Cal Poly SLO vs UC Santa Cruz

College Search & Selection
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1

Hi everyone! I am a current Junior wanting to narrow down my college list. I was torn between applying to these two schools and wanted some insight on what should I do!

Background on me: I am a California Resident. I love roughly 45 mins from UCSC and 3 Hours from Cal Poly SLO. I will study politics/political Science and plan on attending law school.

Here are my pros/cons list of each school:

UCSC:

Pros:
-Nice weather
-I like the Politics department and I have interviewed some politics professors so I am interested in the classes
-in-state tuition
-diverse student population

Cons:
-close to home
-Santa Cruz isn’t the best town

Cal Poly SLO

Pros:
-cheaper in-state tuition compared to UCSC
-will be able to get a combined masters in Public Policy w/ my BA in poli sci
-beachy area

Cons:
-Less diverse student population
-more isolated area (@ UCSC the closest large city is 30 mins away while at Cal Poly it’s about an hour away)
-The school is known more for STEM

2

Is there a reason you cannot apply to both?

3

I was going to ask the exact question as @ucbalumnus. Are you limited by the costs of the applications? What other schools are on your current list? Do you have specific college budget you are trying to meet?

4

I wouldn’t consider SLO to be more beachy than Santa Cruz.

5

Actually, it’s the other way around for me. Santa Cruz is more “beachy” and also has the Boardwalk. Most homes and apartments in the Santa Cruz area seem to have a surfboard or two lying around and the requisite outdoor shower.

SLO has a really nice downtown. Santa Cruz is pretty nice too, IMO. Personally, I’d pick SLO over Santa Cruz, some call UCsC’s Campus “Ewok Village,” but are great choices.

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