In terms of student diversity, classes, location, and reputation, which is the better school, San Diego State, Cal Poly SLO, USC, or CSU Chico?
When I attended Cal Poly SLO for Business, it was the only CSU school where all 4 of the Big 4 Accounting firms heavily recruited from. I focused in Information Systems and at the time, 98% of students looking for a job out of college found one in my concentration. Business is the 3rd largest college by numbers of students at Cal Poly behind Agriculture and Engineering. They focus on a "learn by doing" model of education which many employers truly admire. The general thought of Cal Poly graduates is that even if they don't know the answer to something, they know how to get it. Previous posters had mentioned lack of internships but this is completely false. I did a summer internship with a Big 4 Accounting firm, and the majority of other business students also did internships (albeit the great paying ones are not in SLO, but there are some available locally).The town of San Luis Obispo is a small college beach town. The lifestyle is incredibly laid back, the town is very safe, and there is no such thing as a traffic jam. Flip flops are worn virtually year around. Oprah called SLO "The happiest place on earth", and for good reason. You can bike just about anywhere. Within 20 miles in any direction of town are multiple beaches, mountains, and wine tasting. I will still to this day make a commitment to visit SLO at least once a year for the food alone (Firestone's tri-tip sandwich is the greatest single food item ever created). The population is literally made up entirely of rich old people and college students. The biggest problem with graduating from Cal Poly is that you will never want to leave, but will be forced to due to lack of high paying jobs.If you're looking for student diversity, Cal Poly is simply not the place to be. The vast majority of students are white. Same for Chico. However, I wouldn't let that be a determining factor. If you want a diverse experience, do a study abroad program.The last thing I would recommend is go visit all of them! See what "feels" right. All of those colleges have very different cultures, climates, and atmospheres. See where you think you will fit in best. If you're a self-motivated hard working person, finding a job shouldn't be a problem regardless of what college you choose.