<p>So here’s the dilemma: My stats, as they stand right now, give me a pretty good shot of getting into Cal Poly SLO for civil engineering; however, I have been studying all summer and have a strong feeling that my next, and hopefully last, ACT retake will be at least 31+ and my SAT will be at least 2100+. I also ran across a thread today : “Chances- Civil Engineering Major” and this “Blah2009” was criticizing Cal Poly SLO grads as incapable of “thinking out of the box” because of the lack of theoretical learning. So now my initial decision of applying early action to Cal poly slo has been skewed because of not only the post but also because my scores, if I can actually manage to get the scores I mentioned, will be, perhaps, good enough for UCB.</p>
<p>So is applying EA worth it? I’ve always just wanted to apply to Cal poly early and be done with all this college stuff by December of my senior year, but if I have a shot at UCB, should I take it? I’m kind of hesitant on what to do because I feel that if I apply EA I will have a really good chance of getting in, but I feel nervous of applying RD because I fear that I will get denied from both Cal poly and UCB. (Btw, I have 4 or 5 other colleges in mind, but Cal poly and UCB are the highest ranking in my mind).</p>
<p>Thanks for taking the time to read this, and have a great day.</p>
<p>Cal Poly doesn’t have Early Action, it has Early Decision. The difference is that ED is binding. You should only apply to Cal Poly ED if Cal Poly is your clear first choice. Right now it sounds like you’re not sure where you’d rather go. Have you visited both Cal Poly and Berkeley? Do you prefer hands on rather than classroom theory? You need to think about this and decide what’s right for you. If you decide that Cal Poly is the one, then go ahead and apply ED. If you’re still not sure and want more time to think about it, then apply to both as a regular decision applicant and hope for the best.</p>
<p>It might be true that Cal Poly focuses more on practically and application than on theory, but that doesn’t mean you can’t come out of here as someone who also thinks theoretically. How you think and your thought process is based on more than just what you do. I think it’s common in any major in any school for most people to start thinking and reacting similarly due to how they were taught they should. People who are able to “think outside the box” will be able to do so no matter where they go to school or what they study. Obviously, your ability to think more creatively can change if you work on it though, and that does not necessarily mean in the classroom. If I were you, I would try and see if it’s possible to talk to more people who attended both Cal Poly and UCB and majored in what you’re interested. Get as many insights as you can.</p>
<p>Kiewit Co (biggest construction firm in North America) loves hiring civil engineers from Cal Poly. Clearly, Cal Poly must be doing something right</p>
<p>As an engineering student at Cal Poly, I feel like that I am constantly challenged to think outside of the box. Speaking for myself, I find academic experience to be very challenging, and I truly believe that the only reason why I am passing all my classes is because I am constantly challenged to come up with counter-intuitive solutions to my class problems, especially in my physics and engineering courses. </p>
<p>If Cal Poly has allowed me to follow the cookie cutter method and just apply the same rigid routine answers to all my class problems, I would be a 4.0 GPA engineering student eons ago. And I am FARRR from a 4.0. </p>
<p>Whether Cal or Cal Poly is a better choice for you really depends on your personality and learning style. But for me, I can say, without reservation, that Cal Poly is one of the best decision I have ever made in my life. I really enjoy the practical hands-on approach to my learning. For example, we don’t just read about fiber optics network, we actually splice the fiber optic cables together, fire the laser, and create a fiber network as a project. I would be so disappointed if all I did was read about how to create a fiber network. </p>
<p>As for Blah’s comments, I read some of his past posts on Cal Poly. I would not put too much stock in it. I think he takes pleasure in peeing on everyone, while inflating his own ego. It drove him mad to know that Cal Poly graduates’ top all the UC (except for Cal) in salaries.</p>
<p>Hopefully, these comments will be of help. First of all, please take what you see here on CC with a grain of salt. There are few quality controls other than monitoring for unacceptable language and harassment. CC is an open forum and anyone can post anything regardless of factual truth. Read what interests you, do independent research, and then form your own opinions. After all, this will be your life experience and your education that will follow you throughout your career. I’ve read and responded to Blah2009’s postings in the past and that person tends to talk in absolutes and rarely deviates from a specific agenda. Some of Blah2009’s postings are of interest, however I feel in many ways that this poster is dead wrong especially when it comes to Cal Poly graduates.</p>
<p>My son is an engineering student at Cal Poly right now and he gets plenty of theory. The difference is that at Cal Poly you learn theory in the lecture halls and then go prove it in the lab. You get the theory and practical application together.</p>
<p>From my standpoint, the best way to measure a school, especially for engineering, is to see who recruits from campus for internships, co-ops and jobs. Many of the best firms in the West recruit directly from campus. The school is unique and quite different from other schools. It is very hands on and not at the expense of theory. Cal Poly grads can hold their own anywhere.</p>
<p>I agree with Vballmom, you need to visit the campuses before you apply for ED. My youngest son will be applying this Fall and was torn between ED at SLO or regular RD. We visited all the UC/State campuses he plans to apply so he could make a more informed decision. UCSB has been his top choice for the past 2 years, but after visiting SLO he will apply ED. Every campus has a different “vibe” and you need to see which fits you the best.</p>
<p>My husband happens to work for Kiewit Construction and has interviewed many graduating engineers and yes they do like Cal Poly grads. However, I have seen many of the resumes and I noticed that the grads that they do hire have several internships (local and abroad) under their belt before they graduate regardless of where they did their undergrad. If you do well at any school and take advantage of any internships or study abroad programs, you will be able to market yourself better in the job market.</p>
<p>Here is another resource you may want to check out. Cal Poly lists their graduates by year, and it shows their salaries and positions they are receiving post graduation. You can see what students in your major are getting into after they graduate.</p>
<p>I wished I had applied to Cal Poly. My friend with ACT>34 was rejected.
