has the best business program as well as great programs in health science, science, animation, and more. It is ranked ninth in the west, top public universities offering bachelors and masters degrees.

At San Jose State, life is basically split into two categories; life in the books, and life outside the books. As we know, the more time you spend studying, the better grades you’ll achieve. The perfect place for a quite study session or pulling an all-nighter during the midterms and finals time is at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library also know as my second home. The Dr. Martin Luther King library is the main library for both San Jose State students and the San Jose public library system. The view from the top floors of the King library is marvelous. I always study either on the 6th floor or the 8th floor, taking the busy life of San Jose downtown in perspective and enjoying the beautiful view of the evergreen hills from my window. When procrastination time comes around then being in downtown San Jose provides students with plenty of things to do off campus. There are many great locations with delicious food that will definitely satisfy your cravings. Within a close walking distance are a number of affordable restaurants such as Pizza My heart, Phil’s coffee, Quickly’s and the oh so famous La Victoria Taqueria, home of the orange sauce. The students of San Jose State can enjoy these amazing well know places without having to worry about parking. If you don't have time to walk off campus to find some food, you can always go to the food court located inside the student union-- which also includes a wide variety of choices from Chinese food, to Mexican, or healthy choices like subway. The food court is my favorite place on campus because of its convenience. Also I see many students enjoy the delicious drinks at Phil’s coffee including myself. One of the best advantages of San Jose State is enjoying the Mint Mojito’s at such a closer distance to the campus. Also, for Students that are twenty-one and older, there are quite a few bars and nightclubs they can enjoy on Thursday and Friday nights. Only a block from campus is the Safeway, and around the corner a Grocery Outlet, which gives students the opportunity to get groceries without having to affect their financial situations. SJSU also gives students unlimited public transportation on the VTA buses and light rail. This allows students to go virtually anywhere without having to spend money. They could visit Eastridge Mall, Santana Row, or even Raging Waters. The public transportation really opens the door for students to explore San Jose and be able to travel to places too far to walk from campus.
The student organizations of SJSU also provide plenty of things to do on campus as well. There is always some event occurring on campus every day, usually free of charge. In addition, the resident advisors of housing organize entertaining and productive events that work best for most students to be able to enjoy. San Jose State University offers social organizations through Fraternities, Sororities or clubs like engineering and Associated Students Organization. The cohesiveness is a way to bring students at SJSU together as a community that share common interests. There are many opportunities to bond and join organizations that bring students together by providing the necessary information and making the resources available. The Greek community host events, sometimes free and sometimes not, that are almost always fun for any crowd, regardless if they are participating in Greek life or not. There are also outside organizations that come to campus to advertise or entertain the students, such as Rockstar handing out free drinks or EA Sports hosting an NCAA College Football gaming tournament. By participating with many things happening around the campus, it makes it easier for the student community to develop a sense of belonging.
San Jose State University holds fairness and diversity as one its main characteristics. According to US News report, a total of 25,170 students enrolled this year (USNews). Within these 25,170 students the genders are split into the division of male and females students almost down the middle. The university campus embraces its diversity on its 154 acres. SJSU is diversified with all types of races that range from Pacific Islander with 0.88%, Filipino with 6.98%, Hispanic with 15.49%, White with 7.39%, Indian with 0.45%, Asian American with 23.36% and Foreign with 8.47% (San Jose State University, 2001). Along with the diversity, SJSU has many influential faculty that cares for its students. From my personal experience SJSU Professors always helped me with any unresolved questions I had with understanding the content of class material. SJSU believes in thriving for greatness, and the professors definitely try their best to help students to achieve their academic goals. Therefore by interacting with professors and socializing with your peers helps create an environment and atmosphere that defines the meaning of SJSU.
However, San Jose State does have its disadvantages. While it isn’t extremely difficult to be accepted (US News reports a 75.1% acceptance rate), the school doesn’t have enough classes and seats to support all its students. First year students are usually at the bottom of the registration priority list, which makes it difficult to get all the classes that are needed. However, in order to overcome the over impacted classes, a student can join an on- campus service or organization such as being a resident advisor, peer advisor, or joining a Campus Village Committee.
One obstacle is San Jose State is a big commuter school; so many of the students don’t really have the time to explore and socialize with their peers. Majority of my friends commute early in the morning and take classes at community college alongside also. Those students leave campus after class and go home then only residents are left on campus on weekends. As a result, SJSU becomes a ghost town on weekends. To overcome this, students are encouraged to join an organization or club to meet new people in a more private setting, which may benefit people who tend to be shy. Making a decision to in participate in Greek life is also a beneficial way to meet new people. From my personal experience being a sorority member, I can say that most fraternities and sororities are friendly to new members or people thinking about joining. Although joining a Greek organization adds another fee on top of tuition, it has been a great way for me to meet new people and to form close lifelong friendships with a number of your peers.
As I mentioned above, being a Spartan is a privilege for me. I know San Jose State or any college in that case does not guarantee happiness and success but when I made the decision to attend a four-year college, I knew it was an opportunity to test myself and see what I can achieve. The meaning of San Jose State University holds different perspective for every individual but the freedom, the opportunities, the cohesiveness this University offers, makes the experience valuable for all its students. . The opportunities open the eyes of every inspiring student and allow us to see the numerous possibilities. The environment and atmosphere of SJSU influences the positive attitude of students and helps them to free their mind and take pleasure in the beauty of the campus. San Jose State University may not be your dream school but for me I’m proud to be a Spartan. San Jose is an amazing school, and is a good choice academically and provides a great college experience. The friendships and the experience at San Jose State University will always be unique in my life no matter what other path I choose after I leave SJSU. Being at SJSU made me a cultured individual; and you cannot just put a price tag on such learning.

Works Cited
NBC Bay Area. (2013, November 6). NY: NBCUniversal, Inc. Retrieved November 23,2013, from www.nbcbayarea.com
San Jose Mercury News (2013, November 18). CA: MediaNews Group. Retrieved Dec 2 2013, from http://www.mercurynews.com
Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. (2006, October 9). FL: Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Olympics_Black_Power_salute