California State University-Long Beach Top Questions

CSULB's academics is nothing out of the norm. General education is very easy, although a few classes do require a lot more work than others. Then there are the classes pertaining to the majors, which are very difficult.

Tough, as universities are supposed to be. If you wanna stay on top of things, you need to work for it.

Challenging classes, good professors, lots of homework. I get lots of projects and papers assigned. Being in Theater Performance, much of my homework is memorizing monologues and auditioning for showcases. The work is strenuous but not overwhelming...

It was cool

the professors i care about know me by name and they're the one's i'll be going to for letters of rec. when i apply for grad school. my favorite class had to have been organic chemistry. though my professor was a total hardass, he really taught me how to use my brain and stay up for two nights at a time. we talked about life while walking out of class once, so i guess we're cool. i'm also another professor's bitch, and am forced to do unpaid labor in his hot, unkept laboratory, but he's cool so i forgive him. i like the kids in my major. we looooove to whine and bitch about the kids in business and liberal arts. it's fun to get drunk with'em too. :) ok, so here's what i DON'T like: BUDGET CUTS. i also hate the whole admissions process. they let waaaaayyy too many people in, then bitch about how they can't support all their students later. also, they only consider gpa and sat scores. no extracurricular activities, personal statement, community service, etc. i think alot of the school's problem's could be eliminated if they just made the application process a bit more competitive, but i'm just a student, so what do i know?

If the class is 20 people or fewer, the professor MIGHT know your name. Most professors in my department don't care in the slightest. If you go to office hours, that improves your chances of being identified. My favorite "academic" class here was probably Science & Society (a G.E. satisfier). My least favorite class so far has been College Geometry (Math 355). Class participation is minimal, unless the professor forces it. Strangely, students do, in fact, have intellectual conversations outside of class, but they mostly involve reiterating what a professor has already said. I suppose the students are competitive to a certain degree, but most folks I encounter have very low self-esteem when it comes to academics. One of the more bizarre classes I've taken has been the Ethnic Experience (a G.E. satisfier), because it was led by four professors who each did a part. I am specifically doing the mathematics secondary education option, which involves the single-subject credential program. I have very grave concerns for the quality of the faculty in my department. I would strongly suggest reading reviews in ratemyprofessors.com before taking a mathematics course there. The common sentiment among students is that CSULB does everything within legal limits to keep you there as long as possible.