tour san francisco state university

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SF State Virtual Campus Tour Registration

Thank you for your interest in visiting San Francisco State University! SF State's virtual campus tour consists of an hour and a half tour that includes a 30-minute admission presentation followed by a one-hour virtual tour. Our tours are led by one of our amazing Tour Guides. They will guide you along the pathways outside of the campus buildings while they share general information and anecdotes about our history, as well as what they love about our University. Please select the date and time that works best for you and join us during this interactive tour and come learn more about our campus! We are looking forward to meeting you!

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Visiting the San Francisco State University Downtown Campus

Directions, Parking, Public Transportation

Directions by car.

The SF State Downtown Campus is located directly off Highways 101, 280 and 80.

From the North

Take the Golden Gate Bridge and follow highway 101 South to Broadway in San Francisco. Take Robert C Levy Tunnel, Battery Street, California Street, Davis Street, Beale Street, and Howard Street to Main Street.

From the East

Take Highway 80 (Bay Bridge) to exit 2C for Fremont Street toward Folsom Street. Turn right onto Howard Street. Turn left onto Main Street.

From the South

Take Highway 101 North to Bryant Street in San Francisco. Take exit 2 for Fourth Street. Turn left onto Bryant Street. Turn left onto Main Street.

Nearby Parking Lots

Nearby parking is available, but parking space can be limited and costly. Please visit the websites for parking availability and pricing.

155 Main Street (Parking Entrance of 160 Spear Street) 155 Main Street San Francisco, CA 94105 Hours of Operation: Mon.- Fri., 6 a.m. - 7 p.m. Closed weekends. Phone: 650-491-4799  

Rincon Center Garage 121 Spear Street (between Mission Street & Howard Street) San Francisco, CA 94105 Hours of Operation: Mon.-Fri., 6 a.m. -  8 p.m. Closed weekends. Phone: 415-317-5626  

188 Spear Street Parking Garage 188 Spear Street San Francisco, CA 94105 Hours of Operation: Mon.-Fri., 7 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Closed weekends. Phone: 415-543-6027  

Public Transportation

Public transportation is the recommended option for travel to downtown San Francisco on weekdays, as parking space can be limited and costly.

Exit at Embarcadero Station (Take the Market Street & Main Street exit). We are located a few blocks away from the Embarcadero BART station.

Visit SFMTA website  for the latest update on Muni routes and stops.

Metro / Underground

Exit at Embarcadero Station (Take the Market Street & Main Street exit).

Take F-Market or 9-San Bruno.

Amtrak offers bus pick-up and drop-off from the station in Emeryville directly to downtown San Francisco. The bus stop in San Francisco is located at 555 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 (In front of Chase Bank).

Visit the Amtrak website  for more information. There is a 10-minute walk from the bus stop to the SF State Downtown Campus at 160 Spear Street.

SF State's Downtown Campus Facilities and Services

Lam Family College of Business students, faculty, staff and visitors can learn about our  facilities and services  available at the Downtown Campus.

(415) 817-4300

(415) 817-4340

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Office Hours (DTC 1230)

• Mon. - Thurs, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
• Fri., 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Building Hours

• Mon. - Thurs.: 8 a.m. - 9:45 p.m.
• Fri: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. (additional hours on Fri. & Sat. MBA for Executive weekends)

San Francisco State University Downtown Campus 160 Spear Street, Suite 1230 San Francisco, CA 94105

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• Telephone: (415) 338-1276

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Student success at SF State means holding our students to high expectations and offering them the support they need to reach them. As a campus with a social justice mission at our core, we hold excellence and equity to be fundamental and interlinking values: We want to see our students graduate with degrees that represent learning experiences of the highest possible quality, inclusive of all of our students. 

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Virtual Tour

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San Francisco State University Virtual Tour

Are you considering san francisco state university take a virtual tour of the campus below..

A visit to SFSU is ideal, but virtual tours can act to refresh your memory or as a preview for your on-site tour.

Do I Really Need to Take a Tour?

