<p>Hi there, I am curious about my chances of getting into Cal Poly Pomona or SLO. My academic situation is very unique, so it will take me awhile to explain.</p>
<p>I have lived in California my entire life and currently attend a middle college high school. A middle college high school is a small public high school where mature, academically focused students take a combination of regular high school classes in addition to college courses at a community college. We literally take the actual college courses instead of AP classes- it is a rigorous academic environment.</p>
<p>Anyhow, the high school is literally on a community college campus, I am legally enrolled in two schools- the high school, and the community college. I will have over 60 units of college credit completed and TWO associate degrees (this is very rare) by the time I graduate high school later this year. That being said, I CANNOT apply as a transfer student and MUST apply as a freshman applicant because there is some rule/law that states that "anyone legally enrolled in high school during time of application is considered a freshman applicant", no matter what. </p>
<p>My GPA is a 3.61 right now (it is the summer between junior and senior year) and the most recent SAT I took was a 1580. I got a 610-R, 540-W, and 430-M. The reason why my GPA and SAT scores are so low is because I have a learning disability in math. I have mainly C's in math and it is an area I really struggle in because of this learning disability. I plan on taking the ACT in the fall, but in short, my SAT/ACT scores will never be anything special.</p>
<p>My extra curriculars are pretty good, in addition to the whole high school student in college thing:
-Girl Scout Gold Award (highest honor a girl scout can receive)
-Co-founder and Vice President of college Geography Club
-Participant/organizer of college science fair, where I will lead the social science aspect of the Geography club team. We will be conducting research in the fall that examines the relationship between cultural loss and climate change.
-Member of college History Club
-Member of college Gamma Beta Phi honor/community service society
-Member of high school National Honor Society
-Equestrian of 12 years who was won many local awards</p>
<p>I am a double major in History and Geography (these are the two AA degrees I will be receiving). I also have an interest in Anthropology. One thing that really draws me to the Cal Polys is that they have the normal history degree, but also the "Anthropology AND Geography" degree, so by double majoring at a Cal Poly, it would kind of allow me to triple major.</p>
<p>Any input on my chances of getting into either of the Cal Polys would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>First of all you seem like an extraordinary person that has a mature approach to academics. I will answer your question first and then elaborate on a potential change in strategy. Like Kreig01 above I also think SLO will be a challenge and that you have a good shot at Pomona. But keep in mind that neither school accepts essays with their applications and most ECs will not be reviewed. Therefore, it will be hard to communicate your unique story other than by transcripts. However, my question to you is if your intended majors are History and Geography why do you want to go to two schools that are renowned for their STEM majors and are not break out institutions for Liberal Arts? Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the Cal Polys. In fact, my son is currently a Mechanical Engineering major at SLO and is thriving beyond expectations. But he is at Cal Poly SLO for what they are famous for - Engineering. One more thing, SLO is not that open to double majors and changing majors can be somewhat challenging if you choose to do so. You have an awesome story and certainly have a tremendous amount to offer ANY college. No doubt you will get into a good school. However, I would focus on getting into a UC or a traditional liberal arts college where you can be on the cutting edge of your academic interests. Best of luck!!</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your input. Are you sure SLO does not accept essays? I thought they did? And that is good to hear about CPP. Are you also sure about double majors? How do you know?</p>
<p>You do have a valid point about the Cal Polys being engineering majors, and why id want to go if I was a History and Geography major. Their History and Geography programs aren’t bad, they’re good, but they aren’t amazing. A huge reason id want to go to the Cal Polys is because of their equestrian communities… a lot of students at Cal Poly ride and are involved in horses, which is important to me. CPP in particular has an amazing equestrian team that I would like to join.</p>
<p>My concern with the UCs is that they don’t foster strong relationships between teachers and students. I don’t want to sit in a lecture hall with 300 students and TAs. I have heard that Cal Polys and Cal States in general have a much better approach to learning in this way.</p>
<p>SLO has about 60 majors, the majority of which aren’t related to engineering. Approximately 27% of the students attending are engineering majors (which means the majority of students are majoring in something other than engineering), Nothing wrong with applying there for majors other than engineering, and if you are interested in the Anthropology & Geography major, do apply. (My son’s girlfriend has been attending SLO as a civil engineering major and doing very well. She’s planning on applying to switch her major to Anthropology & Geography this fall as that’s where her long-term interests fit in). My son attends SLO also, and he’s not an engineering major, and absolutely loves it there and feels he’s getting an excellent education. </p>
<p>I am familiar with the Middle College in our school district. You appear to be an interesting and involved student. Apply to SLO, as well as others. And, no, they don’t require essays. </p>
<p>Hi MLM, thanks for replying. That is good to know about your son’s girlfriend. How is the diversity at SLO? I have heard that it is one of the least racially diverse schools in the country… I don’t know why, but theres something about that (IF it is true) that bothers me. </p>