I agree with OsakaDad, ignore some of the ccers. You can always go to graduate school if you want to add more theory, but Cal Poly is an awsome school.
My mom works for Raytheon and the CEO and some chief executives graduated from Cal Poly. Raytheon’s headquarter is on the east coast where there are plenty of MIT graduates.</p>
Don’t ever work from one data point (esp. opinion based). You’ll learn that in science/eng.
Visit the schools before making your ED decision.
Are you more hands on or theoretical? This could be a factor for you.
My opinion? College choice is best made balancing academic strength and how it feels there/how happy will you be?</p>
<p>My S starting at CP SLO this month. He is balanced in hands on and abstract thinking and I believe this school is perfect for him. He loves the area (we are OOS). </p>
<p>I guess I don’t understand the EA or ED concept. What do you mean by binding? I realize that you have to let them know by Jan 15 if you are accepting admission, but what prevents you from changing your mind and going to another school? Couldn’t you just apply to all schools using EA/ED? Thanks!</p>
<p>Binding means that you are obligated to accept an offer of admission if you’ve applied Early Decision. Students can only apply ED to one college. Students can generally apply EA to multiple colleges, with the exception of Restrictive Early Action colleges which are non-binding but allow only one ED/EA application.</p>
<p>OP are you applying ED to get it over with or because you love CP? Seems like you are just settling to get it done. The intellectual environment between some of the schools you mentioned is very different. UCB and CP are completely different. Have you visited these schools and others? Done formal tours? Put some time into knowing the academic world you want to be in. Do you know kids from your HS and where they went? Kids in HS tend to know how they fit with other kids and follow that trend to college. I get the stress and wanting to have the best shot, but CP is certainly not a slam dunk even early decision, it is way too impacted. You will grow a lot in the next 12 months, and the easy application choice may just be that when next August rolls around. Decide how much you want to put into this process while there is still time. But if CP is it for you, then do ED and be happy if you get it, and don’t look back. But have a backup plan!</p>
<p>^ ED does not mean you don’t still apply to UCB, UCSD, etc. It means that when you hear about an acceptance from Cal Poly in early December, you then withdraw your applications to all your other schools. Unfortunately this also means you won’t ever know if you would have been accepted into UCB or other schools, so you won’t be able to brag that you picked CP over Berkeley :)</p>
<p>If you apply ED to CP and get rolled over into RD, then you leave all your other UC and other school apps in place, just as though you never applied ED.</p>
<p>My D is almost done with her application…applying ED for Kinesiology. It’s very competitive, and I haven’t found anything yet that says how many they are going to accept (nor have I called to ask) but I know it’s been less than 100 freshman with more than a thousand applying. Best wishes to everyone.</p>
<p>S is deciding between ED or RD for BioMed Eng. He is concerned that many highly competitive applicants use CP Eng as their “backup” school to the big name engineering schools like UB,UCSD,UCLA,MIT,Stanford…which will make the RD pool extrememly competitive. </p>
<p>S stats…
UW GPA 3.96, CP WGA 4.28
ACT Comp 33 - ACT superscore (if cp uses it) 34
6 AP classes at grad Eng lit, Eng Lang, Spanish, Calc BC, Chem, Econ
Leadership EC but no work exp
Extra classes for Multi criteria admission except extra year of english unless journalism counts as english course</p>
<p>S considers CP in his top 2. Difficult to ignore UCSD #3 for Biomed but reach school due to SAT subject test scores - 760 Math, 650 Physics</p>
<p>CP ED seems to be more competitive than other ED schools based on stats so ED is also very competitive.</p>
<p>@cpmom2, i think your S has a solid chance of getting admitted to Cal Poly in both ED and RD! If your S really knows that he’s fine with going to Cal Poly, and money isn’t an issue, then he should strongly consider applying ED. And yes CP ED is really competitive, so it honestly doesn’t make a difference if he applies through ED/RD. Since CP is his #2 choice, then he should consider whether it’s worth it to forgo his #1 choice if he applies ED.</p>