<p>I'm considering applying to cal poly slo next fall. Their offered engineering courses look very interesting, and I hear it's an overall great college (Especially considering Harvey Mudd is not an option this year).</p>
<p>I'm a little concerned, however, regarding the "hands on" aspect of their curriculum. I always hear people say that colleges either teach in a hands on way, or in a theoretical way. This sounds like a very polite way to say that people at "hands on" institutions don't have a great understanding for what it is they are doing, or why they are doing it. While I like the idea of participating in a hands on curriculum, I feel if I attend an institution that simply gives us equations to plug numbers into, I'll be wasting my tuition.</p>
<p>Does Cal Poly's curriculum cover the "How"'s and "Why"'s of engineering thoroughly? If I wanted to leave college with as great an understanding of the subject matter as possible, would attending Cal Poly be a detriment to my success?</p>
<p>Well since the engineering curriculums at cal poly are rated so highly, I’m sure you are going to learn some theoretical stuff too. If the curriculum was strictly hands on, it would probably be some type of 2 year degree, not an engineering degree.</p>
<p>The hands on comes from the fact tat u always haf to take a lab for a lot of the classes. That way u can apply whatever u learn in class, and not be completely clueless when ur in the workforce for the first time.</p>
<p>OPsaid: “This sounds like a very polite way to say that people at “hands on” institutions don’t have a great understanding for what it is they are doing, or why they are doing it.”</p>
<p>I reversed that one for a good laugh : “This sounds like a very polite way to say that people at “theoretical” institutions don’t have a great understanding for what they do with their knowledge, or how to implement it.”</p>
<p>But I get your meaning. </p>
<p>A relative went to SLO recently ,and he’s now a successful engineer; he’s more into implementation than development; more into what one can do with it rather than simply why it works; more into “hands on” than theory; more into praxis than theory</p>
<p>it’s just a character sort of thing . . . so the real question here is whether YOU are more hands on or more theoretical; to the extent that you are more hands on SLO will be an excellent fit; to the extent that you are more theoretical SLO will not fit quite as well, and there might be other institutions that - all else being - equal - would be a better fit</p>
<p>but add in factors like location (SLO is a small city in a small region), cultural vibe (more traditional and “fratty” than someplace like Harvey Mudd) and cost, then go back and mix in the theory and practice thoughts!!!</p>
<p>Granted I’ve been away for a while but here’s how I illustrate the difference:</p>
<p>If asked about a wind turbine, the Cal Poly student like his Theoretical U counterpart will study the theory of aerodynamics, power generation, etc. from essentially the same sources. Then they’ll sit a similar CAD stations and work up the design. </p>
<p>So what’s “hands on”?</p>
<p>When asked if it will work the Theoretical U student will put the design into a super-computer to model the performance. The Poly student will build the dang thing and measure the output.</p>
<p>Have no fear. You’ll get a great engineering education at a highly respected school in a fantastic location.</p>
<p>I’m currently at Cal Poly. Most of the “hands on” learning I’ve encountered has been through labs. Although CP has the reputation as being a “hands on” school, the school still pushes theory in lectures because it is necessary to understanding the material. For example, you’ll still do proofs in math courses and won’t do anything “hands on” in physics lecture. Many students also turn their senior project into a research project which is more theoretical.</p>
<p>The labs tend to be more hands on. For my computer science labs students spend time writing programs that support or apply what was learned in lecture.</p>
<p>I personally think that CP is a strong school for engineering in general and not just “hands on” learning. You will get a strong education in both here.</p>