<p>I'm a rising senior and I plan on applying as an engineering major (torn between Chemical and Materials) to eight schools this upcoming fall. Cal Poly doesn't have rankings I can use to compare its programs to other schools so I was hoping you all could help me place it in my list.</p>
<p>Stanford
Berkeley
UCLA
UCSD
UC Davis
UCSB
UCI</p>
<p>Which schools would cal poly beat out for engineering? Thanks for all input.</p>
<p>These are the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Rankings from US News:</p>
<h1>5 Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs At schools where doctorate not offered</h1>
<h1>3 Civil At schools where doctorate not offered</h1>
<h1>2 Computer At schools where doctorate not offered</h1>
<h1>3 Electrical / Electronic / Communications At schools where doctorate not offered</h1>
<h1>3 Mechanical At schools where doctorate not offered</h1>
<p>Cal Poly Pomona is #16 Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs At schools where doctorate not offered</p>
<p>From what I’ve heard, SLO provides a much more hands-on education compared to all the schools you listed above. I do not know which schools SLO “beat out”, but I do know that SLO is very well respected in the engineering world.</p>
<p>Cal Poly SLO is good, but it has only materials science and engineering, not chemical engineering, if that is of concern.</p>
<p>If chemical engineering is of interest, University of Minnesota Twin Cities should be under consideration (has relatively low out of state list price which is comparable to UC in state list price).</p>
<p>While SLO is great, Stanford and Cal are in the top 3 in the nation in Eng…</p>
<p>Also is cost a consideration?</p>
<p>I suggest that you look at the rankings in a different way. What do employers think of Cal Poly SLO grads? This is really the question. This can be easily determined by how much they will pay. Cal Poly SLO engineering grads consistently earn among the highest starting salaries in the market. In fact, higher starting salaries than any other California public school. See link: [Cal</a> Poly grads’ median starting salary highest among CSU, UC campuses | KSBY.com | San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Paso Robles](<a href=“http://www.ksby.com/news/cal-poly-grads-median-starting-salary-highest-among-csu-uc-campuses/]Cal”>http://www.ksby.com/news/cal-poly-grads-median-starting-salary-highest-among-csu-uc-campuses/) and [Cal</a> Poly Grads, Alumni Earn Top Starting, Mid-Career Salaries - Cal Poly](<a href=“http://ceng.calpoly.edu/news/cal-poly-grads-alumni-earn-top-starting-mid-career/]Cal”>http://ceng.calpoly.edu/news/cal-poly-grads-alumni-earn-top-starting-mid-career/)</p>
<p>It keeps getting better and better too.</p>
<p>Also, lets look at what recruiter say: [School</a> Rankings by College Major – Job Recruiter Top Picks - WSJ.com](<a href=“School Rankings by College Major – Job Recruiter Top Picks - WSJ”>School Rankings by College Major – Job Recruiter Top Picks - WSJ)</p>
<p>Here the Wall Street Journal ranks Cal Poly above UCLA and all other UC’s and any other California school (public or private) except UC Berkeley and Stanford. Cal Poly ranked 18th nationally for engineering in this category. They did very well in business too at No.# 22.</p>
<p>You must recognize that in this economy, getting a job after graduation in your chosen field is paramount. Cal Poly is a top regional school that also ranks nationally with all the national universities when it comes the specialties it teaches best. Namely STEM majors, Architecture, Agriculture and Business. Not too shabby for liberal arts either, but Cal Poly is a powerhouse when it comes to engineering and other specific majors. It will also come at a 30-40% discount over a UC and half or more than half that of a private such as Harvey Mudd or USC.</p>
<p>Anyway, the school is worth your time to investigate. However, remember there is no ChemE degree at Cal Poly SLO. Cal Poly Pomona has it. But, if I were you I’d look very closely at UC Santa Barbara for ChemE if you are looking to go to a UC.</p>
<p>Out of that list, I’d say Cal Poly (SLO that is) beats out all on your list except for Berkeley, Stanford, and UCSD</p>
<p>(in terms of preparing you for industry, not research. I’d say for research since all the other institutions are heavy research universities with PHD programs, SLO does not beat any of them, except for UCI.)</p>