Saddleback College

Parking sucks. But I like this school better than any other community colleges near me. They are building a new building and I can’t wait.

I feel kind of weird reviewing my own school… But I feel like I should! When I first started going to Saddleback I was pretty sad that all of my friends were off at big universities and I was stuck at home. But honestly, going to community college has been one of the best decisions. Who knows what they want to do at 18 years old?! There is much less pressure here than at a 4 year and the classes are smaller and there is more time to actually get to know your professors. If you check rate my professor before registering to get the best teacher, join the honors program (priority registration!), and schedule earlier morning classes (or Friday classes) to avoid parking problems, you should be good to go! I have actually met some great people here and being in the dance program helps to make even better friends. Sure, the administration and offices can be a hassle-​but make sure you visit in person as they’re more likely to help you than over the phone. Overall, glad I went to this school and now I feel better prepared for a 4 year!

Here for Spring classes, namely Speed Spanish and Introduction to wine appreciation (for rea!). A little hard to find your way around at the beginning, a lot of buildings, a lot of classes oll over the place and the information center can’t help much. But once you get accommodated it’s fun and great for learning new stuff! Parking is $ 5 for all day (you can get a monthly pass but it’s pretty much the same price if you come here once a week) and there is no cell phone reception inside (and that’s a good thing!). They have vending machines all over the place, a snack but you can’t bring food or anything else in the class besides a bottle of water. A lot of information online make sure you check it our before you come here the first time.

I LOVE Saddleback! I just moved here about 2 years ago from out of state and I’m so impressed with this college. I love all of my professors so far and the admissions dept has helped me so much.

Great college! Amazing faculty and classes.

I am going to be taking 2 courses here this upcoming Spring. My course are online so granted I’ve never been to the campus but I must say the departments & people who answer the phones are the most unprofessional and rude I’ve ever encountered. It is like PULLING TEETH to get an answer.
I applied & everything was fine. I had my transcripts sent over to get an override for a few classes. I realized I had a pretty late registration date and so I called. The woman who answered the registrars office was rude. I simply asked why I had a late registration date and she said because I already have my degree I don’t deserve a good registration date, that it’s not fair to other students. Practically punishing me having a degree. Um lady have you ever heard of GRADUATE SCHOOL! I’m sorry I’m not going to pay $ 700 a unit when I can pay $ 50. There is no shame in my game! I’m a student who has bills to pay! You should be happy I furthered my education!
Then when I called the following week to know about my override the lady tells me I should have submitted a form for the override.
Oh I’m sorry… they told me to send my transcripts and I specifically asked if I needed anything else. She was rude & unapologetic. Thanks for the help.not. She didn’t even tell me where to get the form she told me to look for it.
Flash forward to today… I receive benefits from my grandpa being a veteran. I called to ask what forms & paperwork needed to be done for the benefits because it depends on the school. For my undergrad I submitted a from & my transcripts. The lady spend 10 minutes going back and forth with me. I told her I don’t remember what benefits I get. but my grandpa is a veteran & I am his dependent. She first says she doesn’t know what benefit that is, then claims it’s another benefit, then claims I can’t get benefits from my grandpa? She was like mocking me like I was dumb. Not helpful at all and having me try and explain what I needed. She just was like well I have no idea what you’re talking about why don’t you call the school you went to and ask.
NO psycho that’s why I’m asking you! Isn’t that your job? To help students with veteran related questions? That’s why they have you behind a desk answering the phone… its what you’re getting paid for. I also spoke to a man who had absolutely no business answering the phone. He treated me like a bother. Asking me why I’m calling like wtf. He went back and forth with me too. Acting like well I don’t know what you’re talking about or what you need.
FINALLY they transfer me to someone with common sense. He helps me figure out what benefit I receive & tells me everything I need. He then transfers me back to them because they handle the financial aspect & wants to make sure I bring everything I need. Unfortunately I get the guy again & he is like um why are you calling? What do you need? Didn’t you just call?
Lord let me not be that person today. Someone will get my wrath. I kindly explain to him I was transferred for a REASON and I need to know what forms I need. After 5 minutes he lists off what I need.
WHY DID YOU NOT JUST SAY THAT. I swear to god the incompetence is beyond me. It’s frustrating when as a student you are trying to get help & you’re treated like this. I understand I did not know what I needed but I explained to them my situation.
It should have been oh that’s *blank* you need *blank and blank*…it took 2 seconds for the other guy to know what I needed. He was very kind. So thank you other guy. No thank you other two people!

