<p>Possibly, I can be of some help. I think that you are going in the right direction with regards to looking into a polytechnic learning environment. You did not mention your stats, but even if you think that you are not qualified – apply anyway. </p>
<p>A UC will give you a theory and research based education and a polytechnic school will give you much more practical experience. My kid has already chosen the polytechnic path because he wants a “hands on” experience. Employers love new grads that they can hire and get up and working fast without too much retraining. The Cal Poly’s (both SLO and Pomona) will give you lots of internship opportunities and if you perform well those firms often hire you prior to graduation. I spoke to one kid at Cal Poly Pomona on a recent tour there that told me that he has been doing an internship at Edison for two years and was offered a $70K starting salary beginning immediately upon graduation this year.</p>
<p>With regards to jobs prospects, Cal Poly SLO and Cal Poly Pomona are excellent. If you are unsure if you can get into CP SLO then apply to CP Pomona as well. I have spoken to several working engineers in the Los Angeles area who actively recruit new grads and both schools have a great reputation and actually pull starting salaries equal to, or in the case of CP SLO, exceeding grads from the UC programs. Additionally, in Southern California, CP Pomona has an excellent reputation and you will be considered on par with almost any other school. For example, I was told by one of the professors at CP Pomona that at JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) the largest contingent of staff engineers at the organization are CP Pomona grads. My point? Apply to CP SLO and also apply to CP Pomona. Get at least a 3.0 GPA by graduation and you should not have any discriminatory issues with your job search based on school name recognition. The son of one of my colleagues got his engineering degree from CSU Northridge – not a well know school for engineering. However, he went on to get his MS at Northwestern and has always had good jobs due to good performance. Just get your degree and if you still desire prestige than get a MS from a top school.</p>
<p>One more thing – you will have far more lab time at one of the Cal Poly’s than a UC. No idea about regular CSU campuses. As far as competitions go, I know for a fact that CP Pomona places extremely well in a global competitions.</p>