Why is this college so “desirable” in the eyes of many high school students? It is located at a not so desirable city (small city = boring.) I do not get it.
I would rather go to UCSB or UCSD or UC Irvine (Cal or UCLA could be even better located) instead of this college just based on the desirability of location alone.
Engineering focused? Most of above-average colleges (including SJC and University of Santa Clara) will serve the students well but they are better choices in my opinion, based on the desirability of locations. The students need to live there for 4 or sometimes even 5 years. The “study” or academics is only a part of the student life in those 4-5 years. Why do you want to pick such an “uninterested” place? (To be sure, I agree CPSLO is a perfectly fine college. I just have a second thought about its location.)