<p>This discussion is getting very interesting and I am glad that some folks with high stats are getting in. I can’t imagine why Cal Poly would waitlist the best candidates simply because they “assume” that those students would prefer to go somewhere else. Cal Poly is now a very desirable school that is high up on the list for recruiters and companies. I do not think that you can classify Cal Poly as a comfortable “safety” school anymore. I have seen people post on the acceptance threads that they were happy that they got in and now had a “nice safety school to fall back on”. I found that to a be pretty bold and somewhat rude thing to post as there are many kids who would consider this school their “dream” college.</p>
<p>For reference, my kid got accepted last year with a 4.00 UWGPA and a 4.50 WGPA. His ACT was very high as well in the top 3% nationally. Many EC’s and IT related work internships. </p>
<p>So, I do think that they are accepting very qualified applicants. He was also accepted at pretty much every UC he applied to and Cal Poly Pomona. We turned them all down for Cal Poly SLO.</p>
<p>I think we can all agree that we wish there were more transparency in admission decisions at all colleges and universities. I also wish it weren’t so brutally competitive. Kids should be able to have more down-time and more fun!</p>
<p>I wasn’t waitlisted, but here are my 2 cents…
A lot of the applicants that were waitlisted seem to have applied for majors Cal Poly is known for, like Engineering, Business, and Architecture. I saw a lot of people waitlisting for BioMedical and Aerospace Engineering, and both are (correct me if I’m wrong), smaller sections of the Engineering department. Biomedical is up-and-coming if I’m right, it wasn’t even its own department a few years ago. There are only so many spaces, many of which could have been filled by Early Decision applicants. I think for smaller departments like that, Cal Poly wants people that are sure to attend, and so may have let in more qualified or “overqualified” people for Early Decision instead of accepting too many “overqualified” RD people . Just an idea. As for the other Architecture, Business, and Engineering majors, well, you did apply for the most competitive majors.</p>
<p>I think a person’s waitlist can all be chalked up for a few things:
They want a certain amount of out-of-state students. Out-of-state students bring more money, but they also want a certain percentage of CA residents
They want students are are more likely to attend (students with 4.0 UWGPAs and 2400 SATs are probably going to end up at UCB or an Ivy League, and many say it’s their “5th back up school”. Why are you mad if you’re not going to go here anyway?)
The students with “perfect” applications either did not take tough AP classes that would help them for their major (Calculus and the like), or they filled out the application wrong
Many spots were already filled by Early Decision applicants
Remember that Cal Poly wants to accept a certain amount of transfer students as well</p>
<p>If you have perfect stats and Cal Poly was your #1 college, well, you probably should have shown dedication and applied for Early Decision, 'cause otherwise it probably looks like it’s just a back-up school.</p>
<p>OsakaDad - I completely agree with what you said:</p>
<p>“This discussion is getting very interesting and I am glad that some folks with high stats are getting in. I can’t imagine why Cal Poly would waitlist the best candidates simply because they “assume” that those students would prefer to go somewhere else. Cal Poly is now a very desirable school that is high up on the list for recruiters and companies. I do not think that you can classify Cal Poly as a comfortable “safety” school anymore. I have seen people post on the acceptance threads that they were happy that they got in and now had a “nice safety school to fall back on”. I found that to a be pretty bold and somewhat rude thing to post as there are many kids who would consider this school their “dream” college.”</p>
<p>As per DS’s college counselor…NO ONE can consider Cal Poly a safety anymore. It has risen in rankings and due to the number of applicants the admissions process is ‘unpredictable’. Also, as a CSU…CP has a service area to which they are required to give preference. This might explain admissions/stats results.</p>
<p>It’s a head-scratcher to me. Three years ago my oldest was accepted with very good grades and great test scores. Now the second child has been wait listed. Same major, same HS rigor (math & science bonus points), slightly lower GPA, lower SAT. No ACT (is that it?). Still above other specs listed here as accepted in that major. </p>
<p>dietz199 - she has tons of community service and a huge ec/leadership activity, so I can’t imagine that’s the breaking point.</p>
<p>According to Cal Poly’s common data set for 2011, more students submit SAT scores than ACT, so I don’t think not having an ACT score would explain your daughter being waitlisted.</p>
<p>Percent submitting SAT scores: 89.9 % Number submitting SAT scores: 3,882
Percent submitting ACT scores: 61.0 % Number submitting ACT scores: 2,633</p>
<p>The common data set also says consideraton is given (points in MCA) for being a 1st generation college student and for living within a geographical area.</p>
<p>I suspect the effect you are describing (1st child vs 2nd child) is happening while we watch because of the California economy. The funds set aside for education for an 18 year old freshman were sufficient to cover the costs of a UC education 5 years ago. Today the family will have to stretch to make the savings cover a CSU education. For many families there is not enough time to catch education savings up with the on-going increases in costs for higher education in California. Large numbers of freshmen who expected to be UC students are being forced to look at the CSU system. For STEM students the best choice for the money may be Cal Poly SLO, thus record applications with shrinking resources. For the applicants on the cusp that means being wait listed or worse.</p>
<p>OsakaDad, I read that your son was accepted as a GENE major, like I was this year. His stats seem much higher than mine. Do you have any idea of how competitive GENE is by itself and compared to other majors? I was considering the UCs before I toured SLO and now I think that SLO is much more my speed, not to mention their great engineering program.</p>
