<p>I am an Aerospace Engineering major, and i am going to transfer to one of these 2 schools in the fall. I can’t decide which one to accept… I need help, does anybody have any input???</p>
<p>CP has a realllyy good Engineering reputation…</p>
<p>Very true, but so does UCSD</p>
<p>hah well then i think it’s really your decision in terms of the location you prefer…SLO or SD</p>
<p>SD is a lot closer to a real city, that’s all I’m gonna say…If you like living in the middle of nowhere, SLO is probably a better choice.</p>
<p>it also depends on career goals. if you just want undergrad degree then work both would be fine. but if you want graduate degree going UCSD would be better because it offers good academic connections</p>
<p>Keep in mind the "hands-on’ experience at CP. You will be really getting into Aerospace stuff at CP. The connections to industry are also great. You will likely have no trouble getting into a grad program from CP or UCSD. Both good choices. Good luck!</p>
<p>Have you toured each school? If not, the obvious suggestion is to do so asap. They are two very different environments. Are you most comfortable learning the traditional/formal way (lecture, textbook exam) or do you like rolling up your sleeves and figuring things out for yourself in the field or a lab? UCSD leans towards the former; Cal Poly definitely the latter. Both schools have superb reputations and will take you where you want to go. Congratulations on having to make such a tough decision!</p>
<p>I live pretty close to UCSD and although it is a great school, there is really no college town like CP SLO. I have heard that students complain about the lack of a social life. However, San Diego is a great place to spend 4 years.</p>
<p>I think if you’re like me and you like the hustle and bustle of living near a big city, you might get board of SLO after a couple years (you might not though). If you like a very relaxed and calm lifestyle of small towns, and outdoor activities like hiking, then SLO is a good choice.</p>
<p>Just for the record, UCSD is in La Jolla which is about 14 mile from downtown San Diego and one of the wealthier communities on the planet. It is not an urban campus at all.</p>
<p>Average home price in La Jolla is north of $2 million – not your typical college town. A good buddy of mine graduated from UCSD, and enjoyed her time there fwiw. </p>
<p>I currently live and work in San Francisco. It’s a vibrant city, but there’s definitely times I wish I was back living the “SLO life.” You’ll have your entire working adult life to be in a big city, so might as well experience a college town while you still can.</p>
<p>We are from SD and I think my daughter is pretty psyched about going to CP. I think that CP is one of the few colleges in Central or Southern Cal that is not in a larger city. There is something to be said about going to college in a college town. I can’t imagine going to SDSU where it would appear that most student interaction comes in the parking lot or UCSD where the campus appears as an isolated island in a very wealthy, older community. I was very impressed with both SLO and CP when we went there and it was very cool that one of the first things we saw was the Farmer’s Market where the produce was unlike anything we can see in suburban SD. Really nice to see a community and college that have a very symbiotic relationship. Also very nice to see a campus where the students seemingly spend a lot of time together. I went to the University of Florida and it was the same thing in Gainesville but on a very different scale. It seems that for many of the schools, particularly in SOCAL, kids are just on campus when they have classes and that is it. College should be a full-time experience. We also visited UCSB. Isla Vista was appalling. I have seen a lot of college towns and a lot of student ghettoes but that place was way out. Looked like a Mexican prison with college students as inmates.</p>
<p>kulitone,
love your characterization of Isla Vista. My D was prepared to love UCSB. On our visit, I was controlling my reaction, but my high schooler was openly appalled, and we moved on.</p>
<p>This makes a lot of sense and one of the reasons I think my daughter felt that Cal Poly ultimately was a better choice for her over USC. She liked the idea of a “chill college town”. Not to mention that it’s much cheaper to attend. :)</p>
<p>**08alum wrote:</p>
<p>I currently live and work in San Francisco. It’s a vibrant city, but there’s definitely times I wish I was back living the “SLO life.” You’ll have your entire working adult life to be in a big city, so might as well experience a college town while you still can**.</p>
<p>Received a link to this short video from the current alumni newsletter. Why Lockheed Martin recruit Poly grads…
[YouTube</a> - CalPoly’s Channel](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/calpoly#p/a/u/1/ZaCgkolne_U]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/calpoly#p/a/u/1/ZaCgkolne_U)</p>