<p>I’m attending Cal Poly next year and I’m deciding on housing. I’m thinking I want to live on campus but I want to see what you guys suggest. </p>
<p>The one thing that I was looking at is that the Cerro Vista Dinning plan gives you less money for food on the dining plan and that kind of made me mad because I like more food but that’s unimportant.</p>
<p>First, search the forum for “Housing”. You will get a wealth of information. If possible, visit the campus and check out the dorms. We did that and it made the decision easy. Then act quickly. It’s a first come, first served process.
BTW, what’s your major?</p>
<p>Software Engineering</p>
<p>The meal plan is a major waste of money no matter how you look at it. You almost always get less value than you pay into it. If you are given the option, don’t buy the meal plan and simply pay cash for all of the (overpriced) dining on campus. Or, if you are living in Cerro Vista/Poly Canyon Village, you can use the kitchen in each apartment to prepare meals.</p>
<p>There is the Living Learning Program that you can check out here: [Living</a> Learning Program (LLP) - University Housing - Cal Poly](<a href=“http://residentiallife.calpoly.edu/rl_lco/living_learning.html]Living”>http://residentiallife.calpoly.edu/rl_lco/living_learning.html).</p>
<p>@ bjornredtail…purchasing a meal plan is required of freshman living on campus. Even if you are in Cerro Vista.</p>
<p>Interesting… I remember when I was a Freshman the made me buy a meal plan. Their justification was that we didn’t have access to real kitchen facilities (I was living in Sierra Madre). Now, the folks in Cerro Vista have a real kitchen. So, I wonder what the new official reason for requiring freshman to buy meal plans is. </p>
<p>If you end up having to get a meal plan, be sure to get the one with the most “Plu$ Dollars” and the fewest ‘meals’. The meals are useless… They are only valid in certain eateries at certain times. That is assuming they haven’t changed things entirely in the last two and a half years, which certainly is a possibility.</p>
<p>Unfortuately they only offer one plan for Cerra…5 weekly Dining Credits and $506 Plu$ Dollars per quarter. Sort of like the “Freedom plan” with less Plu$ Dollars. If my son does end up there he never eats breakfast so this may work for him. He is actually a decent cook but I see him not really cooking that much. We’ll see.</p>
<p>I don’t quite understand the different programs. Do you have to be part of one of them to get housing?</p>