<p>Not sure where to post this, I've tried under Cal State LA, but may get more responses here.</p>
<p>A friend is relocating to the Northridge area and has a teenage son. She's interested in Cal State University Northridge.</p>
<p>Would love to hear any information on the programs, campus life, dorm living, safety, transportation issues.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>According to [California</a> State University, Northridge College Portrait](<a href=“http://www.collegeportraits.org/CA/CSUN/print]California”>http://www.collegeportraits.org/CA/CSUN/print) , only 28% of the new freshmen live in on-campus housing, while only 9% of all undergraduates live in on-campus housing. The Carnegie classifications list it as “non-residential”, i.e. mainly commuter.</p>
<p>Northridge is campus-impacted for first time freshmen, but only business is major-impacted. This means that a higher than baseline CSU eligibility is needed for admission, but business is the only major that requires higher standards than the campus in general. It has a local service area with admission preference of high schools in Ventura County and much of Los Angeles County. Such applicants will be admitted at baseline CSU eligibility standards.</p>
<p>[Freshman</a> Impaction at CSU, Northridge](<a href=“http://www.csun.edu/anr/impaction.html]Freshman”>http://www.csun.edu/anr/impaction.html)
[Impaction</a> | Student Academic Support | CSU](<a href=“http://www.calstate.edu/sas/impactioninfo.shtml]Impaction”>http://www.calstate.edu/sas/impactioninfo.shtml)
[CSUMentor</a> - Plan for College - High School Students - Eligibility Index - California Residents](<a href=“Cal State Apply | CSU”>GPA Calculator | CSU)
[CSUMentor</a> - Plan for College - High School Students - GPA Calculator](<a href=“Cal State Apply | CSU”>Cal State Apply | CSU)</p>
<p>In the So Cal area, Northridge has a reputation as a very good school. It is largely commuter but there is student housing, and the students who live on campus tend to bond and create their own environment. I hear of Northridge having special strengths in the majors of education, music, physical therapy, and kinesiology. However, they are solid across the board.</p>
<p>Our public transportation isn’t the best down here. Most students have cars.</p>
<p>Northridge is also one of the strongest CSUs for Television, Film and New Media because it is located in the heart of the industry. They have a brand new building and facilities for this major - just in case they are interested in that.</p>
<p>I’m assuming since they are moving into the area that the student actually wants to be a commuter student, rather than live in the dorms? One of the dead giveaways that it is a commuter school is that there are huge parking structures all over campus with big electronic signs warning if a structure is full.</p>
<p>Another cool thing about CSU Northridge is that it houses the National Center on Deafness. There is a large deaf community of students, and faculty who sign.</p>
<p>I assume your friend is moving from another state to CA?
CA has a huge public school system. There are the UCs - University of California schools (UCB, UCLA, UCSD, UCI, UCSB, UCD, UCSC, UCR, UCM) and the CSUs - Cal State University Schools (often called CSUN, CSULB and also called SJSU, SFSU, etc).
The UC schools are committed to educating the top 10%-12.5% of CA HS graduates. The CSUs are committed to educating the top 33%. (This is all based on my memory 30 years ago, things may have changed).</p>
<p>CSUN is a very good school within the CSU system. The area is nice, not dangerous or scary. Hot weather. Need a car. </p>
<p>CSULA is not as good of a school within the CSU system. Not as nice area. Weather not as hot as CSUN. Need a car, but might be able to get around with public transit.</p>
<p>Not sure about dorms etc. Many students commute to both those schools, although my instinct would lead me to believe that more students dorm at CSUN than CSULA. CSULA feels more like a cc. Both places have film programs. Oh yes, and American Idol’s Hollywood week for this season was filmed in CSUN’s auditorium this year.</p>