I had a very bad time at Cal State Long Beach. I had just come from an arts high school that held classes on the campus of Cal State LA, and I found that environment really stimulating. Going to CSULB was just depressing by comparison. I found the classes unchallenging and dull, and I never clicked with my fellow students at all. Plus, one winter a bad "flu" swept through the campus, and I caught a major case of mono from some girl who was just sitting next to me hacking and sneezing through the whole class. My health was literally messed up for an entire year, because that stupid girl wouldn't stay home from school! That was all almost 20 years ago, and I still *hate* Cal State Long Beach. Awful place.
Long Beach State is a great school for people who want to commute to school and not move away from home. The students are great, a lot of fun. The chemistry and math departments could use new and better teachers. The Kinesiology Dept is wonderful. I highly recommend the outdoor classes. I would definitely choose CSULB again, however, I would go onto sites like rate my professor and look at people's opinions of teachers before I pick a class.
I absolutely loved my college experience. I would highly recommend this university to prospective students. Advice for students considering CSULB - invest in some GOOD tennis shoes. You will be doing a LOT of walking! And most of the campus is uphill. :-) Seriously though, my advice is to make sure you're okay with being "student number 12345...". It's a big campus, and it's easy to go unnoticed unless you get yourself involved in some campus groups, e.g. greek, clubs, academic groups, etc. But if you prefer the anonymity, then don't get involved in anything and you'll have just as great of a time!
The school is huge (over 35,000 students), so find an organization to meet people with interests similar to yours or you'll get lost in the sea of students and be bored.
