<p>I’m a prospective electrical engineering major (might switch into mechanical) and was wondering if Cal Poly had a good record of sending students to graduate school. though it’s early to decide, I’m really interested in attending Stanford, MIT, Cal Tech, etc… for my master’s.</p>
<p>so far, most people on CC have reported Cal Poly solely as hands-on and getting-things-done-school rather than an analyzing-the-process-and-theory one. so, my questions are: </p>
<p>is it completely or partially true that Cal Poly is superficial with what it teaches? I understand Cal Poly is highly ranked for engineering, so obviously graduates must have had ample opportunities for research and whatever else that gets them into awesome graduate schools.</p>
<p>where do Cal Poly graduates typically go after graduation? which universities (for graduate school) or companies do they get into? (post a link with recent statistics)</p>
<p>given that I’m interested in grad school, should I pick UIUC (ranked #3 in EE, #6 in ME, already admitted), UC Berkeley (ranked #4 in EE, #3 in ME), or the other UC’s (SD, Davis, LA, SB, Irvine)? Cal Poly would be the cheapest of the group, and if I were to receive the Heye scholarship, I could attend Cal Poly for minimal cost. however, the other universities have an upper hand on graduate studies, but they obviously cost more and competition is overwhelmingly fierce.</p>
<p>so, please post any other suggestions you have.</p>
<p>thanks for your time. I look forward to your replies.</p>
<p>From what I know, Cal Poly does a great job of preparing engineering students for the real world. Even though Cal Poly is famous for quickly putting engineers to work after 4-5 years, it doesn't mean some go on to graduate school. It was reported that Cal Poly graduates after 10 years earned $100,000 a year(3rd in nation for public schools) so it's not bad at all. I was reading at other forums and read that companies such as Boeing or Lockheed heavily recruit students from Cal Poly.</p>
<p>If I were you I would avail myself of the search engines available on each website of the schools you applied to. Look to see if they offer 5 year programs. At CPSLO it is highly likely that your degree will take you longer than 4 years due to availability of classes. If you go the UC route you will have fewer issues with getting classes and may also have the 5 year master program opportunity. Do your homework. My son got into CPSLO and chose UC Davis instead due to the 5 year master program in CE.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I know that UC Davis offers this 5 year masters program:
Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering</p>
<p>If I were you I would avail myself of the search engines available on each website of the schools you applied to. Look to see if they offer 5 year programs. At CPSLO it is highly likely that your degree will take you longer than 4 years due to availability of classes. If you go the UC route you will have fewer issues with getting classes and may also have the 5 year master program opportunity. Do your homework. My son got into CPSLO and chose UC Davis instead due to the 5 year master program in CE.
[/quote]
Poly also offers a 4+1 program as well as variations such as a masters + MBA. Completing the program grants a Master's in General Eng, with a specialization in one of several areas.</p>
<p>I'm not sure where everyone gets the idea that it takes 5 plus years to graduate with an engineering degree. It's true that most students here take five, but I feel that this is more of an issue of the student rather than actually getting the classes. It's certainly true that class availability can be tight at times, and that failing one can set you (far) behind. But I don't think it's a trend specific to this school!</p>
<p>IMHO, with good planning one can easily make it out in four or less. In the meanwhile, you will need to take on a solid workload--about 4-5 classes per quarter. You might also want to consider attending summers.</p>
<p>to OP, don't stress too much about the rankings. For a bachelor's degree I say go where the money takes you. You will have all the opportunity you need to build your image at poly, and if you choose to follow the Master's program here, you will have an edge over non-poly applicants. As for the links to the statistics, etc, that's your own homework to do..</p>
<p>It seems like most students here don't graduate in 4 years because of failing classes or taking a lighter load as opposed to not getting classes. Also some students do a co-op (working full time for two quarters while getting paid and college credit) which sets back graduation a quarter or two. I am a Cal Poly student who was also accepted to UC Davis and should only take 4 and a quarter to graduate even if I study abroad and do a co-op. Both Davis, Poly , and UIUC are amazing schools and the differences between them in engineering aren't too large. I would pick UIUC out of the three unless you are OOS in which case staying in California would be smarter.</p>
<p>Now the main question is do you just want to do a master's and then go into industry? Or do you want to go to a PhD program? If it's the former then Poly's 4+1 a solid program. If it's the latter then I would suggest Davis due to the school having more research opportunities. But as opposed to doing 5 year master's at Davis, I would suggest trying to get straight into a PhD program from undergrad as opposed to doing a master's.</p>