Trying to find the best CSU school for me

Colleges and Universities A-Z California State University - GENERAL
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Hello! I’m in the middle of my application process for California colleges. I’m currently studying at a community college with a plan to transfer in the fall of 2020 with an AA-T degree in English. I live in the Sacramento area and have been in this area my entire 20 years of living. I’m trying to find the best place for me to move to without feeling too far away from home as I don’t want to be far away from family. I have Sonoma state as my top college since it’s only an hour and a half away from home and I’ve heard great things about the campus and that they have a great liberal arts program. The only issue is that I’ve been told it’s rather expensive to attend there compared to some other schools.

I am considering going more south, like Long Beach, Channel Islands, San Jose, or maybe even Fullerton but I’ve visited down there and the traffic is terrible. I should state that I’m an ambivert- I love having my quiet time with my books and youtube videos, but I also love to hang out with friends and do fun stuff. The things I’m looking for moving to a university is somewhere fun, with a great town or campus that has a bunch to do, while not feeling too claustrophobic in a big city. This all sounds like it’s contradicting itself but I’m willing to compromise so that I go to a good school with a good English program and fun area. I would prefer to be close to home but my mom is a flight attendant so if it means flying I think I can swing that. Let me know what you guys think, I’d love to hear some suggestions.

P.s If anyone has good resources for scholarships I’d love to hear them! That’s also on my to do list. Thanks!

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don’t know your GPA but Sonoma sounds like it checks all your boxes. I;d look at their on-campus housing - kind of expensive but, they are really nice and you get a built in social circle. Sac State is also a good school and is probably your ‘local’ CSU, making it highly likely to accept you so, deserves an ap. . I’d also apply to Chico and maybe Monterey.

All of the CSUs have the same basic tuition. A shared apt near campus at all 3 is probably $1k per person. A little more than Sac but way less than SF or the LA area. Visit your target schools, check out the housing and campus vibe. One will call to you -
good luck.

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Thank you! My gpa is a 3.20

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Considering everything you have written, it seems that visits are the only thing in order. Sonoma State (I am an alum, Class of '93) is an under-the-radar gem, but it is a “Love it or leave it” kind of place. I loved it, especially after leaving the way-too-many-distractions of Chico State.

If you are looking for somewhere kind of close (3 hours from Sacto) and fairly low key, try checking out CSUMB. Definitely a beautiful area, but maybe not enough to do.

If So Cal is calling and too many schools seem too Big City, try CSU San Marcos. 40 miles from San Diego, 80 miles from L.A., 15 miles from the ocean, it’s far enough to be very mellow and close enough to visit anywhere for a bit of fun. It’s a beautiful (hilly!) campus that is only about 20 years old. Very new, very clean.