@Streaml I remember hearing it from somewhere. I mean it’s based in the bay area so salaries are going to be higher to offset the high cost of living
Did you visit each campus? If not, do so ASAP.
If these are your two top choices try to spend at least one day and one night in each location. I know nothing about UM, so no comment. CPSLO is a nice contained campus, accessible to pretty SLO. Your classmates will be pretty homogeneous middle class California kids from high performing California public high schools. Sorta like high school 2.0, at least for students living on campus.
IMO, the first year dorms and first year facilities are oversubscribed. In an effort to increase first year retention and decrease the typical 5-6 year rate, Cal ploy increased the availability of first year housing. (smart move) However they did not increase the physical space to hold the those students. (bad move) AKA forced triples in rooms designed for 1 or 2. Lounges and common rooms set up as bunk rooms for 6 to 8 students. Common bath rooms that, well you can image with room occupancy at 60% over design. Also the support services were not increased.
Most kids move off campus after the first year or two, which means a car. Managing apartment life is sometimes not as easy or cheep as you may image. So you need to factor that cost and time it takes to “play house” aka cooking, cleaning, shopping, communing, finding parking etc.
On our tour, my daughter had a legit panic attack after seeing the dorms. So glad we visited. I don’t know any students from our southern california town who do not have a car at cal poly. None of the recent grads I know have particularly high paying jobs. However, they are all employed in fields related to their major. except for Environmental science major who is just started with the highway patrol.
That being said. It’s hard not to like SLO town.
data on college value and salaries form brookings…
http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports2/2015/10/29-earnings-data-college-scorecard-rothwell
@TomS31415, momneeds2no has a long history of bashing CP. She pops out of the woodwork about once a year to bang the drum and then quietly disappears. I don’t believe any of her kids go or went to CP.
@eyemgh Correct I did not attend Cal Poly? Did you?
Since you have so much info, do you know if Cal Ploy addressed the issues of forced triples and first years living in common areas? Did they build any new freshman dorms? How many people share a three stall bathroom? Does your son currently live in a dorm?
The OP asked for opinions from random strangers on an open message board. I simply assumed he/she was seeking a variety of view points in order to make an important and informed choice–not a candy coated sales pitch. My opinions are prefaced by “IMO”. Written comments about the dorm situation are based upon my first hand observations and the reaction of daughter.
@eyemgh please don’t belittle my efforts at suppling information and misinterpert my honest impressions as “bashing”. The OP should ask himself/herself if this sort of “get on board with the in-crowd or be bullied” is indicative of the culture at Cal Poly.
http://content-calpoly-edu.s3.amazonaws.com/housing/1/documents/room_dim_smtn_t.pdf
http://content-calpoly-edu.s3.amazonaws.com/housing/1/documents/room_dim_sierram_triple.pdf
…something you really need to see/smell to fully understand.
These units look claustrophobic. We drove through SLO couple of weeks ago and saw what looked like new dorms on the hillside. They looked nice, but will have to check the inside when we go visit in April.
@cadave My son was in a triple at North Mountain - Lassen. There was sufficient room for 3. http://content-calpoly-edu.s3.amazonaws.com/housing/1/documents/room_dim_nmtn_triple.pdf
@TomS31415, with my son we visited, Oregon State, Cal Poly, Stanford, Santa Clara, USC, Berkeley, Utah, Colorado State, Case Western, Lehigh, RPI, WPI, Dartmouth, Brown, Olin, Lafayette and Bucknell. The dorms were noticeably better in one place, Utah. It’s because they rebuilt them all to house the athletes for the Winter Olympics. At that, they weren’t that much nicer. My son ended up in a Sierra Madre triple, just like pictured above, but with the furniture arranged differently and had a blast. I guarantee if he was asked if he could change a single thing about his dorm experience, he’d decline. Dorms are dorms. It’s not about the room you’re in. It’s about the people you’re around. There are newer and nicer dorms on the hill, but they are isolated and don’t have as many freshmen. Some freshmen like them, but many feel like the missed out on the strong connections they make in the living learning communities. You’ll be fine either way. Go with your gut. Good luck.
