Chances of getting into Cal Poly SLO!

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi guys, so I've recently finished with finals and I'm a little bit worried about my grades and what not for getting into Cal Poly so any feedback whatsoever would be extremely appreciated..</p>

<p>Freshman Year
Honors English: B both semesters
Honors geometry, electives, health, and french had A's both semesters
So 5 A's 1 B</p>

<p>Sophomore Year
AP Biology: B in both semesters (4 on AP exam)
AP European History: B both semesters (3 on AP exam)
English: I got a C first semester because my teacher was irrational with her grading (not just saying that) A second semester.
Honors Algebra 3-4, pe, and French 3-4 got A's both semesters.</p>

<p>Junior Year first semester:
A in US history
A in French 5
A in English
A in Computer graph arts
B in AP Physics mechanics
C in AP Calculus AB</p>

<p>I have also been dancing (10 hours a week) for 7 years and am avidly involved in Key Club since freshman year as well. I did 65 hours of community service sophomore year in Key Club and currently have around 35 (need at least 50 by the end of the year)</p>

<p>I am freaking out about my Calculus grade and so is my mom. Keep in mind though that I skipped Honors Pre Calculus and went from Honors Algebra (10th grade) straight to AP Calculus. My dream school is Cal Poly in SLO because they have an amazing architecture school and it isn't too far from home. </p>

<p>My goal of course is to get all A's second semester, especially after the massive letdown I have received from Calc this semester. </p>

<p>Any tips, opinions, and advice would be very, very greatly appreciated!</p>

2

<p>CSU’s accepting students based on two things … 1. “numbers” meaning GPA & SAT scores, and 2. “early application submit” meaning first come first serve. They do not require your essay, unless they ask for it. So, all your activities doesn’t mean much to them.
SLO is one of the best in california. As an arc major, will be 50/50 with your grade. But going with undecided major or other easy ones, good chance you will get in. Colleges know 18 or 19 years old kids don’t know what their future holds. Goal is to get in, then decide what u want to do. u r learning general education first two years so u have two years to decide your major.</p>

3

<p>No offense to 2005h4, but … well … that’s not really 100% accurate.</p>

<p>For one, there is NO “undecided major” for Cal Poly SLO. Cal Poly students are required to declare a major at the time of application. When you fill out your application, there is no “undecided major” choice. </p>

<p>Another is that Cal Poly SLO strongly discourages major switching. It is by no means impossible, as SLO realizes that people’s interests can shift, but major switching is not a loophole for getting into a more selective major.</p>

<p>Also, at SLO students begin major-related material right for the beginning. There is a lot of GE in first year, but there will be at least one major-specific class in any schedule. </p>

<p>As for “early application submit”, I have never heard of it nor seen any reference to it in any official SLO webpage. If you are referring to Early Decision, calling it “first come first serve” is highly inaccurate. Google it if you want specifics, but in essence ED is just a way of finding out earlier and possibly having a slightly better chance of acceptance.
[Early</a> Decision and Early Action](<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>Facts About Applying Early Decision or Early Action – BigFuture)</p>

<p>It is true that there is NO essay component in the application, along with no letters of recommendation. There is also very limited area to show extra curriculars on the application, so they play a very minor role in the application process. </p>

<p>For you specifically, I noticed you did not mention SAT’s anywhere in your post. SAT’s (or ACT’s, does not really matter which you take) are extremely important. Make sure you are at least decently prepared. Also I would highly recommend taking them multiple times if possible. Only your best score matters, so multiple attempts has no downside (except the cost of the test I guess). </p>

<p>As for GPA, CSU’s have there own way of calculating GPA, but most notable is that freshman year is NOT factored in. (link here: [CSUMentor</a> - Plan for College - High School Students - GPA Calculator](<a href=“Cal State Apply | CSU”>Cal State Apply | CSU) ).
I put your scores in and got 3.94 [so far: 11 A’s, 5 B’s, 2C’s , 8 of which are AP/Honors, correct? ]
You can compare that to last year’s average scores of accepted students here: [Prospective</a> Students - Admissions - Cal Poly](<a href=“Cal Poly Admissions”>Cal Poly Admissions)</p>

<p>Work hard and I think you’ll be fine. Best of Luck!!! =)</p>

4

<p>I’d heard SLO was the one CSU that counted freshman grades in their GPA. Is that not so?</p>

<p>Yes; SLO counts 9th grade. See “Academic Perfomance” note that the honors points are capped at 8 semester.</p>

<p><a href=“Cal Poly Admissions”>Cal Poly Admissions;

5

<p>jturn711xyz is very accurate in representation of the school’s admission policy. It is also absolutely true that Cal Poly SLO is not the place to engage in major hopping - it just won’t happen. Also, the school will accept either the SAT or the ACT. However, the school is very clear, and even states it on its website, that it prefers the ACT. Here is the link: [Cal</a> Poly: Learn by Doing](<a href=“Cal Poly Admissions”>Cal Poly Admissions)</p>

<p>Also, take a serious and highly reputable preparation course and take multiple pretests. As a result of all this planning and preparation, my kid took the ACT only once and that is the score we submitted.</p>

6

<p>My mistake Shrinkrap, I only assumed because on the Cal Poly SLO application it asked for CSU GPA with a link to the CSU GPA calculator. I appreciate the correction and am sorry for the misinformation.</p>

7

<p>No worries.</p>