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.
Both schools are in fact very good. I’m an ERAU-Prescott grad, so my opinion will be slightly biased! It’s a great school assuming it fits your personality and budget. Their primary strength is in Aerospace engineering, although their Mechanical engineering program is also quite good. I had no problems finding internships while I was there, and undergrad research opportunities are plentiful. There was a big push, university wide, about 5 years ago to expand research involvement, so the opportunities available now are much better then when I went.
Honestly though, both schools are great. Cal Poly is more well-known outside of engineering/aerospace, but within engineering/aerospace, both schools are about equal.
In hindsight, having been accepted to both schools, I would still have chosen ER-Prescott based on my experiences there. The campus environment is simply incredible… very unique and exciting. I would say it really comes down to personal preference based on the two campuses. Opportunities will be about the same coming out of both schools.
I agree with @fractalmstr and @ucbalumnus, they are both good schools, both with very well respected in aero circles. Switching majors at CP will present more options beyond engineering, but ERAU will have more iterations of flight related programs.
My son is a student at Cal Poly, so I’m certainly biased towards them. I can’t compare to ERAU because he’s an ME and never considered ERAU as a result. What I can say is that he likes Cal Poly very much. He turned down some pretty good programs and large scholarships to attend CP.
What impressed us all so much about Cal Poly (other than the fantastic location) was the facilities. CP has several facilities that are solely for student projects that are not associated with classes. Read that as “just there for student enjoyment.” Engineering alone has more than 80 teaching labs. The most impressive part is that they are all for undergraduates. Poly doesn’t have a doctoral program. Here’s a link: https://ceng.calpoly.edu/about/facilities/.
We were also impressed by how happy everyone seemed there. His experience has confirmed that.
So, I think you can’t go wrong either way. They are different, but both good. Have you visited 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
It is probably not likey that he would ever change majors outside of engineering, so we dont think that is important in distinguishing which comes out on top.
He is not really interested in flight, just the engineering side of things.
Do some digging to find out what locations / companies tend to hire grads from each program. That may help tip the school toward one school or the other.
If he is not specifically into aviation, then ERAU might not be as good a fit as CPSLO if he changes to a different engineering major. ERAU’s engineering majors at Prescott are aerospace, computer, electrical, and mechanical. CPSLO’s engineering majors are aerospace, architectural, bioresource and agricultural, civil, computer, electrical, environmental, industrial, manufacturing, materials, mechanical, and software (but no chemical).
Also, in-major elective choices may be different; I would not be surprised if those at ERAU were heavy in aviation-related courses.
Cal Poly will certainly offer a broader college non-academic experience. That is too often underrated. They don’t have big time football and basketball, but it’s still fun to attend. They’re wild about soccer, especially against UCSB. they pack as many as 25,000 in to see that game. The campus clubs are plentiful and diverse. The beach is close, but not so close that it’s a daily distraction. If he’s not passionate about flight, I’d choose Cal Poly. Of course, you know my bias. We too are out of state.
I would expand that to aerospace in general, but yeah, I agree. ERAU-Prescott’s Astronomy and Space Physics programs are also quite popular and rigorous.
If you’re not interested in aerospace/astronomy/flight you’re pretty much out of luck.
Cost may be an issue for some people
Again, ER and Cal Poly are both very good schools. They are also very different in terms of environment/experience… In the end, it’s really a matter of personal preference!
Well, specifically he is into drones - not piloting them, but design, etc so I guess that means really a cross between Mechanical and Aerospace, which he could get at both schools.
What’s sad is that we are so programmed to think name is important, I worry that upon graduation if you take 2 identical students one from each school, employers may think more highly of Cal Poly - and thats not saying that you wouldn’t get a comparable education from both - it’s just the fact that people are so easily swayed by name recognition.
As far as name goes, he won’t disadvantage himself one way or the other. If he’s leaning ERAU, but fearful of not choosing CP, he should go to ERAU. It’s better to be where you want to be as opposed to going where you think “others” might see as the better school.
What does he think? What does he like and not like about each?
Embry Riddle was my (briefly considered) dream school. I adore aviation and engineering, so it would have been a cool place to go, but it was far too expensive for me. Cal Poly SLO is good too. I would much rather live in Arizona than California, but that’s just me.
