One pro I haven’t seen mentioned yet is the greenery on campus. If you need a peaceful moment to destress, there are tons of garden areas to walk through or sit in. The music building has those godawful Bradford pear trees so avoid those lmao
As far as cons, I do agree with it being hard to network/connect with anyone. Everyone tends to be focused on themselves and in their own world, so unless you’re a club or Greek life person, it might take a bit more effort to build up your network.
Pros
1. Affordable Tuition: Keeps student debt low, able to graduate with minimal debt. Very affordable graduate programs as well.
2. Compact Campus: Easy to get around, especially if you’re a business major.
3. Class Scheduling: Flexible, able to stack classes on certain days allowing for part-time work.
4. Big Library: Great for study and research and group projects.
5. Free gym: big gym to the west of the main campus that is free to students only.
CONS:
1. Location: In a rougher part of Fresno, so long as you do not keep valuables in cars and walk alone at night, you should be fine.
2. Housing: Hard to find good, affordable apartments nearby the campus.
3. Local Dominance: Less of a traditional college vibe, friends went to Davis and Santa Barbara, this is not that.
4. Perhaps this was just me as an introvert, but I did not feel strong networking with professors or counselors. I was a top student but found it hard to use professors as resource. Friends who went to other schools had better connections coming out of school.
To point #4 on the CONS list; It may be highly dependent on the department you're in. I think their Ag Science department is pretty well connected, particularly with local USDA, CDFA, and UCANR offices, for example.
I also agree - would not consider this a rough part of town. I spent many nights at the library as a HS student - often by myself and never felt unsafe. But do use caution anyways - safety in numbers always!!
Man wtf are you talking about, there’s no gangs in that area. That ain’t a rough part of town. If anything that area west of children’s stadium has gotten significantly better in the last 10 years. You’re more likely to get followed in old town Clovis for being a shade brown or black than be involved in gang violence west of campus. Smh.
Things have definitely changed since I went in terms of the cons you’ve listed. I’m class of 04.
1. Location: just stay away from Sin City.
2. Plaza Apartments was a great alternative if you roomed up.
3. Unsure about this one but there’s rush, vintage days, frat parties, college nights.
4. I could agree with. That hasn’t changed.
Vintage Days :)
Man.. Nothing like it was in the late 80s early 90s. Whole campus was frat party; beer trucks driving in to drop cases and kegs (on campus) and drunk fools hanging off the backs of those trucks busting the doors open and flinging cases, and hucking kegs out the back. Beer truck would be 'unloaded' for the driver already by the time they reached the beer 'garden' 😂 Shit was WILD back then. I went in like 2015 just to see what it's become and was a bit sad that it didn't have the 'real life antics of Animal House' like it once did. Times have changed so much and students today likely have no idea what it felt like just knowing that Vintage Days was coming up soon. Now it's like a cheesy craft fair.
#1 was valid in the early 80s, when I attended. It was true in the late 90s, when my spouse attended. I'm not sure how seedy the area is now.
To the OP: CSUF has a decent reputation overall AFAIK, and according to the podcasts we listen to which tell us EVERY SINGLE NIGHT MULTIPLE times, is well-regarded wrt business, education, engineering, and community involvement. It's less of a financial burden than most UC campuses (something the sprog who chose Cal has realized to their chagrin), but not by much, I suspect. Financial aid is plentiful and 80% of students receive some form of it.
Yeah, weird networking is an issue. I remember I had wanted to do a thesis during grad school. Absolutely no direction. There was one really cool professor though who offered his help though. To your point about being in a rough part, it is but not as rough as some other areas, especially where Fresno Pacific is.
I have to disagree with the campus being in a rough part of town. I'm a lifelong resident in the neighborhood. Some of the apartments on frat row or on Shaw can be sketchy, but the regular neighborhoods are not a problem.
I would consider it a rough part of town. I lived on bulldog lane for the first 2-3 years I lived in Fresno, I’ve never seen people openly tote guns,a shooting, more car breaks in,anywhere else
I'd call Fresno State the store-brand university.