Inevitably, on-campus tours of classrooms, libraries, dorms, and dining halls will start to blend. Jog your memory using the virtual tour and even explore the area surrounding the campus using the interactive mapping tool. If you're just beginning your college search, a virtual tour can be a great way to get a feel for a campus before your visit. Remember, when you do go, be sure to ask current students about their college life. A student perspective can be the most helpful way to gauge your future experience at San Francisco State University.

Use the resources below to start your virtual tour.

Using the Map

Click and drag the little orange person to a location on the map. Locations with panoramas appear as blue lines or blue dots when moving the orange person. The blue dots are panoramic views that you may swivel. The blue lines are paths that you can navigate along.

Panoramic View

You can "pan" or "swivel" the camera around by clicking on the image and dragging your mouse or finger. If you see a white arrow on the picture, you can click or tap on it to move in the direction of the arrow. This will also update the location of the little orange person on the map so you can get a better sense of where you are and what direction you are facing.

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San Francisco State University Transfers: 2024 Requirements, Dates, GPAs & More

How effective are san francisco state university virtual tours.

It depends how you use them. San Francisco State University is a hustling, bustling campus and community. The beauty of San Francisco State University virtual tours on CampusReel is that authentic video tours, made by real students, can be spectacular at capturing the San Francisco State University vibe. We also go well beyond the confines of the San Francisco State University campus by taking you around San Francisco. In traditional virtual tours, you will mostly see still, unengaging images and will not see the surrounding area at all – which is why CampusReel virtual tours are so important.

Can a San Francisco State University virtual tour replace a traditional in-person visit?

If you cannot visit San Francisco State University in person, then we can honestly say that we believe a CampusReel virtual tour of San Francisco State University is absolutely the most effective and holistic way to understand the San Francisco State University people, campus and community. However, if you do plan on visiting San Francisco State University and other colleges in person, we strongly recommend that you at least prescreen your college options on CampusReel before spending the time and money to visit. Most prospective families find that as soon as the step on campus, they instantly know whether or not they like the school – but they’ve already spent all that time and money getting there! Our goal is to eliminate all the time and money visiting San Francisco State University in person until you can make a strong educated guess that it’s worth the investment.

What are the downsides of a San Francisco State University virtual tour?

The downside of virtually touring San Francisco State University on CampusReel is that, admittedly, our technology does not yet mimic the exact feeling and experience of visiting San Francisco State University in person. We are working on this though! A common request we also receive from users is to add more perspectives (e.g. student guides) to the platform. Rest assured we are working on adding more CampusReel guides to the San Francisco State University virtual tour. However, our selection of guides still far outweighs the available perspectives of traditional virtual tour platforms.

What are the benefits of a San Francisco State University virtual tour?

The most obvious benefit of a San Francisco State University virtual tour on CampusReel is that is can be accessed from anywhere. This can save families a lot of time and money compared to visiting San Francisco State University in person . Another often overlooked benefit of a CampusReel virtual tour is that it goes far beyond a traditional in person tour San Francisco State University . Campus visits are limited both in time and scope – how are you expected to truly understand a college in a 1 hour tour? That’s why we stress the added benefit of CampusReel virtual tours – experience San Francisco State University and San Francisco during different seasons, days of the week, and even hours of the day. What’s game day like? What is finals week life? Again, traditional virtual touring platforms don’t include this benefit.

Check out these related virtual tours:

• Virtal tour to University of California-Riverside (UCR)
• Virtal tour to University of Nevada, Reno
• Virtal tour to Oregon State University (OSU)
• Virtal tour to University of Oregon (UO)
• Virtal tour to Washington State University (WSU)

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• SAN FRANCISCO, CA

San Francisco State University This college has been claimed by the college or a college representative.

