<p>I was admitted to Cal Poly SLO Fall 2011 for Political Science. I have started to get more and more excited about attending the college, but students from Cal Poly are telling me that Political Science is horrible there, and that the school has given up on that major. Is that true? What is the reputation for Political Science?</p>
<p>i am planning on studying political science as well (I got into SLO, but i’m not sure I’ll go there) so I hope this isn’t true!!</p>
<p>Boy, I truly hope this isn’t true. </p>
<p>I’m a newly admitted Political Science Transfer student. I think that, because Cal Poly is such a universally good school, you’re not going to find any “horrible” majors here. Also, if Cal Poly had actually “given up” on a Department, then they wouldn’t offer the courses and we wouldn’t be talking about being admitted into Cal Poly right now. Now, obviously, the Political Science program isn’t going to be anywhere near the level of quality as their three major Departments–Engineering, Architecture, and Agriculture–but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be four poly sci students in a wash-closet watching Schoolhouse Rock’s “I’m Just a Bill” video as our instruction.</p>
<p>Also, you have to factor in the point that Cal Poly is very “hands on” and does their best to prepare students for RIGHT after graduation employment. What this means is that what they lack in teaching, they sure make up for in sheer number of internships and opportunities. And, since your a poly sci student, you probably know that your career won’t be based on how much you know, but rather who you know. Cal Poly is going to be the perfect school that’ll allow you to get your foot in the door. I suggest you take advantage of this (exclusive) opportunity you have before you and go here. It’ll pay off in the end, I’m sure of it. </p>
<p>Oh and Hamzah93 & tsilva11, I really look forward to seeing you this Fall. Congrats on getting in! :D</p>
<p>I doubt that they have given up on the major. I know a few grad students in the job market currently and Cal Poly is still an extremely competitive place for those looking to teach at the collegiate level. I’m sure whoever you talked to had some ulterior motivation or was misinformed.</p>
<p>I dont know if I heard that about Political Science… but I have heard for Journalism. It’s quite a mess in that department.</p>
<p>Well then! hahaha</p>
<p>I am so excited to go to Cal Poly! Are any of you going to Poly Royal and Admitted Students Day?</p>
<p>I hope the program is good! I got into UCSB also so i’m debating which school I want to go to. I’m going to PolyCultural in a few weeks so i’ll find out more there :)</p>
<p>You know, Hamzah93, I was also very skeptical about going to Cal Poly for Political Science, but then I realized it was for me when I visited last summer. Luckily, by chance, one of my tour guides for the school was a poli-sci major, and she said that the classroom sizes are small, the professors will get to know you by name, and many internships for poli-sci are available every quarter so you really won’t miss out (the guide, if I remember correctly, said she had three internships and is going to have a last one before she graduates). The guide also said that there are opportunities like UCDC if you’re into that. So to answer your question, no Political Science is not dead. And, on another note, when I was comparing UCSB and Cal Poly, I decided Cal Poly had a significant advantage. And why? Because at UCSB, students must finish a certain amount of GE requirements before they even got to study political science (because freshmen are admitted as a Pre-Political Science major first). Cal Poly, on the other hand and as you may already know, lets students study political science right off the bat.</p>
<p>(and yay tsilva11 for going to polycultural too!)</p>
<p>oops, I was mistaken with the Pre-poli sci at UCSB… You actually just have to do two political science classes before you are admitted as a Political Science major* my mistake! lol</p>
<p>What! I DIDNT GET INVITED TO POLYCULTURAL! WHY IS THAT? Is it better than Poly Royal? Which one should I go to?</p>
<p>well you don’t have to be invited. You can sign up online. The last day to register is tomorrow. I think it’s better than the next weekend because it’s only $25 and you are hosted from Friday to Sunday afternoon with food. :)</p>
<p>sign ups for polycultural is now closed.</p>
<p>Hello. My name is Jeff and I have also been accepted for Political Science Fall 2011 at Cal Poly SLO. Did you apply any where else and if so did you get accepted? I have also been accepted to UCSD, and I am having a very hard time deciding.</p>
<p>@reachforthesky,</p>
<p>I suggest you start a UCSD vs Cal Poly Poli sci thread on both CP and UCSD board. You will get more response that way.</p>
<p>I think UCSD has better liberal arts than Cal Poly. This is sort of natural since SLO is really a tech geeky school rather than a LAC.</p>
