Andy Dunlap

Review of Long Beach State Dirtbags

To start, I have designated a 3.5 star rating attr...

To start, I have designated a 3.5 star rating attributed to the university as a whole.

Now that this is out of the way, I am pleased to inform you that for the money, you will receive a quality education here. I graduated in December 2014 with a BA in Environmental Science and Policy, and I can honestly aver that I had (on average) really great professors (professor quality could vary based on your academic focus). I studied for five years here, and am now on my way to UC Irvine to complete my Masters.

While there are many notable strengths as far as educational inquiry is concerned, the university itself falls short of (ideally) the entire college experience. Is this a commuter school? Yes. Does school spirit lack? From my experience, yes. Is social life lacking (aka. the party scene)? From an observational basis, yes (way more than what you will find at universities such as USC and UCSB). Is parking atrocious (see other reviews)? Indeed, but that ultimately depends on the time you plan to park.

If there is one piece of advice I have for incoming freshman, it is to take advantage of any opportunities the university has to offer. Whether that is to join a club, frat/sorority, organization, cause, (etc.) is completely up to you. Engagement outside the classroom will help mitigate the effects of what I like to call "commuter syndrome." Make no mistake, CSULB is deemed a commuter school by most, so become proactive if you can.

Overall, there's a lot to like about CSULB: good professors, friendly people, an exceptional athletics program, a nice campus, and an exquisite Japanese Garden. Just be aware of the aforementioned caveats.