California State University - Fullerton

I was very excited about attending this university. I had visited Southern California often and when it came time to choose a school, I thought I wanted to go to that part of the country. I wanted a school with an immersive and close-knit theater department, and Cal State Fullerton had good reviews regarding theirs. I also got into the Honors department, so that was another plus I thought. I left Texas and attended in the Fall of 2005. From the very beginning the theater department was competitive and strange. I had professors that were antagonistic with the freshman from day one, telling us we weren't going to easily get into the "acting" program and that most of us weren't cut out for the work it would take. I think that is a terrible attitude to address new students with. My fellow peers were a mixed bag, some of them quite friendly, but most of them thought they were the next Hollywood star. The egos of these kids were outrageous. Some of them seemed determined to do whatever it took to "make it", including creating cliques and exclusions you'd find in a more juvenile setting. It really was sad, I wanted to make friends.

Also, I was lied to before I ever came to the school. Before I accepted, I called to talk to a theatre professor. I asked if it was possible for me to minor in Art. They said, "Yes, of course!" I get there to register and they say, "Sorry, theater majors cannot minor in anything, the theatre degree is too rigorous for that and the art and theatre departments are not under the same umbrella." This was a big problem for me. It was so hard to get answers at this school. I'd spend 20 min on the phone just waiting to talk to someone, only to have them be clueless and send me on to someone else.

I lived in the dorms without a car, and man, CSUF is definitely a COMMUTER school. Even the dorm kids would leave on the weekends. The place was dead, and I was stuck there. The school cafeteria closes really early and nearby dining options are not the best. I had to walk across the highway to get to the nearest grocery store, so I ended up not eating very well or often. I lost 10 lbs my first semester, which is funny when you realize the standard is in the opposite direction. I had some great professors, the make-up professor there is excellent and I really got a lot out of that class. My honors teacher was great and overall I was happy with that department. The main reasons why I left ASAP was the unfriendly and over-competitive theater department, the egos of the fellow students, and the on-campus life. You can only spend so much time in your own head, and that's pretty much where I was my one semester at CSUF.

1st Year Female -- Class 2009

Campus Aesthetics: A, Collaboration/Competitive: F

The main thing you need to know about CSUF is that it is a commuter campus. Taking this into consideration, you have to realize that living ON campus will be a very dull, sometimes lonely experience. This is a school with a population of 37,000. Of those students, the school only provides 800 spots for students to live on campus. Of those 800 people, AT LEAST 400 of them will go home on the weekends. This means that the campus on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays is DEAD DEAD DEAD. You could literally walk around campus smoking weed out of a pipe because NOBODY would be there to notice. Furthermore, half the spaces in the dorms are suite-style, which means that everyone is rather isolated in their own little rooms. this is NOTHING like the traditional dorm life you see on t.v.-nobody leaves their doors open to the hallway, nobody walks around knocking on peoples' doors to meet each other (if you do, people just hate you for being "weird"). Also there is no meal plan so you're on your own food-wise. A lot of the people living on campus just have no interest in making friends, so if that is what you are expecting, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE! Even when they host events, nobody shows up. Lots of rich girls live here who go home every day to shower and study and hang out with high school/work friends...and then they come back at night just to sleep.

2nd Year Female -- Class 2011

University Resource Use/ spending: A, Individual Value: F