While the school is not in fact on the islands, it has lots of history to offer a curious traveler. Our lovely hostess and her roommate are both students here and they were happy to give the tour, in both the day light AND in the darkness of the night.
Why the night? Because this is no ordinary establishment. It was once ... a PSYCO WARD!! DUN DUN DUN
Seriously.
This charming school nestled in the rolling hills of Southern California was one a psyciatric hospital hidden away so that the rest of society didn't have to think about its misfits. Camarillo State Hospital to be exact. I'm not even joking! Check it out- they still have this sign on the front door of the main building because they have kept all of the original facilities.
That's right its still all of the same old Spanish-style buildings. The administration building once used to register the mentally ill patients is now used to register new students. The same rooms where the patients slept after their families abandoned them at the loony bin are now the dormitories for the students. The building once used to care for unstable children is now the day care for CSUCI students' kids. And yes, psychology is the most popular major at this school. Ironic? Yes. Spooky? DEFINITELY. Crazy? Oh Ya- I mean... ahem.
The transition was so recent that some of the buildings still have that hospital smell to them. *Shivers* Actually, the current library stands where the main hospital once was. The girls tell me that when they first arrived at school the basement of the library was still accessible and mostly untouched! For those who don't know, the basement of the hospital serves as the morgue. How could you study knowing that one floor below there remains walls lined with body freezers and rooms filled with examination tables that stand over floors with drains in them. Ya, those drains were for blood. OoOoOooo... In the early years some freshman hazing at this school included shoving the poor, frightened freshmen into the body freezers down there and shutting the door. Welcome to CSUCI!
No wonder I've never heard of this school.
I tried to let the past of the campus go and think, "This is kind of a nice place, would be that bad living here?" That is until I did some research. Could I sleep in the same room where a patient once lived? A patient that walked down the hall to his room dragging shackles from his ankles after receiving treatment. Treatments like mind numbing drugs or shock therapy so intense that the patient kept a Kotex in his mouth so that he wouldn't crush his own teeth with the power surge rushing through his body. Then, off to bed! Uhh, no. Thanks.
Now I see why these girls live in an apartment off campus.
But really. How creepy is this place? They actually came here to film that movie "The Ring" -ya. 
See that structure on top of that hill up there? That's the well from the movie, you know, where the scary little girl lives or whatever. Yep. Living at CSUCI would pretty much be like living with that girl from the "The Ring" ...and pretty much every other scary movie ever made, because let's face it, an abandoned psycho ward makes a great premise.
See that structure on top of that hill up there? That's the well from the movie, you know, where the scary little girl lives or whatever. Yep. Living at CSUCI would pretty much be like living with that girl from the "The Ring" ...and pretty much every other scary movie ever made, because let's face it, an abandoned psycho ward makes a great premise.Alright, alright, alright. Enough with the ghost stories. Let's show some respect now.
Of course, this is California, and there is beauty to be held everywhere. I got a great shot over the reflection pool as the sun was going down. 
And then came the darkness...
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