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My experience attending California State University, Bakersfield was mixed, with both strengths and notable shortcomings. My first impression during the campus tour was underwhelming. The student leading the tour, who was studying to become an elementary school teacher, struggled with clear communication and proper English. While I understand that English may not have been his first language, it didn’t inspire confidence, especially given his chosen career path in education.
Academically, I transferred... Read More into the Sociology program after beginning my studies in Biology at another college. While I found the subject interesting, I often felt uncertain about my future career options. Many of my professors emphasized pursuing a master’s degree and entering social work as the primary path forward. Personally, I knew that social work was not a good fit for me, and I struggled to identify alternative career directions within the field. As a result, I graduated feeling unprepared and without clear job prospects or guidance.
At the time I attended (graduating in 2017), the campus itself felt somewhat lacking in atmosphere and resources. However, I am aware that improvements and updates have been made since then, which may enhance the experience for current students.
Despite these challenges, one of the strongest aspects of my experience was the faculty. Several professors were truly dedicated, approachable, and supportive. They made themselves available for office hours and were willing to work with students to ensure their success, which made a lasting positive impact on my education.

My experience with CSUB Online has been consistently frustrating. There are not enough academic counselors for the number of students enrolled. At the time I attended, there seemed to be only one academic counselor for all online students. This meant that she was difficult to get a hold of for questions or clarification. When I was able to meet with her, she didn't provide a course roadmap and she failed to mention prerequisites for summer courses, which caused me to miss out on the summer term.... Read More

In addition to the sub-par academic counseling, there is no guarantee that the classes you enrolled for will still be available to you. I was majoring in Communications Journalism and minoring in Sociology, which I was assured was a path available to me at CSUB. After the first semester, and without warning, students were told that Comm majors could no longer take Sociology classes. No reason for this change was provided, and now I am locked out of completing my minor at CSUB. Again, emails to my counselor and other admins were either brushed off or totally ignored.

CSUB online is a poorly organized program with admin staff who seem not to care about doing their jobs. Professors have limited resources and availability, and classes consist mostly of textbook reading and YouTube videos. Given how underwhelming these "services" are, I feel I should have just wasted my time and money at for-profit college. In that case, it would've been less of a surprise when they took my money and gave me nothing in return.

California State University Bakersfield provides an outstanding opportunity for education. The school is affordable and the staff are knowledgeable and want to help students achieve success on all levels. In my personal experience, I had a professor that impacted my career growth by pushing me for opportunities that I might not have otherwise considered or been aware of. Attending California State University Bakersfield has significantly impacted my life and career. I would recommend this school... Read More without reservation.

I thoroughly enjoyed my four years at CSUB. Being that it is a smaller CSU, students are able to really connect with professors and classmates. The school continuously looks for opportunities to improve their campus and the student experience. Recently, by popular demand, they added a Starbucks and are now looking into remodeling multiple parking lots. They also, within the past few years, built a brand new student housing complex for those living on campus. You can really see your tuition being... Read More put to good use. There are also many resources available to students such as tutoring centers that offer free printing and computer labs to finish up those last minute assignments. The campus and facilities are also kept very clean. The campus is also decently close to many shopping plazas and restaurants to pass time between classes. CSUB also offers fun activities for students like taking day trips to Magic Mountain or going snowboarding during the winter. Their library is also open past midnight during critical times, such as finals. Being that I was a Psychology major, it is important to know that Psychology is one of CSUBs largest departments. It may be difficult to secure classes if you are not punctual about signing up for classes on time. Unfortunately, there have been times when I was not able to sign up for certain Psychology classes even during my scheduled sign up period. Classes can be tight so make sure to arrive to your classes on time, if not earlier. Otherwise I had a pretty great time at CSUB and would recommend it!

Fantastic and reliable college that helps you get your Engineering Sciences degree quick and easy! The class sizes are small which is a great benefit to any and all future engineers as it helps focus the curriculum on the students rather than a set schedule as other college professors fall into. Many of the professors are understanding of their student's situations and dilemmas and will seek to help in any way that they can, within reason of course. The courses are still tough and unforgivable, as... Read More is all engineering courses, but you can at least have a chance of surviving, here at CSUB.