California State University - East Bay

I attended California State University, East Bay and had a positive experience overall. The campus community is diverse and supportive, which makes it a great environment for students from many different backgrounds. I appreciated the professors who were knowledgeable and willing to help students succeed, especially when it came to preparing for careers after graduation. The smaller class sizes in many programs made it easier to participate in discussions and get individual attention. The campus... Read More also has beautiful views of the Bay Area, which makes studying there feel unique. Overall, it's a solid university for students looking for a good education and opportunities to grow both academically and personally. My only critique is it can be hard to get into the courses you want because they get full incredibly fast.

CSUEB might be a great school depending on what program you enroll in. Especially for locals or people that want to get in and out with an affordable degree. But the Counseling Psychology program is awful, in my opinion. In the first semester, our cohort began documenting and making complaints about disorganization, unprofessional conduct by the professors and students that went on without consequence. Then we found out that every cohort for the last 7 years has had a terrible time. The program administrator... Read More NEVER answered emails and could only be reached, unreliably, by text. She was consistently late to lecture, canceled in person lectures even after class had started, and every professor would struggle with technology for 20 minutes to an hour of class time. Class schedule and location changed without giving students advanced notice. One professor never had a lecture planned and would just show up and ask what we wanted to talk about and then go off on irrelevant tangents. Another professor focused on Freud for two months without conveying any new information or having a critical discussion about his influence on the field. We never got past the 1950's to see women's and minorities impact. We often showed up to his class to watch YouTube videos in black and white... with him pausing every few minutes to narrate what was happening. There was a teacher hired that didn't believe in harm reduction practices when treating addiction. The were 3 good professors, one of whom they sadly forced into retirement. The remaining teachers did have great lessons about play and art therapy. The cohort after us had only 8 students, and we heard the program is being absorbed into school counseling, but applications are still open... I got into another, more expensive school, and I'm glad I'm not as in debt and I have a great job, but I'm still mad this program sucks so bad!

The program is very disorganized and stressful. Schedules and signing up for classes is very disorganized and chaotic. Professors don’t communicate well so I had many classes give me the same assignment at the same time. One professor did not even grade anything until 1 week after our last class so we had no idea what our grades were in the class. The syllabus had dates from 2021 and incorrect information and instead of fixing it the professor doubled down and kept referring us back to her incorrect... Read More syllabus.

I'm a two time alum of the university so I'm a bit biased. But I truly enjoyed my time at CSUEB. For the reasons of seeing how the campus has grown from demolishing Warren Hall over 11 years ago, to now, where there is still continued growth. You will not get the Berkeley or Stanford experience but that's to be assumed for the price you pay. If your objective is to get in and get out with your degree in hand, then it's definitely the place for you. I do agree that some of the professors are only... Read More there for a paycheck, but again, Cal State doesn't have the budget that Berkeley or Stanford offers, so, expect a different experience. I was a commuter student and I was able to get what I needed to get done, even with a professor forcing me to repeat a class delaying my graduation a few quarters, so hence, the 5 star review.

I transferred from Southwestern community college where I had professors who had retired from UCLA , such as my economics professor and my History professor. Both very good teachers and knowledgeable. I applied at U.C. Santa Cruz and was accepted there, but could not accept because my wife's employment was in Oakland. I entered CSU Hayward but after 3 years of study there I began to see the college in a true light. The Departments have a yearly budget and the Geography /Earth Science Department was... Read More under funded in order to give more $$ to Music Department and the MBA program. I personally suffered because of this game playing with the budget. The computers that I used to learn Geographical information systems on would always crash erasing the Data and sometimes even eating my floppy disc. I was getting student loans to complete my degree and my grades began to suffer due to professors having their "favorite" students whose GPA remained high while mine hoovered at "C" level . I complained to the professors about the crappy computers, but their hands were tied by the people on top the ladder. I interviewed at several places for an internship, but there was a lot of competition, so I ended up at the Fish and Game Department over on the Delta, driving 67 miles to get there, fronting the gas expense myself. That internship got me nowhere because Gray Davis was recalled by voters and I was interning under people connected to Gray Davis. So I got an education that prepared me to work in some State Department that would be downsized due to politics. The university did not care if I was employable or not ! I had too many units to transfer to any accredited university, I would loose over 150 units if I did that, adding another 2 years to my student loan program. So this university did a number onto me that I never recovered from. The professors? some of them were good, a few were RATS and in the Science Department they let graduate students actually teach part of the course, who have zero teaching experience. I left this rat hole university without a degree then went to foreign countries and taught English. I don't recommend CSU Hayward. My experience there was stressful and doesn't the place look just like a state prison ? Same architecture.

