California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Top Questions

If you are not sure which major or feild you would like to pursue do not attend Cal Poly Slo. Also, if your major is in the liberal arts college I recomend going to a different school. Dont go to this school if you are not willing to be independent. You will be pressured to either party and drink or to go to church, so if you dont want to drink but are not religious, like me, dont go to this school.

I would say someone who does not know what they want to major in. Cal Poly SLO has you declare your major prior to applying. Although you can change majors the process can be long and hard. So I would suggest if someone is going to apply to Cal Poly SLO they should know what they want to major in.

This school is a great place to discuss ideas and expand one's perspective. If you are a person who has very strong beliefs, and is easily offended by discussions on the complexities of life, religion, or politics then you should not attend this school. If you harbor resentments towards any race, religion, or people with a different sexual orientation than your own, do not come to this school. The students and faculty here take pride in the tolerance and open mindedness of our school, and acceptance of all who want to learn and improve themselves.

Someone who thrives on a competitive environment and does not play well with others should consider a different school. Every member of the community seems to err on the side of being helpful to strangers and paying it forward with knowledge and advice. People who do well with book learning in a narrow field as opposed to hands-on learning across disciplines may not be the best fit either. This school tends to focus on collaborative, project-based courses.

The type of person that likes cold weather only, and doesn't like to reach out to make new friends. Also, if you don't enjoy outdoor activities or the beach, I wouldn't recommend Cal Poly. If you aren't a hard working student I wouldn't recommend this school either.

A person who is driven to succeed without being pushed. People at this university have self-motiviation and are prepared to put in the hours to succeed because It is more difficult to learn by doing actual work that represents work in the future but it is more rewarding and makes students more able to achieve more later in life.

A person who shouldn't attend this school include those interested in law because there isn't a law program at Cal Poly. If you don't like warm weather, Cal Poly is not for you.

If the student grew up in an ethnically diverse community, coming to Cal Poly would be somewhat of a culture shock. Cal Poly's population is heavily white dominated. Ethnic foods in the immediate San Luis Obispo area is not very good. If he or she comes from a big city and is not very adaptable, then he/she will have a difficult time living in this area.

The quarter system at Cal Poly is very fast-paced so if you prefer greater periods of time to learn material (such as semesters) then this may not be the school for you.

Someone who is unfriendly or close-minded and does not place a strong emphasis on academic success and putting in the effort to be successful academically.

If you hate having fun or enjoying life I would advise against going to Cal Poly SLO. It is an amazing school for both of those activities, in addition tot he great education you will get whiel there.

Students who are unmotivated would not do well here. Also, students who are not sure what they want to do in life will likely have difficulty because Cal Poly requires students to commit to a major at the beginning of their first year.

There is not a type of person who should not attend this school

The kind of person who shouldn't attend this school would be someone who doesn't want to learn, someone with a high paying job already or someone who hates life.

Everyone would love this school.

A person that is very unique. It is hard to be eclectic in this environment because you would be the only one like that here. This school supports the arts in graphic design, journalism, and architecture. Philosophy, art, and theatre are not Cal Poly's strong suites. Liberal arts and even liberal people would have a hard time fitting in here. Cal Poly is a technical school that is geared more towards the hard sciences. Cal Poly is known more for its "nerds" than its

Do not come here if you crave diversity and action. The community is largely Caucasian, and from what I have experienced so far, insulated from much of the world, or even country in terms of current events and news. Coming here puts you in a different world, and it takes a conscious effort to seek out diversity or wordly news. There are things like student ethnic or religious groups on campus, but again it takes conscious effort to find them. Also, in things like the campus newspaper, the section reserved for wordly news can barely qualify as a paragraph.

Cal Poly is very focused on learning by doing, which involves a great amount of team work and group projects. People who have trouble working in teams would either benefit greatly from the skills that they learn when it comes to this area, or should choose not to go here if they have a different learning style.

Diversity is emphasized at Cal-Poly, and many people that go to the school appreciate a hands-on education. The ideal Cal-Poly student would be someone who enjoys a more suburban environment, enjoys the outdoors, and must be very willing to apply what they learn to real life scenarios.

One who is unsure of their intended major. You are required to choose upon applying and they make it difficult to change.

