<p>I know you’re trying to put this to bed (which is good), but I have to say that this sort of stuff is one reason our kid has made Cal Poly SLO his first choice. He was accepted at some of these more prestigious schools, but when he visited them he wasnt impressed at all and didnt like the outlook of many students he talked with. I didnt visit Cal Poly with him, but he told me he felt the students were more positive and focused on genuine learning (at least from what he saw in engineering), and that the atmosphere was refreshingly free of the attitude he found elsewhere. Im sure there are exceptions to these generalities (as always), but that was his take on it.</p>
<p>@ingagi</p>
<p>that’s refreshing to hear! i’m also wary that kids at “top” schools tend to be… difficult. more than prestige, i want friends who will become my future co-founders/colleagues. i’ll be honest: i have a feeling that UIUC might be like that. we’ll see when I visit.</p>
<p>would the upcoming open house be a good time to visit cal poly? my mum (who is VERY against me going to cal poly) thinks that it’ll be a big propaganda fest and would rather we visit on a weekday so i can “see all the parties/jokers in class”… /facepalm.</p>
<p>i looked at when the college of engineering was conducting CS department tours and couldn’t find any… apparently i missed them all? or it wasn’t popular enough to offer tours for? would the general overview tour be enough?</p>
<p>obviously i want my tour to put cal poly in the best light possible so my mum doesn’t hate my guts for four years going there. if she sees studious people in small classes doing cool stuff, it’d help my case a lot. if its all scripted performances she’ll question the authenticity of the experience. with this is mind, what is the best way to tour cal poly?</p>
<p>I’d go to open house, that’s where they do a lot of major specific introductions and tours. If your Mom’s convinced it’s some sort of Big Brother-esque propaganda, then take one of the general tours that next week. </p>
<p>I hadn’t even heard of UIUC until this forum.</p>
<p>Dustinthewind - One thing you should know about Cal Poly is that it may very well take more than 4 years to graduate. You need to research that.</p>
<p>dustinthewind: If youve already got the first three programming courses out of the way, great, because youd really mess up the class curve. More seriously, many freshmen have little programming experience, so for them, those first 3 courses are very hard, but they do learn programming the Cal Poly way. When they advance to the next classes, they have the necessary tools, some of which you might not have. But that could be a nice challenge for you. My high achieving son came down to earth with each CSC class taken. No class has been easy and there is very little time for partying.</p>
<p>Theres more to graduation than landing a job at Microsoft and Intel. Yes, they are big companies, but if you want the entrepreneur and start-up experience, a small or mid-sized company might be a better fit. Lots of tech opportunities of all sizes are in Silicon Valley, but neither of the two companies you mentioned have a big presence there. Take a look at Cal Polys “Graduate Status Report” for computer engineering, computer science, and software engineering. Its a little old, but youll see lots of employers hiring Cal Poly grads, even in a tough economy.</p>
<p>As mentioned earlier, open house for Admitted Students (Friday) is the best because your tour will be with students and faculty in your major. Most likely you will pass live classes and visit the labs. It is a good time for students and parents to ask (any) questions of the students and faculty. Then you and your parents can decide if its for real or just a fake.</p>
<p>I’m looking forward to my visit! If I do go to Cal Poly i’d rather have to eat my words and declare it more challenging than i expected, than cruise through all four years and graduate 200k poorer that i would have been if i had just kept working. After all, you only learn when you fail!</p>
<p>@Dustinthewind</p>
<p>If you really think you might want to go to Cal Poly, you should attend admitted student day next Friday. You wil have the opportunity to hear from most of the CSC professors and several students. There will be an opportunity to ask questions of both the profs and the students. You will also get to see many of the software projects done by the students. It’s quite impressive. </p>
<p>Whatever you decide, good luck!</p>
