<p>Which is better for an out-of-state student to both states that wants to do engineering in undergraduate and then move on to research in grad school? Thanks!</p>
<p>p.s. cal poly is a lot cheaper...</p>
<p>I would probably go with Cal Poly, since your main goal is grad school not a job. The only reason I say that is because Tech is top 10 ranked in all engineering. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure you will be employable with a degree from cal poly, but going to gatech will most likely make it easier.</p>
<p>Cal Poly is not very well-known even in California.
Georgia Tech obviously has more research opportunities. It awards up to PhD, while Cal Poly only up to master’s.</p>
<p>PhD students mean there are tons more research, and doing research in those labs would put you in connection with the research faculty and even community across different schools, provided that your research professor is well-known</p>
<p>I would do Tech over Cal Poly for a number of reasons. 1. Changing your major at Cal Poly is very difficult even within engineering disciplines while Tech is much more flexible. In fact you really not allowed to change your major at Cal Poly since engineering is an impacted major. Although this may not seem like a big deal it can turn into one if you decide you do not like your chosen major. 2. California state schools right now are undergoing a lot of budget issues. This means class sizes are bigger and the likelihood of increases in tuition mid-term are very real. The graduation rate at Cal Poly is much lower than Tech since students have a much more difficult time getting classes. 3. Tech has a much more extensive study abroad program especially in the engineering area than Cal Poly. A student pays only the in-state rate while studying abroad which makes it cheaper than Cal Poly. 4. Tech’s co-op program is much better known than Cal Poly’s. Many more employers come to Tech than Cal Poly. 5. Tech right now is rising to the top of many lists. This obviously doesn’t mean it is better than Poly but what it does mean is that the attention leads to more opportunities for Tech students than Cal Poly’s. New centers for study like Robotic Intelligence are being opened at Tech. The creator of Google Glass is a Tech professor. </p>
<p>As above posters have stated; Tech goes up to Ph.D so there is more research opportunities at Tech than Poly. Both Poly and Tech are great engineering schools but I think you would find more opportunities at Tech especially since Tech is in a major city while both Polys are in small communities. </p>
<p>Wow the responders sure aren’t knowledgeable about Cal Poly. I will surprise you and say if your goal is research pick a school OTHER than Cal Poly, Cal Poly is TOP ranked in engineering by employers and others as their students graduate ready to hit their jobs running. They are fully trained with some of the best labs available, a brand new facility just opened and is amazing. @supplysider I am fairly sure you meant to recommend Georgia Tech, however Cal Poly is ranked higher than them in many majors, and beats them with regularity in competitions. They both have highly successful and competitive programs. @Latuza I am not sure where you live but Cal Poly is very well known in California and is getting more and more known internationally. With regard to research the opportunities are vastly more available for undergraduate students as they have no PhD students to compete against, and they aren’t treated as just a means to pay their bills as they are at many PhD schools. I graduated from Berkeley and was disappointed when mine turned down a Regent’s scholarship, but Cal Poly as converted me, I am a parent and know the Dean of the School, the Chairman of the Department and the President of the University by first name. This is a University with nearly 20,000 students. @itsv Yes you can change majors in fact it is easier within your department than without. Classes average under 35 for all classes, there are a few classes I believe 5 with more than 150 students, all entry level GE courses. Almost all classes are taught by professors not grad students, and in my son’s case his classes have average more like 20-25. Tuition has not increase in 3+ years and if you live in state it is dropping if you make less than $180,000. The graduation rate is lower due to engineering requiring more than 180 units to graduate, that some degrees are 5 year programs such as Architecture, Accounting, etc., and the difficulty getting our students to finish up and graduate because they love it so much. I would be Cal Poly gets more employers simply because California’s tech industry is the largest in the world probably. Cal Poly gets ranked as having the top salaries starting off, and if I remember correctly more than 90% of students looking for employment have a job within a year, most by time of graduation. Almost all get internships, and they have a HUGE study abroad program. I still say Cal Poly is not for a student who wants to go into research as that is not its focus, they are there to train engineers for the job world, but I did want to correct information about Cal Poly’s programs.</p>