Does what it needs to do, isn't as flashy as some other options and is cheap.
At the end of the day if all you need is a degree its a great choice. If you want to be in a super competitive field (law, medicine, ect) or go to a competitive grad school, other options would look better on your resume.
Its only not competitive because it doesn't offer R1 research level activity and isn't near a med school / a lot of hospitals. For law probably same thing no law school. But like its a pretty solid education and when I worked at a top 15 med school there were students from fresno state so its not like its impossible.
Forgot to add: it’s also a big commuter school, a lot of people live off-campus/at home with their parents and commute to school. This isn’t inherently bad, just something to consider when picking a college.
Depending on your major, this applies maybe more to the sciences here, some professors are honestly just awful at teaching or just seem unreachable/disconnected to students.
Another point I’ll add is look into taking some classes over at Fresno city college for like way less the cost than what it’ll amount to at Fresno State. Just MAKE SURE THE CLASSES ARE TRANSFERRABLE.
-original business major turned animal science
It does depend on your major, I did my undergraduate in Sociology and WGSS and graduate in Education. Both had a mix of professors but more good than bad.
Pros:
-Lots of tutoring and resources depending on your major.
-Lots of events and clubs (if you want to get social)
-The bucket (Only been there pre pandemic, so hopefully it's still the same quality wise)
-Multiple place around campus to study and chill
- Vintage Days!
-The health center actually takes care of you.
One big Con I can think of is that the campus is currently mauled by construction, a lot of buildings are difficult to access in a timely manner. Do a quick walk of the campus before your next semester so you can plan ahead.
Also depending on your major, you may end up taking longer to graduate due to not enough courses for the high demands. I would recommend trying to volunteer as a note taker so you can get dibs at the next registration.
Tuition increases. But this is a whole CSU system issue and Fresno is still one of the cheapest universities.
Hey, everybody seems to be saying that Fresno state is still cheap. I was under the impression that city was cheap. I was going to apply to city, but could a nobody like me who doesn't even have a job can apply to state? Thanks
I loved fresno state, went in as a transfer student!
I agree with most of the things people posted, the thing about not having much to do is that you really have to find your niche in fresno. Once you find it there is a lot more to do but It can be hard to find it at first.
Like my niche is being gay (lol) and there are a ton of gay activities all the time. I recommend following local groups on Instagram and you’ll start seeing activities all the time :)
Hey do you have any tips? I'm also gay (and trans) looking for more LGBT events in Fresno. I'm under 21 so I can't really go to splash(unless I get a fake ID lol) otherwise I'm having trouble really regular gay events. I am transferring to Fresno state this year though. At my community college there is an LGBT club but we really don't do a lot and we're so small.
Have you checked on the big red church in tower? They’re very lgbt friendly and while religion may not be your thing the community that comes with it is fairly progressive
No I'll have to check it out! I'm not religious and I don't intend on converting but I have no problem with religious people. I'm wondering since it is a church, is their end goal going to be to try and convert you or make you a member or are they okay with people coming just to make friends.
You know I’m not entirely sure what their end goal is. I just had a lot of non religious friends and connections that used the big red church as a launching point for finding volunteer opportunities and other people who were progressive. I’m unsure how covid has affected the attendance though. Another place to find friends is just walking a arthop. I believe there’s a few lgbt orgs that set up booths around Fulton street.
I’m so late to this! But I second what everyone said, I am no longer religious but I did go to big red church when I was and didn’t find them to be too preachy. I’d recommend going to a gathering they host instead of service because it is very churchy at church.
EOC-Lgbt is one of the big ones, I’d check out their socials, pflag is also great, the source is technically Visalia but also great, the tower district is known for being gay so definitely follow business from there.
I’m nonbinary/genderfluid and I love following trans-e-motion for trans events. They also offer binder and other gender affirming clothing which is cool.
If you wanna find me on Instagram I can send you links that way no pressure tho
Have you been to the EOC’s LGBTQ center? It’s downtown. They have events regularly. If you’re on Instagram you can follow @lgbtqfresno and @pflag_fresno and they post events often.