@momneeds2no, my son does go to Cal Poly, did live in a triple and loved it. There is a new dorm approved and slated to be built along with a new “hanger” and student union. I’ve been there a bazillion times, even lived for a few days in PCV. Like most students there, my son moved off campus his second year and is enjoying that too. This is the culture at most of the schools we visited. I’m not bullying anyone. Look at my post history. I’m a big believer in proper fit and know CP isn’t for everyone. Notice I didn’t even tell the OP not to choose MN. There’s lots to like about MN.
What I will do though is call out a poster who is not being objective. You constantly refer to Poly as HS round 2, propose that the MCA is rigged, and discuss only the negatives. I don’t know why, but it has the spell of a rejected family member or friend.
I’m very clear on what the school’s shortcomings are, the food is bad, you have to know PASS like the back of your hand to get the classes you want, for better or worse, it’s isolated. There isn’t a single school on the planet though that doesn’t have weaknesses.
Contrary to your yearly Eeyore impression, it’s a nearly universally liked school by the students WHO ACTUALLY GO THERE.
@MLM Thanks. My son is super excited to be accepted to SLO. For me, although the surrounding was peaceful, it was a bit too quiet. But I know that kids who go there love it. Did your son go through the WOW program. Youtube videos look awesome.
@cadave Yes, my son attended WOW – and had a great time! He’s in his 3rd year and has been very happy at Cal Poly. It was a good fit for him :).
@MLM Thanks, I’m glad it was a good fit. That’s what we’re all hoping for in their selection.
@eyemgh Even though most of the enrolled students at Cal Poly seem to share universally similar homogenous attributes, not all kids desire the same set of requirements regarding student life and living on campus. Some prospective college students like to form their own opinions and have the option to express those opinions without incurring ridicule.
@cadave I don’t think Cal Poly is comparivitily isolated. Yes, getting to major airport would be hassle. But otherwise SLO is a fully equipped and upscale suburban town and is conveniently accessible by car, that is if a student brings a car from home. Otherwise, I understand the bus 30 to 40 minutes to downtown, depending upon the route. Since @eyemgh , as a parent, has slept overnight in the dorms, maybe he also took advantage of public transport and can give an opinion.
If possible the OP should visit with a parent or someone who holds his best interests at heart–someone he can bounce around pros v. cons with.
IMO, the need for a car while living off campus was pretty obvious. Another factor to investigate when considering student life.
@TomS31415, The bus system is awesome and free for students. My son did not bring a car freshman year. He has one now. We visited him for Thanksgiving and his car was still on full from when he filled it up as he arrived in town after Summer break. He doesn’t have a campus parking pass and always rides his bike or takes the bus. A car isn’t necessary as long as you live close enough to bike, get on the bus line or ride with a friend.
@cadave, I’d highly recommend WOW. My son had a great time his first year.
My D is in her 2nd year and doesn’t have her car. Between friends and uber, she gets around town just fine.
D is a sophomore, CompEng, OOS (WA). Absolutely loves it. Visited the school for open house and a bunch of other “research” schools. Applying to CalPoly was more me pushing her, and before the visit she was lukewarm about it. The visit blew us away and sealed the deal. By far the best organized and best ran school we’ve seen. With all AP classes and HS rigor she had she is thriving at the school, which is very, very important, in fact more important than the school you attend. Save for the second quarter when she was put dead last on rotation for PASS due to forgetting to update her plan (lesson learned) she never had a problem getting the classes she wanted. All classes are taught by professors, there are no TAs.
She does have friends that did not like the school and also friends who dropped out (academically challenging). If you know you’ll do engineering, and everything else is a fit, this is a great choice. If you’re not sure think twice as there aren’t that many “good” alternative majors.
She was in CV her freshman (new building) and Mustang Village now (closer to her classes actually) and loves it.
Do visit both schools, see which you like, make sure it is a good fit for you. In engineering, employment opportunities are hard to beat for CalPoly. She’ll be doing an internship at Apple in the summer. Had more offers from other companies too. A side effect of taking classes in her major from the first quarter.
I can’t over emphasize choosing a college where you think you’ll do best academically. I read some research that being in the upper half of your class is far better predictor of success than being at the more “prestigious” college. Make that your first criteria. You’ll stand out to employers (or graduate studies) much better. A close second should be if you like the area, chances are that’s where most of the employment opportunities will be. Next should be good social fit, you want to fit in. Ignore everything else. You’re young, cramped accommodations, “bad” food, etc are minor things in the great scheme of your life. The difference between colleges are minor in this respect and largely irrelevant for your memories and future.
Good luck!