Have you considered going to a community college for 2 years then transfer? Assuming that’s what he wants. Also UCSD is a TOP UC school. If you think he’s cut out for it then go for UCSD he can declare his major his first semester there. CPP is highly regarded in the industry for engineering. I’ve met quite a few alumni who are now working at Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Google, Amazon, Apple, Raytheon etc. If that doesn’t say than I’m not sure what will. If your sons main goal is to go grad school then the UC’s might offer more research opportunities although CPP does offer quite a few opportunities as well in R&D including collaborations with Boeing & Raytheon. A friend of mine who currently does research in multi-lingual processing at CPP is set to do a research assistantship at USC this summer.
But I totally understand, like anything you buy the brand right? You’d choose Wholefoods over Wal-Mart, or Gucci or dockers right? You are buying it for the “Brand Recognition”. If you’re after the UC branding a degree from Berkeley will say the same thing as a degree Merced. You’ll still have the “University of California” branding on it. With that being Bournes College of Engineering is held to a high regard! And ultimately if graduate school is the end goal then a UC is a better option relatively speaking.
My 2 cents, consider 2 years at a community college, work his but off and transfer to the school of his choice. You’ll save thousands in the process and who knows might find that he enjoys something else way more.
edit: Looking through your history I see that your son also got into UCSC, a fair warning on that. UCSC is not ABET ACCREDITED! CPP, UCSD & UCR are.
@brightoasis I went to a UC and if you want to go on to graduate school immediately or get a PHd then the UC’s are the right choice. If you are looking for a great education and go onto work afterward then the Cal States are a better choice in my opinion. UC is very theory based learning. Very little hands on so it makes it difficult to prove you know how to do things if you do not have that hands on. I’m not putting down anyone that wants a UC but the 3 school systems in california were built the way they were for a reason. UC is for students wanting to further their carreer in more school afterwards. Cal State was built for people working afterwards and CC was built for those wanting a 2 yr degree and some specialty careers which they focus on such as firefighting, police, diesel and yes now nursing. I personally am so tired of people dishing the Cal State system and the elitist attitude of people on the UC system. Heck I went to a UC school my husband works for UCSD Engineering department but yet I would rather send my kid to CPP as I think for what he wants it will be such a better fit. To be able to finish up his degree in 4 yrs and have all of that hands on learning. Actually my sons first choice was CPSLO but he was denied there. My son was also denied at UCI and UCD and waitlisted for UCR. He was waitlisted for CPP so we went on the tour and afterward he was sold on the school. He was actually very bummed that he was on the waitlist and hoping he would get off. Then again he isnt a partier and really isnt into football so he didnt need that type of atmosphere that he would have gotten at SDSU where he was originally committed to. UCs are lectured by professors but taught by TA’s (Grad students). Heck if I am going to pay that much then I want my kid to be learning from the actual professors as they are at the Cal State schools. I think he would be lost in the weeds at UC. It really depends on your kids also. As @zygole said it is about branding and what you want after college. Have you looked at the ratings of CPP they are pretty awesome if you ask me. It is the 2nd highest desired Cal State school with only SLO above it. There are very few Polytechnic schools in the US and we are fortunate to have 2 of them. Good luck and I hope he is happy. If not then maybe he should consider CC and transferring at a later date to UC. Dont waste his time and your money at CPP if that is not what he wants. I think a lot of what our kids feel is how we feel. If you are down about CPP they will feel that it is not good enough. This year has been tremendously hard as far as admissions into Engineering. Schools that should have been safe schools both were waitlists for us.
@Bean981 and @Zygole Thanks for both of your insights. Yes Engineering admission has been tough this year with UCs. I guess since I am a UCLA alum myself I always wanted or imagined my kid going to at least a UC if not LA. Like your son, mine was also rejected from CPSLO which we would’ve been happier with. It is just so hard to see my son who worked so much harder than a lot of other kids ending up at a Cal State while those kids got admissions to Berkeley, LA, etc because their majors were not as impacted. Thanks again
@brightoasis The UC schools arent like they were when you and I applied. Back in the day we filled out one application for which we had to type it and put our top 3 picks. That was it. It has gotten so much harder in just the last 3 years since my daughter applied. Good luck to your son!
@BrightOasis honestly I highly recommend going to a community college first, 2 years make sure you kick butt and you’d have an easier getting into a good school. UC’s (with the exception of Cal, LA, & SD) have a TAG (Transfer admission guarantee) that if you meet certain requirements you are guaranteed admission.
What I find interesting is that there seems to be an assumption that CPP students have no interest in graduate school or that only UC students go. As a current student at CPP studying electrical engineering, my experience proves otherwise. Most my classmates intend to pursue graduate work, including myself. I often hear about CPP students doing well at the next level. My current professor graduated from CPP, got her masters from Cal Tech, and received her Ph.D. from UCLA. I met a CPP alumnus the other day at an event on campus who graduated in 2014 with his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and is now working on his Ph.D. at MIT. Did I mention he went to Harvard to get his masters? I hear many cases in which our grads go onto great schools like UCLA, USC, Berkeley, Michigan, Purdue, Stanford etc. @BrightOasis if your child is cut from that cloth, he will be one of them. CPP is not some off brand trade school that semi gifted kids go to. Half my classmates are beyond brilliant, some I’d say are geniuses. This school takes engineering serious and it shows in how we compete and succeed in university competitions.
@zygole I have told my son numerous times about considering CC but he won’t hear it. He wants to start in a 4 yr college. Also the TAG agreement does not apply to engineering (highly impacted majors).
@Bean981 Yup absolutely true…a totally different era!
@epower1 I was not implying that Cal Poly students are not graduate school oriented. Of course, there are tons of CPP graduates whose goal is a graduate degree whether immediately after Bachelors or after few years of work (better when your employer pays for you to go back to school for a degree!) You are absolutely right, that at the end, it all comes down to the student and how savvy they are in building a good resume for top graduate programs. However, that does not change the fact that CSU and UC systems are totally two different types of institutions with different areas of focus. CSUs curriculum, being more practical and hands-on, are designed to train students to immediately start a job after graduation which is absolutely great but they have less focus on theoretical, research aspects of the area of study. I was simply stating that research institutions know this about Cal Poly graduates and the lack of research background in their curriculum.
CSU and UC systems are totally two different types of institutions with different areas of focus. CSUs curriculum, being more practical and hands-on, are designed to train students to immediately start a job after graduation which is absolutely great but they have less focus on theoretical, research aspects of the area of study.
[/QUOTE]
@BrightOasis You are correct for MOST fields of study however for engineering assuming it’s ABET accredited (which in order for it to be legitimate and valued needs to be) the curriculum will be uniform regardless of the institution CSU or UC with minor differences here and there of course.
It’s the top tier UCs (LA, B, SD) that TAG does not apply to engineering or other impacted majors. In mid to low tier it applies to Irvine as yo mentioned.
@BrightOasis every CSU and UC institution is different, even within their respective systems. Some are “better” than others. I also understand that there is a fundamental difference between how these systems are organized. However, these differences are made more apparent for degrees such as physics, chemistry, neuroscience, etc. Engineering is a different beast. The difference between the theory CPP students learn in this field vs UC students is often overstated. The focus of CPP is also often misrepresented by outsiders. The school’s goal is to give students a strong intuitive understanding of the theory, not spit out job ready candidates. Consumption of theory does not make someone’s education more valuable-- understanding it does.