<p>As an architectural engineering major, would it be better to do the Living Learning Program or the Connections Program? I’m having a hard time deciding…</p>
<p>My daughter is an Architectural Engineering major, and lived in the Cerro Vista apartments as a freshman in the Honors Program. She preferred the privacy of apartment-style living instead of the more traditional dorm atmosphere of Sierra Madre or Yosemite (e.g. less noise, fewer distractions). But living among other Architecture or Engineering students has its advantages too. You’ll be very busy in architecture studio during your freshman year - Good luck!</p>
<p>From what I’ve observed, the people in the LLP’s (red bricks) seem to get very close. Connections is known as being super social and partyish. The red bricks are social too, but they seem a bit less crazy imo. As someone who lived in cerro as a freshman, I personally would not recommend it for your first year. You only get one year to experience real college dorm living and that’s not something you want to miss out on. I really regret not living in the dorms. If you end up not liking dorm living, chances are good you’ll be able to find someone living in cerro who will want to switch with you.</p>
<p>My kid is in the red brick engineer’s dorm and loves it. Best thing he did was register in that dorm. Since he is an introvert (highly unusual for engineers) the dorm arrangements automatically forced him to get to know others. He now has tons of friends.</p>
<p>My son is a sophomore EE major. He lived in Yosemite and loved it. It is very social. He made great friends who he lives with off campus this year. From what I have heard, most people end up loving whatever dorm they live in. I have heard it is a bit harder to get to know people in Cerro. I personally did not like Cerro when I visited. It is newer and bedrooms are private, but the bedrooms are very small. They felt a bit claustrophobic to me and my son. I personally like Sierra Madre or Yosemite. The rooms are a bit bigger. You should just get your housing application in, pick something and then check out the dorms and apartments during Open House. The longer you wait to get your housing application in, the less likely you are to get your first choice in housing. Once your app is in, you have until June 1st to make changes to your housing choice. However, your priority is based upon when your housing application and deposit are received and changing your housing choice does not change your place in the priority line. The sooner you get your application in, the less likely to get a triple too, unless you request one.</p>
<p>OsakaDad: were you being sarcastic when you said that being an introvert is ‘highly unusual for engineers’? My husband and I are engineers and from our experience, most engineers are introverted and a bit nerdy (in a good way of course!) My older daughter attended a 4-week summer architecture workshop at Cal Poly a few years ago, lived in the Sequoia dorms and hated it - she didn’t hit it off with her roommate (who was a pot smoker) and didn’t like the community showers, noise, etc. So Cerro Vista really appealed to her - and she did manage to make some close friendships there. She’s now in Poly Canyon, loves her 3 roommates, and plans to move into an off-campus house with them next year. Neither of my kids is very social. But everyone is different and the key is finding the living arrangement that works best with your personality.</p>
<p>Yes, my son is introverted and I was joking about it being highly unusual. He loves his dorm because he is in a triple and on a very busy floor. It makes him interact with others. The activity and the community feel of the place works for him. None of his roommates are drug users everyone on his floor are good kids.</p>
<p>Is there certain housing for certain majors or is it open to all? My daughter got accepted to the Business College.</p>
<p>The red brick dorms are college specific while Yosemite/Sierra Madre and Cerro Vista are all non-major specific housing options.</p>
<p>The red bricks are major specific, but there are definitely random majors that end up in there. The business red brick is called Tenaya.</p>
<p>I am a freshman and I live in Cerro Vista. It really depends on what you prefer. A lot of people say that we have problems being social, but it’s honestly not that hard. I have a lot of friends who signed up for a dorm but ended up getting put here and they think it’s the best thing housing did for them. I go to the dorms often as well so I guess I’m lucky to have a balance. I do feel like I’m missing out, but it’s really the decision between privacy or dorm life.</p>