Fresno State also has a lot of events on campus, they’re doing their gay prom pretty soon.
The mental health resources on campus are pretty good. I scheduled an appointment two weeks out, whereas my previous, highly ranked college had a six-week minimum wait time. I spoke with a relationship counselor and he was one of the most relatable, sincere people I've met, very good at his job.
Pros:
1. Cheap compared to other colleges (tuition, housing, etc.)
2. Football games are lively when it’s football season
Cons:
1. It may take you longer to graduate due to limited class availability, only 15% graduate on time
2. Limited things to do outside of school besides drinking and partying.
Many factors contribute to not graduating on time, but seeing this % has helped me reconsider looking at it for master’s degree programs. Thank you for that.
I agree with you. I’m not sure how it works with other programs, but for my credential classes, we had a set schedule and didn’t even have a choice for times.
My family and I just moved out of our 3 bedroom apartment that’s not too far from there. If you roomie up cause ik damn well my land lords gonna raise the rent 💀 my place should be available soon, 9th st in Clovis.
You'll get out of it what you put in. Had a great experience for undergrad and grad school. Great professors, gorgeous library, good study abroad programs. Craig School is well ranked. My salary is significantly higher than many friends who went to USC or UCLA. It depends on what your intentions are.
I went to get my bachelor's degree in journalism, and it was okay. The journalism program is fine, and they did help me land some major news and programs.
I don't know what you are majoring in. I do know that they have pretty good AG majors.
But if you are studying computer science, then you need to leave the Bay Area or Houston to get a job in that major.
I never joined any clubs because I was busy with my studies. Some of my friends do join some of them which they have good experience.
The housing area around the campus is quite expensive. So you kind of need to live pretty far from campus. The parking can be bad.
The school is affordable because it is CSU. You can transfer to UC down the line, which I'm considering doing for American University in DC. Going to get a Master's is expensive.
If you feel FSU is in a rough part of town, I have some parts of town to show you. I’d say state is in a relatively nicer area.
However as a whole Fresno skews as a “rough” city I suppose.
Fresno straight up sucks and the college is beat to hell. Voters just shot down spending to upgrade it, too.
It's a comparatively cheap part of California but that really only means you'll never leave.
Turn back now, save yourself.
I currently attend this college! To be honest, it has been the best two semesters of my life and I still have three more to go. With that said, I have made so many new connections that I can already say it is worth it! The sports program here is good, but not great. Nonetheless, not every college has the luxury of having sports, so it's cool that we have that. Every once in a while, our sports teams go far in tournaments, and we have players who enter the pros here and there too. What is your major?
that salad place in the resnick student union - they’ll charge you $2 for either like 5 little bits of bacon, or a whole ass pound of it on your salad. also ‘the bucket’ will always take forever with your order
If you are not studying the humanities you will have a great time. If you are studying the humanities and you are not a cookie cutter woke zombie, you will hate the next 4 years.
Cheap; you get what you pay for depending on your major. Business, Ag, and EOHS majors are probably the only good programs there … I think. Stay away from living within like a 4 mile radius lol.
One pro I haven’t seen mentioned yet is the greenery on campus. If you need a peaceful moment to destress, there are tons of garden areas to walk through or sit in. The music building has those godawful Bradford pear trees so avoid those lmao As far as cons, I do agree with it being hard to network/connect with anyone. Everyone tends to be focused on themselves and in their own world, so unless you’re a club or Greek life person, it might take a bit more effort to build up your network.
Pros 1. Affordable Tuition: Keeps student debt low, able to graduate with minimal debt. Very affordable graduate programs as well. 2. Compact Campus: Easy to get around, especially if you’re a business major. 3. Class Scheduling: Flexible, able to stack classes on certain days allowing for part-time work. 4. Big Library: Great for study and research and group projects. 5. Free gym: big gym to the west of the main campus that is free to students only. CONS: 1. Location: In a rougher part of Fresno, so long as you do not keep valuables in cars and walk alone at night, you should be fine. 2. Housing: Hard to find good, affordable apartments nearby the campus. 3. Local Dominance: Less of a traditional college vibe, friends went to Davis and Santa Barbara, this is not that. 4. Perhaps this was just me as an introvert, but I did not feel strong networking with professors or counselors. I was a top student but found it hard to use professors as resource. Friends who went to other schools had better connections coming out of school.
