Hey everyone!
I’ve noticed we don’t have a forum for CSU Chico yet, so I’m willing to answer any and all Q’s I can about the school and what not, So feel free to ask!
I’m in my 3rd semester here 
(also if others on the forums are familiar with CSUC, please feel free to chime in!).
Thanks! Chico is my son’s first choice school, but we haven’t heard back yet. His CSU gpa is 3.5, SAT 1270, so I feel like he should get in, but you never know these days. His major is computer science (although I could see him being interested in the BINS major - is that what it is called - as well). Do you feel that you are usually able to get the classes you need, or get answer/support from admin when you need it? Is there a lot of social support (not just partying - at least at this point he hasn’t been into the classic high school/college type parties, but that could change, ha ha) for freshmen? Do you feel safe walking around campus and town at night? Thanks!
Hi Ocean!
I’m not sure what it is called here, I would think it might be MINS (my old roommate is an Info Science major, so I’ll check with him). I haven’t had really much of an issue getting the classes I want, but more the times and professors I want. Yes, usually. The advisors I’ve met with here are generally pretty helpful. There is, but you really have to seek it IMO. I do feel safe walking around town and the campus at night. I wouldn’t be out too late, but other then that, there’s not much crime and CSUC PD is literally right across the street from Campus and they are generally pretty active along with Chico PD.
I am interested in going to Chico State, but my mom thinks that chico state unsafe because of the party school stereotype. She heard some story about people putting pills in drinks at parties, and now she says that its not a good idea to go to chico if you cant “go to a party without getting something slipped in your drink”. Do dangerous things like that consistently happen at chico state? I’m just interested in chico because Im interested because its a decent school with a nice campus and location, not because it’s considered a “party school”.
@rywilbo- in my experience, it’s pretty rare that things like that happen here. But like anywhere else you have to be on your guard and surround yourself with decent people so you don’t have situations like that occur. It’s really not much of a party school as it used to be, but you can definitely find one if you look hard enough haha. That and you have to remember, we are in a rural town, and relatively isolated so while it does happen (as in most college towns), it’s not consistent enough to where it should force you to reconsider coming here if here is where you really want to be.
my son is a fairly recent Chico grad. Yes, there are parties around Chico State - but, you are going to find that at any college. Sadly, having something slipped into your drink is a risk everywhere so, if you go to parties/bars, you need to be vigilant. As a dorm resident freshman, you aren’t supposed to be at any parties with alcohol and, if you come back obviously drunk, they will write you up and notify your parents. I’d encourage you to tour the school and visit the dorms, hear the policies and see if it feels safe.
I agree with 100% with NCalrent. Definitely check out the schools you get into before you commit yourself.
Hi! I’m currently a junior in high school and Chico state is a top choice for as well as uc Santa Cruz and uc Davis, however the Ucs are a bit of a reach. I’ve recently taken a sudden interest in Chico State and would love some insight on the acadmics, social scene, area, as well as safety and dormitories. I have a CSU/ Uc gpa or I believe ~4.07 and a 1340 SAT. Also if anyone knows anything about their philosophy program that would be great 
My son was recently admitted (his first choice - yay!) and we would love to hear your thoughts on the dorms. He is leaning towards Sutter because he likes the idea that they are newer and nicer, but I have read some feedback that they are quiet and harder to meet people. Thanks!
@raeg44 - if you are still interested in Chico next Fall (senior year), try to attend the Chico Preview Day in October. It’s a great way to get a feel for the campus and also be able to speak to any of the academic departments you are interested in.
Hi! @raeg44
Academically- It’s a solid school academically, but it also depends on your choice of major as well. I HIGHLY recommend using Ratemyprofessor to weed out the bad ones. Chico also has a solid business, comms, and Ag program from what I know. I’m sure there’s more but you get the idea. Definitely do your research before submitting an app! Chico also has quite a bit of recruiters that do come out here, and the programs here are regarded generally as good-very good.
Socially- All depends on what kind of stuff your into but we have a lot of clubs on campus ranging from Elephants (my old bio professor is the adviser for the club, and she was an excellent professor!) to politics and a lot of stuff in-between. I do recommend coming as a Freshman because then you have the opportunity to actually live in the dorms and make friends and all that comes with it (I came as a transfer so, it’s been rough, but not impossible). You’ll thrive here if you are social, pretty difficult if your an introvert like me. Also, if you do suffer from things like a Mental Illness or the like, please seek help (we had a kid that took his own life last year, and Chico in general has been pretty proactive in trying to get students who need it that help since then. It’s okay to feel a bit depressed or lonely, especially when your in a place where you really don’t know anyone). School can be rough and overwhelming sometimes and so can life, and if it’s pushing you to have those thoughts, PLEASE seek help, or message me. I’m here to always talk to.
Area- Chico State itself is situated in between Downtown Chico to one side and student housing and railroads to the other. I don’t recommend the Chapman Town area or south of that because it’s considered here to by “the bad part” of Chico. Chico is also pretty rural and isolated (definitely in the middle of nowhere). Not the place if your thing is going to concerts or going to sporting events, those are a drive of at least 1.5-3 hours, but there are many small towns nearby that you can go to, to hike and fish and so on if that’s your thing. I currently live off campus, and you’ll find many off-campus places to rent, but keep in mind that due to the Camp Fire, rent has gone up and places have started filling quickly. Safeway is king out here, but you’ll find Winco (my favorite grocery store in NorCal) out here too. A lot of good places to eat depending on what you like, as well as a ton of fast food places.
