<p>Well you applied to the schools you could get into - CP and #37. Which explains why you are missing so much reliable data about the top schools. Fascinating how you always happen to know another someone to fit all of your “facts.” Classic. Good luck! </p>
<p>@eyemgh how’s your son doing now? Sorry if it’s too personal . </p>
<p>@blueskies2day did you attend a “prestigious school” to back up what you say? </p>
<p>im not taking sides here I just want everyone’s opinions</p>
@blueskies2day, he applied to the schools he thought would offer the best undergraduate education. That’s why he didn’t apply to UCB and UCLA. He felt, rightly so, that it wasn’t very smart to apply to an expensive, gigantic, impersonal out of state school. That’s also why he didn’t apply to Michigan. He also ruled out purely technical schools, hence no MIT and no Cal Tech.
Prestige as measured by the ranks is highly flawed. See how Harvard engineering stacks up to UCLA. Harvard engineering actually is not very good. The flawed rankings say otherwise.
@majesticmagnolia5931, he’ll be a Freshman in the Fall. I was just pushing back at the ill informed notion that UCB and UCLA are far superior to CP SLO. As a person who’s dug deeply into most of the engineering programs all across the nation and comes from a family of engineers, I am very confident of two things. The ranks are very flawed and what universities offer in the undergraduate and graduate programs are different. I’d personally choose CP for UG and UCB for PhD.
SJSU never entered our radar, but largely it’s about what YOU do.
Good luck.
<p>You don’t need anecdotal sources to say that true or false, a degree from MIT or UCB or Stanford (and I will stop naming prestigious universities as people get the gist), is more valued by most people in positions of power. Anecdotes aren’t facts while common sense is all I need to make that statement. I am sure your son will get an amazing education at CP, superior for him as he is committed to his own beliefs and that is excellent. </p>
<p>I personally would never scoff at the MIT’s and Harvard’s of the world and the doors such a degree will open. My own children are not candidates for such universities but that does not stop my enormous admiration for those who are. I think that’s indisputable whether you like it or not. Being from the Silicone Valley rather then Oregon and surrounded by a community of highly successful people whose companies have changed our lives, I will venture to say you would not find any of those people who would advise their child to pick CP over any of the schools you have dismissed. But, it’s a personal choice and honestly, I am very glad your family is so happy. You will get a great bang for your buck, a truly solid education, a safe environment and a great life style. You will not get a degree to compete with nationally renown universities in real life. </p>
<p>I will say that it’s the guys understanding the “theoretical” stuff that are leading the companies and changing the world with their idea’s. That’s what attracts such incredibly smart kids to these top universities…there desires are to run companies and they do not place the same value on undergraduate education. Not saying it’s right or wrong but it’s true. Although I am not from a family of engineers, I am surrounded by the culture of enormous success. My degree from CP is simply pedestrian in the circle I run in and I am okay with that as it served my purpose perfectly and will do the same for the 5k new freshman this year! </p>
<p>You are solely referencing bumper sticker and cocktail party prestige. The perception of prestige is driven largely by USNWR rankings. Those rankings are completely, yes 100%, based on a single metric, institutional reputation. It’s a self fulfilling prophecy. If you are willing to subject your self or your child to lectures that are 200-300% larger than they are at Poly, where the likelihood of them KNOWING their professor if far less, all in the name of sporting that Berkeley sticker, more power to you.</p>
<p>It is simply a myth that Poly grads don’t understand theory. Compare the Poly ME curriculum to the UCB ME curriculum. There’s a reason Poly admits declare a major for day one. They start studying their major on day one. That’s also why, for engineers at least, they discourage minors and a double is not even possible. They get the theory with labs IN ADDITION.</p>
<p>In the end, I’m totally fine with the spin that a degree from Prestige U might open different doors, but don’t say the undergraduate engineering experience is better. Man up and admit that you’re willing to sit in a lecture hall with 600 other students because you believe in the power of the paper.</p>
<p>@Texasbound, did your child apply and get into this backwater, no account Cal Poly SLO?</p>
<p>Finally, below are the flow charts for UCB and Poly ME respectively. If you’re reading this and you care, decide what you think.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.me.berkeley.edu/StudentAffairs/CurrentStudents/Undergraduate/CurriculumFlowchart.pdf”>http://www.me.berkeley.edu/StudentAffairs/CurrentStudents/Undergraduate/CurriculumFlowchart.pdf</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://dots-util.calpoly.edu/downloads/mymap/13-15.52MEBSU.GENMEU.pdf”>http://dots-util.calpoly.edu/downloads/mymap/13-15.52MEBSU.GENMEU.pdf</a></p>
<p>Eyemgh, I am not trying to argue with you! I am pointing out there is a different reality then your reality. Both are valid. I am very glad you and your son are both so pleased with where he is headed. I am sure it will be an excellent experience.<br>
I just think you should not be so vested in making it the very best across the board that you believe the prestige of incredible schools like Cal, Stanford, MIT and Harvard to name just a few you have used as comparison is limited to “cocktail party” but you are entitled to your opinion. That’s all…its a great school and clearly the best for your family. It isn’t the best for all. That’s true of every university. Good Luck to your son. </p>
<p>@Texasbound, I would agree with that. It is a far cry from this:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>My son does have the stats to apply to the prestige schools. He didn’t for a reason. We come from a family of engineers from both MIT and Stanford. They recommended he avoid those for UG. I have several patients that are from Cal Tech. They recommended he not go there for UG. Engineers, not business majors, both from academia and industry, cautioned my son about choosing his UG institution bases on prestige citing that the perception was based on the grad programs and that the UG teaching left MUCH to be desired.</p>
<p>I’m pushing back at the assertion that Poly is some backwater, second rate institution that can’t really be compared to the likes of USC, UCB and UCLA. That perception couldn’t be farther from the truth. Is CP better? For my son, the answer is it was a better fit. It certainly, on the UNDERGRADUATE level, is not inferior to UCB or UCLA for engineering.</p>
<p>@eyemgh I wonder if the same can be said about other majors at calpoly in that the UG teaching at the top tier uc’s might not be as top notch due to the focus on grad and PhDs programs. I would say that the UG majors at calpoly would be just as good as the top tier UC’s, but anyone from a UC would not want to admit that…</p>
<p>I can’t comment on them, but it stands to reason, at least in fields where research is a significant , that those that offer doctoral programs are less focussed on undergraduate teaching.</p>
<p>I only applied to Cal Poly & USC because after visiting most of the UC’s i realized they’re not for me.</p>
<p>I love the strong connections & alumni network that Cal Poly & USC have.
