Okay, so let me start with a little bit of background info. I’m from the Bay Area and very much used to the diversity that I’ve been surrounded by since forever. I definitely wouldn’t categorize myself as one of those girls who loves to get drunk and party every weekend, but I would prefer there to be a party scene of some sort that could potentially live up to the idea of the freedom of college life that I have been expecting. Although I’m not much of a partier, I still love to have fun and I want to eventually look back on these years and laugh about the young and naive times I had. But on top of this, I don’t see myself joining a sorority since it seems to be too much of a commitment and preppy for me. Aside from the party scene, I’m nervous about fitting in with the people at Cal Poly SLO. I’m Asian but I don’t fit in with the “smart asians” who have enough willpower to fight procrastination (I admire you. In fact, procrastination is my worst enemy). And, I also don’t fit in with preppy white people (I have no intentions of bashing on anyone by the way). I’ve always kept to myself but I am pretty outgoing. Still, I mostly prefer just having a few people that are close to me. I’ve always considered myself to prefer the buildings and lifestyle of the city over being secluded in the middle of nowhere, which is how I perceive SLO’s location to be. I think nature is beautiful and all but I’d be lying if I said that I preferred being limited in the middle of nowhere over the activities in the city (shopping malls, etc). I always envisioned myself ending up in LA or San Diego so when reality hit that I’ll be attending Cal Poly, I was a little thrown off. I guess with all of this said, I sound a little judgemental but to tell the truth, I’m just nervous about the unfamiliarity of SLO since, like I said, I always pictured myself going somewhere which is almost the opposite of the characteristics of Cal Poly. I’ve asked a few of my friends who are attending Cal Poly SLO and most of them have told me that they hate it and feel like an outlier. They’ve also said that they don’t seem to fit in or get along too well with the students at Cal Poly SLO. I’m going to visit Cal Poly soon and I understand that college is going to be different for everyone but I’m just trying to prepare myself for a big change (much like everyone else is).
Did you apply ED? Is that why you’ve already decided you’re attending SLO?
It’s the only school that accepted me. I’m waiting for Long Beach but that’s about it.
There’s lots to like about Poly and the SLO area in general, but if there’s a fairly predictable subset who don’t like it, it’s those looking for “big city” life. What positives did you see in Poly to apply in the first place? Maybe those will be enough.
If you REALLY don’t want to go to Poly, CS East Bay applications close in 5 days and CS San Bernardino is open until July 17. They aren’t on par with Poly academically, but fit is the most important and if Poly doesn’t work, Poly doesn’t work.
What major?
Hi there,
Asian American senior here, who also likes to procrastinate. Cal Poly is by far the best decision I could have ever made. I was in the same boat you were when I was a freshman and encountered some of the same worries. Now, you are correct and in that there is an Asian bubble here at Poly that tends to voluntarily segregate itself from the white community. That population is also substantially large (11%) and throws a lot of parties that are mostly attended by other Asians.
However, white people also have a huge span of types that aren’t just preppy jocks. What I can tell you is that you will stand out here more at Cal Poly than say if you ended up in a UC. If you have the outgoing personality that you described then you have opportunity to make your face be more memorable, you won’t just be someone who blends into the masses.
A lot of the Asians who come here end up staying in the bubble community, and there’s nothing wrong with that either. I say that not insultingly, but to drive the point that it’s very easy to step out of the bubble. It’s just that not a lot of them do.
To be honest, I applied to Cal Poly because of it’s academic status. I didn’t expect to get rejected from the schools I did so when it came down to it, Cal Poly was clearly the only choice I had. I’ve heard it’s very pretty but I haven’t gone there to see it myself (but plan to within these next few weeks). I also applied there because one of my closer friends goes there but I’d say that we’re different in personality so I couldn’t necessarily see me hanging out with her crowd all the time. I guess when I attend Cal Poly, it will be what I make out of it 
Btw, I applied to Cal Poly as an Econ major but I was mostly trying to aim for anything in the business field.
Cal Poly was actually my safety school as well. I spent a lot of my time before college considering transferring. Four years later, I’m again incredibly proud of the social network I’ve built, the academics I’ve accrued, and I’ll be working for Apple this summer. If you don’t fall in the bubble, you won’t feel ostracized.
I’m half Asian and graduated from Cal Poly a few years ago. I grew up in a predominately white area, so the racial/ethic breakdown of Cal Poly wasn’t that different than it was at my high school. I live in the Bay Area/Silicon Valley now, and I know this sounds weird, but sometimes I’m still surprised how diverse it is. I mostly just had a small group of close friends I would hang out with at Cal Poly, but no one I met in my classes or clubs I attended seemed to care what race you were. It always seemed like as long as you could find something to talk about, people would be open to getting to know each other.
There are all different types of people at Cal Poly - preppy party types, people who really care about academics, athletes, etc. The thing is, people are generally open to socializing with anyone they get along with, unlike in high school, and even some colleges, where there are a lot more rigid social groups.
If you prefer being closer to a big city though, SLO might now be the best place for you. It is a great small town with tons of outdoor activities, but definitely does not feel like a big city (like LA, San Francisco, or San Diego even) at all.