Thank you so much, @gumbymom, those are great tips and thanks for confirming the UC info!
My initial thought was to focus on programs that offered priority registration and housing, especially as I assumed housing was as tough at CSU’s as UC’s?
She’s applying as a Comp Sci major to all the campuses (except SE to SLO), so will have a heavy course load like your son. I’ll share your insights with her and see what she wants to do. The apps I’ve seen involve many essays and these poor kids are just so exhausted. I have an idea I know her answer.
Each CSU campus will have different requirements for campus housing. Most guarantee Freshman housing if the application is submitted before the deadline.
SDSU requires 2 years on-campus housing for all non-local students.
SLO offers guaranteed housing for in-coming Freshman and for the following whom are part of the 2 year program:
These student groups are currently required to live on campus for two years:
Students enrolled in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED)
Students enrolled in the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences (CAFES)
Students enrolled in the College of Engineering
Cal Poly Scholars
Student-Athletes
CSULB offers Freshman housing based on space availability. Non-locals/out of the area students would get priority.
I cannot comment on Sac State housing.
In general, non-locals would get priority at the CSU campuses along with the Honors college scholars but the earlier you apply, the better especially since Covid issues have limited the # of students they can house safely.
This was a crucial factor in D21’s picking SLO over the her UC choices. The off-campus housing in SLO is expensive and not exactly easy to find. But the 2-year guarantee really hit a home run for us.
It is certainly a concern - nationwide - but at such as small school. It seems one was medical.
As a parent, it certainly has to give you pause before allowing your kid to attend. Not saying it should be eliminated but you really have to investigate, talk to people, ask the right questions.
It’s horrific that kids today are so pressured that - anything short of academic success - is an abject failsure.
Who knows - maybe someone will end up driving an uber for a living or working at Target…but so what, they’ll still contribute to society.
I hated to read this - but it is important info for folks looking at the school as I know you are. I feel for you going through the process - and my goodness, the horror that these children and now their families are suffering through - no one should have to experience this.
Yeah, that’s a huge factor for us too, especially in cities that are already in a housing crunch. I’d heard SLO had a 2-year guarantee, didn’t realize it’s limited to certain students but even 1 year is great to us. I didn’t realize SDSU could even offer (let alone require) 2-years when UCSD kids are scrambling for 1?!
The construction in and around the SDSU campus the last few years has been unbelievable. I grew up a mile from the campus, the changes are impressive. After building all the student housing, they updated the rules to ensure they are full of students.
Yes, those poor families and the kids there trying to get through it all. I imagine it’s all magnified because it’s such a small campus. We will definitely be watching to see how things are managed by admin. Every place has changed so much the past 2 years, it’s hard to know what the culture of a school is anywhere now.
UCLA has a pretty good housing situation. I think they guarantee three years and are aiming for a four year guarantee. Olympic and Centennial are their newly opened dorms. When we were looking I think UCSB also had a pretty decent housing situation. I have recently read about students not able to find housing at UCSB so things might have changed. Dorm living/student living is generally pretty high density at most California colleges. Covid has challenged the living density equations and many colleges are still adapting. Of my daughter’s high school friends, none had any problems securing first year accommodations at California publics. This is not a typical year, however.
Yes I shouldn’t be lumping all the UCs together, another poster said UCLA and UCSB had good housing guarantees, although like you said UCSB had a crisis this year fueled in part by covid restrictions. I’m mostly surprised that San Diego State could offer 2 years when UCSD is still struggling. Housing availability/guarantees are really important to us.
It’s a relief to see that D doesn’t have to apply to all the CSU Honors colleges now to help her secure housing. So now we can just wait to see where she gets in then start looking at what the housing situations are.
I’m reading a bit on reddit talk about stress culture already existing, but exacerbated by covid restrictions. Which surprised me as I thought it was fast-paced but not toxic (my word, I didn’t see that used by anyone), but this is just a small group chatting so hard to know.
But it almost doesn’t matter what the environment used to be like if the current frosh and sophomores only know the current culture, and don’t have that history to return to that other “normal.” So it’s like all schools got a re-set these last 2 years and it’s hard to know what the next 2 and beyond will be like, even when the pandemic subsides. It’s really up to the admin and current students to re-create or create anew the school culture.
I believe the plan will be to offer the 2-year guarantee to all students. SLO is doing a lot of building too. But right now, the 2-year guarantee covers the majority of the freshman classes, with the groups that Gumbymom listed above (CAFES, CoE, CAED, etc.).
I don’t often read the UCLA Reddit but did just recently. There are a lot of students (and I don’t know what the percentage would be) at UCLA than suffer from anxiety (social and now health) and other mental health problems. My understanding is that most students have come to UCLA with this baggage. The unhealthy competitiveness and the anxiety are intricately linked in my view. The school is big enough, however, that a student can shield themselves from this (even in the Engineering school that is much smaller than the University at large). My daughter is just a first year so I’m not really an expert. She works hard, has great friends and is taking advantage of what UCLA and LA in general have to offer. Just the other weekend she and her friends spent a day at the Getty and absolutely loved it. They started a small knitting club in their dorm. Go to Westwood for a movie and dinner. The university tries to combat the “toxicity” and offers many resources for mental wellness. If your daughter ever considers UCLA she can have a chat with my daughter for more in depth details of the environment because even though we’re close, I’m sure I filter what my daughter tells me through my own experiences.
This is what I really want for my D, wherever she lands. Like you said, at all these competitive schools, the kids are often coming with a lot of mental health baggage, which are compounded for everyone right now. It’s so good to hear what a healthy approach your D and her friends have and that the school is really trying to support them. (You are so kind, if my D is lucky enough to get in, will let you know!! ).
Just wanted to add that the mental health problems the students face are through no fault of their own. I have great empathy for them. It’s a vulnerable age (high school and college students) for the emergence of mental health problems and I pinpointed competitiveness as a potential cause but it is not the only one and might not be one at all (correlation doesn’t not equal causation). I wish I could do more to help them, but don’t know what. My heart breaks reading some of their comments sometimes.
