California State University-Monterey Bay Top Questions

What is your overall opinion of this school?

Vanessa

I love Monterey Bay State. I love how it is so close to the beach and how small the class sizes are. Some may say that the school is "too small" or there "isn't much to do" but I personally believe that experience comes from what you make of it. Sure, there are some flaws such as limited parking and not having a football team but I couldn't see myself being anywhere else. I truly can appreciate everything this school has to offer. The friends, teachers, residential leaders I have met made the 150 mile away trip from home worth it. Living in the dorms was so rewarding and I got insight that I wouldn't have had if I had stayed at home in Fresno. I got to learn independence and self responsibility as well as having someone to turn to if I needed guidance. When visiting my hometown as I would leave to go back to campus I would always say "time to go home". There are people that will never see outside Fresno (the smallest big city) and I believe they are missing out. People may determine "home" as a place where they sleep, or have friends; but from my first college experience at Monterey I could honestly call it my forever home. It will always have a place in my heart from the giant sand dunes overlooking the ocean from the highway, or the animals on campus that also call it home. As I look forward to this next semester of college and beyond, I can honestly say I am going home.

Kathryn

The best thing about this school is being so close to the ocean and all of the different clubs and organizations that you can become apart of. We do have fraternities and sororities at our school although there is not that many. I am apart of the sorority Theta Alpha Sigma and becoming apart of the greek system is such a great way to get involved. I spend the majority of my time on campus going to the Black Box Cabaret, a club on campus that holds dances and concerts. Our class sizes are small because we are such a small school and I love it. When I tell people that I go to CSU Monterey Bay there instant reaction is "Wow that must be nice!" Monterey is beautiful and the school is about a 15 min walk to the beach. It is a very safe campus and the campus police are so nice. The faculty at CSUMB are great and I have only had one bad experience with a teacher. The good experiences far out weigh the bad though. I even had a teacher who gave us cookies right before our mid-term and final exam! The teachers really know what they are talking about and give a lot of hands on experience.

Kathryn

The best thing about this school is being so close to the ocean and all of the different clubs and organizations that you can become apart of. We do have fraternities and sororities at our school although there is not that many. I am apart of the sorority Theta Alpha Sigma and becoming apart of the greek system is such a great way to get involved. I spend the majority of my time on campus going to the Black Box Cabaret, a club on campus that holds dances and concerts. Our class sizes are small because we are such a small school and I love it. When I tell people that I go to CSU Monterey Bay there instant reaction is "Wow that must be nice!" Monterey is beautiful and the school is about a 15 min walk to the beach. It is a very safe campus and the campus police are so nice. The faculty at CSUMB are great and I have only had one bad experience with a teacher. The good experiences far out weigh the bad though. I even had a teacher who gave us cookies right before our mid-term and final exam! The teachers really know what they are talking about and give a lot of hands on experience.

Charlie

The best thing about CSUMB is the location. It is located on old fort ord an old military base with amazing views of the ocean. If you love the outdoors you will love monterey. When I tell people I go to school at CSUMB their first reaction usually is how gorgeous monterey is. The campus is relatively small but seems to be expanding and getting bigger each year. Most of the time I hang out in the new otter center or the dorm buildings or at the BEACH on a nice day! Monterey is a college/military town. The administration at CSUMB has been great to me so far. I have had amazing teachers who are willing to put in extra time to watch you sussed. Since CSUMB is walking distance from the beach there are always lots of bonfires!! Overall CSUMB is a chill beach school with students who work hard and play harder!

Alex

The best thing about SCUMB, oops I meant CSUMB, is that each dorm room has its own bathroom. I would change the transferability of the classes, most CSUMB classes do not transfer to other colleges. The school is a little too small, the campus, as well as the student body. When I tell people I go to CSUMB they mostly say "I've never heard of that school". Most people stay in the dorms because 1) there is nothing else to do, and 2) its always freezing outside. Definitely not a college town, the campus is isolated from everything which makes it really hard to get a job. The administration falsely advertises the school. They say its easy to get into classes when it isn't and they say they have housing for everyone even though they don't. There isn't a lot of school pride because most people going here do not want to. They are still here because it is impossible to transfer. A lot of people wear sweatshirts and clothes from other universities. CSUMB is located on an old military base, there are a lot of abandoned buildings on campus. Most students complain about the lack of parties and how unfriendly most of the student body is.