Every year, 500 to 700 students transfer from Bakersfield College to California State University, Bakersfield, according to Richard Maraccini, a counselor at the local university.
Even so, BC students looking to transfer had various opinions about CSUB.
Students who wanted to transfer to the local university had similar reasons. “I’m more than likely going to Cal State because it’s cheaper, and it’s closer,” said Fermin Torres, 30, who is undeclared.
“I’m going to Cal State because it’s closest to my house. I honestly haven’t looked at any other schools,” said Rosita Rodriguez, 21, teaching major.
“I want to go to Cal State because of the nursing program, and it was the first name that appeared after I typed university into a search engine,” said Milton Mejia, 28, nursing major.
BC students wanting to transfer to a different university said that CSUB, the only four-year institution within a 100-mile radius, didn’t have enough to offer.
“I’m planning on transferring to Berkeley because Cal State doesn’t have the engineering program I’m looking for. I know they only have a physics program,” said Jose Reyes, 23, engineering major.
“I was going to go Cal State, but I couldn’t afford it, so now I’m here at Bakersfield College. I’ve decided I would rather go to a university rather than Cal State,” said Christina Hutchens, 19, sociology major.
Officials at CSUB believe that the school has plenty to offer, especially students coming from BC. Priscilla Long, a transfer coordinator for CSUB, provides transfer information at the BC student services building.
“The relationship between CSUB and BC offers students a lot more flexibility and helps the student to be more successful,” she said.
Long believes that one of the features that makes the school so accommodating to students is its exclusive size. “We’re not huge,” she said. “We’re a lot smaller campus. We don’t have 250 students to a class. You actually get to know the faculty, plus all the student services available.”
“All of our departments have W.A.S.C. accreditation,” said Maraccini. W.A.S.C. stands for Western Association of Schools and Colleges, which is an accrediting commission that validates to the public that the school is a trustworthy intuition.
According to Maraccini, the business school is highly regarded. “The business school has accreditation beyond W.A.S.C. To get such accreditation you really have to be at the cutting edge,” she said.
Students currently enrolled at CSUB appeared generally satisfied with the institution. Most people said the relationship students had with their instructors was the best thing. “It’s nice and small. You get a lot of one-on-one attention from your professors who seem very knowledgeable and enthusiastic,” said Anya Grant, 24, biology major.
Some students were so impressed with the instructors that they compared them with high-ranking universities. “I visited UCLA once. I think that the interaction you get with the professors is much better here. At UCLA you were just a number to them,” said Josh Phelps, 24, science major.
However, some students admitted that they were simply pleased with everything the university had to offer, “It’s hard for me to think about anything I dislike,” said Martin Macias, 37, physics major.
The complaints about the university among the students were few, and rarely were mutual complaints. “The campus bothers me because it’s ugly. Everything is under construction, and there’s nowhere to hang out,” said Osma Zahriya, 20, chemistry major. “I think that the tuition is too high. My financial aid doesn’t even cover everything. I live with my parents, and they have to cover the rest,” said Cristina Brabo, 19, nursing major.