We have visited SLO on a few occasions and liked the place (but granted we only visited)…Not everyone wants a big city. And it’s only 1/2 hour from the beach so that could also be a draw.
@mcat2 if you want a residential college in a non-urban setting, SLO is actually a great college town - great weather, halfway b/w LA and SF, it’s a great place to “go away” but not be too far from anywhere. I believe the students probably make a pretty good time for themselves (judging from my son’s friends who go there and others who have gone). For those to whom it matters, CSUs are also 50% less tuition than UC’s.
columbia was never 50%
@citymama9, check the facts:
http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2014/09/22/is-the-college-admissions-bubble-about-to-burst:
“In 1988, the acceptance rate for Columbia University in New York was 65 percent, according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges edition that year.”
Lots of neat info there. For instance, college enrollment rates of college-aged kids increased from 26% to 41% over the past 3 decades.