I’ve been trying to decide between these two colleges for the past month or so. I was rejected from my #1 choice school, and further narrowed it down to CSU Channel Islands or CSU Northridge. I’ve been accepted into Channel Islands majoring in Biology and Northridge in Microbiology. I don’t know what to choose, and deadlines are coming up to make a decision, so I’m getting a bit desperate.
CSUN is more established and likely has more programs and opportunities for internships in the area. Not only that, but I would have disability/ priority registration which would help me get the classes I need. I’m also worried about the academics - CSUN has more specialized classes offered in the field I want to go into compared to CSUCI. I’m worried that choosing CSUCI would negatively impact future applications to jobs, grad school, etc.
On the other hand, I much prefer the campus of CSUCI. I think I would be much happier going to school there. And that’s a big concern for me. When I visited CSUN, I thought it looked depressing. I’m worried about going there and hating it. CI is just so much… greener, I guess, and there’s so many hills nearby. Plus, there are less distractions nearby, which would help me focus and get better grades. I also think that a smaller campus might give me the chance to ask teachers questions/ attend office hours moreso than a large campus, which would help me get letters of recommendation for graduate programs.