Cal Poly SLO / Cal State Admission Factors? (MCA)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
1

Hi,
I’m a long time CC lurker, but after reading lots stuff about Cal Poly SLO I still have a few questions…

I already know how MCA is calculated for the Cal State schools, but i’m wondering when they ask about hours worked weekly and EC hours weekly are they expecting a number averaged across the entire year? This makes sense for EC’s because many are seasonal, but I work a lot during the summer and usually don’t during the year. Should I average the hours I work in the summer with the rest of the year, or is this only intended for students who work during the school year?

Also , I spend a lot of time on Treehouse ( online coding lessons ) which is definitely quantifiable… is it acceptable to list this as an EC when factoring in hours? I’m going with no but I wasn’t sure.

I’m thinking of applying to SLO ED as a CS major, which has left me wondering one more thing. I know MCA is calculated using a-g classes, but at any point do admissions officers actually look at the transcript? I have taken three years of computer science in high school, (above the AP level) and also do a lot of programming outside of school. I feel that this should realistically give me a leg up on other CS applicants but i’m wondering if the admissions office will ever even see this before the decision is made, especially since it doesn’t even count in the MCA.

Lastly i’m wondering about the gender ratio in CS, not for admissions, just because I am curious (as a female).

Thanks to anyone that can help!

2

CS is super competitive and the MCA is all they use to rank applicants. ECs play a pretty limited role - you’d be fine averaging your hours. You need to feel confident if asked to defend the number, you can submit proof.

You do enter all your classes and grades but, they won’t ask for your transcript until after you graduate. They are looking primarily at a-g courses.

Gender and race play no role.