Princeton
Review analyzes The Beach
Our
view
Back
in the day when many of us were searching
frantically for the perfect college,
we consulted the Princeton Review. For
those who have not indulged in this handy
guide to getting the supposed real scoop
from the nation’s campuses, it
is a book in which students submit various
pieces of information. The result is
a general overlook of the campus from
its very own student body’s words,
as well as other official statistics.
For many years, our glorious campus was not even included in the Princeton
Review. To the dismay of those of us who still peruse the latest editions,
we were entertained instead by reviews of smaller, perhaps even lesser colleges
around the country – top party-ranked schools like Lehigh University
in Pennsylvania or even Bradley University located in the Midwest.
But as of last year, CSULB readers of this Princeton publication can read about
our very own school. No longer is California’s second-largest campus
excluded from this highly-publicized national listing.
But what does this review say about CSULB? What will readers learn upon reading
information surveyed from students? Is our survey accurate, stereotypical,
or just plain wrong?
In 2004, the CSULB Princeton Review survey appeared to be full of campus stereotypes,
which generally were only half-truths. The compilation of student-submitted
information did not paint a clear picture of what The Beach was all about.
In 2005, however, the book has been relieved of such incompetence with regards
to its portrayal of our university. CSULB is not ranked on any of its national
rankings, which include admissions, libraries, dorms and parties to name a
few.
The review does, however, touch on both the positive and the things-to-be-improved-upon
aspects of our campus.
First some of the good. The review mentions the incredible diversity of our
school, parallel to the state of California itself. It quotes that nearly all
students can find his or her respective niche in a campus of 35,000 and that
there is not a typical student here.
Though given the commuter nature of this campus, it mentions the sad fact that
the student community as a whole is not very strong. With students commuting
to school and combining other outside commitments, it is hard to get a majority
of students to get involved on campus and participate.
But even though much of campus commutes from various parts of the greater area,
the Princeton Review does not fail to mention Beach Pride. Every day students
can be seen displaying gold and black or sporting Beach gear.
It also mentions our school’s strongest departments: science, engineering,
art, communications, music, theater, nursing, nutrition, business and education.
Though this listing seems to cover all the bases and said a majority of our
school’s majors, it is odd to read the relatively low academic rating
to our school (76 out of 99) given the review’s mentioning of its strengths.
In regard to Beach sports, the review referred to our excellent volleyball
and baseball programs and the fact that all sports events are free to students.
Another source of campus pride indicated was how aesthetically pleasing our
little nook of Long Beach is. In a city, and county for that matter, that is
generally developed to the point of being labeled as a concrete jungle, CSULB
provides a beautiful escape. Trees and grassy knolls adorn the campus, adding
to our further academic comfort here.
The review also noted that the city of Long Beach is in an ideal location,
providing both access to hotspots in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
With the massive size of our campus’ student body, the review did not
fail to emphasize the occasional headaches students endure while battling the
academic bureaucracy. It said impacted majors and administrative tasks can
be difficult and while this is certainly true here, the review oddly enough
idolized the beauty of Beachboard.
Beachboard has proven to be its own set of both problems and advantages, and
while plaudits go out to whoever is making it better, it is still far from
perfect and probably shouldn’t even have been mentioned in the Princeton
survey.
Lastly for the good stuff, the Quality of Life rating for CSULB was a high
90 out of 99. It appears that students are generally happy here, despite the
campus size and parking problems.
The Daily Forty-Niner appreciates Princeton Review’s insightful analysis
of CSULB in the 2005 edition. |