I went to Saddleback College for 3 years before I transferred to UC Berkeley. Overall I liked it. There isn’t much social life (like most other community colleges) but the staff are mostly nice and well-​educated. The clubs aren’t much active and the cafeteria is pretty bad, but there are some good restaurants close to campus. Parking can be a horrible situation specially the first couples weeks of the semester.
One positive thing about Saddleback is the LRC, I was a tutor myself and the other tutors are really nice and smart and try to help students as much as possible

Great school not that big and there is more than enough resources to help you succeed. Don’t forget this place is excellent but you still have to give it the old college try ! can’t expect everything to be handed to you.

The college is not bad but it could be a lot better. I’ve never dealt with so many rude, dismissive, and arrogant individuals in my life. I’ll be glad when I’m done with this college. The educational quality is good but so many of these professors and administrators are just pompous pricks.

Good School to go to Starting Soon.

The only reason I can give this school three stars is because every professor I have met are truly interested in their students. Besides that forget it. Never have I delt with such a admissions/​counseling system that were not interested in helping, didn’t know what the policies were or even willing to do their jobs. After meeting with a counselor to figure out how to get my last needed class after having a baby, I had to miss a semester, I was told that a petition could be filed, but she wasn’t even sure where to find it or if it would apply to my situation or when to turn it in by. I found the petition and filled it out. The paperwork said and answer would be given in three business days. A week later no response. I called the office and they once told me I would be called in 30 mins. 2 days later I called back and the women argued with me about what the paperwork said. It was going to take 2 – 4 weeks according to her. Funny, after 30 mins of ending our conversation my petition was denied through an email for «enrollment requirements» and no explanation into what that meant. So now with one class left I cannot get a date that will allow a successful registration and are now stuck in the loop of late registration dates and unable to register for the class. So much for putting students first.

#1 Community college! I got my associates degree here! I love this school!!! Awesome teachers (;

Saddleback college is the best! After i graduated from high school in 2013, i went to IVC for a year then i decided i dont like that school. I signed up for 13 units of saddleback summer classes and it was the best decision ever. Most professors are very helpful and students are cool&nice! I just received UCLA, UCSB and UC Davis offer yesterday, without Saddleback i could never get into these prestigious schools. Im very thankful of saddleback and all the professors i had there. I do not think saddleback is easier than any Cal State because i know many professors who either graduated from ivy league schools or have taught at very prestigious schools! I will miss saddleback very much. Im actually a little sad but very excited to leave saddleback and move on to UCLA! Trust me, if you have a goal (dream achool) then you will never regret going to saddleback!

This school needs some serious upgrading… the classrooms (excluding the health sciences building) are so ghetto. The chemistry labs are ghetto and the bathrooms belong in Tijuana…
The teachers here are great however. Lots of young and knowledgeable professors who keep up to date with current curriculum and make lectures interesting.
Parking is terrible but arrive early and walk you fat asses! Bring a backpack to carry your stuff.
A variety of classes are available including night and online… register asap because they fill up quickly and if the class is full, petition the first day and you have a good shot at getting in. My micro class started with 35 and now there are only 25 of us!

Saddleback College is by far the best school in the area for accumulating transfer credits to UC or CSU and the campus offers a number of paths for achieving accreditation or workplace credentials and associate’s degrees.
Saddleback has been my home away from home for a number of years now… I’ve been taking courses here since 1997, eventually graduating in 2009, and I have never been disappointed in the quality or efficiency of the faculty or the curriculum. I continue to take at least one course every semester, from creative writing and business development to horticulture and culinary arts, and volunteer for a variety of groups and services that are made available on campus.
It is a fantastic community college and continues to expand in both its size and educational development… Recent grads should take their first two years of college here; same content taught at a university but at a quarter of the price.

