It is common knowledge that California has been in a state of depression for a couple of years. For college students, however, the current recession may never have been as real as it is now. The California State University (CSU) system is in a 584 million dollar deficit for the 2009-2010 budget. Due to this large lack of funding, many of the CSU college campuses have to shut down admissions for the Spring 2010 and possibly the Fall 2010 semesters. While having to make minor cutbacks is not new to school systems, this is the first time, at least in recent history, that the colleges will be refusing all admissions. This is affecting many, many students, as approximately 35,000 students apply to a CSU every semester, 60 percent of which are transfer students. According to Teresa Ruiz, Public Affairs Communications Specialist, the current crisis has sprouted from two main problems. “The CSU system has been taking in more students than we have funding for,” said Ruiz. “We have tried to keep education open to as many students as possible.” The second problem is that Governor Schwarzenegger cut the education budget to help cope with the statewide depression. Fortunately, the counselors at Skyline are ready and wanting to help their students. “Students shouldn’t give up hope” said Jacqueline Escobar, Counselor and Transfer Center Director of Skyline College. Escobar and all of the other counselors have quickly set to work to help alleviate the situation. They have already planned numerous workshops designed to help students with the application process and to inform them of the requirements for each of the various majors. All of the counselors receive weekly updates as to how the situation is changing, so it would be wise for students to meet with a counselor regularly. In addition, Transfer Day will be held at Skyline on October 23, from 10a.m. to 1p.m., during which representatives from different colleges will be present to answer any questions students may have. Some tips for students having a hard time getting into their college of choice? Continue working towards your degree and apply for the Fall; stay focused on your goal. Apply to many different colleges. “It’s important for students to be advocates for their situation” said Ruiz. Karla Ballesteros, a business administration major at San Francisco State who is also enrolled in one class at Skyline, gives a first-hand account of what these budget cuts mean form the perspective of a CSU student. Many classes, including required courses, have been cut down from around ten to about four, Ballesteros said. When the fees increased, students suddenly had to pay the difference in an allotted time period – otherwise they wouldn’t be let in. This caused many people’s schedules to change suddenly. The students, according to Ballesteros, mostly still showed up to the classes they wanted and needed on the first day of school, but the professors turned them away, always with the same story of how even the waitlist is full. These students usually find little luck and end up taking classes they don’t even need, just so they can accumulate some credits. “You can feel it,” said Ballesteros. “Everyone’s struggling to get a class.”