• grade  B+ Overall Grade
• Rating 3.54 out of 5   3,743 reviews

Report Card

• Academics grade  B
• Value grade  A minus
• Diversity grade  A
• Campus grade  B
• Athletics grade  C+
• Party Scene grade  B
• Professors grade  B+
• Location grade  A
• Dorms grade  C minus
• Campus Food grade  B
• Student Life grade  A minus
• Safety grade  B+

San Francisco State is an above-average public university located in San Francisco, California. It is a large institution with an enrollment of 17,379 undergraduate students. The San Francisco State acceptance rate is 94%. Popular majors include Business, Psychology, and Biology. Graduating 55% of students, San Francisco State alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $38,000.

• Hispanic-Serving Institution
• Public College
• SAT/ACT Optional
• San Francisco

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Application workshop.

Looking to apply to SF State for Spring 2025? Join our Cal State Apply Workshop! We can help you with the application process and answer your questions. Join us to learn about what SF State has to offer and how you can submit your application today.

San Francisco State University Rankings

Niche rankings are based on rigorous analysis of key statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and millions of reviews.

• Best Hispanic-Serving Institutions in America 60 of 377
• Best Colleges for Communications in America 92 of 907
• Best Big Colleges in America 102 of 123

Students also applied to ...

• grade  B+ San José State University
• grade  A minus University of San Francisco
• grade  A minus University of California - Santa Cruz
• grade  A San Diego State University
• grade  A+ University of California - Davis
• grade  B+ University of the Pacific
• grade  B+ California State University - Northridge
• grade  A+ University of California - San Diego

Will You Get In?

Will you get into sfsu, find student loans, scholarship, most popular majors.

• Business 1,322 Graduates
• Psychology 398 Graduates
• Biology 362 Graduates
• Computer Science 293 Graduates
• Criminal Justice and Safety Studies 266 Graduates
• Communications 264 Graduates
• Early Childhood Education 258 Graduates
• Film and Video Studies 226 Graduates
• Physical Education Teaching and Coaching 186 Graduates
• Nursing 162 Graduates

Online Academics

• Mix of Online and on Campus 61%
• On Campus 28%
• Diverse 40%
• Hipster 12%
• International 4%
• Either pretentious or not caring 3%
• Unfriendly/pretentious or open-minded/friendly 2%

Campus Life

• Diverse 43%
• Commuter school 41%
• Not as bad as people make it out to be. 8%
• Social Justice Extravaganza 3%
• Underrated 2%
• It's school, like a giant high school 1%
• Home away from home 1%

After College

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San Francisco State University Reviews

• Rating 5 out of 5   Excellent 631   reviews ( 17 %)
• Rating 4 out of 5   Very Good 1288   reviews ( 34 %)
• Rating 3 out of 5   Average 1423   reviews ( 38 %)
• Rating 2 out of 5   Poor 267   reviews ( 7 %)
• Rating 1 out of 5   Terrible 134   reviews ( 4 %)
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Meet Our Student Tour Guides!

Our amazing student tour guides are here to share their experience as Gators with prospective students and their families. They will show you the SF State campus through their own eyes. They will share with you anecdotes, our history, what they love the most about the University and why they love being a gator. 

Himaank Dabra

My name is Himaank Dabra, and I am a San Francisco State University tour guide. I am from India, and as an international student, I have always been fascinated by the diverse culture, history, and landmarks that make San Francisco such a unique and exciting place to live and learn. I am a Sophomore studying Business Management as my major. I will pursue and start my own business after graduation, which has made me passionate about sharing my knowledge and experiences with prospective students and their families.

Raylene Moreno

Hello! My name is Raylene (she/her), and I am a junior student majoring in Psychology. Growing up in the East Bay Area, I decided to transfer to SFSU because of the welcoming, diverse campus community. I also love taking classes at the campus wellness center, reading a book at the library, and attending various campus events. I hope to be a “Ray” of sunshine and that you love campus too!

Hi! My name is Anni Welch (they/them) and I’m a first year student majoring in Sociology and double minoring in Theater and Sexuality Studies. I’m from a small town in the foothills between Sacramento and Tahoe. I love rock climbing at our school’s wellness center, exploring the city, and getting involved in creative and social justice communities on campus. I’m grateful to be surrounded by peers and professors who are passionate about making the world a better place. I hope you love this campus and the people here as much as I do!

