Living Social 101

We all know someone who has had an experience with…THAT roommate. You know, the one that uses your stuff without asking, or throws their things on your side of the room, or how about that one that is just flat out too loud to deal with…

So how do you deal with living with someone that you got randomly paired up with?  Here are a few tips from your lovely dormers here at CSULB on how to not be “that roomie” and how to cope with one.

“Clean. Up. After. Yourself,” huffed Harlee Morikawa, a second year communications major. “Not everyone has to be a neat freak, but there is a difference between being a bit messy and being downright gross messy. It’s unhealthy.” Bottom line: don’t be too mean, just be kind of clean.

“Be considerate," said Deanna Lee, a second year graphic design major. “Sure, everyone likes having company, but if you’re going to invite your friends over past midnight when I’m trying to sleep or study? Cmon…” Bottom line: If you’re a night owl, try and host your shenanigans elsewhere; perhaps the USU or downtown Long Beach?

While some students are able to study with music blaring from ear to ear, others can only study in complete and utter silence. So in a cramped room, what is one to do?

“If my roomie is playing loud head banging music when I come back from class, I just venture to campus to study at Starbucks or something,” said Tillman Hubbard, a fourth year kinesiology major. “Or if it’s at night I just go down to the common room with my computer.”

Quiet floors at the library guarantee silence!

And the number one key tip to surviving the year without strangling each other? Communication and compromise. Communicate the problem and compromise a solution that both contribute to. Either way you’ll end up either a happy camper, or another story to tell your friends back home about THAT roomie. 

Be a Social Butterfly, Not a Couch Potato

It’s Friday. You’ve just finished class and you’re ready to do something for the weekend. But you have no car. And you’re dorming. Now what…?

Never fear! The CSULB housing community has a plan for you!

Events planned vary from road trips to nearby cities, trips to amusement parks, dances, social recreational activities, and even speed dating. For a small fee, students are able to travel to and from the designated destination on a communal bus, without having to worry about getting a ride and back to the dorms.

Throughout the semester, flyers for events are posted all around the dorms – in the dining halls, the common room, the hallways, even the doors are plastered with a friendly reminder of what’s planned for the week.

Go big or go home! Located at Beachside College

“It’s really cool!”, gushed international student Charlotte Gaffey. “I’m from England and I want to see everything this city has to offer. Some of the events included trips to San Diego and Disneyland! Being from a different country, I have no way to transport a car here so it’d be literally impossible for me to sightsee.”

Finished your homework and studying early on in the week? No problem! Some events are as simple as a communal still-playing-in-theaters movie night in the common room. Sounds like the perfect ending to a Taco Tuesday eh?

“This really is the stereotypical college experience”, said Jessica Aceret, a third year psychology major. “Having fun during the week, without having to have the party mentality.”

Signing up for the events is as easy as well, going to dinner. That’s where the signup sheets are located anyway, making signing up hard to forget and ignore!

So what are you waiting for? Go out and be social already!

Pick Your Style!

Whether you’re a newbie freshman, an itching-to graduate-already junior, or a super senior, it’s never too late to dorm!  

Not sure which college is the right place for you? The styles of dorming at CSULB vary from traditional style to suite style to a hybrid mix of the two.

The traditional style consists of the “traditional” way of dorms being set up, with rooms being set up down a long hallway. Floors are separated by sex, with bathrooms located on opposite ends of the hallway. The traditional halls are located in the Los Alamitos and Los Cerritos Halls, in Hillside College.

Photo courtesy of CSULB housing website

“I like this style better than the suites”, said Mika Hongo, a second year civil engineering major. “It’s easier to socialize with everyone. You don't have to wait awkwardly outside someone’s suite door for someone to open it. Here you can just go knock on their room door.”

The suite style of dorming consists of a hallway with doors leading to a smaller hallway, introducing a cluster suite of same sex rooms. Bathrooms are included within the suite. Suite dorms are located at Parkside College.

Photo courtesy of CSULB housing website

“The suite style suits me better than the traditional way”, said Traci Yamashita, a second year kinesiology major. “I like the fact I share the bathroom with just my suitemates. It’s easier and less crowded.”

A hybrid mix of the two styles can be found at the off-campus Beachside College, where the traditional hallway style is met with the suite style of a shared bathroom between two rooms.

Access to any dorm is utilized by a student’s CSULB identification card.

So whether you're more the old fashioned traditional type, or suite living is the way to go, CSULB lets students pick which college caters best to their needs. Heck, you can even get a hybrid style – the best of both worlds! 

Go Beach...side!

Tired of the same old on campus residential halls?

Why not try residing at the off-campus Beachside College, located just outside the main campus of CSULB? It’s the perfect place to try if you’re not really up to living on campus, yet you’re not really sure if you want to live off-campus yet.

According to the CSULB housing website, Beachside College is “perfect for students who are looking for the intimacy of a small, residential college but want the opportunities of a large university.”

The two buildings that make up Beachside College offers rooms for over 500 students and separate faculty apartments. Floors are co-ed, and contain the traditional hallway style, with the suite style of a shared bathroom. Rooms also include cable TV, air-conditioning, and Internet access. Each floor of the buildings includes study rooms and a laundry area. Right outside the building is a swimming pool.

Students without a form of transportation can take the designated off-campus shuttle to and from campus, with services running from early morning to late at night.

“It has its pros and cons”, said Kelly Nguyen, a third year nursing major. “Sometimes it gets really crowded, so you have to wait for the next shuttle. By then I’m late to class and it sucks.”

It seems as if the living style at Beachside is the almost same as any other residential hall located on the CSULB campus. So why live there?

Beachside is the only residential hall that offers newly integrated freshman classes within the housing facility. Advising programs can be utilized all throughout the year, to create a unique advising experience.

“It’s so much easier to go to class”, said Charles Baluyot, a first year pre-nursing major. “There’s GE classes and classrooms that are right here on the bottom floor for us. I can just go downstairs for class instead of worrying about missing the shuttle and trekking all over campus.”

Hungry For More?

Photo courtesy of CSULB housing website

Whether you’re a health food junkie or a dessert lover, the dining halls at CSULB cater to the various needs of students that reside at the dorms.  

           

There are a total of three dining halls, located at Hillside College, Parkside College, and at the off campus Beachside College.  Students can eat at any dining hall, regardless of which college they reside at.

The dining halls offer a buffet-style meal plan, with unlimited access to a salad bar, deli counter, hot food selection, dessert bar, and many other choices.  

Photo courtesy of CSULB housing website

Students can choose beforehand the type of meal plan to purchase when filling out forms for housing. Choices include a ten meal per week plan, a 19 meal per week plan, and a block plan, which accounts for 210 meals per semester. With the block plan, a student may also be able to swipe in for meals more than once within the designated dining hours.

“I don’t even know why I chose the block plan,” said Jessica Escoto, a third year health care administration major. “But I’m glad I did. I can swipe my friends in. I can go get dessert before my night class…and if I’m stressed, I’ll go after too.”

The hours at each hall are only open for certain periods of time in accordance to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Brunch is also served on the weekends.

To mix things up for curious taste buds, menus are constructed on a four-week cycle, with complimentary additional food bars.

“I absolutely LOVE Taco Tuesdays,” said Nicole Troung, a first year pre-nursing major. “I’m glad it’s not every Tuesday though, otherwise I’d probably be sick of it by now.”

Can't seem to find time to eat? Students that are not able to sit down and eat before class can still grab a quick bite by receiving a container after swiping in and preparing a meal to go.

Students with dietary needs and food allergies are also able to contact the head Chef Manager, Rachel Panghunasan about any accommodations they might need. 

Bon Appétit!