<p>I've applied to these colleges, hoping to become a nursing major. I've been hearing a lot of different things about these campuses. So if anyone attends these colleges, could you give me an overview of the school and surrounding area? Why you like it, or don't like it. For example, friendly people, good professors, dorms, food etc. I am having a very difficult time deciding where I want to go.</p>
<p>I’m actually starting at Humboldt - the furthest north of the CSU campuses, and the most remote one too, it’s really far from any other 4-year uni.</p>
<p>My first answer to your question is think of the location, the scenery, weather, proximity to the ocean, population density, etc. Are you from California? SF is a cool and wet city. LA is a warm and dry one. San Marcos is a bit desert, Sonoma is a bit wine country. Humboldt is cool and wet too, with super tall trees and hills. Which one is your preference?</p>
<p>Humboldt has the reputation for having one the best food of any school in the US - the governments of Arcata and Humboldt County have a lot of strict conservationist laws, and also anti-franchise laws, which means most of the food is locally grown and organic. Vegetarian and gluten-free everything, which I really need. Sonoma is probably a lot like this, but SF and LA could be something a lot less.</p>
<p>The professors at Humboldt are really nice and seem to love Arcata. They’re really quirky, and so are us students. SF has a lot of characters too. I love and need people like that.</p>
<p>Good luck! I don’t think one can go wrong with any of them. I can’t afford and couldn’t get into UC or private, but CSU is such a decent alternative.</p>
<p>My son and I toured Channel Islands last month. The college is on the site of an old mental hospital campus surrounded by agricultural fields and stone hills. It is about 50 miles north of Los Angeles and about 3 miles off a main LA freeway, the 101. The area is mostly agricultural and it is very close to beaches and outlet malls for shopping, maybe 15 minutes away. The campus looked clean, lots of lawn, open spaces, and the buildings looked well maintained.</p>
<p>Talking to the admissions office people, they confirmed is mostly a commuter college for local Camarillo area residents… They do not offer the major my son was interested in, but we still wanted to check it out between our trips to UCSB and Pepperdine that day.</p>
<p>I live very close to Cal State LA, but admit I have never been onto that campus. I believe there is a close rail station, so that is good for commuting if you live in LA proper.</p>
<p>I am sure others will chime in. Good luck on your decision!</p>
<p>Many of our local students go to Channel Islands. Most commute but some live on campus. Every single student I’ve talked to (20+) speaks very highly of the school. The professors get to know the students on a personal level. Morale is good on the campus. It is one of the smaller CSUs and has a more “family” feel for those who live on campus.</p>
<p>I am from Riverside county in a small town, I think I’m closer to San Marcos. I don’t really care if it’s a small or big city. I’m just not into party school or really large school. As for the ocean part, I can’t swim so I doubt I’ll go often but it’d be nice for a walk or something. Channel Islands is one that I’m seriously considering so thank you for everyone’s input!</p>
<p>If you are looking for hints on how much of a commuter school a given school is, look in the common data set for the school for the percentage of frosh living in the dorms. A higher percentage typically indicates a higher percentage of resident (as opposed to commuter) students.</p>
<p>The same information can be found under the “Campus Life” tab of the college’s entry at [CollegeData:</a> College Search, Financial Aid, College Application, College Scholarship, Student Loan, FAFSA Info, Common Application](<a href=“http://www.collegedata.com%5DCollegeData:”>http://www.collegedata.com) .</p>