CSU-Northridge -- any experience/advice?

Parents Forum
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<p>Thoughts on CSU Northridge-- looking at this school for S1 (the Music Industry Studies program in particular), but in need of any thoughts/experience/advice. General campus culture? Safe? What are the dorms like? Is Northridge a college town? Can one safely walk to cafes, restaurants, etc? Are all GE classes huge (100+)? </p>

<p>Also, any info on ease of getting internships would be most appreciated.</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

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<p>My son goes there. It’s not fancy by any means. He lives in the dorm and doesn’t really like it much, but it’s the cheapest most convenient way for him right now. He transferred there from community college so he only has to go there a total of 2 years. He has one semester left at this point. With the California budget cuts it’s been a little difficult getting a few of his classes, but not too bad so far. The neighborhood is not bad and seems safe. I think you would need a car to get around and be able to drive to different places in LA, such as the beach, hollywood, etc. I believe they have a lot of commuters that goe to CSU Northridge and I would not go there for the college “experience” but as a way to get a degree at a reasonable cost.</p>

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<p>By the way, the dorms are furnished and come with a kitchen. Which we found quite nice for our son being that he won’t be there long and he likes to cook most of his meals.</p>

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<p>A lot of kids from our area go there (because it’s the closest Cal State) and all of them that I know of commute. I know they do have dorms but it doesn’t seem like much of a college town</p>

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<p>CSUN is pretty much a commuter school. At best, it would be described as a suitcase school. </p>

<p>I don’t know this is still true, but it used to have a rep for having a lot of very affluent kids (not that that’s bad). </p>

<p>I don’t know if I would call Northridge a “college town” even though the city isn’t big. It’s not like Northridge is in the middle of nowhere and exists because of the school. To me, a college town is one that exists mostly because it has a college in it AND the town rallies around the school with noticeable spirit. But, that’s just my opinion.</p>

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<p>I was a CSUN grad (class of '83!) It was a commuter school back then. That said, it had a very good TV/film department and a great internship program. Northridge is a suburb of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley. It gets VERY hot in the summertime.</p>

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<p>Definitely not a college town. It’s smack in the middle of San Fernando Valley…diverse suburbia. Not very pedestrian friendly…need a car. The campus is primarily a commuter school. No football team…that was scrapped years ago. That being said, CSUN just completed some new dorm buildings. The campus has been rejuvenated after the Northridge quake in 94…and the building continues.
…new state of the art performing arts center and new student recreation center. </p>

<p>Notable programs are business, music, Radio TV and Film, education and engineering.</p>

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<p>Kids also have trouble enrolling in courses in impacted programs…especially after priority freshman enrollment. It can try your patience… lots of kids take 5 years to graduate.</p>

<p>The surrounding area is pretty safe.</p>

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<p>*Are all GE classes huge (100+)? *</p>

<p>I don’t know if <em>all</em> GE classes are huge (I would doubt the frosh comp classes are huge), but many of the CSU GE classes are probably big lecture style. I don’t know if that’s too much of a negative. Many schools have large GE classes for “intro” courses.</p>

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<p>on the positive side: it is “freeway-close” to Hollywood, Burbank, the Westside, etc.</p>

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<p>CSUN has an excellent Music Education program.</p>

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<p>*on the positive side: it is “freeway-close” to Hollywood, Burbank, the Westside, etc. *</p>

<p>Yes, but that would require having a car on campus.</p>

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<p>I just visited my son at CSUN this weekend. They had a lot of fall trees, it was a nice cool, cloudy day. A lot of the buildings are brick and it felt like I was back east a little. NICE! The campus was very clean. It was pretty charming. We then drove over to UCLA. We were taking my younger son to see it because he just applied there. There was trash all over the campus! I’m assuming it’s because it was a weekend. I was thinking what slobs these kids must be. My son liked visiting, he loved the library, but I don’t think he fell in love at all. I think my younger son actually liked CSUN better than UCLA. The kids at UCLA seemed too serious for him. My son is not a partyer, by any means and does not want to go to a party school. And it was so funny, we went to see Roger Waters last night and someone smoking (a weird smelling cig, if you know what I mean) in front of us was bothering him, so he asked them not to. I love that.</p>

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<p>The USC-UCLA game was this past weekend. Though the game wasn’t at UCLA (no stadium), there were probably a lot more people on campus than usual. </p>

<p>I love the CSUN sculpted sign on the south side of the campus. You have to approach it from both the east and the west to appreciate it. :)</p>

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<p>Yes, I assumed it was the weekend and lots of people walking around and no custodian. It happens.</p>

<p>Yes, that sign at CSUN is cool!</p>

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<p>It wasn’t just “a” weekend. It was THE weekend. :)</p>

<p>Unfortunately, it ended the wrong way. :(</p>

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<p>^^…or not! :slight_smile: :)</p>

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<p>CSUN sign photos:
<a href=“http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/8326770.jpg[/url]”>http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/8326770.jpg&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://www.valleyofthestars.org/1999-2000/images/csun_art.jpg[/url]”>http://www.valleyofthestars.org/1999-2000/images/csun_art.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Another CSUN fact:
One of the only universities in the nation to offer a comprehensive Deaf Studies program and home to the National Center on Deafness. [DEPARTMENT</a> NAME - College of Education - California State University Northridge](<a href=“http://www.csun.edu/coe/dfst/]DEPARTMENT”>http://www.csun.edu/coe/dfst/)</p>

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<p>madbean, you have totally, totally gone over to the dark side.<br>
:wink: :smiley: :wink: :D</p>

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<p>My son is a junior at CSUN in Music Industry Studies. He loves the program! The audition and interview were hard and many don’t make it the first time through. DS had to reinterview in the fall of his freshman year and made it that time.<br>
So far he hasn’t had any trouble getting classes. It helps that they limit the number of students in the major so he has been able to get all his major courses on schedule for the 4 year “roadmap” that the school provides. He had a few units in AP clourses coming in so he also had some leeway in which GEs to take and when he could take them.</p>

<p>He lived in dorms with the kitchens the first year and wasn’t that thrilled. He wished he would have signed up for either the Freshmen dorms or the Music dorms. The new dorms look pretty cool and the new dining area is a huge improvement.</p>

<p>He loves the MIS program. He is required to continue in his music study, for him its percussion. He also had to take keyboarding and music theory. The other major courses - music history, recording, business management, law, field experience, and the upcoming internship are an excellent way to learn about all aspects of the music business. And being so close to everything in LA is perfect.</p>

<p>A friend started in the Music Business major at USC and has since changed majors. Their program was all business courses and no real music courses.</p>

<p>Message me if you want more info.</p>