Lakshyaraj Bhati

I’m Lakshyaraj Bhati; you can call me Lakshya. I’m a sophomore here at SFSU studying Computer Science. I’m an International Student from Jodhpur, India. As a Computer Science major, I want to be a software developer, and eventually, I would love to start my own company. I want to be a trillionaire. I chose SFSU because of the facilities they provide in my major, from computer labs to research projects. It is a very beautiful campus with many opportunities for everyone. The best part of working with UGAR is that I get to meet a lot of new people, primarily students who are trying to get into college, and it reminds me of the time when I was applying to colleges.

Lorena Mejia

Hello, my name is Lorena Mejia, and I am a Criminal Justice Major. I am from Sacramento, and this is my first year attending SFSU. I have spent a lot of time in San Francisco, especially at a young age, so I have gained much love and knowledge about the city. I love that SFSU is diverse and has many resources for students. I am also a first-generation student in hopes of becoming an immigration lawyer in the future! I am always looking to find new places in the city and explore! I love that being a tour guide makes me knowledgeable about all the fun facts about our campus!

Isabella Campos

Hello!! My name is Isabella, and I am currently a 2nd year majoring in Criminal Justice. I decided to attend SFSU due to its immense diversity and beautiful city. SFSU has so much to offer its students regarding academics and life on campus. I encourage everyone to get involved with as much as possible while attending SFSU; that way, you make the most out of all the hard work and time you will put in while you go here. I love being a tour guide because it allows me to show others all our campus's great resources and fun events!

Ritesh Ritesh

Hello! Call me Ritesh (aka best out of best). I am an Indian international student. I plan to work as a software engineer after I graduate, thus computer science is my major. San Francisco State offers a variety of opportunities for success in one's own positive approach. Additionally, SF State provides a unique bachelor's degree that is centered in my field of study. The campus community is always so welcoming that I never get the impression that I'm away from home. It's the finest a foreign student could hope for.

Dylan James Beck Gillespie

Hello, incoming students! Coming from an insider Gator, I, Dylan Gillespie, am one of your tour guides and a genie to hopefully answer all of your questions! I am studying Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences with a double minor in Special Education and Early Childhood Development. I wish to help others understand the determination and drive it takes to become a part of the Gator family and the amazing opportunities we offer. Thanks to many of our advisors, administrators, and professors,  I will finish my degree pathway a year early and enter graduate school before turning twenty-one! Hopefully, SF State will help you along your lifelong journey into the vast world. Go Gators!

Sara S. Collins

Hello, my name is Sara Collins! I’m a sophomore at SFSU, majoring in classics and minoring in anthropology! I chose SFSU because of its amazing classics program, and it’s tendency to amplify marginalized voices. As the daughter of a female immigrant, growing up I wanted a place that felt like I belonged! In choosing SFSU I feel that I found a place with so much diversity and so much acceptance. This job has given me an opportunity to give back to a school that I feel has given me an irreplaceable sense of self.

Tyler Sheldon Daffron

Hello, my name is Tyler Daffron (they/them). I am a transfer student from Los Angeles. I am currently pursuing a degree in Cinema with a minor in Journalism. My goal is to make documentaries about social/environmental issues and eventually open up a foster home! I love to explore the beautiful city of San Francisco. There is so much history and culture here along with many beautiful nature spots. I hope to assist others in seeing all the wonderful opportunities SF State has. Everyday at this school I learn something new from the diverse group of students. I plan to share all that I learn with you on my tours so that you can see why you should join the Gator family!

Natalia L. Gomez

Natalia Gomez. I’m a 3rd year who is studying anthropology and Art history. I love Crocheting and painting. I chose San Francisco State University because I love San Francisco, and I found our Anthropology department interesting.