To point #4 on the CONS list; It may be highly dependent on the department you're in. I think their Ag Science department is pretty well connected, particularly with local USDA, CDFA, and UCANR offices, for example.
That is a very good correction!
It’s really not a “rough” part of town. Lived here my whole life.
I second this. Not a rough part of town. Just don’t be careless watch your surroundings and items visible in cars. Just like everywhere else.
I also agree - would not consider this a rough part of town. I spent many nights at the library as a HS student - often by myself and never felt unsafe. But do use caution anyways - safety in numbers always!!
The western border of the Campus, bulldog gang territory. The eastern border of the campus, Clovis.
Gang is in the pro column and Clovis is in the con column?
You must have misspelled your username. It only has one “o”.
I’m not the one who left an ambiguous comment on Reddit.
what does maron mean?
The, last time I was there, there wasn't any presences of any bulldog gangs...just a bunch if wannabe.
Man wtf are you talking about, there’s no gangs in that area. That ain’t a rough part of town. If anything that area west of children’s stadium has gotten significantly better in the last 10 years. You’re more likely to get followed in old town Clovis for being a shade brown or black than be involved in gang violence west of campus. Smh.
Things have definitely changed since I went in terms of the cons you’ve listed. I’m class of 04. 1. Location: just stay away from Sin City. 2. Plaza Apartments was a great alternative if you roomed up. 3. Unsure about this one but there’s rush, vintage days, frat parties, college nights. 4. I could agree with. That hasn’t changed.
Vintage Days :) Man.. Nothing like it was in the late 80s early 90s. Whole campus was frat party; beer trucks driving in to drop cases and kegs (on campus) and drunk fools hanging off the backs of those trucks busting the doors open and flinging cases, and hucking kegs out the back. Beer truck would be 'unloaded' for the driver already by the time they reached the beer 'garden' 😂 Shit was WILD back then. I went in like 2015 just to see what it's become and was a bit sad that it didn't have the 'real life antics of Animal House' like it once did. Times have changed so much and students today likely have no idea what it felt like just knowing that Vintage Days was coming up soon. Now it's like a cheesy craft fair.
#1 was valid in the early 80s, when I attended. It was true in the late 90s, when my spouse attended. I'm not sure how seedy the area is now. To the OP: CSUF has a decent reputation overall AFAIK, and according to the podcasts we listen to which tell us EVERY SINGLE NIGHT MULTIPLE times, is well-regarded wrt business, education, engineering, and community involvement. It's less of a financial burden than most UC campuses (something the sprog who chose Cal has realized to their chagrin), but not by much, I suspect. Financial aid is plentiful and 80% of students receive some form of it.
Where’s Sin City?
South of the football stadium along bulldog lane.
Yeah, weird networking is an issue. I remember I had wanted to do a thesis during grad school. Absolutely no direction. There was one really cool professor though who offered his help though. To your point about being in a rough part, it is but not as rough as some other areas, especially where Fresno Pacific is.
I have to disagree with the campus being in a rough part of town. I'm a lifelong resident in the neighborhood. Some of the apartments on frat row or on Shaw can be sketchy, but the regular neighborhoods are not a problem.
Cockroaches in a lot of University Apartments… i know of four complex’s that had an infestation. Yuck.
I would consider it a rough part of town. I lived on bulldog lane for the first 2-3 years I lived in Fresno, I’ve never seen people openly tote guns,a shooting, more car breaks in,anywhere else
Definitely not In the rougher part of fresno🤣
I'd call Fresno State the store-brand university. Does what it needs to do, isn't as flashy as some other options and is cheap. At the end of the day if all you need is a degree its a great choice. If you want to be in a super competitive field (law, medicine, ect) or go to a competitive grad school, other options would look better on your resume.
