Raghavendra Dubey
Reviewed on Dec 2, 2025(Enrolled 2023)What Students Say
Likes
- Great environment and friendly atmosphere in general
- Some Professors are really good, like Michael Todd, Fahim, Bo Fu
- Assignments and projects are really managable with social life and designed in a way so that you could focus on networking event.
Dislikes
- I think some Professors are really there just for the sake of completing the subject, which is true in almost majority universities.
- College Pantry is really not good, some food items are expired, so watch out.
- I think we have less Career fairs for Computer Science/IT students, because majority are for core engineering field like electrical and mechanical.
Course Curriculum
8
- It was a mix of both, and I cannot generalize for all subjects. A few subjects, like Advanced Algorithms, Advanced Machine Learning, were really tough and challenging, but we also had simpler subjects.
- Positive things about the courses are hands-on style teaching, and the negative aspect is that it can be primitive and outdated, given the current market trend. Class timings depend on your selection, usually 3 days a week, or even 3 classes in a day.
Admission Experience
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I applied to several universities:
- California State University, Fullerton (Shortlisted, admitted)
- California State University, Long Beach (Shortlisted, admitted)
- California State University, Los Angeles (Shortlisted, admitted)
- George Mason University (Shortlisted, admitted)
- Florida State University (Shortlisted, rejected)
- I wasn't accepted to the FSU because I didn't have a higher GPA, and maybe it's to do with the IELTS score, as they never tell the exact reason.
- I chose CSULB because of its location, reviews from students I got from LinkedIn connections, and then I made this decision. The admission process was simple, with my general information of undergraduate GPA and transcript upload, along with my IELTS score; the GRE that time was not mandatory, so I only gave my IELTS score.
- I am not sure about the cutoff; it was more of a first-come, first-served serve, and applying early and having a decent GPA at an undergraduate university.
- The admission process is again simple, and you have to be super early and proactive with these state universities.
- I applied to Spring 2023 and again, as I said, the location, fees, and alumni conversations went really well, along with the weather here in California. The admission process took around 3 months, starting from the application I submitted in September 2022, so yeah. I got accepted around October end and from November, I finalized my documents handover and class selection, and the overall process. And a few meetings in December, which are for all accepted students.
Faculty
8
- It is 26:1 for the Engineering department, and it reflects the quality of education and interaction in a positive way.
- During office hours, more and more students can visit the professor. Teaching methods vary by professor; usually, it's PPT or just project-based learning. Yes, it is sufficient to get a job, and they do assist students in finding assistantships. I admire Michael Todd, as he clears all the doubts and has an interesting approach to most of the problems.
Campus Life
10
- We have a lot of campus from engineering, art, kinesiology, MBA building, and it's all at 1250 Bellflower Blvd, Long Beach, CA-90840. We do have a library and a recreation centre for sports and medical services, as well as in other buildings. We have Diwali and Holi events every year, managed by Indian students working part-time there.
- In Diwali, we all contribute $5 to the community, and we have a nice event with music and a buffet.
Part Time Jobs
- I think almost 30-35% get TA or RA, and the pay is $18-20 for RA & $22-25 for TA, depending on the subject. Other options are dining, recreation centre, student assistant at the student union. Hourly wages are a minimum $15.5-16. A maximum of 20 hours is allowed per week and 40 hours in the summertime. It takes at least a semester or 3-4 months to get campus part-time jobs.
- It depends on the job, but usually, 15.5 being minimum to 25 per hour. It is difficult and time-consuming to secure part-time employment these days while studying. We usually apply at the handshake or use referrals from existing Indian employees. Interviews are not there in dining jobs, but for TA, we usually talk with the professor, and it's fairly simple.
Placement
6
- Only 5-10% secured employment within 6 months of completing the course. The average salary is around $70-80k now. Students apply online on LinkedIn and other job portals like JobRight, Spotly. They also use networking events all across the US.
- A few of my batchmates are working at Amazon and Goldman Sachs, and IBM and all are working as Software Engineers. Google, Amazon and Microsoft are the big companies that hire graduates from our program.
Accommodation
Off Campus
10
- I used Facebook and WhatsApp groups and also contacted people on LinkedIn, so it was a mix. The monthly rent was 700, and we had centralized AC, a refrigerator, 2 bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms in an apartment.
- The biggest challenge was to find good roommates, which I was lucky with; fortunately, I had good people around me. I would say search Facebook and WhatsApp groups online for accommodation. My flat is 2 kilometers away from the college campus. Most Indians stay at 5050 E Garford St.
Exams
- I only gave IELTS, and no Statement of Purpose, LOR was needed. Of course, I gave my resume and IELTS score along with my transcripts and work experience if I have, but nothing apart from that. No, there was no interview in the application process. Overall, it was really simple with limited documents, and again this was for Spring 2023, I don't know what's the latest requirements.
Fees
- I had around $25k in fees and nearly $6.5k per semester, and obviously, for the last semester, you can save some money by taking 4 subjects in one semester, meaning that you are completely your master's in 1.5 years. So, fees can depend on your plan, and it is semester-wise to answer your second question.
- Monthly expenses depend on the individual. I used to stay off campus in an apartment with $700 rent $100 utilities, and $50 for transportation, $100 for groceries, so in total you can say it's about $1000 a month.
Scholarship
- No, I didn't receive any scholarship as it's a state university and scholarships are very rare in public institutions, and again, no amount since no scholarship.
- None of my batchmates that I know received a scholarship or other forms of financial aid. I am not sure about the statistics on the average number of scholarships each year, so mostly local citizens get the residential scholarships, as far as I know.