Drish Singh Sethi

Hey there! I am Drishdev Singh Sethi (Drish for short), an undergraduate sophomore at SF State and my pronouns are He/Him. I am pursuing a bachelors degree in Business Administration with Decision Sciences as my concentration. I chose SFSU for a chance to fall in love with the city of San Francisco as I love exploring and for the amount of diversity it offers. I am an international student and have been in a boarding school for a major part of my life which really made me meet people from all areas of life, geographically too. The same sense of diversified culture can be experienced here at SFSU!

Becca Wilson

Hi! I’m Becca Wilson, (any pronouns), a senior majoring in Sociology. I am also really interested in cinema, my minor. I went to SF State because it offers a wide variety of majors and classes to figure out what you want to do, maybe something you never expected to. The people here are dedicated to helping the students do whatever they set their minds to. That, and being located in San Francisco means it is a bus ride away from all sorts of exciting places.

Jamal Howard

Hello, everyone. My name is Jamal Howard, and I'm a first-year student at SFSU. I'm majoring in International Business and minoring in Communications. I chose SFSU because of its breathtaking views and unique historical aspects that make it stand out. My favorite spot on campus is the second floor of the Cesar Chavez building, where you can watch the sunset over the quad and fog coming in. I became a tour guide to showcase the fascinating stories and facts that SFSU has to offer to everyone.

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Welcome New Residents!

Please be sure to review the  Community Living Standards Guide  as it will help you navigate life in your new community and transition into your new home.

San Francisco State University Housing

Get ready to make SF State your home! A place where you can belong to a supportive and engaging community that will help you thrive both personally and academically. 

FUTURE RESIDENTS

SF State has a variety of housing communities, room types and meal plans for you to choose from. Whatever you’re looking for, we have a space that’s right for you. When you choose to live on campus, you’ll be part of a vibrant campus community where an abundance of opportunities await right outside your door. 

CURRENT RESIDENTS

As resident of SF State, you are part of a community that fosters student learning, professional development and personal growth. In your community, you will find a network of support staff committed to connecting you to resources and opportunities that will help you make the most of your on-campus experience. 

A HOME TO FIT EVERY BUDGET

With all of the benefits that on-campus housing has to offer, SF State strives to ensure that housing is accessible to all. That’s why we’ve allocated bedspaces at a reduced rate for our First-time Freshmen that are CAL Grant A or B recipients.

Housing Virtual Tour

Click the rotating image to explore each of SF State's 3 residential neighborhoods, 9 communities.

Important Dates

• Oct 04 Fri, October 04, 2024 Deadline to spring forward a 2024-2025 application to spring 2025
• Oct 14 Mon, October 14, 2024 Spring 2025 Housing Application Opens at 9 a.m.
• Nov 18 Mon, November 18, 2024 Spring 2025 Reservation Notifications Start
• Dec 18 Wed, December 18, 2024 Spring 2025 Move-in Confirmation Deadline

Announcements

SF State has a NEW Freshmen Housing Community - West Grove Commons!

Why You'll Love this Community

Community | Intimate pod communities and a variety of shared spaces (great room, kitchen and game room) make it easy for students to connect with neighbors and immerse in student life.

Convenience  | Located in the heart of campus, students are just steps away from classes, resources and on-campus eateries.

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Experience SF State Housing

Virtually explore SF State Housing in a fully immersive 360-degree experience.

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University imaging center trains 1,000th student, fosters future scientists

Students gain marketable skills and mentorship at the cutting-edge facility, paving the way for success in research and industry

Back in grade school, many of us read biology textbooks filled with illustrations of cells, organelles and chromosomes. But in the real world, scientists have methods to light up cells (sometimes colorfully) to view these elements with their own eyes. At San Francisco State University, these researchers are students using the on-campus Cell and Molecular Imaging Center (CMIC).

“When you are the person who gets to prepare the samples and put it in the microscope and are able to take those pretty images … wow, it’s amazing. I didn’t know I could do that,” said Judy Abuel (B.S., ’22; M.S., ’24).

