Anyone care to weigh in on which to choose CP SLO or ERAU-Prescott? We have visited both, location is not so important as are the program, preparedness upon graduation and availability of coops/internships during the 4 years.
Please do NOT take cost into account - decision should be completely independent of cost as for us it is nearly identical.
Choosing between Mechanical with Robotics/UAV emphasis or Aerospace Engineering major.
Very difficult decision for us as each has its own set of positives and negatives, so just looking for some other feedback/thoughts from everyone.
Never heard of ERAU before, but looking at most usual metrics (selectivity, graduation rate, rankings, etc) Cal Poly looks much better. Even for the student/faculty ratio ERAU is not much better, generally not as good as other private schools. I can’t comment on which is better for internship opportunities, as I do not know what ERAU offers, but I do know lots of very reputable aero space/defense companies recruit frequently at Cal Poly. Also, at Cal Poly there are additional options if the student changes their mind on major, and it is relatively easy to switch from engineering into anything else, or within engineering.
The only possible advantage I could see is the fact that ERAU is a small/private college, so in theory there might be a little more focus from teachers on students. This tends to help if the student is a little less prepared or shy. Good luck!
Take selectivity numbers at ERAU with a grain of salt. There are a few programs that due to their tight academic focus have high acceptance rates. Unlike Podunk U, where everyone gets in no matter what their GPA and test scores are, schools like ERAU tend only to get pretty highly qualified students. Due to the price and other schools being perceived as more prestigious, they tend to accept lots of applicants. As a result, the rankings are impacted.
WPI is another example that has the same selection bias that ERAU does. They accept more than 50% of their applicants. Cal Poly, at least for ME hovers just above 10%. Yet, they were my son’s two final choices. Both great options.
As I mentioned in the engineering forum, they’re both good. They’re both different. You owe yourself a visit to both.
We have visited both and have found that on most fronts, they are coming up equal in our eyes, and that is why we were looking to get some additional feedback.
Although ERAU is less selective than SLO in admission, I would seriously consider it if I plan to major in aviation or aero engineering.
This is the first time I hear about this school. But this does not mean ERAU does not have prestige and popularity. Not many people know about Caltech either.
The school has PhD students. So it’s probably a serious school.
According to the school web site, 93% of graduates go to work or graduate schools in one year. That’s a high number. But you should look more into details about the types of work involved. You should ask the school for more information.
Embry Riddle would offer you a chance to get a pilot’s license. Cal Poly makes it very hard to change majors. Call the school and go over that in detail to be sure you can switch between mechanical and aerospace. Also look at the emphasis, are the programs offering the classes you want? I think neither are focused on outer space as much as aeronautics? Cal Poly has a lower four year graduation rate, if that matters to you. Cal Poly is a state school with mostly California students and their attitudes and values. Embry Riddle is a private university well known in aviation circles with more conservative student body. Embry Riddle is more specialized. The location is vastly different, one is a small town close to a beach, and the other is in the desert, not too far from a major city, Phoenix. Its harder to get to SLO, if you are not living in California and do not plan to bring a car. Many Cal Poly students hitch hike from Santa Barbara, relatively easy to do, but your parents will not like that. you can get a hopper airplane from Oakland, LA or Phoenix directly into San Luis Obispo airport.
It is not hard to switch majors at Poly ESPECIALLY for an aero major. They just won’t let you switch immediately.
It’s no problem at all being from out of state and getting around. My son and his two roommates are all OOS. They don’t hitchhike. None of them have a car. They ride the busses for free as a students.
Four year graduation rates have been historically low at CP for engineering, but that’s improving greatly. During the downturn in the economy when CA defunded secondary education, it was hard to get classes at UCs and CSUs. Couple that with the fact that the engineering curricula are 20 hours longer than the rest of the university and you have a problem. Classes are no longer hard to get as long as you don’t dodge teachers or times. It’s tough to graduate on time from anywhere if you do that. The average ME now graduates in 4 months and two quarters. My son is in his last quarter of freshman year. He brought in enough AP and dual enrollment credit that he’s classified as a junior. It’s just not the problem that it used to be.
AEs at Poly can specialize in either astronautics or aeronautics.
The only statement that I will agree with from the last poster is that SLO is isolated. You can bus train or puddle jump in, but not being right next to a major airport makes it more expensive. Sometimes coastal towns like SLO and Monterey get fogged in and flights get delayed or cancelled. The trade of is that it isn’t overrun like most metropolitan areas. It’s a great town to be a student.
Transportation is not a factor as he has his own vehicle. I also feel that he could get through ERAU in 4 years most likely, but that also is not as important as graduating (of course in a reasonable amount of time) and being able to get a job and also, the internships during school/summer are crucial.
@DreaminOfCaltech, if he does choose Cal Poly, I’d recommend ditching the car for the first year. It’s good to get to know your way around using feet and the public transportation system. Plus, he won’t become the taxi service for all his friends. My son has a car, but was happy he went without for a year. He’ll bring it next year. We’re OOS too.