California State University-Northridge Top Questions

What is your overall opinion of this school?

Jae Zander

I've loved it from the beginning. When I visited in high school, I fell in love at first sight with the campus. It's a good size, not too big, but too small, architecturally diverse, etc. Campus life is fun, the student body extremely diverse and I've made so many genuine friends there. The professors, at least the one's in my department, are all so intent on helping the students succeed. The only general complaints I may have about CSUN specifically is that I think there may be too many students because its always crowded.

sandra

My overall opinion of Cal State Northridge is great. The uiversity offers their students help when they needed. They have a place named The LRC where it is dedicated to students for tutoring or help with any subject they need. You can choose different clubs and organizations to join and have that Matador school spirit.

Majid

The best thing I like about this school is the easy commuting factor for many students. I would try to change student involvement, or add a way to encourage students to get more involved. The school is the right size in my opinion. Over 30,000 is a lot, but if you have lived in Southern California most of your life, you are used to it. I spend most of my time in Juniper hall, the business building on campus since Accounting is my major. There is not much school pride, but there are ways to get involved and one must remember that college is what they make of it. The most frequent complains by students is that they cannot get all the classes they want.

Jesse

Mediocre at best. But it's close to where I live so...

Vincent

It's great. You want an ideal college experience? You go to CSUN. There's no other school that blends in commuters and the kids that live on campus better than CSUN. It's makes you feel like you never left home.

Jennifer

My overall opinion about CSUN is that it is very culturally diverse, which is great! One thing that I would change about CSUN is to have a football team because it seems like the college thing to do, to go support your College football team but unfortunately we do not have one. Other than getting a football team there really isn't much I would change because the programs at CSUN are incredible. The size of the campus i believe is just right. Before I attended CSUN I did not think it was a big campus but now that i get to experience the walks from class to class I realized that it is a really big campus and it has a lot to offer. Since I commute to CSUN and i have lived in Northridge all my life it is boring to hear that i have not moved more than a couple of feet away from my high school Northridge Academy High School which is on CSUN's campus to studying at CSUN. The experience is different from high school of course but the environment has not changed one bit. I do not spend a lot of time on campus as I should because my house is not that far away and living at home interferes with me enjoying the college life of living in the dorms. The spot where i like to hang out with friends on campus is the gamesroom because there are games to play and comfortable couches to take naps on. The biggest controversy on campus recently was the tuition being raised and the units being limited to students because of the schools mistake of over enrolling students which put our school into a 7 million dollars of debt.

Alex

WHat I like most about my school is the people, I have made great friends by joining and eventually leading some organizations. Additionally, we have great study places with computers available virtually anywhere. Conversely, students complain of tutoring going up and the availability of classes, but if you register early and when tuition is due (many students are dropped for lack of payment) you should not have trouble finding your class. At the same time, CSU's are low cost schools that get money from the State rather than through heavy research.

Denise

I believe that this moment the most common complaint you'll hear from CSUN students is the tuition cost. There's no denying that the costs to go to a Cal State have significantly gone up. Aside from that CSUN is a fun campus. There lots of opportunites to join in and show your school pride as well as getting involve in different activites. Every Thursday there is going on at the USU and every week there's a trip you can join in on with Outdoor Rec. The campus is filled with all different kinds of people who all seem pretty friendly. There's no reason anyone should feel left out.

Katie

The best thing about CSUN is the hands on learning experience that you get while attending school. CSUN's business school focuses on team work because that is how the business world is currently, which is very effective and useful. I would like there to be a stronger alumni network. CSUN is the perfect size! You get the University feel when you are walking around, I truly love it. I spend most of my time at the business school and Arbor Grill.

Dhanesh

California State University-Northridge is an excellent institution for higher learning. Currently, it is slightly difficult to enroll in specific classes, but the administrators and faculty are very approachable. They will do everything possible in order to ascertain that students succeed throughout their years at the university. The campus is also very diverse with a variety of cultures and backgrounds. Getting involved on campus is also strongly encouraged. This is rather easy with over 500 clubs, organizations, and other groups. Because of this, school pride flourishes throughout the campus. For the students that are more focused on studies, the library is a gateway for enlightenment. Peace, quiet, space, and technology can be found here. Other than the library, students can also find a social/study environment in the numerous restaurants and coffee shops found on campus. Although CSUN is a very social school, the total population of students must be controlled. With nearly 37,000 students, enrollment in classes is definitely becoming a problem. If I could change something about the school, it would most likely be the student enrollment. Overall, the campus still offers a bright future for new students.

