Ask The Incoming Freshmen: Why CSU?

As the spring semester comes to a close, many new students are beginning to start their journey at CSU. With new faces comes new ideas, experiences, and excitement, so I ask the new up and coming students, why CSU?

Written by Alexander Giampietro

Spring for many means a multitude of things, but to upperclassmen of Cleveland State, we see it as a time to pack up the dorm, crunch a final project that’s been on our mind or even a last hurrah with other classmates.

But for incoming freshmen, spring marks the beginning of the journey at orientation and their careers at CSU start in full swing. Dorm plans are being drawn up, class registration begins and the Cleveland State University compass programs appear on Blackboard.

Something to consider is why other people chose CSU. I had my reasons and my fellow classmates had theirs, but what about the new fresh faces on campus? 

Did students with almost a full school tenure behind me choose CSU for the same reasons I did? 

Interested in finding an answer, I decided to reach out to some incoming freshmen and get their incoming perspectives.

Julian N., a Columbus native and rising engineering major, recounted his campus tour as his first sign he wanted to attend CSU.

“I love the city and never really wanted to leave it, so when I was looking at city campuses and I heard CSU was located in Cleveland, I started asking my parents to immediately visit,” he said.

As for being a full-time student in the city, Julian looks forward to the opportunities for things to do and, specifically,  friends to make.

“Even if I don’t find a club or niche – which is hard because I play card games – I have the confidence to still find friends regardless,” Julian, a savant of all things card games, said.

The confidence in that statement told me, a long time student and rising senior, that the CSU campus environment is one of few. A campus that is not only in the city, but a part of its infrastructure. This creates a unique experience that I feel becomes seamless the longer you’re on campus.

When it comes to urban campuses, what makes CSU stand out? 

Casey M., another rising freshman and prospective law student, shared with me what she thinks makes CSU truly unique. “There’s a sense of community I felt when I initially came to the campus of CSU,” Casey said. “Where staff treat the students with respect and teachers aren’t just teaching, they’re being mentors too.”

That sense of community Casey felt is where I feel like I found the key to what makes this campus so special. 

“It almost felt like a place a lot of people called home and that energy just flowed into me like water,” she said. “Even now, it’s hard for me to describe how excited I am to be a part of that.”

Casey further explained that CSU’s dining hall is more than a place to eat, it feels like a place to come together with friends and experience the inviting atmosphere that it holds.

“The classrooms aren’t traditional, in fact, there’s so many different variations that they feel like different rooms in a house,” she added.

When I really thought about what Casey and Julian shared with me, I recounted my first day on CSU’s campus and I subtly started to realize I felt the same way. The campus isn’t just a place in the city, it’s a campus that lets its students call it home and the reason why so many of us choose CSU.

Casey’s optimism about the atmosphere and Julian’s unrivaled confidence to find his group are what makes CSU so special to all of us – to students and staff alike.

Classes don’t feel like sitting at desks waiting for the lecture to end (for a lot of us at least), they feel like mentorships where we are being taught skills to truly grow in the field we want to pursue. 

With all of this in mind, anyone could ask any of us why we chose this university over other institutions, and a lot of us have a common reason why.

”I chose CSU because it feels like home.”