The problem is he is pretty much totally torn, right down the middle. I’ve told him to pick the one that he feels is best right now and then if its not, he can always change in 2 years. I feel that whichever he chooses he will end up loving and would not make a change anyways.
His reasons for hesitating with ERAU are:
While he is not a partier at all, he still wants a fun environment (serious when it needs to be but fun outside of that) where the male/female ratio isnt so low
When asked where he is thinking about going, when he says CP and ERAU, and people go huh? Embry Riddle wheres that? It made him feel crappy like he shouldn't pick Embry
All the interactions we have had with staff at ERAU have been phenomenal. They are all overly nice (and not in a fake way at all) - just pleasant to deal with. The instructors were great when we visited, talked directly to him asked him his interests, just a great experience overall.
I’m not so sure we would get the same kind of treatment at CP with the size and it being public.
In all honesty, your son should have an absolute blast there if he even remotely likes being outdoors and/or adventuring/exploring. There is so much to do in and around Prescott that he will likely never get to see/enjoy everything before he graduates! Some of the best hiking/mountain biking/climbing in the country, boating/kayaking on Willow lake, regular town events/craft fairs, Jerome, Flagstaff for skiing/snowboarding, the grand canyon, Vegas, Phoenix... all of these things are right in your backyard, or relatively close by. Even if he doesn't like outdoor activities there are still plenty of things to get involved with on campus. Unless he is a big partier, or is into the nightlife/clubbing scene, he should really enjoy it there!
ERAU is a small and specialized school, so not very many people outside of aerospace will know what it is. If universal name recognition is paramount to him, then he should consider going to Cal Poly instead. There's really no way to sugar coat this issue. I will say that where it really matters (employment/grad schools), Embry-Riddle is a known entity with an excellent reputation... For what it's worth, I have several close friends in my graduating class who went onto very prestigious grad schools (UMichigan, Stanford, MIT, and Boston University).
I’m glad your son is really thinking this through though… It’s important that he’s happy wherever he ends up going.
My son went through the exact same decision process, weighing the attention he’d get at a smaller school versus the expanded opportunities academically and non-academically at Cal Poly. For example, he received a letter from WPI letting him know, even before he accepted that he’d been selected as a Fulbright candidate based on his academic record and test scores. Cal Poly has a Fulbright adviser, but students have to seek her out if they are interested. Now that’s not to say that WPI doesn’t send that letter to every student, but it does show that they are proactive. That’s the type of stuff you can do when your tuition is $250,000 (not that everyone actually pays that) and you only have 3500 students.
With that said, there are surprising opportunities at Cal Poly. Professors and advisers are easily accessible. My son has met with the department chair several times. One of my favorite activities that they do is “Poker with the Math Professors” (or something close to that). Many of the math professors come to the red bricks dorm common room and play poker with the engineering students on Friday night. There’s no money and no drinking. It’s just good fun with a bunch of REALLY smart guys quickly churning probabilities.
He’s also not a classic partier (go go go all the time; every college has them, at least for a while), but he doesn’t shy away from parties or other social events as long as they fit his study schedule. For example, he rarely if ever will go to a party on a weeknight. He also hikes regularly and plays soccer, either futsal indoors or pick-up or intramurals outdoors. He goes to the beach to wind down semi-regularly.
He wanted a “typical college experience” and hence didn’t have any interest in schools like MIT or Caltech. He knew choosing Cal Poly would require a little more proactiveness on his part, but in the long run is very happy. He’s also very clear that he would have likely been happy at all of the schools he ended up applying to.
I think you have it in a nutshell. You can’t have it both ways. It’s why my son waited as long as your’s has in making his final decision. Let him know this, eighty percent of people surveyed report that they were very happy with their undergraduate experience no matter whether they went to their top choice or their last place option. The other 20% likely wouldn’t be happy anywhere. He can’t make a bad decision. Now it’s time to go with his gut. Eventually, he will. Hang in there.
Let him know this, eighty percent of people surveyed report that they were very happy with their undergraduate experience no matter whether they went to their top choice or their last place option. The other 20% likely wouldn’t be happy anywhere. He can’t make a bad decision. Now it’s time to go with his gut. Eventually, he will. Hang in there.
