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Are the two schools i dunno much about. Can somoene shed some light on these two schools. Thanks

By Coureur (Coureur) on Sunday, October 19, 2003 - 01:17 pm: Edit

I don't know Cal Poly very well, but UC Davis is an excellent large state university. It started as Berkeley's agricultural school back around 1900, and agriculture is still one of its strengths even though it has grown into a full service university.

It's strong in the sciences (particularly biological) and engineeering. It is the top school in the world to study wine-making and wine grape growing. It has a medical school, a veterinary school, a law school, and a business school. It has a fairly strong academic atmosphere - It's not quite Caltech, but it's not a school for slackers either.

It's a large university in a small town making Davis perhaps the only true college town left in California. And it's a great little town. Everything you need is right there in easy biking distance. Sacramento is a short drive away.

The area is flat and rural - about an hour west of the ski slopes of Tahoe and an hour east of the bright lights of the Bay area. The weather is rather hot and dry in the summer and kind of cool and foggy/rainy in the winter. It almost never gets cold enough to snow there.

By Alex00087 (Alex00087) on Sunday, October 19, 2003 - 11:55 pm: Edit

Thats funny, UC Davis and Calpoly are the only two schools I really really really want.

Let me shed some light on California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo.

It located a couple minutes away from the beach, very nice weather warm sunny, slightly windy being near the ocean. Famous for Science and Engineering Schools. Part of the California state system. Must declare a major before applying. SAT II's not required. (unlike Davis) San Luis Obispo is a charming beach city located in almost exactly the middle between the Northern CA SF Bay Area and Southern CA Los Angeles.

Also, UC Davis is THE largest UC campus in terms of square acerage because it is spread out over farms and fields. A Bike is ABSOLUTELY necessary to get to your classes. From one end of the campus to the other it is a 30 minute bike ride (said our tour guide). I know a freshman there who forgot his bike the first week of school and had to get up an hour early to sprint to his classes that week!

By Highschoolda (Highschoolda) on Monday, October 20, 2003 - 01:06 am: Edit

Sounds nice guys. I like sciences;engineering and medicine are what i am thinking about... Cal Poly SLO is less attractive because it is Cal State which is not very highly though of.

By Dylan (Dylan) on Monday, October 20, 2003 - 01:35 am: Edit

Don't underestimate Cal Poly SLO. For math, sciences, and engineering, Cal Poly SLO is -very- highly thought of. It's basically the California State University's answer to Berkeley. It's not quite Berkeley, but it's generally regarded as better than most of the UCs with the exception of UCLA, Cal, and maybe San Diego.

By Ellemenope (Ellemenope) on Monday, October 20, 2003 - 01:11 pm: Edit

Ditto to Dylan's remark about Cal Poly SLO's engineering program. It is very, very highly regarded. Also their architecture program. But these programs are VERY competitive to get into.

By Uschicka (Uschicka) on Tuesday, October 21, 2003 - 09:30 pm: Edit

Cal Poly is an amazing school with a great reputation. My sister goes there and loves it. She couldn't say enough about it. It is very rigorous and tough to get into. It's not some lowly CSU. My sister was valedictorian of our competitive high school, and everyone else I know who goes there is brilliant.

It is in a really cute area, with lots of fun beach towns around. There is a good balance of academics and social scene. I really wanted to go there (I had been planning on it for about 5 years) but then they didn't really have my major, and I got into USC. I'm at USC now and love it, but I know that Cal Poly would have been great too. Don't disregard Cal Poly.

By Uschicka (Uschicka) on Tuesday, October 21, 2003 - 09:36 pm: Edit

Cal Poly is an amazing school with a great reputation. My sister goes there and loves it. She couldn't say enough about it. It is very rigorous and tough to get into. It's not some lowly CSU. My sister was valedictorian of our competitive high school, and everyone else I know who goes there is brilliant.

It is in a really cute area, with lots of fun beach towns around. There is a good balance of academics and social scene. I really wanted to go there (I had been planning on it for about 5 years) but then they didn't really have my major, and I got into USC. I'm at USC now and love it, but I know that Cal Poly would have been great too. Don't disregard Cal Poly.

By Lynn (Lynn) on Wednesday, October 22, 2003 - 03:47 pm: Edit

Hi--this is Lynn's daughter. My cousin goes to Cal Poly and her whole family and my grandma and uncle live in the area, too. Cal Poly is a popular choice for students at my high school, as is UCDavis, which is only one hour away.

Cal Poly is strong in science, engineering, and agriculture, but not that selective for other majors. My cousin graduated with a 4.0, but never took an Honors or AP class. Her SAT I was in the low 1100 range. She entered CalPoly as a nutrition major and has since switched to a recreation major.

San Luis Obispo is a pretty little town. The campus is pretty much a commuter campus, so if you are looking for a great on-campus college atmosphere, it wouldn't be the place. There also isn't lots to do in SLO unless you are a beach bunny or surfer. Students and residents of the area get tired of what the area has to offer other than beauty and the beach. If you have a car, Santa Barbara is a nice diversion and L.A. is 4 hours away.

UCDavis is strong in agriculture, wine technology, sciences, pre-vet, and is getting stronger in the arts. It is a huge campus. The town of Davis is a cute college town, but I've heard students complain about how flat and brown the area is--also very foggy in the winter. S.F. and Sacramento are just a drive away, so you can find things to do. Skiing is easily accessible also.

I know lots of students at both schools, and all seem happy with their choice. What are you looking for in a school? I notice you are interested in science, engineering and medicine. What about USC, UCI or UCSD?

By Skylar04 (Skylar04) on Friday, October 24, 2003 - 07:41 pm: Edit

Cal Poly SLO...my dad went there! good engineering program. i wish i live in cali. (i live in georgia and we have Georgia Tech here). it's not that hard to get in Cal poly, rite? anywaz, my dad took me to his old alma mater few years back. the campus was...alrite..but the town is pretty nice. Realllyy gorgeous weather.. sigh...have i mentioned how much i wanna live in california??

By Uschicka (Uschicka) on Friday, October 24, 2003 - 09:21 pm: Edit

It actually is pretty hard to get in there. It is one of the hardest publics in Cali to get into...I had the stats but I don't remember...it's behind only Berkeley and UCLA I think, or something like that.

I hope some day you can live in Cali Skylar! I do have to say that I'm in L.A. for school and it's been so hot- I really miss fall!

By Lynn (Lynn) on Monday, October 27, 2003 - 03:29 pm: Edit

Skylar, Cal Poly is only difficult to get into if you are an engineering, architecture, science or maths major. You have to declare your major when you apply, and the acceptance rates for the other majors is not as selective. Read the post from my daughter above about my niece's stats. Also, many students from our local high school go to Cal Poly (we're farther north and inland), and most are not the stellar students--above average, but not the ones with the scary smart stats. Except the majors stated, I would say that most of the schools in the UC system are more difficult to get into. There is a website, I'll look for it and post later, that has the stats for the different Cal State schools so that you can compare.

I totally agree with you about how beautiful the weather is in SLO.

By Lynn (Lynn) on Monday, October 27, 2003 - 03:50 pm: Edit

Skylar, go to californiacolleges.edu and click on key facts. From there, you can read about Cal Poly. It is a good website to browse to find out about other California colleges, too.