My son just got accepted to Cal Poly SLO CS and is over the moon! It is his first choice school. One question we all have is: how many people are graduating from the CS department in 4 years these days? We are out of state, and wondering if we are realistically looking at 4 or 5 years of OOS tuition.
My son has done running start since sophomore year and will be graduating with an A.A. degree. He also has taken 5 AP classes. So we expect him to get some gen eds out of the way with those credits and aren’t as worried about fulfilling gen ends. Really we are just wondering how easy/difficult it is to get the CS classes you want and need to graduate in 4 years.
@quarkpie, I cannot answer your central question, but I can say that converting semester units into quarter units and counting AP classes can be tricky at Cal Poly. They will do an evaluation for you, but it helps to know a few things before that time to avoid unpleasant surprises. Here is a link to a page full of links that will help you assess what will count for what. Not all AP tests and scores count the same at Cal Poly as at other schools. They don’t even necessarily count the same at just Cal Poly from year to year.
It’s possible. My son will be graduating from CS in 4 years. Registering for classes is usually stressful because everything fills up fast but it has worked out for my son. You just can’t be too picky about professors or class times - he sometimes ended up with the less popular professors (which weren’t always as bad as the student ratings) and has almost always had Friday classes. He came in with some AP credits and was able to use them to fulfill requirements for three courses (one English and two Calculus courses). His roommate is also a CS major and graduating in 4 years. When we met with the department head when we toured campus he indicated that the main reasons some students take longer than 4 years is either because they did not pass a course and need to repeat it and/or they have done study abroad - which can put students at 4 years plus 1 quarter. I imagine that coming in without any degree applicable AP credits would also be a hindrance because your registration appointment for courses each quarter is based on your degree progress so without that you would have a later registration appointment (and there would be less course availability), but it sounds like your son will have some nice degree progress already if he has an AA and some AP credits. Not all AP credits will count for Computer Science though - for sure English and Calculus, but not Foreign Language and others. Hopefully that helps - good luck!