Safety- Be careful. Stay in well lit areas. Try to walk with a group, or at least one other person with you at night. Chico in general is safe, but like any other city, there is crime (not violent, but things like robberies do occur). Chico PD and CSUC PD are generally pretty active and usually do a good job out here. Be aware of parties and PLEASE try to make good decisions. Bad decisions here will hurt you later down the road.
Dormitories- I can’t comment on that because I’ve never lived on Campus. A couple of classmates that I’ve had in my Econ and other classes who were Freshman lived in Lassen Hall and said they were pretty nice. Off-Campus, the Zoo (Timber Creek Apartments) is a great place to live and the rent was relatively cheap. I currently am living at the Gateway Apartments on Nord and it’s a great place, but PICK YOUR ROOMMATES WISELY.
Philosophy- I can’t comment on that since I’ve never taken one here either.
@nocal1 - Highly recommend going to their preview day if you can make it up here, and see if you like it up here, completely agree with you there.
Feel free to ask anything else you’d like, if my short essay didn’t cover it all :P.
@nocal1 @firefox952 thanks for all the insight! Just a couple more questions…just because I’m so glad to have found people who know about the school, where I’m from not many people go there. I’m still in state but not local. I am thinking about going out for the track team but worry that it would conflict with studying because in college sports are a bigger commitment and that I’ll perhaps miss out on a bunch of fun college experiences by doing track. I’m not much of a partier, I like low key things but I would enjoy going to some for the experience. I’ve read a lot of great things about the campus and the surrounding town and is the social scene still good even off campus? And it is a relatively large school so I also worry that it’s like UCs where people are seen as numbers rather than individuals. And please add in anything that you like/dislike about the school and your favorite experiences and things to do
@raeg44 - I think so but it depends on who you hang out with and what you like doing. I’m not really much of a social person (especially knowing how I am, as an introvert, so i can’t comment much about it).
Likes: Professors for the most part here, care about you and want to help you succeed and do well. The people you meet here, are friends you’ll make for life for the most part (at least the few I’ve made, they feel like an extension of my family). I like the fact that we as a campus care about our community, especially since the camp fire. We’ve raised money, many of my professors have helped out others affected by it. We are definitely close knit. I like the fact that we also have tutoring for free on campus (depending on the subject). Until Flumes was lost to the fire, it definitely was one of my favorite places to hike at, but there are a lot of other good ones out there. I also recommend Sierra Nevada Brewery once your able to drink (but their food is just as good too). Downtown Chico is relatively close by so you can shop and eat quite a bit of good food. Housing in general here is pretty affordable. The campus is pretty nice. There’s more but that’s off the top of my head for now.
Dislikes: Rural. Very Rural. Chico is well known for having one of the highest homeless people populations in all of California. Anything you want to do requires a drive to get out of the city. Definitely Isolated. A lot of the people you’ll meet here are very keep to themselves and just come to class and then leave. If you aren’t here from Freshman year onwards, it can be difficult to make friends if your not social because everyone already has their friend group already. In the current roommate set up I have now, we co-exist. It’s like living with strangers. SO PICK THE PEOPLE YOU LIVE WITH VERY WISELY AND MAKE SURE ITS ACTUALLY PEOPLE YOU KNOW PRETTY WELL. Their good people, but we don’t see each other or really interact much with each other. And usually ethnic groups here end up sticking with one another like in many other places (sad to say). Much of Butte county (save for the school, where it leans more liberal) definitely leans to the right.
I do recommend volunteering if you have the time and ability to and work if that’s a thing for you, campus jobs are always available.
Also, others that have went to Chico/Chico parents, please feel free to chime in with your own experiences :).
@raeg44 - after track season this year, I would encourage you to contact the Chico track coach and/or fill out the online recruiting questionnaire on their athletics website (https://chicowildcats.com/sb_output.aspx?form=13) if you are still interested in the school. Playing a sport in college can be a great way to become involved in campus life and make new like-minded friends, in addition to continuing to do a sport you enjoy. Chico is NCAA Division II, so the athletics should not be as intense as at a Division I school.
My son took the random room-mate assignment and was in Lassen Hall and had a great experience. The old school dorm layout (and the fact that you could keep the door open) made making friends and having people to go do stuff with a lot easier. , You could easily see into the rooms with the open doors so, while walking to the stairs for lunch, you could easily extend invites to join you - sounds silly but, in the more suite like dorms, there are sometimes 2 doors between you and a passer by so it adds friction when making connections early in the year. Shasta - is the same setup as Lassen - For some reason Whitney had closed doors as a default. Sutter was just for transfer students. UV is also good option for transfer students without a friend network yet.
Hello my daughter was accepted to Chico a few weeks ago. She’s majoring in animal science and now wants to change to a biology major. How does she go about changing her major?
Hi! @Zevia - I don’t believe it’s possible to do so at the moment. I would try to do it if she does come to orientation day (whenever that may be in the summer) or as soon as the semester starts. You visit an adviser, they talk to you about the classes you need to take, and then you sign a form saying you agree to all of that. A couple days later, your portal will update and will show you where you are in terms of classes and needing to graduate and so forth.
Thank you for responding. I told my D students change their major all the time so I don’t see it as a problem once she’s there. I will also try calling admissions tomorrow or I’ll have her call.
Your very welcome. And they do, I did too infact. Sounds good to me :).
There won’t be any problem swapping majors once she arrives.