<p>I am struggling with my son's decision. </p>
<p>He always claimed Cal Poly SLO was his "dream" school and we were thrilled for him this Feb. He didn't seem to really care.</p>
<p>He just informed us he is going to Santa Cruz instead. He claims it is so he can be amongst "redwoods." </p>
<p>Seriously....is being among redwoods a reason to chose a school? </p>
<p>Beyond Baffled</p>
<p>What major is your son?</p>
<p>What is your son majoring in at each school? CPSLO does not make it easy to change majors, could he be having a change of heart over what he is studying? Is one campus closer to home than the other? Had he visited both schools prior to applying, or has he explored them for the first time since being accepted? I sense you are disappointed in his choice, and I suspect he senses it too, which might stand in the way of him being willing to have an in-depth discussion with you about his rationale. I know my own kids shut down when they feel defensive.</p>
<p>I think you need to start by asking your son what criteria he finds important in choosing where to spend the next 4 to 5 years of his life. If he has visited both campuses, ask him what he liked and disliked about each one. Ask him how the course curriculum for his major varies between the two schools. He may not even know why one just feels right, while the other doesn’t, which may be why he can’t offer more of an explanation to you. However, does he have to convince you, or is it just enough that he feels like one is a better fit?</p>
<p>I guess I am also wondering why you seem overly invested in his attending CPSLO? Or is your concern more about it seeming like a last minute change? My daughter wanted to go to UCSB when she was in jr. high. By the time she was graduating high school she felt like being at UCSB would feel like a continuation of high school. She did in fact get accepted at UCSB, and UC Davis, and CPSLO among others. I am very aware of college rankings and the perceived reputations of all of these schools. She chose UC Santa Cruz and I always supported her decision. She is not a hippie or “alternative” and she doesn’t smoke pot, nor is she an activist. She looks like she could be the stereotypical Santa Barbara or San Luis student. Yet she is very happy at Santa Cruz and can’t imagine being anywhere else. She liked the aesthetics of the Santa Cruz campus, and wanted to go somewhere with a calm vibe. As she put, her college courseload would be stressful enough, and she wanted to be in an environment that promoted a more relaxed disposition. On the other hand, she has a friend that was forced to attend UCLA by her parents, and that young lady had a very unhappy experience and has no intention of returning to that campus next year.</p>
<p>As a parent, I can understand that you want to make sure your son isn’t making his decision for the wrong reasons. However, you need to be able to engage him without him feeling judged. It’s not as if he is forsaking school altogether to go work for a travelling circus. Now if there is a big financial difference that will result from his choice, I think it is fair to discuss how his decision impacts your ability to pay, or the assumption of student debt. I hope that you will be able to help him put words to whatever he is feeling and that the ensuing discussion helps you be more at peace with his decision.</p>
<p>Specifically, why was SLO his dream school? </p>
<p>If there was little substance behind why SLO was his dream . . . well, dreams change.</p>
<p>sound like some clear communication is needed per post #3 paras 2 and 4 . … especially 4</p>
<p>He is majoring in biology. We’ve visited SLO several times but only visited Santa Cruz several summers back for my older son.
We are on our way this weekend to support him.</p>
<p>I guess I could make an adequate reply to this thread…
I have lived next to SLO my whole life, so I believe I know the area and the type of people that go there very well. Whenever I go to cal poly it just seems all to industrialized, the campus is ok, but there really isn’t anything that really shown out to me that made me want to go there at all. But, it is a very good school and much cleaner than most campuses I have seen, which is a catch. It is just the generic university in a generic town that you would probably see in the movies, and sometimes this is a plus for people, SLO is beautiful, but it just wasn’t for me. But I thought I was going to end up there anyway until I went on a field trip to see colleges on November 29, 2013. The first one that me and a few other student went to go see, was Santa Cruz and immediately I fell in love. I have visited about 17 colleges with the AVID program at my school, but I never felt this way at another one of those universities. UCSC was just perfect, I could see myself going there, the trees reminded me of Yosemite and the ocean only made it better. I loved the way the campus was built and overall it was just MY school :). The day we visited it though, was the day before the college applications were due, and I had to act fast… I HAD TO APPLY to ucsc. I quickly asked my parents for money since I had used all my fee waviers and they had understood and paid and I applied with my phone! But not everyone who went on the trip liked the campus, I would say 2/10 really liked it. But I could tell you that the $80 was the best investment I had ever made, personally. </p>
<p>Sorry for talking about myself so much lol. But I could really say that it is plausible that your son could have picked ucsc because of its campus. But o believe that it is for another reason, whether it is a friend, or a girlfried, or even just because ucsc has an awesome.biology program, but whatever it is, it really comes down to his own choice and preference, I hope the best for you and your son!</p>
<p>In my opinion, he should go to the school that “feels” right. He has created two great options for himself and the choice should be his decision. You can, of course, help him with the pro/con list! Good luck! :)</p>
<p>UCSC has great biology programs. There is strength in marine biology , cell and molecular biology, computational biology to name a few. Professors do really interesting research and have vibrant labs. They also invest time in teaching. I don’t think it would be a mistake to choose UCSC for biology at all.</p>
<p>I think your son should attend where he feels most comfortable. From there, he may be able to transfer to another UC down the road if he does not like UCSC. Personally, I am not a fan of Cal Poly and therefore agree with your son’s decision.</p>
<p>I think I can understand where your son is coming from. Long ago, I started college at a large private university on full scholarship, and it would have been like autoplay to get through and get out into the workforce. But I wasn’t enjoying myself. So I transferred to UCSC. At least at the time it was very experimental (no letter grades, etc), and there was a bit of a rabbit-hole flavor to the whole experience. A lot of my friends loved Santa Cruz so much that when they finished they did whatever they could find to stay in the area and hang. It sounds as though there may be some interest in self-discovery going on with your son. As others have noted, UCSC’s biology programs are strong, so maybe he can make it work for him on all fronts.</p>