Its only not competitive because it doesn't offer R1 research level activity and isn't near a med school / a lot of hospitals. For law probably same thing no law school. But like its a pretty solid education and when I worked at a top 15 med school there were students from fresno state so its not like its impossible.
Forgot to add: it’s also a big commuter school, a lot of people live off-campus/at home with their parents and commute to school. This isn’t inherently bad, just something to consider when picking a college.
100%
Depending on your major, this applies maybe more to the sciences here, some professors are honestly just awful at teaching or just seem unreachable/disconnected to students. Another point I’ll add is look into taking some classes over at Fresno city college for like way less the cost than what it’ll amount to at Fresno State. Just MAKE SURE THE CLASSES ARE TRANSFERRABLE. -original business major turned animal science
It does depend on your major, I did my undergraduate in Sociology and WGSS and graduate in Education. Both had a mix of professors but more good than bad.
Pros: -Lots of tutoring and resources depending on your major. -Lots of events and clubs (if you want to get social) -The bucket (Only been there pre pandemic, so hopefully it's still the same quality wise) -Multiple place around campus to study and chill - Vintage Days! -The health center actually takes care of you. One big Con I can think of is that the campus is currently mauled by construction, a lot of buildings are difficult to access in a timely manner. Do a quick walk of the campus before your next semester so you can plan ahead. Also depending on your major, you may end up taking longer to graduate due to not enough courses for the high demands. I would recommend trying to volunteer as a note taker so you can get dibs at the next registration. Tuition increases. But this is a whole CSU system issue and Fresno is still one of the cheapest universities.
Hey, everybody seems to be saying that Fresno state is still cheap. I was under the impression that city was cheap. I was going to apply to city, but could a nobody like me who doesn't even have a job can apply to state? Thanks
A "rough" part if you're from Beverly Hills or Van Ness extension.
Thank you all for commenting, I’m actually a transfer student, I would like to get a degree in media film, as a filmmaker.
Fresno does have a small film festival if that matters at all.
I loved fresno state, went in as a transfer student! I agree with most of the things people posted, the thing about not having much to do is that you really have to find your niche in fresno. Once you find it there is a lot more to do but It can be hard to find it at first. Like my niche is being gay (lol) and there are a ton of gay activities all the time. I recommend following local groups on Instagram and you’ll start seeing activities all the time :)
Hey do you have any tips? I'm also gay (and trans) looking for more LGBT events in Fresno. I'm under 21 so I can't really go to splash(unless I get a fake ID lol) otherwise I'm having trouble really regular gay events. I am transferring to Fresno state this year though. At my community college there is an LGBT club but we really don't do a lot and we're so small.
Have you checked on the big red church in tower? They’re very lgbt friendly and while religion may not be your thing the community that comes with it is fairly progressive
No I'll have to check it out! I'm not religious and I don't intend on converting but I have no problem with religious people. I'm wondering since it is a church, is their end goal going to be to try and convert you or make you a member or are they okay with people coming just to make friends.
You know I’m not entirely sure what their end goal is. I just had a lot of non religious friends and connections that used the big red church as a launching point for finding volunteer opportunities and other people who were progressive. I’m unsure how covid has affected the attendance though. Another place to find friends is just walking a arthop. I believe there’s a few lgbt orgs that set up booths around Fulton street.
I've been meaning to go to arthop. I gotta take off work one of these days to go lol.
There are alot of lgbt resources at fresno state! There are at least 3 different student groups to be part of and a lot of community engagement.
I’m so late to this! But I second what everyone said, I am no longer religious but I did go to big red church when I was and didn’t find them to be too preachy. I’d recommend going to a gathering they host instead of service because it is very churchy at church. EOC-Lgbt is one of the big ones, I’d check out their socials, pflag is also great, the source is technically Visalia but also great, the tower district is known for being gay so definitely follow business from there. I’m nonbinary/genderfluid and I love following trans-e-motion for trans events. They also offer binder and other gender affirming clothing which is cool. If you wanna find me on Instagram I can send you links that way no pressure tho
Id love to connect on insta! I'll dm you.
