Cal State Northridge

Close to home and cheaper than other places. I used to and still have some decent pride in my school but a lot of changes need to be made. Some of the professors in the Social Work department are kept on because of their time there and because at times it is hard to find certain teachers with certain backgrounds, but they end up being the worst professors to learn from. It is kind of sad that they will be kept on even though they are not teaching their students much.
Others have their own agenda and steer away from their teaching agenda to teach their own stuff. ugh

My experience at CSUN over all was a below average rating. Let me be clear why? First let me say the school itself and its amenities are very nice. It has much to offer on campus with recreational facilities and places to roam, a nice library to study in. Overall the campus itself is lovely. Ofcourse you can find a nice campus almost anywhere these days. Its easy to get into a CSU because you don’t have to write a personal statement. The process itself is much simpler and considering there are 27 CSU’s in the United States, you have a variety of campuses to choose from. Tuition cost vary depending on the location you choose, why? I have no idea but Northridge is over priced and so is the housing. In reference to the housing if you choose to live on campus and your dorm has no kitchen which most don’t you will be forced to pay for a meal plan that’s very expensive. Last time I noticed for a full academic year it was over $ 3500 this is where they get ya’. When I needed help I would go to study labs which could be loud and annoying, so I stopped going. Tutoring centers were no help because most people didn’t know what they were doing or they were lazy and would waste my time by demonstrating you can search on «google» for anything I needed. Gee really? I did know that. I guess it doesn’t require any special skills to be a tutor.
I graduated in 2014 as a Gender Women Study Major and frankly this program is great when backed by a strong Masters specializing in something you can earn a real living from. Otherwise it will change your perspective on a personal level but it will do you no dam good standing alone trying to find a profession that pays you above minimum wage. There were a few positives, but not very many, my experience was noticing the racism that plagues this institution with white people running the show. The discrimination of not be allowed to have work study as I requested it every semester only to be jerked around, it was primarily left for the young white students coming in and a few people of color. Most students do struggle getting any type of work on campus. I applied for several jobs that didn’t take much skill only to be told, I should come back everyday wasting my time and wasting paper so a new resume is on top of the pile of old resume’s that are not being looked at. I guess people just don’t know what it takes to be efficient in their own jobs or use time management wisely.
During my time at CSUN this department lacked sisterhood, support from teachers, fellow students, and resources at the women’s center, instead it was a haven for all the young lesbians as a hangout to talk about parties and their girlfriends. People have a natural assumption that GWS is an easy major it’s really not, the reading is overwhelming as some teachers have you buy expensive thick books they never use, but will test you on (avoid these classes if you can). Or they will flood you with reading and what they do go over is not thorough at all, so you struggle understanding a lot of it. I had to read my material over and over and go to who would help me with understanding it. The combination within this program you should structure on your own because you can combine other classes that differ such as psychology, sociology anthropology, Chicano studies and others just double check with your adviser. Another thing don’t be afraid to speak up to your advise because some of them are terrible dealing with. Its a good idea to mix up the program with other electives or you will get bored fast. Also one important element about this program there are only a few classes that are a must and given only once a year, get those out of the way first.
Don’t expect people like professor Garza — Lopez (check rate my professor) and few others to be helpful. Some of these women who teach expect you to sink or swim with no guidance. Stay on your teachers good side as I have known a few girls that were black balled since your teacher holds your grade in their back pocket. Breny Mendoza is a teacher you should avoid I had to address the fact to the chair Sheena that Breny copied another teachers syllabus that was a couple of years old handing it out to the students because she was lazy in outlining her own. All in all she is a terrible teacher, she really doesn’t care how she teaches and is never around when you need her help. I will say Tohidi, Schumacker, and Sheena are good teachers. Read your programs well to making a good decision so you are not wasting your time. If you choose this program think about how a master’s degree can strengthen the GWS program in how and what you choose for your career. Its not easy, but have a strong idea as you don’t want to waste time.
I realized this program and all the volunteer work I have done has done me no good especially at my age. There were too many women with attitude problems instead of working together. It has only benefited my personal life. Good Luck to All