<p>I am having this same problem right now in deciding between UCSD, UCSB Honors, and Cal Poly SLO for Engineering (undecided at the moment). From what I have read thus far, Cal Poly really does a great job in preparing you for the working world; however, here is my dilemma: I wish to pursue a graduate degree after completing undergraduate for sure (Master’s at the minimum, small chance of Ph.D). Would Cal Poly give the same opportunity to get into a good graduate school for engineering as let’s say UCSD? I know that UCSD is a more research-oriented school (less hands-on like Cal Poly), but this allows it to prepare me for a graduate degree. I visited UCSD for Triton Day and I really liked it, and I am visiting UCSB this weekend for a Regents Scholars session. Any advice for people who are 100% pursuing graduate degrees?</p>
<p>If your goal is research then attend a pure research institution like UCSD. If you want hands on experience that will also prepare you for an excellent master’s program then attend Cal Poly. Also, do not forget that Cal Poly also offers a program similar to UCSD called the 4+1 program that gives a BS and an MS simultaneously. Do not forget that Cal Poly also gives masters degrees.</p>
<p>One of my kid’s colleagues who is a graduating senior said it perfectly, and this is of course purely anecdotal, “I turned down UC Berkeley for Cal Poly and at that time I was very worried that I had made a huge mistake. Many of my friends chose Berkeley instead. However, now that we are all graduating, I had several internships and now have multiple job offers. I am taking the offer with Chevron. My friends at Berkeley are still struggling to find jobs. I think that the best thing to do it is to get the practical experience at Cal Poly and then do a masters at a research university so that you can get the experience of both worlds.”</p>
<p>Thank you OsakaDad! This will definitely go into consideration!</p>
<p>From Post #15: “As someone who works in both tech and finance industry, I can tell you, from an industry vantage point, UCD/UCI/UCSB and perhaps even UCSD’s reputations in no way beat that of Cal Poly’s. And the whole “landslide” thing is just a fantasy of some uninformed high school students.”</p>
<p>@ ickglue (or anyone else reading this), do you have any thoughts on Berkeley (Operations Research) v. Cal Poly (IT)? My daughter had decided on Cal Poly, but now that she’s been accepted to Berkeley it’s not an easy decision. It wasn’t all that easy with the others, but the thought of turning down Berkeley, which ranks in the top 10 in every major (so they say on their tour) and which is right up there with the Ivies in terms of clout, is proving extremely difficult.</p>
<p>@OsakaDad, it seems that I have come to realize a significant problem for me to choose Cal Poly Engineering over UCSD or UCSB: Cal Poly seems to have less freedom to switch majors than UCSB or UCSD. This is important to me because, despite the fact that I want to study engineering, I am not 100% sure as to which engineering major to study. I would like to have the luxury of having options in choosing an engineering degree. For instance, Cal Poly seems to lack a Chemical Engineering program, one of the engineering majors that I am considering. In addition, from what I have researched, Cal Poly is known far more for its programs in Electrical Engineering, Computer/Computer Software Engineering, and Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering (majors that I have ruled out under Engineering). I originally applied for Computer Software Engineering, but my dad presented the issue with that career that companies are becoming more effective at outsourcing such jobs. Would Cal Poly really offer me the same freedom that I need as UCSD or UCSB would? For UCSB, I was accepted into the Honors program, so I would be almost guaranteed personalized attention with professors if I go there, while in UCSD, I was accepted for Nanoengineering, a major that Cal Poly does not offer (in fact, a major that no other school in the country offers). What would your response to this be? If I were to go to Cal Poly, I would attempt to switch to General/Biomedical Engineering, but I know that this major seems a bit broad in its scope, and UCSD has an incredible program for Bioengineering (#2 in the nation from what I have read). I know I sound very defensive right now towards UCSD/UCSB and demeaning towards Cal Poly, but considering my situation, I need to account for all of the potential downsides/upsides of each school. Asides from this opinion, everything that I have heard about Cal Poly’s education sounds great, but I need freedom.</p>
<p>@DRussian:</p>
<p>I’m going to chime in here and give you my $0.02. I turned down all the UC’s except Berkeley (didn’t apply). Why? I felt better on the campus and I liked the area better. It’s all comes down to personal preference, honestly. Where do you want to live for the next four years? I wanted an outdoors-centric area; mountain biking, hiking galore up here. UCLA, my other top choice , was smack in the middle of LA. I didn’t want that. Nothing really wrong with their engineering at all, different maybe, but I felt either way neither school would hold me back. It’s a lot of what you make of it. No one is going to hand you a job just because you went to poly, same with UCLA or anywhere else. </p>
