Why choose Cal Poly compared to other colleges?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
1

<p>So I am a senior in high school and I applied to quite a few schools to keep my options open. I live in California and I plan on majoring in engineering (possibly Aersopace) or computer science in college. </p>

<p>I got rejected from 3 (all UC’s–CA budget cuts) and waitlisted for 3, and got into all the rest. As my family is a middle-income family, we can’t afford for me to go out of state unless I get good scholarships or finaid (my FAFSA EFC is $22,000). I applied and got into: University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Univeristy of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Purdue University, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Rose-Hulman IT, Cal Poly SLO, University of Washington Seattle, UC Santa Barbara. I got waitlisted for: UC Davis (which I expected to get into…), Carnegie Mellon, and Johns Hopkins. </p>

<p>Basically, based on financial matters more than anything else, I have narrowed it down to Cal Poly SLO (total costs per year are roughly $21,000) and Rose-Hulman IT (total costs per year are roughly $28,000–they gave me good scholarships). Ranking wise, according to the latest US News report for “Best Undergraduate Engineering Schools where doctorate is not offered”, Rose-Hulman IT is 1st (tied with Harvey Mudd) and Cal Poly is 6th. I know ranking isn’t everything but I am very confused between the two. Rose-Hulman IT is amazing, I’ve always wanted to go out of state, plus it’s a small private school which is always good. However Cal Poly is cheap, good, and I will stay close to my family, even though California schools are going through rough budget crises. I kind of still really want to go to Purdue or Urbana or even Michigan, but they’re so expensive and they didn’t give me a good FinAid package.</p>

<p>Obviously, I will wait for my three waitlists because if I get into alteast one of them, chances are good I will go there. But I need to SIR soon…and my parents and I are unable to make a decision yet. Any advice or suggestions??</p>

2

<p>So I am a senior in high school and I applied to quite a few schools to keep my options open. I live in California and I plan on majoring in engineering (possibly Aersopace) or computer science in college. </p>

<p>I got rejected from 3 (all UC’s–CA budget cuts) and waitlisted for 3, and got into all the rest. As my family is a middle-income family, we can’t afford for me to go out of state unless I get good scholarships or finaid (my FAFSA EFC is $22,000). I applied and got into: University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Univeristy of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Purdue University, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Rose-Hulman IT, Cal Poly SLO, University of Washington Seattle, UC Santa Barbara. I got waitlisted for: UC Davis (which I expected to get into…), Carnegie Mellon, and Johns Hopkins. </p>

<p>I grew up in Indiana and have llived in San Diego for most of my adult life. </p>

<p>Ranking wise, according to the latest US News report for “Best Undergraduate Engineering Schools where doctorate is not offered”, Rose-Hulman IT is 1st (tied with Harvey Mudd) and Cal Poly is 6th. I know ranking isn’t everything but I am very confused between the two. Rose-Hulman IT is amazing, I’ve always wanted to go out of state, plus it’s a small private school which is always good. </p>

<p>Rose-Hulman is a great little school. I grew up near Evansville and went to school at Bloomington. Terre Haute is a nice city, but it does get cold in the winte and hot and humid in the summers. Mid Westerners are great people, but very different from Californians. </p>

<p>However Cal Poly is cheap, good, and I will stay close to my family, even though California schools are going through rough budget crises. I kind of still really want to go to Purdue or Urbana or even Michigan, but they’re so expensive and they didn’t give me a good FinAid package.</p>

<p>These area all great schools. Theyare also going to be VERY cold in the winters, As long as you are prepared. Pudue. Michigan and Illinois are all Big Ten Schools and you will get a big campus community experience. I just got back from Cal Poly and I loved it there. I really am impressed with the students and their model of “learning by doing”. I also liked the small class sizes.</p>

<p>I think you need to ask yourself where you may want to pursue a career, because you want to be in an area that has strong alumni contacts. If you want to stay in Indiana, you can’t go wrong with Purdue or Rose-Hulman. What colleges do recruiters like the best? Which school has the best placement for jobs? What are the learning models? Opportunities for research and internships?</p>

<p>These are all great choices.</p>

3

<p>You might take a look at the curriculum of your major at Cal Poly vs some of the other colleges you’re considering. Note how many labs are required in conjunction with the courses at Cal Poly compared to the other colleges. Cal Poly really does live by its “learning by doing” philosophy. Nearly every engineering, physics and science course will have a corresponding lab. </p>

<p>If you’re the kind of student who loves learning practical applications of theory, then you’ll probably be very happy at Cal Poly. If the thought of building a circuit board or a robot excites you and you can’t wait to start soldering, then Cal Poly is for you. If on the other hand you’d much rather be studying the purely theoretical underpinnings of engineering, then you’d probably be very unhappy at Cal Poly. It’s not for everyone. Think about what you love, and use that to select the best college (or type of college) for you.</p>