I am currently studying in Cypress college which is a 2-year college in southern california. I am planning to transfer to a 4-year university in fall 2012 on a Chinese Studies major. I am wondering if anyone here knows which school has a good program for that major. I was told California State Uni. Long Beach has one of the best, but I would like to go to UCLA as well. Any advice? is UCLA worth it when majoring in chinese?

Go to China. It's much cheaper.

Go to Taiwan, specifically National Taiwan University in Taipei, one of the best schools in Asia.

Its a cheap and international recognized school with a lot of history, great teachers and the best students on the island.

If you're planning on studying Chinese within the UC system, why not talk to people from the Chinese departments of the schools you're considering and have them hook you up with some alums to talk to about their experiences? You might end up talking to each program's biggest fans, but you can still learn a lot that way.

I will indeed go to Taiwan or China but through CSU or UC. I need to get my bachelor's through a california university since I am transferring from a 2 year college here.

FatDragon, how can I get in touch with alumnis?

I would try contacting the Chinese departments at the respective schools and ask if they can put you in touch with some alumni. Either that or the school's recruting department. I guess it's not guaranteed that they'd be able to help you, but it would be worth a shot.

You might consider the overall reputation of the school. Cal State is a solid system, but UCLA has a strong national and even international reputation.