Back in December I attended was invited to visit CaliforniaPolytechnic State University – or Cal Poly for short. While I’ve visited a good
number of colleges on the west coast, I have never visited the central coast of
California and was eager to learn why the city of San Luis Obispo is nicknamed the
Happiest Place in America (not to be confused with this place, which calls
itself the Happiest Place on Earth.
Getting There: This
was definitely an adventure. San Luis Obispo has a tiny airport and there are
no direct flights from the east coast.
You can connect through San Francisco or Los Angeles and take a prop
plan into SLO or, if prop planes make you nervous you can connect through
Phoenix. I opted for a connecting flight
in San Francisco and upon landing in San Francisco I learned that my flight had
been cancelled due to bad weather in other parts of the state. This turned out
to be a blessing in disguise because I rented a car and drove down the coast
from San Francisco to San Luis Obispo. If you have never been to the west coast
I highly recommend making the drive at least once. I've lived my whole life on
the East coast and the beautiful geography of the California coastline never
ceases to amaze me (mountains and beaches and more mountains and more beaches –
the scenery is truly breathtaking.
The University: Cal
Poly is a public institution (part of the 23-campus California State University system, not to be confused with the 10 campus University of California system).
The student body is mid-sized for a public institution at 19,703 and houses six
undergraduate colleges (Agriculture, Food & Environmental Sciences,
Architecture and Environmental Design, Business, Engineering, Liberal Arts,
Science and Math. Students apply directly to a major and admission criteria
varies from college to college so it’s important to study up on all of the
programs before applying!
The Campus: Wow,
wow, wow! The campus is self-contained, residential, and walkable. Best of all,
it is filed with palm trees, surrounded by mountains (I snapped photo after
photo of the palm trees and the mountains…it is so different from our geography
on the East coast), and a short jaunt from the ocean. The facilities are
fantastic and include state of the art and modern engineering, business, and
science facilities. The fitness center, complete with an outdoor rock climbing
wall, is among the nicest, most student friend, and best equipped fitness
centers I have ever toured.
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| Seeing the stables that are part of the School of Agriculture was such a treat for DC counselors! |
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| There is a working dairy farm at the School of Agriculture - part of Cal Poly's Learn By Doing philosophy. |
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| Outdoor pool at the fitness center with a beautiful view. Yes, you can swim in the outdoor pool in December! |
The Students: Cal
Poly’s guiding philosophy is “Learn by Doing” and we heard this again and again
from the students. The curriculum focuses on real world application and Cal
Poly students are doing projects and presentations and internships and are so
actively engaged in their programs of study. I heard so much about academics
and studying and research that I was beginning to worry that they didn’t have
any fun (this is definitely not a party school!). I should not have been worried because the
students I met were eager to share about their lives outside of academics. When
they are not studying or interning, students venture into San Luis Obispo which
has a very lively and beautiful downtown area with shops and restaurants and
things do to (a smaller and more family friendly version of M Street – with palm
trees – have I mentioned the mountains?). I would describe Cal Poly students as
“outdoorsy” so they also spend time hiking and exploring the amazing coastline,
horseback riding (you can “borrow” a horse and take horseback riding classes on
campus or you can board your own horse in the stables on campus). Apparently it is not unheard of for a student
to ride a horse to class (you won’t see that at Boston College!). The beach is
also a popular destination and I learned that Cal Poly is one of the top “surfschools” in the country. Greek life is also popular and those over 21 sometimes
venture into the nearby wineries (Cal Poly offers a degree in Wine andViticulture). Obviously there is plenty of fun to experience! And because I get
this question all the time, the student “uniform” seems to be jeans and cowboy
boots or workout pants, a t-shirt, and flip-flops. The students are
hard-working but laid back California casual in their appearance (no J Crew or
Sperrys or otherwise preppy attire in sight!)
Who Should Consider
Cal Poly: If you are adventurous enough to consider colleges on the west
coast please look beyond UCLA, UC Berkeley, and USC! If you like those
colleges, you will like Cal Poly. If you are looking for a top Engineering or
Architecture program, look at Cal Poly. They boast some of the strongest
programs in the country in both fields. If you like UC Boulder but are worried
about the size, think of Cal Poly. If you like the idea of hiking and biking
and warm weather year round, this is your school!
Thank you to the wonderful admissions staff at Cal Poly for
an amazing visit and wonderful hospitality.
Published by: TSM
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