California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

Cal Poly has been great in every aspect of my life. I expect to graduate with a great job and have already had internships. My social life has been great. The students are open, friendly and fun. Who wouldn't want to go to school in a paradise close to beach, wine country and mountains to hike.

2nd Year Male -- Class 2018

Education Quality: A+, Campus Aesthetics: A-

"Learn by Doing" is an amazing component of education here. I started doing work in my concentration as a freshman and have real, hands-on experience already.

2nd Year Female -- Class 2017

Education Quality: A+, Campus Aesthetics: C

My experience at Cal Poly was mostly positive. College is what you make of it and I tried hard to make my college experience valuable. However there were some negatives that shouldn't be overlooked by any prospective students.

Campus: A mix of really old and brand new buildings. No real building uniformity if that matters to you. There's still a shortage of on-campus housing due to the university accepting more students than it can support. They are building some additional dorms in 2015 - so hopefully it won't be an issue in the future.

SLO: Everybody seems to love this town. I've been to other universities in California and nothing could beat the small town college vibe that SLO offers. I'm from LA and being in SLO felt like a vacation.

Academics: If you've worked hard in high school or community college to get into Cal Poly, you'll do fine. Lots of frustrating group projects. I was kind of disappointed by my Business peers who didn't have much knowledge about anything going on in the world around them. Seriously ask a business major who are state senators are... "uh I don't know brah, anyways let's go to the beach later." All that being said, the academics are solid.

Student body: In recent years the administration has really pushed for more diversity and it shows. Nobody wants to admit this but most people just end up hanging out with their own race. You can see this in all the clubs and organizations the campus promotes. The student body has some genuinely bright people, but most people take themselves a little to seriously here. Most people are attractive, fit, and kind of boring once you start talking with them. Friendly but bland.

Professors: I really like the fact that this isn't a UC school. Professors are accessible and are focused on teaching instead of their own research. Classes are small making it easier to actually get to know your professor.

Extra curricular activities: I like the outdoors and SLO is a good place for that kind of thing. Surfing, kayaking, fishing, hiking, biking, camping, ATVing are readily available. The downtown area is nice if you're over 21. Try line dancing at least once at the Grad. Most of the campus organizations aren't active so you need to figure this stuff out on your own.

Administration: They have pretty much shut down the sorority/frat party scene. They accept way to many students than the school has room for, in an effort to keep you in school longer and keep dishing out that tuition money.

4th Year Male -- Class 2011

Surrounding City: A+, Innovation: F