I have recently been admitted under Electrical Engineering to both California Polytechnic University - San Luis Obispo (CAL POLY SLO) and University of California San Diego (UCSD) and am having a very hard time choosing between the two schools.
If you would like a summary of what I am asking, read between the At the bottom
Cal Poly Positives
From the extensive research and college tours I have done, I have come to the conclusion that Cal Poly’s “Learn by doing” or very hands on approach as well as its emphasis on engineering (26% of Majors at cal poly) make it very strong for engineering in California. I know Cal Poly engineering students come out with having lots of experience with equipment used in the industry and applicable knowledge which means less training time. It’s closer location to the Silicon Valley compared to San Diego makes it seem like it makes it very easy to secure internships as Cal Poly student which therefore makes you a highly employable and valuable when you enter the work force when you graduate. There are lots of outdoor actives and I know Cal Poly has a very good recreation center with lots of activities.
Cal Poly Concerns
Diversity in Cal Poly is so and so and I am very concerned as someone who is coming from the San Francisco bay area. I am used to living next to big cities and as a French, and Spanish speaker diversity in both gender and ethnicity is important to me. Cal Poly doesn’t shine very well. Coming from Dublin, Pleasanton, Livermore Area, I am worried that I will suffer from the Cal Poly’s relatively rural community.
UCSD Positives
It is a prestigious university known worldwide for its highly ranked academics in pretty much all fields. It is in a fantastic location with a beautiful campus (I think it is prettier than Cal Poly SLO’s). Diversity is unbeatable at this campus, I also was admitted into the Roosevelt dorms which are very pretty and right next to the athletic center and international students center which I very much like. Cal Poly also has a very nice athletic center. It is also near the beach I like. It’s engineering program is strong, but I do not think it is as strong as Cal Poly’s Engineering program. It is a UC and a large school, so it has a large alumni network and lots of resources especially in research and it’s co-op and mentorship programs (Not as pronounced at SLO). I also am considering study abroad in which San Diego is stronger in.
UCSD Concerns
UCSD is known to be more a more theoretical engineering education and I am worried that will make it harder to be employed later. I am also worried that San Diego will have fewer job opportunities as an electrical engineering than Cal Poly SLO since it is not known for its Hi-tech really except for Qualcomm. I am worried this will make it more difficult to secure internships even though it is a more prestigious university and therefore possible force me to settle for less. I am also worried its more loose approach to education will make it more easy for me to lose my path.
Overall, I believe both are highly ranked schools in engineering, so it is hard to go wrong. I have done a lot of research and am still having a lot of trouble choosing between the two so I am looking for opinions on what you guys think is important for choosing one college over and another and whether I have a pretty accurate of idea of the 2 universities and where they stand in comparison to one another. I am trying to figure out which school would be the better fit and which one you guys think is better in employability and quality of life at the university. If you guys have read this far, I want you to know that I am extremely grateful for taking the time to help me make a very important choice in my life.
Have you visited both places? I don’t know anything about the diversity issues at CPSLO but it sounds like the only way to really truly find out is to go yourself and see firsthand. Actually, visit both schools. I’m assuming admitted students day is coming up for both places.
I think you’re overthinking it. If you feel like you will thrive at UCSD, choose UCSD. That’s what choosing a school is all about, finding the place where you think YOU will succeed. It sounds like you’re trying to pound a square peg into a round hole if you choose Cal Poly. If practical application is a concern, join one of the many clubs that let you do that. Good luck! Can’t go wrong either way.
Our D was admitted to both as well. One thing you may want to consider is relative size. UCSD at 28k is 8k students larger, so you may feel a bit lost in the crowd. We just visited SLO and it doesn’t feel anywhere close to the headline number of 20k; it felt less than half that size as we walked around. Further, smaller size and the the absence of PhD and post docs’ presence at SLO, it seems reasonable that you would have better odds at doing research, potentially early, at SLO.
In our D’s view, one thing UCSD has going for it is its residential college system; she liked the sense of community that it could foster.
FWIW, our D ruled out UCSD and is only considering SLO and a couple other schools at this point.
You say: “Diversity is unbeatable at this campus” in regards to UCSD. I suppose this is true if your definition of diversity is “diversity of Asians” or “Just a few black people and a lot less white people than Cal Poly”. Asians comprise well over 50% of the undergraduate population at UCSD. Black students are a bit over 2%, Latinos 20%, and Caucasians 20%. And btw engineering at UCSD is probably the least diverse place outside of UC Irvine in the entire country.
Neither UCSD or CP reflect the composition of California very well. They are both largely populated by upper middle class students from suburban high schools. One is majority Asian, the other majority Caucasian. This lack of diversity, especially in engineering, has proven to be a tough problem to solve. But, I really do not think the ethnic composition of either school will help or hinder your undergraduate experience. Both have thousands of students from all walks of life and you will no doubt find your “group” at either place.
I would focus more on getting a good engineering education at a school with small average class size, hands on labs, and a very happy undergraduate student body. And then, after you become a tech billionaire, perhaps you can solve the college diversity problem which has perplexed our generation of well meaning experts.
My older D settled to CP SLO over UCSD a few years back based on the visits on admitted student days. The UCSD session was cookie cutter and the Dean of the Electrical Engineering department a very poor public speaker. In contrast the CP SLO day was very well ran. My D had the opportunity to spend a day with a student in classes, all presentations were very well ran, the whole school felt well organized. She graduated last year and is now working for Apple.
Diversity means different things to different people. Like @choroidal said, mostly upper middle class families can prepare the kids to be admitted to top UCs and CP SLO and that is a sad reality of the educational system in the US. CP SLO is a closer representation of the racial composition of US or California than any of the top UCs and likely a closer representation of real life work places. Not making a judgement, just pointing out facts.
Whether that is diverse or not becomes a matter of personal preference
I ended up choosing Cal Poly. It seems to have the better program even if its name isn’t as known as UCSD. It is very well known within the engineering field and many people get jobs within the Silicon Valley. Everyone I have talked to has told me I made the right choice.
