First off, sorry if this isn't the best choice of focum to post under, wasn't 100% sure but thought Chit Chat was the safest of the lot. So I'm doing my undergrad degree in Law and American Studies degree at Swansea University in the UK. Swansea have placed me for my study abroad year with CalState, and I'm currently doing the application for CalState, where they'll decide basically which campus I'm going to. I gotta put 4 choices (ranked 1st through 4th), and also list of module selections for each place. So I'm currently looking at my top 4 being Fullerton, Chico, Sacramento and Bakersfield. And I'm looking for somewhere that's strong on Political Science, Political Communication, and the relationship between television and culture. My problem is I don't know what order to rank them. I liked Fullerton from the outset, partly cus I know someone in LA so there's that draw. But other places are looking good too, and Chico is literally fighting to get ahead of Fullerton. So wanted to know what people's experiences are of these 4. If you do PoliSci too awesome, but if not, looking to get a feel for the campus as well. And I'm running short of time, so quick responses appreciated (I really didn't think I'd struggle this much with ranking them!) Thanks anyone who posts!
Hey there. I'm originally from California and can give you some input. From north to south: Chico. A good school. Once crowned the #1 party school in the country, but I think that reputation is long passed. A typical college town where the university and its students pretty much dominate everything. Most remote city of them all but it's a pretty area. I visited friends there a few times and always enjoyed myself. Sacramento. I know it well as it was where I was living before coming to Europe. The school is big--mostly a commuter school. The campus is nice. The city is pretty cool too, just don't go to far out into the suburbs because then it becomes very boring. Maybe the best when it comes to political science, but I only say that because Sac is the state capital and the whole place is a huge government town. Lots of the professors are always quoted in political news, etc. Bakersfield. Ah, no. Armpit of California. Just endless suburbia with people in pickup trucks. I know nothing about the school. But as far as I know no one chooses to go to Bakersfield. Also conservative. Fullerton. Nice area. Nice school. You're in LA / OC, so it would very likely be the most expensive place to live. I don't know much about it. Feel free to PM me for more info.
STAY OUT OF BAKERSFIELD Whenever I go to Cali, I always go to San Diego so I haven't seen much of the rest of the state. Sacramento is very close to San Francisco though, and SF is one of the world's gayest cities imaginable. I would choose Sacramento for that very reason.
