I am a first year student at cal poly and came directly from highschool in marin county, CA last year. I was lucky enough last year to be able to decide between Cal Poly and UCSC both of which i considered about equally good choices and i eventually chose Cal Poly. my criteria was going to a california public school and being close to the ocean. I also like the idea of being in central california. However I now find Cal Poly rather boring and the only factor that is holding me back from applying for transfer to UCSC is their lack of a graphic design program, of which Cal Poly has a rather good one. If you are struggling with the decision of going to Cal Poly, consider these things.
-there is little diversity. i was used to hearing this but it was rather shocking when i actually got here how little brown and black students there are.
-the city does not have much to offer
-the food is bad
-this is something to consider for all schools but i like to be able to seperate school from other life and this is very hard to do when you live in a dorm room.
-there are alot of cute girls here but not very many interesting people/ it feels like a larger version of highschool.
i could say many more things but i have homework to do
Thanks for summing this up. I have heard the same from many friends who both committed to and who passed on CP. I know a few who have transferred due to boredom and lack of culture and diversity on campus and in town of SLO. But yet, we have all of us here dying for an acceptance. Hehehehe
I can attest, the food is bad on campus and diversity is lacking, not from lack of trying though. That said, your perspective on whether there is stuff to do or not will vary dramatically. Our son found LOTS to do, both in and around slow, and with closeish road trips. He is finishing his MS this year, but he was a busy, happy, boy.
My son seems to have a mixed feeling for the school. Maybe he had too much expectation, I do not know.
Even though he was admitted off the waitlist last year, he was able to pull off GPA 4.0 in the first semester,
and even offered a tutoring position by one of the professors this semester.
So he does not have any complaints regarding academics(he was a bit worried that he might fail as he barely
got in there), and he made a lot of good friends, too.
He has an other issue which I do not want to get into details here, that is affecting the way he thinks about
the school. I told him there were problems everywhere.
Other than that, he is totally taking advantage of their fantastic recreational center and all the trails, etc…
Yes, the food is terrible, but I signed him up for the most flexible meal plan, so it has not been too bad.
I think a lot has to do with the type of person you are. Do you enjoy the city or nature more? Our daughter is a first year at SLO and she loves all the outdoor activities that SLO has to offer. As first year she has to live in the dorms as well. While she finds the food at 805 and what she can eat with her meal credit challenging she has really enjoyed being in her dorm. It probably depends on the learning community you select. She has gone on hiking trips, boogey boarding down giant sand dunes, sometimes with people on her floor. They even managed to have their own little “formal” for their hall.
Can anyone answer how and why colleges can mandate that you purchase their meal plans yet offer terrible food? This seems like some sort of law within the college system needs to change. As usual all about money and meeting quotas, I assume.
Glad to know that nothing has changed over the past 20 years. I still remember how bad the food was at the stalls LOL. However, I personally found lots to do around the area, and especially the beaches (Pismo, Avila, Morrow Bay, etc.).
The last time I was there to visit my daughter I asked her to take me to 805 so I can see just how bad the food was. That day they were serving grilled salmon and shrimp on quinoa with side of asparagus, topped with white beurre blanc sauce. It was really good even if it cost 3 meal credits. My daughter had so many meal credits that she had enough for me, her, another student behind her, and more! Everything else didn’t look that great though. She promised me that it’s usually just burgers, pizzas, and “pink” chicken! Hopefully the new dinning hall they’re building will be better.
Our S is currently at Cal Poly (ME freshman). As @1mo1bo mentioned, Cal Poly dining has started to offer better meals for “triple swipes” or three meal credits. Our S has dined on prime rib, salmon, shrimp, ahi poke, and other nice meals.
Yes, it’s triple credits. But I like to think that Cal Poly dining heard parents and students complaints about meal credits leftover from previous quarters (meal credits don’t roll over, just declining balance) and the quality of the food.
In addition, a new dining hall is being built (right in front of our S’s dorm, lol) and should be in place by this fall 2019.
FWIW, my niece graduated from SLO with a degree in civil engineering. She passed her EIT and PE exams with ease and was hired by a top engineering firm. I have visited the campus, and while I can’t vouch for the food I would dare say that the campus sits in one of the finest settings in all America. You’re getting pure California–it’s beaches, mountains, and golden hills–without the congestion issues so prevalent in the LA and SF Bay areas. As a kid from New Jersey, I would have killed to attend SLO. And oh BTW their football stadium is really neat.
I am sure going to high school in Marin County (84% white, median income $139,000) exposed you to profound ethnic and socioeconomic diversity. The shock of the whiteness of CPSLO (45% non-white) must have been tough for you to bear. I am sure there is a counseling center on campus that can help.
Perhaps you would find at least some of the 20,000 undergraduates “interesting” if you saw beyond crude categorizations based on skin pigmentation and cuteness. And my college age daughter would prefer you to refer to her as a “woman” and not as a “girl”.
There are over 300 clubs at Cal Poly. There are dozens of non-profits in the city and county of San Luis Obispo. Perhaps it is time for you to stop waiting to be entertained and went out into the world and gave of yourself. I think you will be surprised at all the wonderful and fascinating people you will meet.