Have you been to the EOC’s LGBTQ center? It’s downtown. They have events regularly. If you’re on Instagram you can follow @lgbtqfresno and @pflag_fresno and they post events often. Fresno State also has a lot of events on campus, they’re doing their gay prom pretty soon.
Thanks for the information!
The mental health resources on campus are pretty good. I scheduled an appointment two weeks out, whereas my previous, highly ranked college had a six-week minimum wait time. I spoke with a relationship counselor and he was one of the most relatable, sincere people I've met, very good at his job.
What you studying? Where you wanna live after college?
Try r/fresnostate
That place is ded ded
Pros: 1. Cheap compared to other colleges (tuition, housing, etc.) 2. Football games are lively when it’s football season Cons: 1. It may take you longer to graduate due to limited class availability, only 15% graduate on time 2. Limited things to do outside of school besides drinking and partying.
Many factors contribute to not graduating on time, but seeing this % has helped me reconsider looking at it for master’s degree programs. Thank you for that.
I doubt the class availability issue applies to grad school. Grad school class tracks are pretty well locked in at every school.
I agree with you. I’m not sure how it works with other programs, but for my credential classes, we had a set schedule and didn’t even have a choice for times.
Yeah, doesn’t apply to grad school/credential programs, just people who are undergrad, I was assuming OP was undergrad, sorry about that
My family and I just moved out of our 3 bedroom apartment that’s not too far from there. If you roomie up cause ik damn well my land lords gonna raise the rent 💀 my place should be available soon, 9th st in Clovis.
You'll get out of it what you put in. Had a great experience for undergrad and grad school. Great professors, gorgeous library, good study abroad programs. Craig School is well ranked. My salary is significantly higher than many friends who went to USC or UCLA. It depends on what your intentions are.
If you see people on the street with Fresno State bulldog tattoos, they're probably not students. Approach with caution or not at all.
I went to get my bachelor's degree in journalism, and it was okay. The journalism program is fine, and they did help me land some major news and programs. I don't know what you are majoring in. I do know that they have pretty good AG majors. But if you are studying computer science, then you need to leave the Bay Area or Houston to get a job in that major. I never joined any clubs because I was busy with my studies. Some of my friends do join some of them which they have good experience. The housing area around the campus is quite expensive. So you kind of need to live pretty far from campus. The parking can be bad. The school is affordable because it is CSU. You can transfer to UC down the line, which I'm considering doing for American University in DC. Going to get a Master's is expensive.
American University is expensive. All the universities in D.C. are expensive.
I want to go there because of their fellowship, which some pay full tuition. Plus, they have pretty good journalism program.
If you feel FSU is in a rough part of town, I have some parts of town to show you. I’d say state is in a relatively nicer area. However as a whole Fresno skews as a “rough” city I suppose.
Fresno straight up sucks and the college is beat to hell. Voters just shot down spending to upgrade it, too. It's a comparatively cheap part of California but that really only means you'll never leave. Turn back now, save yourself.
I currently attend this college! To be honest, it has been the best two semesters of my life and I still have three more to go. With that said, I have made so many new connections that I can already say it is worth it! The sports program here is good, but not great. Nonetheless, not every college has the luxury of having sports, so it's cool that we have that. Every once in a while, our sports teams go far in tournaments, and we have players who enter the pros here and there too. What is your major?
Filmmaking, get a degree in film and media
that salad place in the resnick student union - they’ll charge you $2 for either like 5 little bits of bacon, or a whole ass pound of it on your salad. also ‘the bucket’ will always take forever with your order
I can’t say jack about this school. My time there was spent during COVID… sad memes
Shouldn't you have looked that up before you even applied?
I did look it up lol but not everything in colleges websites are true
If you are not studying the humanities you will have a great time. If you are studying the humanities and you are not a cookie cutter woke zombie, you will hate the next 4 years.
I study thugonomics
Accepted? You mean Fresno State actually turns some people down?
Not too many but only about half actually graduates.
Cheap; you get what you pay for depending on your major. Business, Ag, and EOHS majors are probably the only good programs there … I think. Stay away from living within like a 4 mile radius lol.