Jacqueline Rosenblatt
When asked if she was reluctant to come to California State University at San Marcos because it wasn’t known for science, Jacqueline Rosenblatt responded as though someone had just inquired as to whether water was wet.
“You mean we’re not a name science school?” Rosenblatt said. “I don’t know why people haven’t heard about ours. Now that I think about it, I haven’t heard anything about UC-Davis.”
Rosenblatt, a 23-year-old biology junior, brings a new perspective to the old age question, ‘What’s in a name.” Rosenblatt said the quality of her education comes down to whether required core biology classes build on her love of science and are relevant to pursuing a career as a physician’s assistant.
“In animal physiology, I thought it was fascinating when we looked how and why we respond to our environment the way we do, how the body’s systems work – things like that,” she said. “And in genetics, we looked at why certain people get this disease or don’t get that disease. These are things I think I will actually use in my life.”
Beyond the quality of instruction, Rosenblatt said small class sizes, core classes with required labs and professors who are available to students who get stuck are all indicators she’s getting a top-notch science education. She says there’s something else that anyone touring the science and math departments at CSUSM can’t help but notice.
“It might surprise people that there are so many professors working with undergraduate students in their research labs,” said Rosenblatt, who’s currently doing field research in ecology. “There are a lot of undergraduate research opportunities here. And if you want to work side by side with a professor, you can. ”
Getting useful information from core classes and plenty of undergraduate science research opportunities – no wonder Rosenblatt believes CSUSM is a big-name science university.
