<p>Recently, I was admitted to the Master of Science in Health Care Administration program at California State University, Long Beach. At this time, it’s one of the few programs I’ve already heard back from, I’m still waiting to hear back from several others.</p>
<p>In terms of tuition and fees, CSULB seems very inexpensive compared to most of the other graduate programs to which I’ve applied, even for out-of-state students, although this is somewhat offset by the fact that the cost-of-living in and around Long Beach is very high. Essentially, CSULB seems like a great bargain.</p>
<p>However, I’m concerned that it may be difficult to make friends at CSULB because it’s very much a commuter school. Also, most of the students in my program seem to be older professionals who work full-time and, more than likely, have families and other major responsibilities. </p>
<p>For what it’s worth, I attended and lived on campus at a huge commuter school in Florida for the first two years of undergrad and made very, very friends until my second year when I began working part-time off-campus. </p>
<p>Since I don’t want a repeat experience of the first half of undergrad, should I even bother attending CSULB if I’m admitted to one of the other programs to which I’ve applied? Is it difficult to make friends and navigate socially at CSULB as a graduate and/or commuter student? Is CSULB even worth the cheap tuition rates or worth it to attend as an out-of-state student? What is CSULB’s reputation in SoCal–good, bad?</p>
<p>I look forward to your replies, all of which will be greatly appreciated. </p>
<p>I’d say you should probably not come to Long Beach. Your view on graduate school is a big departure from what in my opinion graduate school is - advancement. What I thought it would be is that you’d find employment to support yourself, attend classes in the evening, and then repeat. I never once considered that you’d be there for some sort of social life. The graduate school life I assumed is quite a bit different from the undergraduate life.</p>
<p>Most CSU’s are commuter schools, including my alma mater (just graduated from Cal Poly Pomona). As far as reputation goes, it depends. The top so cal schools in my opinion are Cal Poly Pomona, UCLA, and USC. I haven’t heard much about Long Beach because their school just never comes up in conversation and I don’t know anyone that goes there anymore. Once upon a time, I knew a master’s student in history there. I don’t remember her doing much besides working and going to classes. She already had friends in the area, however, and did not rely on graduate school classmates to spend time with her. I don’t think the return on the investment would be high enough unless you planned to live in So Cal for the rest of your life.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, for those who want to pursue a career in the healthcare management field, a master’s degree is essential. Believe it or not, it’s next to impossible to even penetrate that career field with only a bachelor’s degree, similar to law, medicine, etc., hence the reason why most students looking to enter that field pursue a master’s degree immediately after undergrad. Therefore, the nature of health administration graduate programs are rather traditional in setting, similar to most undergraduate programs of study. To my understanding, most students enrolled in these programs, regardless of their institution, are full-time students who attend morning and/or afternoon classes and intern during the summer in between the first and second years of study–again, very much like undergrad. </p>
<p>However, it seems as though the HCA program at CSULB is slightly different than those at most other schools in that a huge percentage of the students, even in the “traditional” cohort, attend evening courses, are older, and are employed full-time. If I’m going to be a traditional student at whichever school I attend, I’d like my experience to be slightly consistent with undergrad. Is that too much to ask for?</p>
<p>I love Southern California and wouldn’t be opposed to living there or Arizona, where I’m currently living, for the rest of my life. Since CSULB is very inexpensive, even for out-of-state graduate students, I wouldn’t really have that much debt (no undergrad debt at all, either), so I wouldn’t be opposed to going back to school at a later point to earn an MBA from either UCLA or even UCI after establishing residency in California. Chances are good that regardless of whether I remain in SoCal or not, I’d probably have to earn an MBA anyway to advance in my career, especially if I go to CSULB.</p>
<p>Mark:
CSU Long Beach: Commuter school in Southern California. Students are there taking care of business: studying, working, driving on the 405, and living in very expensive housing. </p>
<p>You will meet acquaintances because everyone does, but looking for an undergrad experience in a grad program, where serious students don’t want to waste time socializing, will be difficult for you to break into. </p>