Best school I’ve attended. The campus is gorgeous, with all sorts of trees, plants, and greenery. Great place for walking and when I’m there I do a lot of walking from the parking lot (The lot where the Campus Police department is is the best lot, imo) to class (es). I feel the walking is just fantastic for my health and well being.
The curriculum is impressive and the teachers and professors I have had have been top notch. I look forward to Spring Semester. The classes are challenging and I have learned so much with what I’ve taken. I try to attend as many classes as I can when I’m enrolled in a course. It’s the best way, in my experience.
The people who work here (Ms. Lua, Ms. Yu, Carmen Hernandez-​Bravo, Deidre Cavazzi, Dr. Peter Espinosa, Barbara Cox, Veronica Obermeyer and others) and those that go here are excellent. I’ve met so many lovely people at Saddleback. The campus is close to the mall and plenty of restaurants and is nearby Mission Hospital. Tuition and book prices have inflated over the years, but what do you expect? Hopefully tuition prices will stay the same for a good while. College can be expensive. Still, this is a bargain compared to the UC and Cal State universities.
Many people who go to Saddleback end up transferring to 4 year colleges, many of them prestigious ones. Check out their website to see the class offerings, free events, and more. They have a rad art museum on campus as well. Check it out!

Please get a new flag!. Old Glory is so faded… come on we pay taxes to provide salaries and services, at least buy a new $ 25.00 flag… how can the leadership at the school show up everyday and not notice this? show some pride.

Nice campus indeed. It’s quite large in the sense that everything is spaced out, thus, it does get a little difficult to find your classes, but nonetheless I thought the campus was nice.
Spending my post graduate life taking prerequisite courses here and I’ve truly been enjoying the kindness, guidance, and help of the professor I’ve been taking classes with. Unlike the university I attended, the professors are very passionate about helping their students which I love.
Definitely a great place for taking classes. The only thing I dislike is that the student store closes early as well as all the services are not open for long.

I’m fan only because it’s easier to get classes here but the campus is so huge so prepared to get seriously lost. I would download a campus map and print it out if you do not know this campus well.
So one of my professors told our class that Saddleback is easy to get classes more than other community colleges because they aren’t affect by the budget cut like many other schools are. She says that this particular school gets much of it’s funds by the residents; taxes I guess? Anyways, I was attending Fullerton College but I really needed classes so I applied here one summer and registered for an oceanography class. Let’s just say I do not live in the area so driving here every single morning was not pretty but luckily class was not until 10am so going through the Orange crush was not so bad.
I bought a parking permit for the summer so I did not have to deal with the daily parking like I do this semester. Now I’m attending CSUF but I still have one class I need which is a lower division class so it makes more sense to take it at a community college to save more money. Let’s see. Do I want to pay $ 50 per unit or $ 300 per unit? So I’m taking an 8 week intense course twice a week and I decided not to pay for a permit. It’s $ 2 for a daily parking permit like it is at most other jr colleges which is nothing compared to $ 8 at Cal State. So be prepared to pay $ 200+ per semester when you transfer. No wonder students are eating cup of noodles for lunch.
Parking machines only accept exact change or debit/​credit card. I know Fullerton College parking permit machines do not accept credit card from what I remember so this is definitely a plus. However, for some reason, a lot of the students do not purchase the semester permits and just purchase the daily permits and the machines will run out of paper so make sure you come extra early in case you have to drive to another parking permit machine.
Cafeteria is okay but I never ate in there. Nothing appealed to me. I liked Fullerton College’s cafeteria much better. They had a lot more snacks than Saddleback.
This school seems pretty laid back compared to other schools. Not many professors take roll it seems and adding on the first day of class is not a problem.

Sports complex. Great football field.