Dhanesh

California State University-Northridge is an excellent institution for higher learning. Currently, it is slightly difficult to enroll in specific classes, but the administrators and faculty are very approachable. They will do everything possible in order to ascertain that students succeed throughout their years at the university. The campus is also very diverse with a variety of cultures and backgrounds. Getting involved on campus is also strongly encouraged. This is rather easy with over 500 clubs, organizations, and other groups. Because of this, school pride flourishes throughout the campus. For the students that are more focused on studies, the library is a gateway for enlightenment. Peace, quiet, space, and technology can be found here. Other than the library, students can also find a social/study environment in the numerous restaurants and coffee shops found on campus. Although CSUN is a very social school, the total population of students must be controlled. With nearly 37,000 students, enrollment in classes is definitely becoming a problem. If I could change something about the school, it would most likely be the student enrollment. Overall, the campus still offers a bright future for new students.

Dhanesh

California State University-Northridge is an excellent institution for higher learning. Currently, it is slightly difficult to enroll in specific classes, but the administrators and faculty are very approachable. They will do everything possible in order to ascertain that students succeed throughout their years at the university. The campus is also very diverse with a variety of cultures and backgrounds. Getting involved on campus is also strongly encouraged. This is rather easy with over 500 clubs, organizations, and other groups. Because of this, school pride flourishes throughout the campus. For the students that are more focused on studies, the library is a gateway for enlightenment. Peace, quiet, space, and technology can be found here. Other than the library, students can also find a social/study environment in the numerous restaurants and coffee shops found on campus. Although CSUN is a very social school, the total population of students must be controlled. With nearly 37,000 students, enrollment in classes is definitely becoming a problem. If I could change something about the school, it would most likely be the student enrollment. Overall, the campus still offers a bright future for new students.

Klementina

The best about our school is the new Performance Center and the new Recreation/ Fitness. They are amazing! I would change some policy as far as tuition goes. The school is pretty big, but you do find your place. Most people know of CSUN and there is a lot more school pride now, then when I started, 4 years ago. I spend most of my time in the Sierra Center. It is not strictly a college town but there are places you go. Most students complain about the decreased amount of classes.

Malachi

Honestly it depends on what you're planning on majoring in, but for sure I'd say I like it here; I'm a writer, and they have an excellent, well priced undergrad writing/english program. There's always plenty of parties to go to, and some of the frats/sororities get pretty crazy, and quite a few of them have been banned over the years. There's an awful lot of people who go here though, there's never enough room in the parking lots, and its faster just to park a few blocks away and walk to class. A few weeks ago a student/alumni only multi-million dollar Fitness Center just opened up, and its pretty amazing. There's a rock wall, new pool, basketball, tennis, racquetball, volleyball - basically every sport you can think of - and they have free fitness classes like Pilates, zumba, boxing, etc. The only problem is, its always packed because its free (not really, its just included in tuition). Everyone's really excited so it's always packed, but in a few semesters the hype will die down and there won't be as many people flooding the place.

Cathy

My favorite thing about CSU Northridge is that they are such a nurturing school. There are many many resources to help students succeed. There are a lot of different places where you can get free tutoring for whatever subjects you are struggling with. If I could change anything about CSUN, its that I would make more class sections. There are many students and limited class seats, so you have to really plan in advance what classes you'll be taking and contact professors to try to make sure you get permission numbers. I heard that next year, professors won't be able to so if you can't register for the class you need on your registration date, then there's nothing you can do. A lot of students struggle with this, and have their time in college extended because they can't get the classes they need. However, this should not be a complete turn off. Students who are involved in certain activities like honors programs, or peer education programs like JADE and Blues Project, get early registration dates so they can get the classes they need. So if you go to CSUN, be sure to get involved so you don't have to worry about not getting your classes! CSUN is a pretty large school. However, once you get to the upper division classes, class size is about 30 to 40 students. While it's not the itty bitty size you can get from private universities, it's small enough that you can get to know your professors if you make an effort to. When I tell people I go to CSU Northridge, they usually say something like "Oh hey, that's a pretty good school. I heard they have an excellent business school". Overall, there isn't much school spirit because its a commuter school and sports aren't very big. It's not the school for you if you want a traditional university experience with lots of school spirit. The biggest controversy on campus is the budget and how the CSU chancellors are handling things. There are lots of theories floating around that they are mismanaging the funding. I don't know if that's true, but I have yet to be presented with any evidence that that is the case. The state of California has a very bad budget crisis, and for some reason they feel like the easiest way to save money is to cut the CSU's budget and raise tuition. Every semester I've been at CSU there's always a protest at some point about the CSU being greedy and how everyone has a right to education. I don't think the CSU is greedy, they just don't have that much money. As for a right to education, the students with the most need are still given grants and don't have to pay tuition. For everyone else, in my opinion, CSUN is still an excellent value, as its still half the price of a UC and less than a quarter of the price of the average private university.

