From the east coast and deciding between 2 Cali schools… Pepperdine and Cal Poly. I heard Cal poly has less than 10% out of state/east coast students, is this true? it is not a requirement of mine but definitely something that i want to to know.
About 12% of the SLO student body is OOS and majority from the West coast since SLO is very well known on the West coast but nearly as recongnizable on the East Coast.
It’s true that only about 10% of students are out of state (OOS), however, at least in my experience, after the initial adjustment to college, which just about everyone goes through regardless of where you’re from, it doesn’t make much, if any difference whether you’re from California or elsewhere. If you want to stay in California after graduation, cal poly is a great choice, since it is quite well known around the state. I don’t think my experience would have been any better or worse had I attended a school with more OOS students. Maybe it would have been nice if I met someone who was from the same state as me, but unless we had known each other beforehand, I don’t think that it would have made much of a difference just having them there.
I agree with the above, but one thing to think about is that transportation between Cal Poly and your home is not going to be as direct as Pepperdine. You might look at some flights just to get an idea if the cost or time involved in travel might be a problem. Pepperdine is close to LAX so you can fly directly out of LA.
@melizabethivey Have you visited either/both? The settings and feel of these schools is very different. Is one much better for your intended major? Finances similar? I would choose based on other factors first and then, if all things are equal, I would consider OOS numbers. It really won’t matter very much. Good luck!
There are flights to Santa Barbara then a Cal Poly student must hitch hike from there! Or fly directly into San Luis Obispo, a small hopper airplane from either LA, Oakland or Phoenix. It is harder and more expensive to get to Cal Poly for sure. One student we know had to stay in a hotel by himself as his hopper flight to San Luis Obisbo got cancelled. Be sure to bring a credit card for emergency hotel stays if you do not have friends in the connecting city.
I’m sorry, but that statement is absolutely ridiculous. A simple Google search shows that there are buses, shuttle vans, and even train service between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.
My son’s girlfriend is from the east coast. She usually flies to SFO then takes another flight from SFO to San Luis Obispo’s airport. It’s not really complicated.
I flew from slo to my hometown in the Midwest numerous times while attending cal poly. Outside of the occasional flight delay, I never had any problems. Tip, it’s best to avoid San Francisco for connecting flights since they have a lot of fog delays. It is more expensive to fly to slo, so you can always look into flying into LA or SFO or San Jose if you want to save money, and then grab a ride to slo with a friend. Quite a few people do this. Never heard of anyone flying into Santa Barbara, but I’m sure it can be an option depending on where you’re coming from. In my opinion, learning how to travel on your own in high school or college is an excellent thing to do if you have the opportunity.
My sister has flown out of SLO for the past 6 yrs. Cal Poly graduate 2013. Never spent more than $500 round trip and that’s to northern Cal Redding, with connection out of SF. Usual cost was around $400. The SLO airport has been great for her, she lives in Paso Robles. It may be a smaller airport but they deal with thousands of wine touring people each year. United has upgraded their commuter jets and there is bus service from Cal Poly to the airport, free for students. Don’t choose a college based solely on transportation issues. SLO airport has many flights each day to LAX And 2-3 to SF. Good luck !