<p>I was accepted to Cal Poly for Architectural Engineering and need to figure out which dorm I should go for.
I’ve heard good things about Sierra Madre and Yosemite and I know some architecture students are housed in Sequoia. My question is which one would be best for me?</p>
<p>I’m social but not one who constantly needs to be around others; I’m fine being alone. I also want to party and meet new people but not have it affect my academics. And of course, I would like the best college dorm experience I can get.<br>
So, Yosemite, Sierra Madre, Sequoia, or some other dorm that I don’t know about?
Thanks</p>
<p>It sounds like you’d probably be happiest in Sequoia, possibly cerro vista, but cerro can turn out to be pretty antisocial unless you make a good effort to meet people and get lucky with cool roommates.</p>
<p>I’d recommend Sequoia or Cerro as well. Sierra Madre and Yosemite are definitely the “partying” dorms. I have heard story after story of students who can’t get enough quiet to study petitioning to move out after the first quarter. If you are in Architecture or any of the Engineering majors, and serious about studying and grades, I’d avoid them. I believe Sequoia houses the LLP for Architecture and Environmental Design, and I’ve heard that the study room is set up especially to accomodate the needs of those majors. Also, special study groups and programs are also set up within the LLP that aren’t available to students living elsewhere.</p>
<p>If you end up in a triple, then yeah, you’re basically literally living on top of other people. Like seriously, I don’t know where you’d even put all your stuff??? Those rooms were designed to fit two people, not three. It seems like now about half of them have been turned into triples, also known as “economy triples” lol cause you save money but the conditions aren’t exactly what most people would consider ideal. If you’re in a double, then it’s not too bad. Yeah, you don’t have a ton of room, but I think most people would find it sufficient and pretty typical for a dorm.</p>
<p>I’m so glad that my daughter was in Yosemite when it was ONLY doubles in 2010/11. And, contrary to what you said, Cali365, her tower was NOT a total “party” dorm. In fact, their tower won “Tower of the Year” and most of it was as a result of the students’ GPAs. There was a lot of studying done there. Yes, they had fun, but not usually in the actual dorms. There were noise violations given out after a certain hour. Students with various majors lived there. One of her good friends is a Civil Engineering major.</p>
<p>My son will be a computer science major at Cal Poly next Fall.</p>
<p>He is looking for the quietest dorm and we have heard good things about Santa Lucia. We understand that this is where a lot of the engineering students live. </p>
<p>Does anyone have any insight on that dorm? Also, what would be a good a good back up choice for him?</p>
<p>My son is a CS major and has been in Whitney this year. He’s quiet kid and hasn’t mentioned any problems other than late night party goers walking by the dorm. I imagine that occurs around all of the dorms.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info. Is Whitney part of the “Living Learning” deal where they try to group you with others in the same Dept./College? Was Whitney his first choice?</p>
<p>Whitney is part of “North Mountain” which is mostly College of Engineering students. He only specified North Mountain as his housing preference. He’s in a triple “suite” with a computer engineering and one in another engineering discipline. He did not request a specific roommate(s) and it’s worked out fine for him.</p>
<p>My two daughters are engineering majors, and they both chose Cerro Vista for their freshman year, primarily because they wanted a private room to study and sleep. Having a kitchen, living room, and sharing a full bath with just one other roommate is also nice. It’s not as social as the dorms, but my daughters got along well with their roommates and neighbors. And they managed to attend parties at the dorms during the weekend. So you may want to consider Cerro Vista for your son, as a primary or backup choice.</p>
<p>COparent, does Cerro Vista have a good study environment? I thought I read somewhere that there is a lot of partying going on there, is that not the case? We are hoping to avoid that as much as we can.</p>
<p>sutteyo: My youngest daughter currently lives in Cerro Vista and she believes that it is easier to study and get a good night’s rest there. She is in the Honor’s program which is housed in the Cabrillo building closer to the front, and she says buildings further back do have a fair amount of parties “if you know the right people”. But in general, she thinks that the traditional dorms are much more socially oriented than Cerro Vista. She does most of her studying in her room, unless she needs to meet others for a study group.</p>
<p>@James, Whitney seems a bit more isolated than Santa Lucia. All the common areas seem to be at Santa Lucia, a more traditional dorm, whereas Whitney has no hall per se, rooms open to the outside, etc… Has your son been able to get into the mix so to speak, meet people, make friends and such over at Whitney?</p>
<p>@sutteyo, absolutely. He has a core group and extended group. In fact, six of them will be living in PCV next year. One of his current roommates and four other friends. He didn’t know any of them six months ago. On the other hand, my son isn’t into the party scene. He’s one of those kids who seems to get along with anyone.</p>
<p>That’s awesome! My son is leaning towards North Mountain. He just doesn’t like noise, and isn’t a partier. It looks like the dorms there are a little bigger than Santa Lucia too. We are going to try to get down there for the Open House weekend in April and check things out first hand. We did a tour last Spring break, but didn’t visit the dorms.</p>