California State University-Long Beach Reviews

"CSULB was my top choice for university. The campus is absolutely gorgeous and the staff are excellent! There is ample parking on campus, but so many students walk, bike, or skateboard to class as well. Liberal Arts majors have to walk the furthest away from the parking lots, while Business majors park relatively close. The school is populated at all hours which makes for a very safe environment. Go Beach!"

"I transferred to Cal State Long in 2018 from Cypress Community College. I graduated in 2020 with a degree in English Literature. Overall, I would say Cal State Long Beach is good college to attend because of the professors who taught each course. They would start off each semester with an introduction to their classroom and would provide reading materials necessary for their class. All of their textbooks, as an English major were related to the course and helped improve my knowledge of literature within the United States and the UK. We would review different time periods and authors who wrote using different ideologies, themes, and with different techniques. My professors would show how each author or text wrote in reflection of the time period as well as with different writing styles in mind. We would be asked to analyze the text and contemplate the meaning through essays and short answers/articles. We were also encouraged the improve our research skills and creativity, along with understand the basic concept of an essay and what is required beyond that. The professors would also allow students to come during office hours to improve on writing, better understand the literature, and ask for tips. I feel this made my experience at Cal State Long Beach great and would recommend and encourage other students to attend.Read Less"

"CSULB was an incredibly diverse school with diverse faculty and students. The intersectionality of the readings, courses, and discussions in class contributed not only to my academic endeavors, but to my real life. The professors were kind, supportive, and always willing to help. I made great friends with many of my classmates and the community on campus was very welcoming."

"I have had a mostly-positive experience with CSULB. Even though the College of Liberal Arts has a large population of students, the orientation and upcoming first semester puts you in the same classes as many of your peers, so it's easier to meet people and make friends. The campus environment is typically welcoming, and there are plenty of organizations to participate in. Many of my professors were knowledgeable and up-to-date about teaching in classrooms and applying curriculum to what future students will be learning; there is also a highly-impacted education facet to an English degree. It puts you on the right track to go for a teaching certification program, and the counselors are helpful. You also get to (in your later years) tour classrooms and work with teachers to decide if teaching is right for you. However, the financial aid is rather poor. Tuition keeps rising every year, and there are few resources available to homeless or financially-insecure students. The faculty are not paid a fair living wage, and the administration seems to take all of the money and funnel it into their salaries or unnecessary campus beautification projects or events. Student organizations, such as Students for Quality Education and RISE California, often point out the flaws in the system CSULB runs.Read Less"

"Generally speaking, CSULB offers good support especially if youre one to seek out advice and help. I went in as an English Education major, and our liberal arts advisors made sure to always keep our best interests in mind and were always encouraging when I would go see them. As for me I was a part of the EOP program which helps students who are the first generation in their family to go to college and provides scholarship opportunities. They offered us further financial and academic counseling and advice if needed. They also provide tutoring and mentorship for writing, math, and other subjects. As for academics, my classes were all pretty straightforward, and sometimes I wished it were a bit more challenging. There were a couple of classes that I enjoyed taking, but I think it was because the professors made the classroom environment dynamic, practical, multi-media, and relevant to what we would be expected to do as teachers in future schools and classrooms. There are a couple of professors from whom I really learned a great deal who I still keep in contact with. I liked that the professors always made sure they were available for us as resources if needed. As a commuter it was very hard to commit to social activities on campus, and generally CSULB is a commuter campus, so that feeling of a tight-knit community is not as present unless you join an organization and actively engage in the activities. Also, I would have to say that I appreciated the diversity of my campus. Overall, the tuition price is great, the campus is beautiful, and the people there are down-to-earth, open-minded, and really friendly.Read Less"