Therese

Pretty low. I just tell people "it's alright" so that they stop askingme about it. Way too expensive for poor quality professors and good luck actually getting any classes

Scott

A lot of people have little respect for this school. It is viewed as a commuter school with very little participation.

hector

My overall opinion of this school is positive. The best thing about this school is probably the faculty. I am a psychology major, and all the faculty I have met are nice approachable people. I have gone into other departments and can also say that they are of great help. The best thing about the school are the professors because they arre helpful and concise. A few years ago I would say the school size was perfect, but with the changes in class sizes and loss of teachers i think it can be expanded a bit to avoid overcrowding in some classes. As a psychology major, people react well to the fact that i attend CSUN mainly because that department is really good in producing psychology majors. The overall quality of the faculty is superb because they are very helpful in their specified areas. As of now, the complaints that are heard more frequently are those of students complaining about lack of classes and professors because of the state buget limiting them.

Brenda

The best thing about CSUN is the culture. This is because of the diverse cultures you come across everyday. CSUNs student population is over 30,000 students. Due to its size, everyone is able to find a club, organization, or sport to become involved and meet fellow CSUN students. One of the most frequent student complaints is the lack of a football team. This is part of the reason why, if you are not involved in any activities, individuals have very little school pride.

Lisseth

Overall, CSUN is a great school for students who want to continue having a "home life" while simultaneously enjoying the college experience. The fact that CSUN is a commuter school and lacks opportunities for a stimulating social life or the college town environment, it is a school that nurtures and develops well rounded students who are primarily focused on pursuing higher education (i.e. PhD). CSUN offers multiple student services aimed at providing students with the tools necessary to succeed academically. Examples include the multiple writing labs that provide quality tutoring services to students at no charge, Supplemental Instruction programs that aim at orienting students toward college level writing and mathematics courses, and the Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program that equips students with the skills and tools necessary to pursue a doctorate degree. The one thing that I would change are the increasing tuition fee rates, but that is unfortunately an issue affecting all institutions of higher education in California and across the country.

Mary

CSUN is a large school compared to many other campuses, but one thing I really like is that even though we have so many people we still have pretty small class sizes. The majority of my classes only have about 30 people. One of the most frequent student complaints is parking. Everyone always complains about how it is so hard to find a spot especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays. People don't react in a very positive way when I tell them I go to CSUN. They looked down upon the school, but I have learned to ignore it.

Grace

The best thing about CSUN is that the campus is just right. It isn't too large or too small. Being a full-time student and having more than three classes in a day, its convenient to not have to run to the other side of the campus with a 10-minute break in between classes at some point. One thing I wish CSUN had was a football team. I think the school would have a lot more spirit among the students then it does now. Speaking of a football team, I wish they announced more sport events more largely then they do now. As a sophmore, I have yet to attend at least one of every type of sport event. As for what people react too when I tell them I go to CSUN... some people are actually interested because sometimes they haven't even heard of it. Other times when people know where and what CSUN is, they're pretty chill about it. One of the stereotypes out here where I live is that CSUN is an easy Cal. State to get into... which I personally think is pretty much true. Yet as I like to say, knowledge is power and if CSUN offers knowledge then I'll definitely take up that opportunity at CSUN through their educational curriculum anyday!

Justina

Most people have no idea where CSUN is. I think my school is the perfect size, its not to big or too small, you get a chance to know a lot of people, especially if you are greek, its almost like a close community. The only pride people have is really in the greek system, I wish sports were bigger on campus and more people went to games.

Chelsea

CSUN is a great school, but parts of it are not so great. One thing that I would change is how chosing classes is done. Classes get filled up so quickly and with so many GE requirements, everyone is trying to take the same things all at once. The dorms are good, but sometimes they post online that you owe money and you don't, or its just for the next month and its posted early.