My main reason for only applying to USC & Cal Poly is the fact that they’re the only schools in California that offer UG petroleum engineering classes. I want to go into petro engineering so it’s a no brainer i only applied to these schools.</p>
<p>I got into Poly so far! Waiting to hear back from SC </p>
<p>SC is a great school too, but very different than Poly. Not that it’s bad or good, but at USC you can take more elective non-engineering classes and even double major in four years. The trade off is less breadth and depth in your actual engineering. Both possibilities are attractive, but different. Then, there’s LA vs SLO. Talk about apples and oranges! 
Either way, you could do FAR worse. Good luck!</p>
<p>@RoysGoin2College I couldn’t agree with you more. I’m a senior myself who just recently got accepted to CP for business. My entire life I have been fed the notion that the pinnacle of scholastic achievement for a California student is to attend a UC campus; however, it wasn’t until the fall of this school year that I realized just how little the UC’s have to offer from a purely practical standpoint. As a business major, I was truly stunned to learn that the only UC schools to offer any form of an undergrad business program were Cal, Irvine, and Riverside, with Santa Cruz and LA offering biz econ as a fabricated undergrad business degree. That’s when I actually turned TO the rankings to see that Cal Poly is only succeeded by Cal for California undergrad business programs (excluding USC). I can respect that the “name brand” aspect of some schools may carry weight, but it’s also extremely relative. Cal Poly, itself, is becoming one of the premier institutions in the state. In fact, if one is truly concerned with rank, it places higher than the majority of the UC campuses. Yes, it may not have the global draw like Cal or UCLA, but amongst employers that seek capable college graduates, my research indicates that it a coveted institution. After all, isn’t the primary goal of a collegiate education to gain full employment? Two jobs down the line, no employer will give two hoots about where one completed their undergraduate study; the only real relevance I can see for that would be for grad school, which is where the UC’s excel. Ultimately, I’m just offering the notion that both of you present valid points, but there is much more to life than where your 4 (probably 5) measly years of undergraduate study are spent. Each student should go where he or she thrives, providing that the price doesn’t kill one first ;)</p>
<p>I transferred to Cal Poly from SJSU as an engineering major. </p>
<p>You should take Cal Poly. There is no benefit for choosing SJSU over Cal Poly. It shouldn’t even be a question.</p>
<p>You get better professors, one’s that actually enjoy teaching. Cal Poly is a centerpiece and a main attraction down here in SLO. SJSU is not. People don’t move down to SLO unless they are retiring, or teaching, or becoming surfer-dude bums. There’s no real tech industry down here so there are plenty of other institutions located elsewhere if a professor (like SJSU) wanted to make teaching their secondary job. </p>
<p>The atmosphere, social life, and community is better here. Less crime, more things to do. SJSU feels like a ghetto. There is at least 1 stabbing, assault, or robbery ON CAMPUS at SJSU every 2 months. SJSU is a commuter school. Cal Poly is not. Don’t expect to see people in your class, outside of class at SJSU. Hobos sleep on the couches in the club rooms, take showers in the bathroom sinks, and have to be escorted out at SJSU police.</p>
<p>The engineering curriculum is about the same difficulty. Cal Poly goes over more applied programming uses in all it’s engineering programs. When you apply for internships, you’ll be able to say “yes” to the “desired but not required skills” section of an internship application. You’ll be having more time in labs than at SJSU. </p>
<p>The amount of intelligent people in engineering is about the same. There’s a couple of high achievers at SJSU and the rest are slackers–just like Cal Poly. </p>
<p>The gym and recreation center at SJSU has the size and dark, damp lightning of a small prison cell in Siberia. Cal Poly has the best recreation center on the entire west coast. </p>
<p>The only benefit SJSU had over Cal Poly for me was the location. It was close to home and I could see my family and girlfriend every day. </p>