Among the chaotic labyrinth of cars waiting at the light on Bellflower Boulevard emerges a single rider car on his way through the intersection. Arriving in the parking lot, the car pulls into the structure but encounters the obvious: traffic.
After the student parks, he makes his way to the University Bookstore to encounter more lines yet again and more people to prevent his on-time arrival to his first class. This image is not uncommon on the first day of class at Cal State Long Beach.
With the start of a new semester comes new problems and challenges for the student body. One of the biggest issues for years students have had is parking. Although a new parking structure has been built to support the ever-growing student body, there never seems to be enough spots to support everyone.
Considering the amount of students who arrive on the first day of school, it is necessary to prepare for all aspects of the day from the morning drive to the walk to get lunch. Each student has his or her own way of dealing with the crowds on campus to avoid missing class, but some aren’t so lucky.
Michele Fishberg, a junior hospitality and hotel management major, arrived at around 9 a.m. looking for parking. “I missed my first class due to problems in the parking structure. I’m having a really bad day,” Fishberg said.
Although this type of incident is not uncommon, it doesn’t necessarily make everything seem bad.
“I really do like the school though, despite my day. The dorms were the best part and I would recommend this school to anyone,” Fishberg said.
While everyone has their share of bad days in college, most of these awful moments can be avoided by simple planning for what is to come. Danny Velasquez, a freshman undeclared major, understood right away what life at CSULB is all about. “Everything here looks cool so far but it’s just really crowded. Go Beach!”
Velasquez was not alone in his shock over the amount of people on campus. In regards to her first day back, Michelle Ambrosio, a junior English major, said, “It’s been cool, easy-going and no stress so far. The parking has been about the same as in the past, but the new structure should help.”
For those students who have been around campus long enough to know how to stay ahead of the crowds, the first day back is as routine as brushing your teeth.
“You gotta get here early to find parking. You should expect it to be crowded so just get here early and expect the worst,” said Keith Netzel, a senior political science major. Regarding his first day with the teachers, he said, “They seemed well-organized and interesting. It went really well.”
In short, to avoid being late, missing classes, and irritations in general, prepare for the worst and all will come out well.