By Late nights, loud roommates and questionable sounds coming from a neighbor’s dorm room. For some new students, the transition into residential life is full of unforeseen experiences, while for others, it is everything they expected.
Cal State Long Beach dormitories Hillside and Parkside house most of those who use campus housing, but Beachside offers an off campus dorming experience to students.
Lupita Gallegos felt like her transition into dorm life in the Hillside suites at CSULB went as smoothly as possible, but it was not until she saw the tears stream down her mother’s face that she realized she would be saying goodbye to her best friend for the first time.
“That’s when it finally hit me that I was leaving,” Gallegos, a freshman studying criminal justice said. “My roommate and her mom were very welcoming to me though. So, it made me feel at ease, because I know if I’m ever unable to reach my mom, my roommate’s mom will be able to help me.”
Several new students felt like one of the biggest changes they had to get used to was the sudden amount of freedom that comes with moving away from home. However, that also brought on a lot of stress to make friends and adjust to the busy campus.
“I realized that I isolated myself a lot my first year,” Caroline Serrano, a junior psychology major, dorming in the resident’s hall Los Alamitos said. “I wish I could tell my freshman self not to be scared, and to try to explore and hang out with new people.”
Bryan Tran, a transfer student in his third year at CSULB, said that making friends was easy for him, but he struggled with the peer pressure associated with night life. He had to get over the fear of missing out on parties so that he could set his priorities straight.
“I felt like getting into the party scene was difficult, but now that I’m older I know that it’s not necessary,” said Tran, a senior industrial design major.
Although there are plenty of opportunities to get involved on campus, most freshmen aren’t aware of many of the resources available. Roxanne Labat, a junior majoring in civil engineering, felt like she spent her first year hiding in her dorm room rather than making connections with people.
“I was really shy, so I never participated in anything my first year,” Labat said. “I wish I had gone to more events, especially since the people here are so friendly and open-minded.”
Living near thousands of other students in the campus housing facilities is convenient and makes the adjustment period much easier for new students, no matter how many times the washing machines break.
