By Tuition, parking permits, textbooks, gas, bills — these are harsh realities that can eat through your wallet and leave many college students with little to nothing leftover for fun. Fortunately, students at Cal State Long Beach have access to resources that can get them a variety of resources at a reasonable price or better yet, free.
Take advantage of these protips to ensure the best college experience:
Amusement parks
Located on the second floor of the University Student Union, the Information & Ticket Center offers discounts amusement parks, such as Knott’s Berry Farm and Universal Studios. Prices may vary, but their current rates can be found at the center or the Associated Students Inc. website. A student ID must be presented to purchase these.
Computers
The Horn Center and the first floor of the University Library have computer labs and printing stations available to students. These computers can be used for up to four hours. Printing costs ten cents per page for black and white pages and $1.50 each for pages with color.
Free food
Located in USU-302, the ASI Beach Pantry stores non-perishable food items, which can be taken for free. A CSULB ID card and enrollment in classes are the only requirements for access to food in the pantry. Up to five items can be taken per visit with three visits allowed each week.
Fitness
The Student Recreation & Wellness Center is the on-campus gym which has workout equipment, a swimming pool, a rock climbing wall, an indoor jogging track and more. The gym can be used by all undergraduate students for free as long as they are registered in classes. CPR and swimming classes are also offered for a variety of prices, which can be found on the wellness center’s website. Only an ID card is required to register for entry throughout the fall and spring semesters.
Healthcare
Student Health Services offers free doctor’s visits and discounted over the counter and prescription meds. Alternatively, the Health Resource Center offers a variety of wholesome programs and tools for campus members. Wellness programs include yoga and body positivity programs divided in 6-week and 8-week sessions. The department also offers a free acupuncture clinic to students.
Movies & music
Streaming services such as FilmStruck, Hulu and MUBI offer discounts to students. To access these services at a lower cost, one needs to register an account using their “.edu” email.
Numerous films and television shows can be accessed for free at the University Library and local public libraries, as well as streaming service Kanopy.
Kanopy, which hosts independent films from around the world, requires users to register through a library. Registering with the university’s name when asked for your library grants an unlimited amount of plays per month.
To rent a movie from the on-campus library, students must request a specific title through the library’s website. DVD and VHS players are located in the library’s lower level. Remote controls and headphones are required for these and can be obtained at the circulation desk to the left after the library entrance.
Discounted movie tickets to AMC Theatres, Harkins Theatres and Regal Theatres can also be purchased at the aforementioned Information & Ticket Center.
News
Numerous magazines and newspapers, such as Los Angeles Times and The New Yorker offer students discounted versions of subscriptions to their digital or print services. These prices can be obtained by registering an account with the student’s “.edu” email address.
Free digital copies of these are available on the “Global Newstream” and “Alt-PressWatch” databases found on the university library website.
Skills
Lynda.com, a website which offers educational courses in various skills through videos, can be accessed for free through the University Library’s website. Users can find a link to this on the “Databases” page of the school library website.
Textbooks
Besides the campus bookstore, students can purchase books through online retailers such as Amazon, Chegg and groups on social media dedicated to selling and buying textbooks.
Some books can also be found in the University Library, where books are rented for up to 16 weeks. Students can search for what books they’ll need on csulb.verbacompare.com and search for them on the school library’s website to see if these titles are available for check-out.
If neither the University Library or the Long Beach Public Library have the books one requires, patrons of the public library can suggest that the library purchase a title by visiting innopac.lbpl.org.
Transportation
The U-PASS Tap Program provides students with free unlimited use of all Long Beach Transit buses while the passholder is enrolled in classes at CSULB. To use the program, students must purchase a TAP sticker for $5 at Brotman Hall. The sticker will be placed on the back of the student ID card, which one must place on a scanner in the bus. Doing so will cover one’s fare for that bus ride.
Shuttles, smaller buses which travel around the campus, are free to use for any student who presents a student ID card. Some of these, such as the Beachside shuttle, travel off-campus.
