CSULA - looking for opinions from students there?

<p>I'm not gonna be able to visit far away colleges and I feel like research has only gotten me so far. Can any CSULA students tell me about
- the general atmosphere (academic + social life, and whether the pendulum sways more toward one or the other)
- surrounding life + whether the school feels really isolated or integrated
- research opportunities--are they hard to get or can anyone start researching right away if they seek out opportunities?
- what are the students like? Is the college diverse or is there a "typical" student?
- history, anthropology, other social science majors--generally, are they amazing, good, okay, or subpar?
- the quality of the premed program or advising/whether it has much success or not</p>

<p>Don’t know if this is too late, but here it goes…
General atmosphere: Almost no social life since it’s mostly a commuter school. Though, there are plenty of worthwhile organizations to take part in. It’s what you do yourself that define your college experience.
Surrounding life: Nice Alhambra neighborhood to the north. Average East LA neighborhood to the south. Safe for most part.
Research: Yes, there are research if you look around. Google up “CSULA CEaS”; that’s one research program.
Student Diversity: Pretty diverse. Mostly Hispanic, but there are students from everywhere.
Majors: Don’t know too much about the ones you mentioned but nursing, criminal justice, and business are good at this school.
Premed: I don’t know to be honest.
Advising: Most advisors are competent, but always have your own backup plan of classes though. It’s not always easy getting classes you want.</p>