San Luis Obispo, CA
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Choosing to go to Cal Poly SLO has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. Its geographic location allows for people to find a variety of activities that interest them. The college town is an exciting, safe, and encouraging environment that makes living away from home way easier. I have had amazing hands on experiences in all of my classes since Cal Poly prides themselves in their learn by doing motto. I have been able to have first hand experience in classrooms as early as my first quarter at Cal Poly which has given me so much insight into my future career. Cal Poly has validated my passion of education and has continued to encourage me to pursue that passion and has exceeded my expectations in giving me an education that is preparing me for my future.

I love the city of San Luis Obisp, so it's nice to be close to the beach and downtown. Although campus food isn't always the best and the old dorms I live in are extremely cramped, the education really is what makes this school the best choice for me. The majority of the professors genuinely want you to succeed and are always willing to meet with you and help in any way they can. I have become friends with a few of my professors already for they are very open to help. I especially love the professors in my AEPS major classes. They give you so much hands-on experience and I really appreciate all the hard work they put into their jobs.

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is a great school especially for anyone who is looking to go down the engineering career path. The school has plenty of activities for students to engage in from clubs to events. The campus is a good size, has good dining options, is clean, and has good living options. Overall California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is a very pleasing school and should impress everyone.

It is a well balanced school filled with people who are generally positive, active, and didicated. Campus dining is getting better each year but they have a ways to go. The rec center is state of the art, the facilities are clean well kept and fully stalked for learning. The professors really teach the class and there is typically hands on experience which makes cal poly grads very desireable. Most people have no trouble finding internships all 3 summers of college and the things you do in class transfer into actual work. It is an excellent school and I would pick it again 100x over.

Cal Poly is located in one of the most beautiful parts of California. There are so many opportunities to explore the outdoors around the campus or even beyond the central coast. The "learn by doing" motto is lived out in every class I've taken, including GEs which is really special. The Week of Welcome, though long helps new students to get involved and transition well to the new environment. Cal Poly does have a lot of areas it needs to improve in though. The diversity of the student body and San Luis Obispo community is lacking. Because of this there isn't a lot of good ethnic food, which is a bummer. The food on campus, though improving is disappointing and always gets better on parents weekend or whenever there are anticipated visitors. This may be an issue on a lot of campuses but there are very few parking spots so it's kind of a hassle to have a car. Cal Poly does a good job of raising awareness to the issues on campus and around the world; however, because we are so far away from other communities and campuses, the city and campus can feel like they're in their own bubble and all the problems blow up. Despite all of these negative aspects, the opportunities to get plugged in and find your niche on campus are endless. If you like sports there are plenty of intramural teams. There are lots of chances to be part of drama and musical groups. We have a lot of religious groups on campus and plenty of other clubs (over 150). Students can go line dancing in town and the food off-campus is pretty good too. The farmer's market every Thursday night sells really yummy produce that is affordable for college students. Because some students feel unsafe in the campus and community, other students have worked to create an app that gives students easy access to help if they need if they are ever walking alone and feel unsafe. While I can't speak for everyone, I've noticed that the student body is willing and open to encouraging positive change.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is an amazing university with passionate professors. Coming from a small private school, I was nervous about coming to such a big school but it has exceeded my expectations. Not only are the academics top notch, but the people are truly authentic and crave knowledge. I am proud to be among thousands of hard-working, driven individuals who inspire those around them to do everything to the best of their capabilities.

California Polytechnic State University, to say the least, is a party school. They are well known for their learn-by-doing approach and there are many hands-on environments inside and outside of the classroom. For example, there are two machining shops on campus accessible to any students. However, as a whole, the academics are not very great here compared to other schools- the academics are ok enough, but not great. Most majors do not have Friday classes, so there is a very strong party scene on campus, especially every weekend. It is very common to have between one-two dozen people evacuated to a nearby hospital every weekend night due to alcohol overdose. The on campus amenities are not so great and the off campus housing scene is a nightmare- there is a law in San Luis Obispo capping new housing development and with a growing campus, there is simply not enough housing for everybody. If you are from California, the school could certainly a good fit to get a hands on education for a reasonably good deal. If you are not from California, I advise you look elsewhere. The school is implementing an "opportunity fee", which will increase out of state tuition $2,000 each year to "support diversity on campus". I can see how the school might work for some people, but I am transferring out as soon as I can. I can get better bang for my buck and academics in Colorado. I am simply not interested in spending my hard earned dollars my family saved for several decades to pay for other people to go to college- how about Californians pay themselves for their own diversity mission with their own ridiculously high taxes?

I really like it here so far. While it might not be the most inclusive of campuses based on ethnic statistics, Cal Poly puts a lot of energy into having there be something for everyone. There are definitely some downsides of attending school here. They recently changed the meal plans which are a total rip-off. Everything is super expensive here and they try to get you for every little expense. Love the school but hate the business side of it.

It is a super welcoming place and an overall great environment. Everyone is super friendly, outdoorsy, and very chill. The only bad thing that I would say is that the on campus food freshman year is terrible. The food quality is bad and overall its hard to find variety on campus

Thought I would explain the two star campus food rating. Cal Poly's dining during this year was very limited, and if you wanted to be healthy it definitely costed some money. But they're getting a new dining complex for 2018 so that should improve. College is what you make of it and you can easily find the people you connect with most. Even if you don't, don't worry about it, not everyone finds friends immediately or knows what they want to do with their lives. One thing to be prepared for at Cal Poly, and take this advice seriously. If you care about studying and you know you naturally put in a decent amount of work to get A's then its a lot harder to do extracurricular activities. I care about my grades too much to make time for other activities besides studying and I know I'm not the only one. The quarter system is rough and fast paced. For me, I thought I would do A LOT of things in college like join a bunch of clubs and work out all the time, but as you realize in the first 2 weeks, you really don't have time for that. Maybe you're smart enough where you don't have to put in the work (spoiler alert: that stuff doesn't fly in college like it did in high school, you can't just expect yourself to be gifted anymore and no one here likes a person who flatters themselves by saying how little they study but still get good grades). Ultimately, the quarter system is fast and takes up time. It's good to come in with AP because it does give you more leeway in which classes you can choose and when to take them but even choosing classes is pretty stressful with how Cal Poly does it (then again, this is the only college I've studied at so maybe they do it roughly the same at others). I do like Cal Poly for the opportunities that it gives its students to get more experience in their major. Research is a really good thing to be apart of. What ever your decision, and whatever your reasons for choosing Cal Poly, just know that whether you like it or not, you just have to make the best of it. We adapt, we learn. If you don't like the place, don't be a afraid to transfer. Life's too short to set anything in stone.