<p>As it stands right now I have the choice of either going to cal poly (slo) or ucsd. I was accepted to both as an aerospace major but will quickly change to mechanical once I start school. My questions are:</p>
<li><p>The appeal Cal Poly has is that it is a very hands on program, not to much research going on. I respond well to hands on learning and think I would do well in such an environment however I have every intention of going to grad school (up to ph.d if possible) after undergrad. Do Cal Poly grads get into tier 1 engineering grad schools assuming average to above average gpa and scores? From what I read on this site is that grad schools look a lot at the school the applicant is coming from and I’m afraid that Cal Poly won’t look good because of it’s different approach towards teaching.</p></li>
<li><p>I love UCSD but I don’t like the fact that it’s a UC. I hear they are very impersonnal schools with a lot of teacher attention going to their own research. Is what I hear mostly true or mostly myth? Also, does UCSD have a hands on program like Cal Poly does (not necessarily as much but at least something) and is research available to undergrads who aren’t regents or honors scholars?</p></li>
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<p>Answers are greatly appreciated and please excuse any excessive wordiness (my teachers kill me for that).</p>