As I was going through high school I always said CSUN was my very last choice. Like I said i would rather go to a community college before I would end up at CSUN. Now that I am a freshman, I have defiantly changed my mind on this place. It makes it’s students feel very safe. Coming in as a freshmen, it was almost like having a safe new start after getting out of high school. You don’t feel judged and most professors don’t hold the standard of «I don’t care if you pass my class or not», they are willing to help you understand what you need to know but the only thing you have to do is ask for help.
The campus is very clean. You really can’t see any trash on the floor or roaming around with the wind. All the buildings look like they belong together. They all look like one even though they are all different colors and shapes, they all match each other very well. The campus it’s self is very well put together.
Now let’s talk food. There are a lot of places on campus to get food but my favorite one is the Sierra Center. They have such a variety of food it is amazing. I personally like the Chinese food the best there. Their chow main doesn’t taste like the one from panda, it almost tastes like it is home made. Their orange chicken and their mushroom chicken are the best thing they have. Their mushroom chicken tastes like this soup my mom makes, with a lot of veggies and the chicken. Over all the food at CSUN is really good.
CSUN is a very fresh place. There is a lot of trees around and it smells amazing when they first cut the grass. That is my favorite time to be outside. There is many smells at this school. Each building that i am at smells different, Like when you are on the 4^th floor of the library all you can smell is the old books. I just want to grab one and take the smell in. Over this school beat all the expectation I had for college.

Very good looking school. I just wish it was quarter system rather than semester system. Some teachers are awesome, some are awful. Just like any other school.

this school is the bomb.
the shit.
the business.
best cal state ever.
everything is nicely remodeled.
parking is not six bucks an hour, it’s six bucks a day for that lady that left incorrect information.
the gym is the bomb, free for students.
always have free games/concerts/food…i now see where all my tuition money goes and i’m not mad at all!
visit csun… you will fall in loooooove!

The campus is beautiful! All the buildings are fairly new, and showing good tastes on architecture. The grass are green, grasshoppers are green, seems like an awesome place to go to school
The one thing I noticed, they built this walk, with trees planted on both sides to provide shades. Under these trees, there are stone desks and benches. Studying outdoor-​sy, with the cool summer breeze, and the mountains in the back? no stinky library, or loud neighbors? WOW. The downside to these study set ups, limited service hours – sunrise to sunset –sounds like farmers a bit. But still pretty cool!
Plenty of parking spots, daily parking is only $ 6. Only $ 6, yea, most other universities, I.e. UCSD, where I did undergrad, charges $ 12 for daily, USC, $ 10 flat. Six bucks is a steal! Send your kids here!

Since 2012, The Matadome has received a well needed face-​lift with visual upgrades to display boards, score board above center court, wall graphics, press row, stadium chairs in reserved seating and the most obvious, new flooring.
Tickets for Men’s basketball (2013 – 2014) —
Reserved section: $ 10.00-$ 15.00
General admission for adults: $ 8.00
Youth (17 & under) & Senior (60 & better): $ 6.00
Groups (10 or more): $ 5.00
CSUN Students (with I.D.): FREE
In reserved section you may choose your seat at the ticket box. This section is stadium chairs and you’ll usually see Alumni, faculty and parents of sports participants. General admission is bleacher seating and usually seats the energetic crowd– the CSUN students, including CSUN band and Greek organizations.
During basketball games there’s a DJ. spinning music, pumping up the crowd and handing out free give aways, like: gift certificates and t-​shirts.
Food, drinks and CSUN loot, like: Jersey’s, t-​shirts & hats are available for purchase in the Matadome lobby.
Matadome is located at the corner of Zelzah Avenue and Plummer Street on the Cal State Northridge campus. Student and faculty parking available with parking pass, otherwise there are a few machines in the parking lot to buy parking pass for $ 6.00; credit cards are accepted.

