Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo, CA)
- related page: EPIC at Cal Poly
California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), 1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
Cal Poly's six academic colleges offer more than 150 undergraduate majors and minors, as well as over 50 graduate programs. Learn by Doing unifies our colleges and animates the curriculum of each — because no matter the field of study, the best way to build new knowledge is to try it out for yourself.
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Parents, please Sign in to post a review on this page.I don't have a lot of experience with Davis, but my outdoorsy kid has thrived at SLO. I really love their "learn by doing" method - it's not just a motto, but seems to be integrated into the teaching - for example, before engineering students start designing things, they learn to weld and build things and break things so they understand the materials. It's been a great fit for my hands-on kid. It seems like the other disciplines have similar approaches - there are opportunities to raise goats, restore sand dunes, study beekeeping, etc. depending on what you're studying. And the campus and surrounding area are beautiful - lots of places to bike, hike, hang out by the ocean, etc. and there's a strong music scene with house concerts and other venues. I think she'd get a great education at either school, so maybe if you have time spend a day exploring the two towns and checking out the vibe and the weather and see what feels right to her.
What is your daughter interested in pursuing as a career? Is she a hands-on learner? Cal Poly's motto is “Learn by Doing” and they really mean it. My son graduated from there in 2021 in Mechanical Engineering and he was doing engineering stuff from day one. The faculty are very student focused and students have opportunities there that are usually reserved for grad students at other universities. There are also plenty of options for non-academic pursuits. Lots of clubs, outdoor activities, and Cal Poly Arts for music, shows, etc.
Feel free to message me if you have questions.
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Considering Cal Poly and UCSC - really graduate in 4 years?
April 2011
My son has been accepted to a variety of schools and we are now wondering which schools of the ones he likes will be the most economical. Does anyone out there know if you can really get your classes and graduate at CalPoly and/or UC Santa Cruz in 4 years? He has been accepted to a few privates with aid but they run a bit over the UC tuition for us, so it wouldn't be worthwhile unless the others really don't let a student get the classes needed to graduate. CalPoly would be the cheapest and he likes it, and he could take some city college classes in the summer. I'm just wondering if it's hype or true or not, and if anyone has experience with these two schools in particular.
Our well-respected private college counselor told us to expect it to take five years if our son selected a UC or CSU school. I don't have any other experience, but wanted to share her opinion. We are taking it seriously. Remember that much of this worry is due to current and expected budget cuts, so the experience of kids just who graduated, for instance, may not be as relevant. They attended under a different budgetary situation. Best of luck with it. It sure doesn't make the decision any easier! Anne
YES. Your son can definitely graduate in 4 years from either UC Santa Cruz or Cal Poly SLO. This is a reasonable question given the horrible budget reductions looming at both UC and CSU. But Santa Cruz and Cal Poly are still great deals and the students lucky enough to be admitted will get excellent educations.
UC has a very good record on graduation rate and time-to-degree. At UC overall, the majority of students graduate in 4 years or 4 year plus one quarter and 80% graduate in 5 years or less. For students who take longer than 4 years, the issue is generally not an inability to get classes but rather a desire to take more classes than the minimum needed--for example because a student is completing a double major, is taking additional courses to help prepare for graduate work, or was away from the campus for a term or more studying abroad or whatever. This is not to say that individual students don't have frustrating moments trying to get into a needed course. (I'm sure at least one UC parent will write in with a horror story.) But students who persevere (register for classes early, put themselves on waiting lists, appeal to professors, and try again if closed out the first time) and are flexible (willing to take an 8:00 a.m class!) can generally get what they need.
At CSU, the picture is a little different: courses can be tough to get into, graduation rates are much lower, and many people take longer. But Cal Poly is not a typical CSU--its stats look a lot like a UC campus. There are a number of factors at work here: the drive and preparation levels of students matters a lot and they tend to be high at UC and at specialized CSU campuses like Cal Poly; additionally the culture at private institutions and UC/Cal Poly has an expectation that students will graduate in 4 years (less true at many CSUs). And don't forget the price effect: data shows that the more expensive an institution is, the more motivated students (and their parents!) are to finish on time.
My guess is that unless you are getting great financial aid offers from the private institutions you're looking at, UC or (especially) Cal Poly will be less expensive. And the best way to ensure your son does well in school is to send him to the place he really wants to go. Congratulations on having these options--as budget reductions shrink the size of public education in California, they will be available to fewer and fewer students.
Higher Ed expert
Not that the opinion of a stranger on the internet will sway her in the least (nor should it), but sounds like Davis to me, especially if live music is a big factor, since Sacramento has lots of venues, from tiny to arena sized. The bio/health sciences piece also dovetails with UC Davis Medical Center which is a powerhouse institution and my understanding is there are lots of internship pathways associated with it.
That said, I love SLO town and it would definitely win on the outdoor activities piece (hiking is amazing around there, and beaches within a 15 min drive).
What is your daughter interested in pursuing as a career? Is she a hands-on learner? Cal Poly's motto is “Learn by Doing” and they really mean it. My son graduated from there in 2021 in Mechanical Engineering and he was doing engineering stuff from day one. The faculty are very student focused and students have opportunities there that are usually reserved for grad students at other universities. There are also plenty of options for non-academic pursuits. Lots of clubs, outdoor activities, and Cal Poly Arts for music, shows, etc.
Feel free to message me if you have questions.
We've taken a tour of SLO, and they made it very clear that it is difficult to change majors there. This is because of the way the programs are designed. So this is something important to keep in mind.
I don't have a lot of experience with Davis, but my outdoorsy kid has thrived at SLO. I really love their "learn by doing" method - it's not just a motto, but seems to be integrated into the teaching - for example, before engineering students start designing things, they learn to weld and build things and break things so they understand the materials. It's been a great fit for my hands-on kid. It seems like the other disciplines have similar approaches - there are opportunities to raise goats, restore sand dunes, study beekeeping, etc. depending on what you're studying. And the campus and surrounding area are beautiful - lots of places to bike, hike, hang out by the ocean, etc. and there's a strong music scene with house concerts and other venues. I think she'd get a great education at either school, so maybe if you have time spend a day exploring the two towns and checking out the vibe and the weather and see what feels right to her.
If you have not already, you may want to post this question to a College Confidential forum - they have lots of folks on the site with kids at both places who may be helpful, and similar questions have come up there lately. I agree with the previous poster that what she wants to do with bio/health is key. I assume your daughter has toured both - they are quite different - the question we always asked our student was 'could you see yourself here for the next 4 years?" Congrats to her and good luck - she likelly cannot go wrong either way!
As a current Cal Poly parent and spouse of an alumnus, I recommend it. My kid has thrived there so far and enjoys all the extracurriculars you mentioned are important for your daughter. I suggest you and/or your daughter join the Cal Poly parents Facebook group. It’s an extremely active page with lots of great information. As a new admit your daughter/you can join and ask your questions and I promise you’ll get a lot of feedback, even about Davis as members may have kids who attend there as well. https://m.facebook.com/groups/CalPolySLOMustangParents/
Congratulations and good luck in whatever school she chooses!
I attended UC Davis a while back and LOVED it. One thing to consider is the weather. It is very very hot a lot of the time. It did not bother me but for many of my peers at the time it was a hard adjustment. The other thing I recall seeing others have difficulty adjusting to was the allergy season. Many people with allergies were miserable during certain months.
Again neither of these impacted me at all and I made lifelong friends there. I loved the safety and the small town feel.
Both great choices though- Good luck!