<p>@chocolatechipsss – GENE is just a competitive as the other engineering majors. However, it is also one of the largest departments by headcount. Others on this thread have talked about the Biomed major and historically that department (still administratively attached to GENE) actually came out of the GENE department. GENE is the most flexible of all the engineering majors as you can create your own curricula in the last couple of years. It is also the only engineering department at Cal Poly that I am aware of that is NOT accredited by the ABET. This was done by design in order to keep its autonomy, flexibility and entrepreneurial spirit to develop new engineering disciplines. At least 50% of GENE majors transfer out to other disciplines, again by design. My kid has already moved to ME after his first quarter as that is where he naturally gravitated. </p>
<p>At the UC’s you will most likely have to wait two years for your first engineering class. Lot’s of GE’s, few lab opportunities, far less interaction with professors if any, etc. We chose SLO for this reason. In your first quarter, freshman year at SLO you get thrown into your major.</p>
<p>What many forget is that Cal Poly awards admission bonus points based on many factors. If a student has one or two parents that did not go to college that results in significant admission points. Also, students with many core a-g classes will get a lot of admission points. These are just two factors that can account for students getting admission over those with higher GPAs or SATs. Cal Poly’s formula driven process does not really allow for waitlisting overqualified applicants.</p>
<p>^^ Excellent post. I did not know that points were awarded for one or two parents that did not go to college, etc.</p>
<p>I’d like to add one more thing to the discussion. Cal Poly truly is not a safety school any longer. To be honest, it should never have been considered that way. Its rankings and the fact that it is one of just a handful of elite polytechnic programs in the country (some public like Georgia Tech or Virginia Tech and some private like Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and NYU Poly) make the school in great demand to employers and prospective students alike. Some folks make the mistake of classifying Cal Poly as “just as CSU” campus. He we go again with the argument between research universities and learn by doing. As a parent, I want my kid to be experienced and work ready at the time of graduation. Do not forget that Cal Poly grads across the board generally have higher starting salaries than graduates of any UC (including UC Berkeley, UCLA and UCSD) and roughly equal to or surpassing the top privates. This is a school that will wait list great candidates because it can and that is it.</p>
<p>How would you explain me getting rejected from cal poly when I completed all math classes provided at my school, including AP stats. Spanish 3. Chemistry Biology and Physics honors. Honors and AP English classes. Top 9% of my very competitive class. 4.0 UC GPA combined Math and Reading score of 1320. Plus I play varsity badminton. Neither of my parents even attended college (whole family immigrated from china) and we make near the poverty line-I got the max amount from CAL Grant. I would also like to note that all of my classes are A-G. I’m sorry if my response has a bad flow, but I’m really surprised. Cal Poly was supposed to be my Safety school. P.S. I applied for Computer Science</p>
<p>I think people are incredulous about being rejected by Cal Poly because it is a CSU.</p>
<p>College admission is ultimately a numbers game. CP being a CSU is almost immaterial nowadays. Cal Poly had an overall acceptance rate of 29% (32% for frosh) for 2010, and 37% for 2011 for frosh. </p>
<p>Wouldn’t common sense dictate that pick an easier school to be your safety?</p>
<p>It is tantamount to if you are shooting for Harvard as your top choice, you should not use UC Berkeley as your primary safety.</p>
<p>Meitou - I am sorry you were not admitted. All I know about Cal Poly Admissions is what I’ve read on their web-sites. Also, I’ve primarily been following the engineering applicant stats this year, not Computer Science. That said, to be honest, if you were an engineering applicant I think your SAT is a bit low. Also, did you work in your major? Please note that I’ve also said that I think college admissions are brutally competitive and I wish it were different. I am sure you will get into a college that you love and will be successful. I wish you the best.</p>
<p>I’m going be giving the admissions counselor a call over this weekend. If i asked for an appeal, would that mean I’m required to go to that shool? I also applied for EOP, and was asked for my financial records. I might of been rejected because of cal polys lack of fiances but it might just be because I’m trying to rationalize things out. Also, the combined sat for admits last year was 1270 or 1290. I would also like to point out that the 29% admit rate is also due to the fact that more people apply to csus as a backup and you must also consider those people that aren’t qualified also applied there as well. To a certain degree, People know their limits, that’s why people usually apply to csu instead of ucs</p>
<p>But remember that Cal Poly admits by major, not by university. For 2010, the avg. SAT for engineering is 1372 out of 1600, ACT 31, avg. GPA 4.03. Since you applied for CS you are being judged by those metrics.</p>
<p>Furthermore, every university has ample volume of students applying that are stretch candidates, Cal Poly is no exception. I am sure Cal Berkeley gets a mountain of applicants that are really only qualified for the lower tier UCs, and thus Cal ended up with an acceptance rate of 22%.</p>
<p>Bottom line is that I empathize with you. Admission process has become ridiculously competitive. But I do wonder why you would bother appealing if CP is just your safety? It is a bit of hassle to appeal.</p>
<p>And no, if you appeal and get in, you are still not obligated to go there. Appeal is not like ED. Cal Poly financial aid is separate from its admission arm. You won’t be denied based on needs. Although the possibility exist that you could be admitted upon appeal but very limited aid will be offered.</p>