Need Help Picking Learning Community!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
1

I just got accepted to SLO for mechanical engineering and I’m wondering if any past/current students have advice for picking a learning community. I want to go somewhere social where I make friends outside of engineering but am also close to other engineers so that we can study together.

I think the engineering community could be good but I am hesitant to pick it because I will already be making friends in engineering through classes. However, it could be really useful to room with people who are in the same classes because we could easily work on things together. Has any engineer had trouble finding people to study with because they weren’t in the engineering dorms? Also, the engineering dorms last year weren’t the nicest (the cement ones).

On the other hand, I really want to make friends outside of engineering as well. The global living community seems really fun but I am not sure if it would meet a lot of other engineers. It was in the red bricks last year, which is supposedly nicer than the engineering dorms.

2

My son, now a ME MS candidate started in the Engineering learning community and it was a great fit. He met plenty of non-engineering students through mutual friends. He lived with non-engineering students the next year and in a mixed house the following year. Finally, all engineers again 4th year. He has friends from classes, but his tightest friends are ones he lived with. He was in the red bricks, but who knows where it will be next year. Personally, i think it would be a mistake to live in any other situation. The rigor of engineering is unparalleled and the pressure to not study won’t be there. That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun and party. You can and should, but on the terms that will lead to your academic success.

3

PLEASE PLEASE let the CENG learning community be in the Yak for Fall 2019!