<p>Here are some things that I’ve observed from my freshman year here:</p>
<p>That “hard to change majors” catchline tacked onto Cal Poly IMO is somewhat of a myth. I’m a freshman and I’ve seen fellow Mechanical Engineers switch to Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, Civil, and Physics. You just can’t lolly gag when it comes to changing. You’ll be thrown into major courses fast, which is a blessing and a curse: you really get started fast, but this is also bad if you want to change majors as you’ll be a quarter or however long behind. Being an engineer, you really won’t have problems switching unless their are space restraints. If you were in a college other than engineering, that would be a whole different story. Switching to Architecture might also be somewhat of a problem also but I’m not as familiar with that. </p>
<p>In addition, Cal Poly is by no means only known for the majors like IME, EE, CSC/CPE. I’d venture to say the Mechanical and Aero departments (I may be a bit biased )are among the best at the school and in the country. The Hands on approach and ME seriously go hand in hand, and consequently the ME department is the largest department in the engineering college. </p>
<p>Cal poly isn’t going to offer you those niche majors like Nanotech Engineering, and not many schools are. If you are set on that, by all means go to where offers it…that shouldn’t be a hard decision. Cal poly definitely doesn’t have a small selection of engineering majors though and each is great…don’t forget about Bio Resource Agricultural Engineering and Architectural Engineering that we have here too(technically in different colleges, but also take many core engineering classes). BMED here isn’t bad at all either. It is growing fast and I know quite a few people in that enjoy it. I know we often have recruiters from Abbott Labs (major BMED company) on campus, and I know a manager there that absolutely loves cal poly grads. </p>
<p>As far as personalized attention…the only classes I’ve had that are more than 60 people are GE’s. Math, English, Chem, Physics, Statics, Welding, Drafting, etc have all been less than 60 people and have been taught by a professor. All of my professors know my name. I know kids at UC’s that haven’t had a class under 100 yet.</p>
<p>@DRussian – Mallen640 speaks the truth! My kid changed from GENE to ME and did it with one appointment with a prof and a couple of weeks later was notified electronically that it was approved. Cal Poly used to be hard to change majors (within a department) but this is no longer the truth. If you want chemical engineering, then look at materials or go to another school. Same with nano technology. Funny that you should mention nano technology at UCSD. It was a professor of that specific department that began our dissatisfaction with the UC system. At the admitted students day, I asked her what labs were associated with her classes and she clicked her tongue, shook her head and answered me as if I were a child, “We do things differently here at a UC. We don’t have any labs associated with our classes per se. If the students wish for hands on experience, that is what the clubs are for. I see our role as developing student scholars and preparing them for graduate school not a job.” Then she went on to gush about her research. I was astounded at her blatantly elitist attitude and she epitomized an Ivory Tower mentality to me. I realized in that moment that all she cared about was her personal research and that my kid’s education and future job prospects were not a priority of hers.</p>
<p>Now, please do not take this the wrong way. We really, really liked UCSD and it was our 2nd choice after Cal Poly at the end of the day. UCLA was far worse and they didn’t even attempt to hide the fact that research was far more of a priority than my son’s education. They actually gave a 30 min presentation telling us how great their TA’s were and encouraged us to meet them as they would be the primary instructors for our kids.</p>
<p>One more thing – Our end game was practical and my kid specifically told us that he had already spent 12 years with his head in books and wanted a hands on program. He is also far more work and application oriented in his thinking. If your end game is research, grad school and then a PhD than the UC system could serve you far better than Cal Poly. By the way, my kid will go to grad school. But he wants to work in industry not the academic world.</p>
