<p>My 16 year old daughter, husband and I took the campus tour a few weeks ago. We had reviewed their website and took the virtual tour beforehand, but there were some surprising things we learned during the tour - all were pleasantly surprising. My daughter was pretty optimistic about going there prior to the tour; it's now her top choice/dream school after the tour. </p>
<p>In no particular order...
1. Professors have MANDATORY office hours.
2. Tutoring is available for all courses, not just the GEs or high-demand/problematic courses. And, it's free.
3. Class sizes are still around 20 students.
4. On-campus housing costs are the CSU baseline standard i.e. private room apartment housing costs at SSU costs the same as a single dorm room as CSULB.
5. All dining hall food is cooked fresh on-campus. Not prepped and pre-cooked elsewhere i.e. heat and serve.
6. Campus jobs are plentiful - apply in the spring.
7. They are building a new student center currently and will be building a new bookstore/food court this year.
8. Internships for all majors are now mandatory.
9. They are going to a modified dining plan where you purchase a combo of meals and dining dollars. You will be able to used meals or dining dollars at all food locations on-campus; dining hall, grab-n-go or food court.
10. The weather is similar to San Diego, though it is rainier Nov-Jan.
11. The superscore your SAT/ACT testing results - actually, all CSUs do, which I did not know.</p>
<p>My daughter loved the close-knit community feel, the beauty of the campus landscaping (there's a lake and creek), buildings and dorm interiors, and the individual academic attention/connection with profs. She was interested in the running and equestrian club and the Adventure FIG.</p>