<p>My husband and I were on a weekend away in SLO and we walked around the campus. I have been twice with our son on a regular tour and the engineering tour. My husband had never seen the school. The weather was beautiful as always! Once again I had a great feeling about Cal Poly. It was very quiet on a Saturday afternoon, but everyone we saw looked happy and relaxed. My husband especially liked the views from the Cerra Vista dorms. He thought the campus was a good size and easy to find your way around. a must for our son!</p>
<p>We also spent some time walking around downtown. Again, the people seemed so warm and friendly and we saw a lot of students in groups, enjoying th sunshine and the shops and restaurants. </p>
<p>Our son has applied to several UC’s and University of The Pacific. Here are his stats:</p>
<p>Materials Engineering
4.0 unweighted
4.27 UC
not sure what the Cal Poly GPA is
ACT 35 (both times)
SAT 800M
680CR
middle of the road for EC’s and good leadership because he is a guitar instructor and a tutor</p>
<p>We are pretty sure that he will get in to at least 2 of the UC’s he applied to and UOP, but I really love Cal Poly. I hope he will go there. It just seems like an awesome education and a friendly place to grow and learn. Everyone we know who attends Cal Poly currently or in the past loves it! Not to mention it is more affordable! Our son is waiting to see where he is accepted before he decides.</p>
<p>Decisions are coming soon! best of luck to everyone!</p>
<p>^He will only go there if he decides to become a pharmacist. He has applied to the pre-pharmacy program there. Awhile back we thought that would be a well paying job that is in demand and helps people. Not so sure now. There are a lot of pharmacy schools now and perhaps too many pharmacists by the time he is done. Not to mention the cost of the program and the possibility of being stuck in a job he will be bored with.</p>
<p>CP is a great place and I hope that you are accepted aj and my son too!</p>
<p>My son is in Materials Engineering at Cal Poly (3rd year) and he loves it. It is a relatively small department within the College of Engineering, and kind of has a “family” feel to the department. He really likes MOST of his MATE professors, too. He made a solar water heater his freshman year in his MATE class, and last year he built a light measurement system (with his project team). This year they watched surgery on cadavers and are working on design improvement for artificial joints for humans. He’s done computerized modeling and and machining, lathing and milling, and now casting in the machine shop. The school is very “hands on” but also teaches all the theory and academically challenging courses (like calculus, physics, chem, strength of materials, etc.) and is a great educational program. I think Cal Poly is hard to beat for engineering, but I’m starting to understand why most kids can’t finish the program in only 4 years. There are over 190 credits required for most engineers, and that includes tons of labs that take 3 hours of class (per week) for one unit of credit.</p>
<p>Good luck to your son. With his stats, he should get accepted to most places including CP!</p>
<p>Thanks for the positive info Ralph4. There aren’t too many people in Materials E so it is great to hear from someone who likes it. My son wasn’t sure which type of engineering would be best for him, but the description of MATE sounded the most interesting. What do you and your son think about job prospects? Was you son a “hands on” type kid before Cal Poly. My son hasn’t had a lot of experience with that sort of thing, but he wants to learn. he does well with theory. No worries there. Any other info or advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>AVHSDad Not sure of his rank. We think top 5% He did not make ELC at his school even with his great stats. Too many kids there take every AP you can and he did not do that. Would AV stand for Amador Valley in P-Town by any chance? If so…that is where my son goes!</p>
<p>Exactly! Too cool! You are exactly right about our HS being competitive. With a 3.6 UW (3.7 after this semester) DS has no chance of breaking the top 10%, but did great on his SAT1. I think they’re both likely to be accepted at CP. Great score on your son’s ACT by the way. DS took ACT also and got 33 both times. The decision will be his but we applied to a LOT of schools and already have a great offer from Tulane (my first choice!). We’re worried about the budget impact on the UC and State schools, so we’re leaning towards private. You can check out his stats and schools in my profile under College Visits => Stats Profile.</p>
<p>That is so cool! I wonder if our boys know each other? I tried to look at his stats, but didn’t find it. I’m not sure I am doing it right. I sent you a private message, so maybe you can tell me there. Our son is only applying to CA schools. We are worried about the public school issues too, but we want him close to home. Congrats on the acceptance to Tulane!</p>
<p>We are thinking of visiting Cal Poly once we hear whether or not our son gets accepted into the mechanical engineering program. Does anyone know if it is possible to have an admitted student sit in on a class. Our son has been accepted into UCD (ELC) and Santa Clara and we are trying to help get a feel for the classroom experience at each place.</p>
<p>Have you taken the Engineering Tour? During ours we got to observe and interact with a team of students working on and monitoring satellites that they had built and had launched into orbit on a Russian missile. The enthusiasm and energy emanating from this “mission control center” blew us away and sold my son and me on Cal Poly. Sitting in on a class is not a bad idea but the class lecture is not what distinguishes Cal Poly. It’s the “learn by doing” projects the students do and I highly recommend that you try to observe one of them in action in ME.</p>
<p>Yes, my son and I went on the engineering tour. We did get to see some students working, but nothing as exciting as what you saw! That sounds very cool! We saw many labs, but they were often empty ones. We still thought it was great and could also feel the enthusiasm from the students. </p>
<p>I think you can call or e-mail the department about sitting in on a class. I’m sure they have rules about that as they have thousands of students visit the campus. Let su know what you find out. I think it is a good idea for you to make a decision between 3 great schools like Santa Clara, Davis and Cal Poly. They are all excellent schools.</p>
<p>If you know a junior senior in ME @ Cal Poly he/she might be able to arrange it. Otherwise, once he’s accepted, I’d call the dept. and see what they can do for you.
