Campus life at other colleges can differ from Long Beach City College; whether students are not culturally accepted for their race, the college isn’t student-involved, or parking is more difficult than imaginable, students that have previously attended other colleges share their personal experiences.
Our students come from all walks of life, various regions, and previous colleges which may help to solidify a sense of community on campus.
Cerritos, Compton, and Cypress city colleges are nearest regionally to LBCC, so it may not come as a surprise to find that some students have attended these schools prior to LBCC.
Student Brandi Ford, who attended Cerritos College before coming to LBCC, saw differences in the atmosphere of the campuses.
“Cerritos campus is more industrial… It’s more beachy and there’s greenery here… Cerritos is just buildings,” Ford said.
Ford explained differences in campus programs offered at LBCC, like helping the homeless.
“It’s a more cool vibe here. People are taking it all in and taking advantage of the stuff LBCC has, like helping out homeless students and having food drives,” Ford said.
Discerning the differences between LBCC and its neighboring colleges gives a sense of understanding to the campus environment we have established for non-native students.
Some students on campus have come from higher educational institutions, like first semester student Duncan Kelly, who attended California State University Long Beach for two years before LBCC.
“It can take about 10 to 15 minutes to get across campus (at CSULB), so if you’re running late it’s just not fun. Also, none of the parking structures let you know how full they are like LBCC,” Kelly said.
Another student AJ Wells, briefly attended Arizona State University after graduating high school.
While in Arizona Wells noted the difference in campus demographics and diversity which contributed to a rigid campus atmosphere for her.
“LBCC is a lot more friendlier than ASU, because Arizona is a red state and some people weren’t accepting,” Wells said.
“That school is predominantly white. LBCC is super mixed, so much more diverse,” said Wells.
The Long Beach Post recently ranked Long Beach in the top 10 of most diverse cities in the country.
Differences aside, students attend college with the same goal in mind: to obtain a degree.
LBCC has been serving the community for over 90 years and has respectably established itself as a student-centered campus, that is resourceful, inclusive, and campus-involved.