<p>I’ve been to the past 3 Open Houses and plan to go again this year for the last time (son is graduating in June). Saturday is really fun. We spend a good part of the day in Mott gym watching the robotics competitions and talking to the engineering students who man the booths there. We also wander over the the Agriculture School’s displays which are set up straight across campus in the farm shop. Every Ag major has a booth and it’s fascinating to learn about what they’re doing. The rest of the time we check out the club/activity booths outside and taste some of the food that they’re selling. They had a stage set up on Dexter Lawn with a swing dance demonstration last year.</p>
<p>The two events are completely different and the Open House is much more of Cal Poly on display for the newcomer, supporters and alumni. SOAR is more business oriented focused on enrollment, financial aid and orientation. SOAR will also bring up campus rules and how to successfully navigate your first year. Open House = Fun! SOAR = Business. Both events are valuable and we attended both.</p>
<p>I totally agree about Open House! My daughter is a junior and she wasn’t able to attend after she was accepted. (On a choir trip down in San Diego). However, I went! I kept texting and sending her photos all day while checking out of the booths and clubs, etc. on campus. So much positive energy! I also really enjoyed the Parents’ Coffee House on Friday night while the admitted students went to their own fun event. We had been to Farmer’s Market twice before, so I didn’t go on Thursday. I’ve gone to Open House the last two years because it was such a fun time. Last year I even brought our dog and put a lot of mileage on our feet! I always book a hotel several months in advance. I had planned to go this year as well, but unfortunately was just diagnosed with thyroid cancer and will need a total thyroidectomy. I’m not sure if this will be before, during or after Open House. I was really looking forward to driving down to SLO with our dog again, so I hope it can still happen! The whole event used to be called Poly Royal. I actually went in 1988 when one of my then 12 year twin girls was interested in architecture.</p>
<p>Is it worth it to come on Friday afternoon around 3 if we can’t come earlier? What would we miss on Thursday and Friday morning? What activities are on Sunday as we would have to leave by 4 at the latest. Thanks in advance for your replies!</p>
<p>From prior years experience at Open House, I think the most important part of the whole event for an admitted student is the time on Friday that is spent with your specific major/department. This is the time that you meet the current students and the professors in your department. You see their projects, and labs, and you get to ask questions to the people who really know about the program you are entering (both students and professors). For the Engineering College the time slot for this is usually noon-4:00ish on Friday. Different Colleges may have a different schedule, but I’m pretty sure they are all on Friday.</p>
<p>Thanks so much ralph4. We will come down on Thursday since it’s so important! I would not want to make the trip and then miss the engineering information. Going to make reservations now, thanks again.</p>
<p>When does the school send out the emails out to admittees about the open house? We haven’t received anything yet. The open house page of the Cal Poly website says they send out emails w/ videos about the open house.</p>
<p>2Leashes, like ralph4, I am real sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Hang in there. Modern medicine is amazing and I am sure that your long term prognosis will be positive. Take care, we’re thinking of you!</p>
<p>It depends on which direction you’re coming from, but we found that flying into Santa Barbara from Denver worked out well for us. It is definitely cheaper than flying direct to SLO, and the drive from Santa Barbara to SLO is beautiful (along the coast) and only about 90 minutes. The Santa Barbara airport is nice and small with virtually no crowds and lines. As far as hotels, we usually try to stay at the Quality Suites, but have also stayed at the Holiday Inn and Embassy Suites. I just booked 3 nights at the Best Western on Madonna Rd for our June trip - so surprised that many of the hotels are already completely booked for graduation. </p>
<p>2Leashes: Good luck with the thyroid treatments! Hope you can still make it to the Open House - stay positive and everything will work out for the best!</p>
<p>Twitter feed on side of above link says to rsvp to open house through admissions which I assume means through the student’s admission portal. I don’t see it there…</p>
<p>I also saw the Twitter feed say to RSVP for Open House by referring to your admission. Don’t see any way to RSVP. Maybe they are preparing to send them out?</p>
<p>If any of you are looking at SLO for Computer Science, Software Engineering, etc., you are absolutely in for a treat if Professor and Chair, Ignatios Vakalis, hosts you at the Open House. He, personally, sealed the deal for us and CP.</p>
<p>@vballmom: The issue is that I never received an email, which is what I’m assuming is the problem with the others on here. I tried calling the admissions department, but the hold time was too long for me to wait. I sent them an email though, so hopefully I will hear back soon. </p>
<p>And yes I have checked all of my other folders (spam, trash, junk). I have not had a problem receiving any correspondence from Cal Poly yet. I’m mostly just a little worried because I already reserved a room for my family and I to attend, so I would hate to miss out on actually signing up!</p>