A person who is not able to take their time to apply what they learn by doing. Someone who needs time to grasp a concept, cal poly runs in a quarter system so everything is fast paced. Anyone who does not like hills.

The only type of person who shouldn?t attend this school is someone who doesn?t like to work. Everything is work here. You got to go up hills to get to your classes. You got study every night to do well in your classes. It is necessary for you to go and exercise at the gym to relieve stress. I could list all sorts of things, but it is easier to say CalPoly: SLO is not for the lazy or the people who like a easy life. Its work, all the time.

A person who should not attend this school is one who needs a lot of attention and focus from outside sources because while there is many resources to go to if a student needs help with schooling, personal needs, or financial help people will not come to the student. The student has to ask and do research to find help because of the fast pace setting of this school it can be come very intimidating and cause a person's school work or even social life to suffer.

a close-minded city person that doesn't enjoy nature or different views.

You shouldn't attend this school if you are not self motivated and if you haven't already established good study habits, you won't make it beyond the first year. It was a tough school to get into, but being at the top of your class in high school may only make you an average student at this school. You will now be competing with people who are equal and, usually, academically superior to you.

Someone who needs a city life not revolved around the school within it. Cal Poly is far from major cities and unless you can become staisfied with rolling hills, farm country, and a whole lot of beautiful coastal views this school is not for you. We are on a quarter system that is only ten weeks long; extremely fast. And our professors are not research, and we do not have a surplus of graduate students to help professors as UC's do.

Any one one doesnt take school and life serious.

If you want to get lost in a sea of people you should not attend Cal Poly. We are a medium-sized institution, but I would say for the most part our classes are on the small side and participation in discussions is required. San Luis Obispo fosters a very outdoorsy lifestyle so I would also reccommend not attending if you prefer to be indoors and dislike activities like hiking and biking.

Laid back, wants small class sizes, enjoys hands on learning, and will come to class. Participation counts for alot in small classes. This is an earthy, green town. No drivethoughs or late night clubs. Love the outdoors.

Some one who doesn't like contraversy.

People who just want to party and skate through school.

Someone who loves the city.

Extremely conservative.

I wish more ethnic minorities would attend, but unless changes happen, I find it hard to attract minorities to Cal Poly. I think they should attend this school, but it can be hard because they most likely won't be comfortable.

One who isn't willing to get out there and make friends

Anyone who wants to live in a BIG town might not like the city that much. San Luis Obispo isn't the biggest place and is surrounded by cattle and crop fields. Gets wonderfully green in the Spring. It's like the Shire from Lord of the Rings but with rocky hills all over the place. The town is littered churches (great people by the way) but the downtown has plenty to offer in the way of food places, movie theatres, and bars. Also, Cal Poly is heavy on the workload for many majors: Arch, Engineering, Sciences, Mathematics (not Business).

Someone who is lazy and doesn't want to put effort in their school and party all the time instead.

Cal Poly is a fast paced school, due to the quarter system, that is very academically driven and often times stressful. Anyone who does not have good time management and can't handle stress should not attend this school.

If you're not going to take your classes or your grades seriously, don't come. Just like any other college, you have to do the work and study for the tests if you're going to succeed. If you're more into partying, getting drunk, or doing drugs, you will fail out in a very short period of time.

Since you have to declare a major coming in, Cal Poly is not right for someone who has no idea what they want to do or study. Changing majors here is not impossible, but rather impractical and can extend your stay here. Also, if a student wants to be havily involved in research, Cal Poly is not the best choice. Although there are some research projects that occur, it is not the main focus of the professors. Their main concern is on teaching. Cal Poly is not right for anyone who wants to go to a larger school.

Someone who will not be able to self-motivate themselves or deal with academic pressure.

I think that most people could find a great way to fit in at Cal Poly. There are so many different opportunities to join groups, clubs and sports. I really think that there is something for everyone. But someone who doesn't like a big campus or really competitive classes should probably choose a different school.

SLO really has a little bit for everyone!

beacuse it is on the quarter system, if you cant learn things at a much faster pace than high shcool then do not attend. it is a very demanding academic year and if you dont know how to put your priorities first and manage your time then this is not the school for you. it takes some time to get used to.

Anyone who isn't willing to spend a lot of time studying... who isn't a self-starter... etc. Also, anyone who isn't comfortable being on a mostly conservative campus.