<p>Yoo guys. I was recently admitted as a Computer Engineering major to cal poly SLO, and I think that UCD and UCSD are likely chances for me (LA and UCB are not in the picture haha).</p>
<p>I was wondering which school would be preferable for computer engineering?</p>
<p>Congrats! I know several good students that didn’t get into SLO for that major. As an undergrad, best is often subjective - same question my daughter is struggling with for Aerospace Engineering. What do you want out of college?<br>
Can tell you this about SLO. Most classes are pretty small and all are taught by professors. My son is a math major and many of his classes are the same size as his high school classes. His biggest class had 80 students (psychology). Friends daughter at UCD (environmental sci) hasn’t had a class as small as his “big” class yet (sophomore). Look at some of the threads about post-graduation salary - SLO ranks very high. The engineering program in general ranks high nationally, if such things are important to you. Have a friend at UCSB (communications) - she says when it comes to getting internships she’s often competing with students from SLO who come with hands-on experience that makes them very attractive/more competitive – “learn by doing” philosophy. SLO is a nice community to live in - weather’s awesome, lots of clubs and activities for students, etc. So, what are some of your priorities. I know it’s a big decision BUT where ever you go, chances are you’ll love it…and you’ll get out of any school what you commit to put into it.</p>
<p>A few years ago, my son also was deciding between those 3 universities and others. CPSLO always was his first choice. He liked their applied (hands-on) approach vs. the UCs theoretical approach. (One big difference between a CSU and a UC is one is a more teaching university while the other is a more research-oriented university.) When we visited CPSLO, we talked to professors, whereas at UCD, we only were able to talk to advisors, which wasn’t very impressive. He knew students at UCD and was turned off by their large class sizes. The UCSDs freshman housing didnt seem interesting. The learn-by-doing approach really was very appealing, so he entered CPSLO as a CPE major.</p>
<p>Although my son compared the computer engineering and computer science classes at all universities, he didnt understand the classes, so this didnt help him. But maybe this will help you out. Compare the 3 universities majors and classes they offer. Who teaches the lower level classes? How big are these classes? Do they have a wide range of upper-level specialty classes? What percentage of each class is hands-on (if that’s important to you)? Just a few things to help you along with your decision.</p>
<p>Thank you for your responses!
Right now, it’s as if everything (costs, prestige in engineering, academic philosophy, and other rejections haha) is centering me to click the acceptance button for the admission offer to Cal Poly SLO.</p>
<p>I think all of the schools you listed are excellent for computer engineering. I’ve worked with electrical & computer engineers from UCSD & Cal Poly and have high respect for them. UCSD, UCD and Cal Poly all appear to have solid engineering programs from the research I did while helping my son decide on which schools to apply to. I have an electrical/computer engineering background.</p>
<p>My son was admitted into Cal Poly Computer Engineering, like you, and plans to go there in the fall. Cal Poly was his first choice school. We live in San Diego, so he wasn’t excited about going to UCSD because it is so close to home. He liked the Cal Poly campus and the town of SLO when we visited there in the summer. We didn’t visit UCD, its not real close to us.</p>
<p>You really can’t make a bad decision. UCSD and UCD will be announcing soon so you’ll have more information to work with.</p>
<p>First off I want to congratulate you on being accepted into Cal Poly Computer Engineering. As a student of the Computer Science department, I can tell you that Computer Engineering is a tough place to get into.</p>
<p>For your choices though, I must agree with the other posts that Cal Poly is university that gives its students a much more hands-on approach than the UC’s. When I compare my education here with the ones my friends at UC Berkeley or UCSD are receiving, they seem to be much the same, except for one glaring difference: Cal Poly teaches in a way that enables you to find a truth for yourself. In other words, you’ll be given work to do, but you won’t have the comprehensive and extensive schooling in it you’ll probably wish you did while you’re struggling with the work. On the other hand, UC’s will give you that schooling before sending you on your way to work out the assigned problems. While I find the payoffs with learning a little on my own far outweigh the benefits of learning it all first, it really depends on the person.</p>
<p>In terms of prestige, Cal Poly, I’m sure you know, ranks as the best school on the west coast in engineering that gives up to a Master’s Degree. In terms of money, a recent study (maybe 2 months ago?), Cal Poly, out of all the public schools in the nation, ranked second highest when it came to how much their undergrads make right out of college. Rank 3 was UC Berkeley, and rank 1 was some school in Virginia. Within the school, the highest paid right off the bat for undergrads are the Software Engineering majors, then the Computer Science majors, then the Computer Engineering majors.</p>
<p>Outside of that, I’d really just take a look at the housing, the dining, and the area in general. There are tours and open houses all over the place at this of year now, so check it out!</p>
<p>Good luck in your decisions!</p>
<p>P.S. ask me if you have any questions about Cal Poly</p>
<p>I was accepted to major in the biological sciences, and I’m currently awaiting UCSD. What is your opinion on CP’s biology department, I would guess it’s on par with its engineering</p>