<p>Thank you Mallen640 and OsakaDad for the input! @OsakaDad, when I went to the admitted students day at UCSD, I sat in on the NanoE department presentation, and I felt that I was listening to that same lady you just mentioned: she was evasive in answering many questions about internships and other related topics. However, if I decide to go into CS or CSE, according to what I heard from a friend who attended the department presentation at UCSD that same day, he was overwhelmed with the opportunitites; all of the undergraduate students were on a first name basis with professors and they had all received internships from Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, etc. I think that, ultimately, my visits to the schools will make the decision.</p>
<p>Best of luck DRussian!! Either way you are in the driver’s seat. Let the schools compete for your enrollment now. Now that they have selected you, it is their turn to woo you over to them. Yes, it sounds like the exact same professor from NanoE – do you remember her name? I remember exactly what she said and knew that I never wanted my kid to be in her class. But, I forgot her name. Also, when you read my comments, keep in mind that as a parent I could really care less about any professor’s research unless it is enhancing my kid’s education or the value of his diploma. I want to know what is in it for my kid. I want to know how it will affect my son’s future. I want to know the level of education my son will get and how it will prepare him for the job market. Of course I care about school reputation and how they are perceived in the market. But, what I really want to know is what benefit will the school have specifically for my son. Call it selfish, but I am paying the big bucks and I want value. I want my kid to be immediately employable. I want him to cherish his memories of school for the rest of his life. I want him to be the best for him and his future family. At Cal Poly I knew that my son’s education and future would be the center of attention of every prof there. This is why we chose Cal Poly.</p>
<p>DRussian it sounds like you’re a little unsure about what you want to study, which isn’t unusual for a high school senior. If you were 100% committed to bioengineering or biomedical engineering, I’d recommend that you go to a school with a strong biology department. UCSD’s biology and bioengineering departments are world class. Cal Poly’s program is good, but it’s new and won’t have the extensive ties to biology that you’d find at UCSD. </p>
<p>You don’t mention your plans for graduate school, but if you intend to go on for a PhD, then again I’d recommend a UC over Cal Poly. Your chances at grad school admission will be enhanced by the in-depth theory you’d get at at UC; without that, you’d be competing for admission to grad school against students who have the depth that you won’t get at Cal Poly.</p>
<p>If your plans are to stop with a BS or MS and then go directly to work, then Cal Poly will give you the best preparation. My sense is that the outsourcing tide has turned in certain industries. It hasn’t been the panacea that many people hoped it would be, and companies are turning back to “in-sourcing” their design and development activities. You’ll have absolutely no problem finding internships while you’re a student and get job offers in your field when you graduate from Cal Poly, as long as you keep your grades up.</p>
<p>Best of luck on what you decide - you’ve got some great options.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for all your help OsakaDad! As I said before, ultimately, I think that my college visits will make the decision, after all, if a student is happy where he/she is, there is a far greater chance for them to succeed in undergraduate, and move on to a good graduate school, and eventually to a successful career.</p>
<p>thank you vballmom on your input as well! I ultimately plan on pursuing a MS for sure, but unsure about the PhD at the moment; again, I think that it will be incredibly important that I am happy where I am.</p>
<p>I saw this link on one of the discussion boards but can’t find it again, so I’ll bring it up here.</p>
<p>This ranking, [Top</a> State Universities By Salary Potential](<a href=“http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/top-state-universities.asp]Top”>Best Public Colleges | Payscale), places Berkeley at #5 with an average starting salary of $51,400 and Cal Poly at #11 with an average salary of $54,200. After 15 years, UCB undergraduates are averaging $102,000 and CP undergrads are at $95,700. </p>
<p>It seems to me that this isn’t an accurate comparison because Cal has more majors, and most of those are in non-technical fields. If we were to compare just those majors at CP with the similar majors at Cal, wouldn’t you expect the average starting salary for Berkeley grads to be significantly higher … and wouldn’t the mid-career difference be even higher? Is there a flaw in my thinking??? </p>
<p>We are working on a list comparing the two and I was thinking that “starting salary” should move from CP to UCB.</p>