<p>Hamzah93: I think overall, Open House weekend is going to be the ideal choice. In the old days it used to be called Poly Royal, but there was an issue with out-of-town crazies who got into a drunken brawl and basically just ruined it for everyone. Oh, I’m sure CP students were doing their share of partying, but for the most part, it was outsiders who did the rioting. So, they did away with the traditional Poly Royal as it was once known. I attended the open house aspect of it back in 1988 and then again last year after my youngest daughter was admitted to CP. I didn’t really see a difference.</p>
<p>On Saturday you will get to see A LOT of booths and check out all the clubs, Greek life, foods, some entertainment from music groups, etc. This is open to the general public, as well as all admitted students. A great feel for the campus. Dorm tours. On Friday night is the big dance party for the admitted students and the parents are invited to a fun coffee event in Chumash Auditorium. You should encourage yours to attend. Cal Poly has a very active Parent Program and you would be amazed at how many will be there answering questions and just talking about what goes on at CP. And, the HUGE WOW leader group will also be there. Those students are amazing and will also be on hand to answer questions. They all walked on stage and introduced themselves, as did the parents. A VERY welcoming event!</p>
<p>I am a third year history major at Cal Poly, but I have taken a few poly sci classes. I can say from first hand experience that the department is excellent. The class sizes are small and the students generally come to class prepared which makes for interesting discussions.Take as many classes as you can with Professor Moore. He can be quite challenging and the reading load is probably excessive, but he is one of the best teachers ever. Leithner is very good too. Cal Poly’s liberal arts are very underrated.</p>
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<p>What is admitted students day? Is that open house?</p>
<p>@coopaloop Thank you for the excellent insight and advice :)</p>
<p>@Pinata: Admitted students day is on Friday April 15th which is followed by Open House on April 16th. Here is the link for all the info: <a href=“http://studentlife.calpoly.edu/orientation/openhouse/[/url]”>http://studentlife.calpoly.edu/orientation/openhouse/</a> </p>
<p>And thanks @coopaloop! It’s nice hearing from an inside source 
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<p>@2leashes: thanks for the insight I am looking forward to Open house!</p>
<p>Hamzah93:</p>
<p>My pleasure! I forgot to mention on Admitted Students day, the different departments and majors also have their own tours and presentations. Since my daughter couldn’t be there, I sat in for her. She’s a Kinesiology major so they held a number of sessions with various staff members talking to us, including the Dept. Chairperson. It was very interesting! They demonstrated the computerized machines and equipment they’ll be working with later in their major.</p>
<p>And, again, I really encourage your parent(s) to attend the Friday night presentation. They serve coffee and cookies, too. By the time I was done with the weekend, I just knew that my daughter would fit in well. I texted her several times everytime I saw something I thought she would like. </p>
<p>Best wishes to you! If you’re going to stay the weekend, you really need to find lodging ASAP. Even if it’s Motel 6 or other cheaper motel. Since the hotels we usually stay at were either booked up or they jacked up their rates, I found a small hotel on Monterey Ave. very close to all the others and Cal Poly. It’s called Villa Motel and even though it’s not as nice as the others, it had a large room and it was clean and I felt safe staying alone. They also had a small, continental breakfast in the morning. Not much, but better than nothing. 
Also, another one down the street is Los Padres Inn. It’s another motel, rather than a hotel. But, the rates were reasonable during Open House. I’m booked this time if I spend the night. My daughter is in the STRIDE club which will have a booth on Saturday.</p>
<p>My normal hotel preference is Quality Suites or La Cuesta Hotel. Some here on CC have stayed at Holiday Inn Express at the foot of Grand Ave. and Monterey St. and liked that just as well. But, I have a feeling those are booked up and costly for Open House. You could even stay out of town not too far away for probably less money.</p>
<p>If you decide to attend Poly and live more than a couple hours away, go ahead and book a hotel room for Move-In Day NOW! You can always cancel later if need be. We stayed at Quality Suites up the street from Poly. They feed you a HUGE, complimentary, cook-to-order breakfast in the morning, as well as a complimentary cocktail hour the evening before. It was fun meeting up with some other parents and students who were moving in the next morning. We sat around in the lounge and chatted. Later, a few of us moms met up at The Kilt down the street to chat some more! :)</p>
<p>If you send me a private message I can email you photos I took of the hotel interior and exterior. For SOAR we stayed down the street at La Cuesta Inn. Nice, but I like the other one better. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>