The CMIC recently achieved a major milestone: It surpassed 1,000 student trainees since 2003. Many of those were master’s students, and even more were undergraduates getting a taste of hands-on high-tech science in Hensill Hall. Approximately 36% of all CMIC students are from underrepresented communities.

The CMIC provides San Francisco State researchers access to cutting-edge equipment, data analysis tools and extensive training. It’s that last point — the extensive training — that is key to the students’ success.

Marketable skills

“Ultimately, we’re trying to get students jobs, so a lot of the CMIC’s mission is to try to make sure that they’re trained on up-to-date scientific equipment and that they get research experience, which will make them more competitive at getting jobs,” CMIC Director Annette Chan said. Faculty like Biology Professor Diana Chu periodically write grants to ensure the CMIC has the best equipment, including awards from the National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation program.  

“I think when [students] leave, they can feel more confident that they understand what they are doing. They know how to use the technology that’s relevant to where they are going. It’s very impressive,” Chu said. The resulting high-quality data helps students publish in scientific journals and present at local, national and international conferences, making them competitive for graduate school and industry.

“I did an oral talk last year at a conference. That was my first time showing my pretty [CMIC] images to people, and I could tell that a lot of people were so surprised because I was just a first-year master’s student,” said Abuel, who just started working on her Ph.D. at UC Davis, largely because of her CMIC experience. Like most students, Abuel came to the CMIC with no prior advanced microscopy training.

“I am pretty confident that if I go to a different institution and use their microscope, I would not need a lot of help trying to figure out how to use it,” she added, crediting the variety of CMIC equipment and training.

Image of chromosomes segregating during cell division by Judy Abuel (B.S., ’22; M.S., ’24), now a UC Davis Ph.D. student.

Image of dividing cells in a C. elegan worm by grad student Allen Michael Ramsey.

Image of dividing neural stem cells by alum Gerson Ascencio (B.S., ’21; M.S. ’23), now a Stanford Ph.D. student.

Immunostaining of fruit fly (drosophila) larval brain by grad student Stephanie Uzordinma Awuzie.

Training experts

Molecular Biology senior Angelo Orozco first used the CMIC as a sophomore to learn flow cytometry (a way to quantify cells based on physical/chemical properties), a skill widely used in biomedical research and industry. He says it was stressful but the experience gave him a deep understanding of the technique so he could mentor his colleagues.

“I was the [lab’s] resident flow cytometer expert so I had to teach all of these master’s students who might need it for their projects,” Orozco said.

These days, he’s shifted to the CMIC’s microscopes. He’s surprised by the variety and caliber of experiences he’s had this early in his career.

“It just opens so many doors. Even if you don’t use it in the future, it’s still something to show that you are getting out there and you’re learning new things. It also helps you gain new perspectives on anything you might do in the future,” he explained.

Orozco and Abuel admit that working in the CMIC can be intimidating. Coming in with minimal or no prior experience, they were trained to independently use equipment that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. Damaging a device can be costly, ruin experiments and halt work in multiple labs for weeks or longer. However, Chan credits students for the fact that the CMIC equipment rarely encounters issues.

‘ The best mentor ’

The students and Chu stress Chan’s role in the CMIC’s story. Her expertise, mentorship and patience are critical to the CMIC’s success, they say.

“She’s probably one of the best mentors I’ve ever had,” Orozco said. “I would be in the CMIC very late at night, and [if I have a] question or anything went wrong, all I had to do is email her and she would respond very quickly. She’s always there for you.”

Chan, the sole person running the day-to-day CMIC operations, trains multiple students per week. Each training can last multiple hours and span several days. This level of output is rare and impressive.

“I think [Annette] provides the most thorough training you can imagine,” Chu said. “I think that’s very different from other facilities and facility managers. I think the training [students] get at CMIC is one of the best anywhere.”

As for Chan, she beams with pride thinking of the students working at the CMIC. She’s inspired by the students and in awe of their work, dedication and conscientiousness.

“I always tell people I get the cream of the crop at San Francisco State because these students are highly motivated,” Chan noted. “At SF State, teaching is a big component, which is why I love it here.”

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