Transfer Student: Michael Ruso
Of the 8,000+ undergraduate students who enrolled at SDSU’s Fowler College of Business during the fall semester in 2025, 923 of them were new transfer students.
Michael Ruso was one of those students.
Being a transfer student wasn’t the path he’d planned to take to SDSU, but his persistence paid off.
“I chose to attend San Diego State because it had been my dream since high school,” said Ruso. “My aunt and my basketball coach both graduated from SDSU and they frequently talked about how Montezuma Mesa was the place to be.”
After visiting San Diego and falling in love with the city, Ruso applied to SDSU with high hopes. His was one of nearly 121,000 applications sent to SDSU, and he was disappointed to learn that he wasn’t accepted.
But this setback didn’t discourage him. Ruso moved to San Diego anyway, got a part-time job and enrolled at Mesa College, a community college near the SDSU campus. At Mesa, he thrived by earning outstanding grades and was named a class valedictorian when he graduated with an A.S. in business during the spring of 2025.
Even better: He’d recently been accepted to Fowler’s Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy.
Now, Ruso and the other transfer students had to learn to navigate student orientation, class registration and getting into some of his core courses after being on a waitlist.
However, he wasn’t going to let that small amount of upfront stress sidetrack him from living out the full campus experience at his “dream school.”
“Going to football games at Snapdragon Stadium is a surreal experience and the basketball games at Viejas Arena are always a good time,” explained Ruso. “The best experience I’ve had at San Diego State — hands down — was joining the men’s lacrosse club. I’ve met countless friends that I will stay close with for years to come. Plus, it keeps me in shape, gives me purpose, and allows me to compete.”
Once Ruso wraps up his SDSU journey and completes his degree in the spring of 2027, he hopes to stay in San Diego while working at one of the Big Four accounting firms.
Though Ruso’s path to SDSU wasn’t as straightforward as he’d planned, he says he has no regrets.
“I’m grateful for everything I’ve experienced,” he said. “It has shaped me in ways I didn’t expect, and I’m excited for what comes next!”