Went to CSUN today for my son’s JV summer basketball tournament. It was actually held in the small gym. It was all bad! Lets start with the parking. $ 6.00 for an hour! On a Sunday! Highway robbery! The facility was clean, that’s the only good thing I could say. The gym had no air, huge fans blowing everywhere. Makes little difference in 104 degree weather. They had a few folding chairs to sit on, really? My son’s high school gym put this place to shame! AND $ 7.00 to get in! WOW ! Did I mention no refreshments or snaks anywhere? WOW! So in one hour I spent $ 13.00 to watch my son play. Way to go CSUN! Take advantage of the parents who go to support their kids (our future).
STILL SMDH!

President Harrison build an arena, it can be your VPAC, except the arena will actually benefit CSUN and its students! You can call it the MatArena, or even the Harrison center. Basketball team is 6 – 0 this year, they deserve a division I facility, stop «upgrading» this 70 year old gym.

Last night I went to Cal State Northridge for a men’s Division I basketball game between the Matadors and Utah Valley State. The Matadors gutted out a 76 – 64 victory to run their record to 6 – 1 (as of December 5^th).
I love college basketball and I’ve been to a lot of games locally and there isn’t a place or a school that I have more mixed feeling about than the Matadome and Cal State Northridge.
The Good:
1. The team looks solid. Seniors Calvin Chitwood and Jonathan Heard are exciting scorers, Tremaine Townsend is one heck of a rebounder and Deon Tresvant can shoot the lights out. This should be an interesting team come Big West season.
2. The Matadome seats only 1,600 so it’s easy to pack the place. The gym could easily be a great home-​court advantage.
3. They are one of the few places that I’ve been to that gives you a free and professional looking program (as professional as photocopied paper can look, at least) with rosters, stats, news, etc. That’s a little touch that goes a long way with me as an ex-​media relations guy.
4. Tickets are cheap — Ten dollars for reserved, seven for adult general admission and free admission to students.
5. Excellent cheerleaders. They work their asses off and perform during virtually every timeout.
The Bad:
1. The Matadome is a dump. It seats only 1,600. The seats are uncomfortable. It’s bright and sterile. They do a horrible job of cleaning. It’s an aged gym that’s an embarrassment for a Division I program.
2. Student involvement is a joke. The first game I went to last season, maybe 20 students showed up. They stood the whole game and made noise, but it was just sad. Last night, there were more students there, but the majority of them socialized with each other and could barely even muster a clap for a dunk. The student group that made the most noise was the deaf kids, no joke.
3. Walking around campus before the game, it was obvious that they barely market their games, even on campus. No wonder student involvement is so low.
4. The Matadome is such a dump that they don’t even have a permanent concession stand, just a temporary setup with the bare bones basics.
5. I think they let the basketball players program the music. The worst of the worst hip-​hop played at ear-​shattering levels (I’m getting to be an old crumbum).
I’ll definitely be back to Northridge for Matadors basketball — the team is good enough to make the bad not as bad. I just wish that the students and the community would turn out to support them. Like I said, the place could be a big home court advantage if only a couple hundred more students turned out and made some noise.
Remaining Home Schedule:
Thursday, December 20 vs. Vanguard — 7:00 PM
Thursday, January 10 vs. UC Davis — 7:00 PM
Saturday, January 12 — vs. Pacific — 7:00 PM
Saturday, January 26 vs. Long Beach State — 4:00 PM
Thursday, January 31 vs. UC Irvine — 7:00 PM
Saturday, February 2 vs. Cal State Fullerton — 5:00 and 7:30
Saturday, February 16 vs. UC Riverside — 7:00 PM
Thursday, March 6 vs. UC Santa Barbara — 7:00 PM
Saturday, March 8 vs. Cal Poly — 7:00 PM
UPDATE 1÷13÷08 — After last night’s game, I’m almost willing to up Matadors basketball to four stars. They had a big, loud, excited crowd that included a bunch of students and I had a ton of fun. This is an exciting team and when the Matadome is almost full, it does rock. I’m going to withhold the fourth star for now, but it’s definitely at 3.5 stars now.