If you're looking for a single subject teaching credential program that is fully online--stay far away from this place. While the methods teachers are great (those you teach your content area-ex: English, Math etc), the organization is abominable. The program is an absolute mess. Until they get organized and figure out what they're doing--STAY AWAY. I went all the way to my last semester, frustrated with the disorganization and lack of communication, but taking solace in the fact that I was learning... Read More a lot from my Methods course. Then they threw a curve ball-a mandatory 4 hour weekly ZOOM conference without consideration for anyone's conflicts or work obligations. They were not willing to work with anyone on this and all those hours working my butt off for As went down the drain. Also, the supervising teacher had no experience teaching middle school or high school and when I would ask for examples of lesson plans to try to understand her expectations she provided Transitional kindergarten plans and said she'd be getting her examples for future classes from us. There was a huge lack of communication and expectations were unclear and the result was a mess. This program was a waste of time and I wish I had gone somewhere--anywhere--else.

The business administration program at CSUEB is challenging but rewarding as it covers a wide variety of classes, many of which may be selected at the students discretion depending on the chosen option. The struggle is getting all your requirements done in a timely manner in order to graduate. Seniors usually get priority in class registration, and classes tend to fill up quickly since there are so many students enrolled in the program. Choosing a good professor is also crucial in order to maximize... Read More your education and not waste money. There are some really great professors that are dedicated to helping their students succeed, and unfortunately some that are only there for a paycheck and cannot be dismissed due to tenure. During my last quarter at the school, I was shy one class to complete my second option and the dean refused to let me take any of the classes offered since they were packed. I ended up having to drop that option and graduate with one major option and a minor. Had he let me take the course, I wouldve graduated with two options and a minor, lIke I had originally planned. The school administration is also a bit slow and sometimes messes up the information, so be diligent with all your documents. They lost my transcripts and put me on hold twice.

The music department at CSUEB is supportive and encouraging I studied classical guitar performance and composition, my focus leaned more towards composition my last year there, I also transfered there for a community college so I went there from 2016 - 2018. Most of the faculty there is great I studied privately with J.M. for composition and M.T. for classical guitar. M. has retired but I have met the new composition teacher I.T., and she is quite good as well. M.T. is very knowledgable and is a... Read More good teacher if you are very self motivated, if you slack off he will not take you seriously or try to motivate you. The only real downside I had going to this school was that there was/still is low enrollment of music students, so there is not a full section in many of the performance groups. there is no orchestra or any performance group if your a guitarist they make you do choir. this can also be a good thing because it means there is less competition, but again you must be very self motivated in this environment. The music building has been reseeding and they are moving more and more english classes and others things in there. however there is some very good equipment and resources hidden away there because no one has been using it for so long, so if you go seek it out and find the resources there you could have almost unlimited access to them because no one else uses them, like instruments, a recording studio, other sound video recording equipment.

I will break my review into separate assessments of the Kinesiology program and of California State University East Bay (CSUEB). Kinesiology program Pros: The instructors are phenomenal. They will challenge you to think more critically, and lectures are engaging and full of interesting discussion. They also make themselves available to help students, and are attentive towards your concerns. They truly want you to succeed. The classes are well-rounded with a mix of science, psychology, sociology and... Read More philosophy. I believe that the program has well prepared me to take on exciting and rewarding roles. Since graduating, Ive taken on amazing opportunities. Ive been a strength coach for professional athletes, community wellness coordinator, and am pursuing my doctorate in physical therapy. The program and wonderful professors who lead it have pushed me father than I could have imagined. There is also a student-led research group that meets weekly on Fridays. This is a great way to get involved in research, and to get connected to other professionals in health care. Cons: Due to popular demand, classes fill up quickly and unless youre an athlete or a senior, you may not be able to enroll in all of your classes right away. I had to wait a whole year for a single class to be offered, thus pushing my graduation date back. The school has since changed their policy, so it should be easier to finish your courses in a timely manner. CSUEB Pros: The campus has a gorgeous view of the Bay Area, and many of the building have been updated. The gym and recreation center have a lot of amenities to offer, including courts and a relaxation lounge. There are many programs and extracurricular activities to get involved in. Class sizes are small and your professors know who you are. The library and study lounges stay open later during midterms and finals, and there are plenty of tutoring services. The school is also more proactive in student outreach and services. CSUEB Cons: Some classes are in older buildings, and the equipment is a bit old. However, there are plenty of outside learning resources, so nearly anything can be mastered nowadays. Though some may not consider it a con, the school is more of a commuter school. Greek life is present, but not as strongly as bigger universities.

While attending school I was able to apply my education, for example, by generating revenue in a sales capacity and earning a new sales agent fast track bonus during my tenure at California State Automobile Association. Additionally, I've been qualified for promotions, with responsibilities of outlining strategic marketing and business ventures to promote products and services during my tenure at Alameda County. My undergraduate degree and coursework have given me the ability to provide analytical... Read More support. I am now well versed in computer applications and have heightened my critical thinking, organizational, and communication skills, along with maximizing my earning potential in the workforce. Additionally, the online component offered a lot of support from both the staff and counselors. Without it, I do not think I would have been able to complete my degree within the timeframe I desired. I would highly recommend this institution to anyone.