What advice do those students/alumni have for a transfer student to Californian Lutheran University.
Best places to live on campus? Meal plan vs. pay as you go? Interesting clubs/activities?
A general overview of your experience there would be of great interest.
- There are apartments all around TO if you don't want to live in the halls. Many students end up renting houses and splitting costs with 4/5 roomates. If you're not into that, the Janss Rd. apartments are also a favorite.
- Meal plans end up being cheaper because they discount each meal a bit. But, if you plan on living off campus it's probably cheaper to buy your own groceries and go from there. The Commons (cafeteria) costs like $12 to get into so off campus students either avoid it or use guest swipes of residents. The Centrum is good (and cheaper than caf - though not buffet style), and there is a Starbucks and Jamba as well.
- Google CLU clubs and you can find a whole list of all the cool clubs the university has to offer! What are you specifically interested in? Outdoors? Politics? LGBT+? etc...
I’m now a rising Junior at CLU and though my first year was a bit rocky, I’ve grown to love it. The students and professors are amazing, the classes are insightful, and the overall atmosphere is warm and comforting. What major are you in? I may be able to help you from there…
Thanks for the insight.Glad to hear you are having a good experience overall. Anything helpful to know to eliminate a rocky start… or is that something not school related? Major is biology.
Wondering if you lived in either Grace or Trinity? If so… is anything supplied in kitchens/ furnishings (aside from bedroom furniture)?
Will check out clubs online. Thanks!
@calmom17 Sorry for the late reply, I didn’t see the notification!
Anyways…you may have a rocky start only because it is a bit of an adjustment (as all colleges are). It is a small school that seems to have the same routine every day. You may get stuck in a loop of that’ll make you bored. My advice is to join clubs and talk to students immediately. Hit the ground running.
I’m a commuter student so my experience may have stemmed from that. It was a little alienating at the beginning but once I found my stride I was set to go. If you feel lost at the start of the semester, keep going. Get involved, meet with professors, use all the resources CLU has to offer. It’ll help.
Don’t fall into the freshman trap where you just goof around the entire year because “oh it’s freshman year it’ll be fine if I barely scrape by”. If you maintain a high GPA during this year, I guarantee the rest of your time at the Lu is gonna be much easier. Instead of worrying about bringing your GPA up to be eligible for scholarships or research, you just have to worry about maintaining your average. It definitely gives you some extra breathing room.
I used to be an Environmental Science major so I actually took most of the bio intro courses. Most of the professors move quickly and will expect a lot from you, but they are really good classes that will give you a lot of information. I took BIOL 120, 121L, 123, 122L, and some other ES courses. Because I had such a strong background from the intro bio courses, once I switched to an ES minor, the rest of my classes were a breeze.
Grace and Trinity are the nicest halls on campus (Mogen is also nice). I don’t believe they are furnished with anything besides the bare minimum but you can call Residence Life and find out. They’re super helpful and student staffed all summer!