Could I please get some advice. My daughter was admitted early to SDSU, and then applied and was admitted to the Honors College. She just heard 2 days ago that she was accepted to SLO. Originally after she was accepted to SDSU, SLO asked for a portfolio. She decided not to submit one, but they came back to her and asked again which I’ve heard is not common. She submitted one and they accepted her, so we have no idea what to do. The major at SDSU is undeclared, and the major at SLO is Art and Design. The concentration is Photography/Video. She’s not an artist so I’m concerned if the core classes will be too hard for her. The campus at SLO fits her better because she’s more introverted, but she is very into basketball, so she is excited about that at SDSU. Now she is unsure what to do. Any advice is appreciated.
What area of interest does she want to pursue at each school if she is not “an artist”?
Since SLO does not have an Undeclared major, she will be limited if she wants to explore different areas of interest and not sure where her passions lie.
If she wants flexibility then SDSU will probably be a better option. I cannot speak about the difficulty of the Art and Design program but appears she has looked at the curriculum which might not be a good fit?
That’s what I’m thinking also. I was surprised they accepted her from her portfolio, which was photographs, if the core classes are art.
Change of major at SLO is very hard, but doable. I think SDSU might be better if she is not sure yet about the major.
Where do you live? Does she want to be in a big city or smaller city? Sports hands down SDSU. Especially with what is going on with men’s basketball. We live in Slo county. 5 miles from campus. Not much to do here. Pretty boring for kids tell you the truth. To me cal poly is a great school but limited to a few good majors (cs, ag, and architecture). Sdsu is up and coming. In my opinion. More options. Probably will rank in 3-5 years along the lines of a ucsb or even higher. Your daughter will thrive at cal poly but not sure if that exact major will do it for her here. Unless she is used to the country life I would opt for the city life. Cal poly Slo is definitely living the slow life.
Just how “sleepy” is Cal Poly SLO? Does the somewhat isolated location help or hurt the feeling of school community?
Don’t get me wrong. Slo is a great city! Just not much to do other than hiking, surfing and other nature spots. School community is prevalent and thriving at cal Poly Slo. Cal poly Slo has an amazing student body presence. We have lived here for over 30 years and seen Slo the city and school grow into this amazing thing. But just remember our population is not more than 50k. The city, not the school, could get tiresome after a while. If you are ok with living only within the school bubble then you should do great. If you want more than that then it might be a little tough.
My daughter went to slo and I went to SDSU back in the day. While SDSU was a fun campus, my daughter also had an amazing experience. So much so, she stayed on the central coast after graduation. She hikes, kayaks, paddle boards, bar hops, line dances, goes to concerts, thrift shops, goes to farmers markets. She loves everything about slo and was never bored on campus.
Limited to a few good majors? Seriously?
Keep going. Psychology, Software Engineering, Animal Science, Business, Construction Management, etc. And more.
There’s Farmers Markets on Thursdays and over 18 clubs too.
SDSU has made it to the NCAA finals for the 1st time. Congrats. But historically SDSU sports are mediocre.
SDSU were NCAA champions yes 50 years ago but their Basketball team has made to the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 a couple of times. Basketball is still a big draw at SDSU and their team has been very successful in the last 10-15 years. I would not pick a school based on one good sports team but the school does have vibrant, lively student body including sports.
Both SLO and SDSU are very different schools in location, vibe and academics. Your student needs to pick the best fit academically, socially and financially. No bad option between the two just personal preference.
For D18, the sports at Michigan and B1G were a big draw for her. But that atmosphere, along with the academics, fit her personality.
Two of my kids have lived in SLO (one a Cal Poly student; his brother as a young adult professional). They BOTH LOVED living in SLO for 4 years, but after 4 years were ready to move to a bigger city. Now one lives in Oakland, one in Charlotte NC. Much more “action.” One of my boys noted that SLO “has no escalators” lol. It’s yes more about nature but a GREAT classic college town.
My daughter is a junior photo/video major. the program has been wonderful and she has really enjoyed her classes. Since there are three concentrations within art and design they all have to take some classes from other concentrations, so not everyone is an expert in a given class, yet it broadens their experience within a creative field. She’s had a lot of opportunities for hands-on projects, the classes are small, and a minor in media arts allows for further exploration in film. It is possible to change your major after quarter one, you just have to follow a process. SLO is such a special place to spend your college years.
I’m trying to help a low income student who was accepted but saw no mention of financial aid in her acceptance. Have all of the financial aid packages been released already?
(Fwiw, I searched the topic but didn’t find what I was looking for, so I’m sorry if this is a duplicate.)
For admitted students, the FA packages have posted within the last 2 weeks.
Viewing Your Financial Aid Awards
Awards can be viewed on the Money Matters tab on the My Cal Poly Portal . You will be able to view your financial aid and print your award letter.
Would Cal Grant and Pell Grant appear there too? If not, where would it be?
Yes, it will be there. My student got $5,742 for cal grant.
To view the financial aid, click “student center” after log-in and select “view financial aid”.
If your student applied for federal financial aid, create an account to view calgrant, middle-class scholarship, and other award.
The middle-class scholarship will finalize in summer or fall.
https://mygrantinfo.csac.ca.gov/
Change the school name to “Cal Poly State University”, so the data would link with the school.