(BTW, my niece went to Santa Clara and loved it so much she works there now and is going for her MBA)</p>
<p>HE HAS A 4.0 UNWEIGHTED GPA 35 ON THE ACT IF HE APPLIED TO UC BERKELEY HE WOULD GET ACCEPTED, their average is only a 30. HE ALSO HAS A PHENOMENAL CHANCE AT STANFORD</p>
<p>sorry i had to do caps because he did get a 35 and a 4.0</p>
<p>Thanks FutureENT. The thing is there are a lot of kids with similar stats who apply to UC Berkeley and they have many more ECCs than my son. He was not in any clubs in HS. The main thing he has is being a dedicated guitar player and teacher. We know that this can hurt his chances at the schools where ECCs matter more.</p>
<p>The other thing is. I want him to be happy and I am not sure going to Berkeley will be right for him. Very stressful and competitive. He would feel great about being accepted and having the chance to choose, but Cal Poly may still be the right choice for him. We will soon see!<br>
Thanks again for the enthusiasm about his stats. I am proud of his hard work!</p>
<p>I hate to say this, but of the 16,000 or so students who had a 4.0 or above who apply to Berkeley every year, only about half are accepted. Same with those with astronomical SAT scores (I don’t remember seeing the overall stats of those who only submitted ACTs). One of the three students from my son’s high school who applied with an unweighted 4.0 and a 35 on the ACT was rejected.</p>
<p>The data I saw didn’t have the acceptance rate of those with a combination of amazing grades and SAT scores, but I think it’s safe to say that no one is a sure bet for admission.</p>
<p>However, having said that, momofmv’s son has an excellent chance of admission to Cal Poly (assuming he’s in state?) My son was admitted to EE last year with lesser stats than hers. And I think your sense of the differences between the undergraduate program at Berkeley and Cal Poly are correct. Berkeley and Cal Poly have very different priorities and styles. For kids who enjoy hands-on activities, and who gravitate towards practical application of knowledge rather than in-depth study of theory, Cal Poly is a great place.</p>
<p>momofmv: i am sorry for the outburst. i just wish my mom was more like you. she wants me to go to the most prestigous school that accepts me and i am a little afraid of schools like UCSD, UCD, berkeley since the premed curriculum is very rigorous and that medical school dosent care about prestige, just about GPA and MCAT. </p>
<p>i visited cal poly on a college trip about 2 weeks ago after semester ended and it was great. i really cant say what was the one thing i liked about it but it just felt right. </p>
<p>FutureENT Thank you for the compliment. I will be very proud of my son if he is accepted to a prestigous school, but ultimately I want him to be happy where he goes because he will learn better and have time to become a well rounded person. I am sure that your mom wants this for you as well.</p>
<p>You have very high aspirations to go to med school. Good for you! </p>
<p>It looks like you have been working hard in school and also getting in some great ECCs. That is important for the UCs, but not really for Cal Poly. It is all about numbers for the most part. Since you are a junior, I would say that you should try to get your GPA up as high as you can. Your ACT score is great. Remember that the UCs want the subject tests scores too, so be sure those are as highas possible. You would be a reach for many of the UCs in Bio. The average is closer to 3.9 I think. I think you look good for Cal Poly and you will be able to see the scores of the Bio majors who are accepted this year. There are so many factors involved. Just do your best and I am sure you will get into a good school and learn. The top schools are not the best for everyone.</p>
<p>I’m glad you liked the feel of Cal Poly too. I think that is important. You will be living and learning at the college you choose. Who wants to be miserable?</p>
<p>I know i dont want to miserable. anyways i also forgot to mention i have taken 12 honors/ ap classes freshman to junior year and that is why my unweighted gpa is lacking. Also none of the honors classes i took sopomore year gave me an extra uc point. i wish i wouldve known this last year but what is done is done. this year i also made another mistake when i took 5 ap classes because i can only get up to 8 semester honors credit so i kinda work hard for nothing. </p>
<p>i have 3 questions:
Does Cal Poly look consider all the honors classes i took or just the GPA?<br>
In terms on percent what are my chances early decision vs. regular admission
Does Cal Poly look at Senior coursework closely? because next year im only taking AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, English 4, and American Goverment with 2 dismissals every semester.</p>