1. We have heard that Cal Poly SLO is over enrolled. Are you feeling the effect of this with larger classes, difficulty scheduling needed/wanted classes, housing shortages, long lines in cafeteria/food places?
2. What is the stress level like? Does CS/Engineering feel competive or supportive among your peers? Do you see much depression or despair over school work? How accessible and supportive are the professors?
@ksquaredmom you may also want to take a look at Cal Poly’s reddit page for listings of current students’ frustrations. There are many, but that is probably true of most overcrowded publics.
@ksquaredmom My biggest concern is the CSU system is forcing semester conversion on all campuses. Cal Poly admin has conceded this will happen there as well. I don’t want my kid there in the middle of that circus.
@ksquaredmom Of course! Happy to help! I apologize in advance for such lengthy responses, hopefully they'll be useful.
In answer to your questions:
1. It is true. Each year a certain number of students are let in based on an algorithm which tries to predict how many will choose to actually attend Cal Poly. In this way, each year more students than capacity can hold are accepted, taking into account that some will choose other schools. Last year, the prediction was wrong and more students chose to attend Cal Poly than expected, making the incoming class of 2021 quite large. (I believe this was also an issue at UC Irvine last year as well). I have heard however that the math department made adjustments this year to account for such a possibility, and enrollment should be more realistic next year.
In terms of my personal experience (which differs for everyone I have talked to) the over-enrollment has been frustrating, but hasn't made things impossible. In terms of the class sizes, I have found most to be the same (~20-30 students for most classes, and lecture halls for some of the more popular GE's). Scheduling has been something of an issue (that administration tries to help fix each year), however this has been an ongoing issue for several years. Personally however, I have been able to get a full unit load of classes each quarter I have been here and so has everyone I've known. I don't believe scheduling is as big of an issue as it sometimes appears from the outside. If you really need to get certain classes, you will get them. At worst, I have occasionally had to take courses at less-preferred times (8am, 6pm, etc), or choose to push back taking a GE with another one. In terms of major related classes, I have always gotten the right classes and am on-track to graduate (as are all of my friends). People I have heard of not getting classes are usually due to them registering after their designated time, or giving up and not trying to crash courses (sometimes this has to be done). In terms of upper-division classes, I have heard rumors that these may be harder to get into, but I don't know yet.
In terms of housing, this actually was an issue this past year. Due to the over-estimated number of incoming freshmen, many freshmen were moved into the upper-classmen apartments on campus. This forced those of us staying on campus to be moved into double rooms which were normally used as singles. I happened to luck out by asking around and landed myself in one of the few singles this year. That being said, there is an entirely new set of on-campus dorms currently being built which will be complete next year and have space for ~2000 students. This should make housing quite a bit better next year. Additionally, there are good number of off-campus housing options for 2nd years and above if one wishes to move off-campus.
As far as dining goes, long lines are not too much of an issue. Of course, lines can occasionally take up to 15 or 20 minutes if you go during bad times during the day (usually on the hour, right after classes get out). But in my experience, it has never been too much of a problem.
2. The stress level in CS/Engineering is definitely present, however I feel it will be the same at any university. Starting projects as soon as they are assigned definitely takes much of the stress off of looming assignments. In terms of competitiveness, in both my experience and that of many of my peers, I have found it to be competitive in a friendly way, and quite supportive. Most students here want to see their classmates succeed, and I have always found people to work with on assignments/studying. That being said, it is a difficult major and you will always find those few individuals who don't want to help others out (this is definitely not the norm however).
I have not found most of my peers to have depression or despair. Once again that being said, usually those who start projects last minute or fall behind in lecture material seem to fall into a hole, and I have seen a couple of breakdowns occur due to (what I believe is largely) irresponsibility. Usually these are people who drop out of the major. Projects in CS can take their toll from time to time, and occasionally rough all-nighters may have to be pulled. But nothing has brought me closer to some of my peers as struggling through a project all-night with the same group of people. As I mentioned, most people here are quite supportive. And hopefully as one gets better with time-management, these stressful days will also be less-common.
Most of my professors have been extremely accessible and supportive. I have always been able to get help at office hours or after class, and most of professors have genuinely cared about their students' success. While some are more helpful than others, I would say in general if you are willing to put in the time and effort, they will make sure you succeed.
Hope this helps! Happy to answer any other questions you may have!
On another note, there have been rumors of Cal Poly switching to the semester system. I don't know however if this has been confirmed or not. I know quite a few students are against the switch, and no official message has been released on when a switch will occur if one does at all. This has led me and many of my peers to believe that even if a switch occurs, it will likely not be for several years (and will likely also receive backlash from students).
How many OOS students do you see in the CS department? Are they quite isolated or do they socialize well with Californians? I have heard of one friend's kid who went to UCSD from OOS. He got no friends there and felt lonely and transferred back to a college in our state after a year.
@bogeyorpar@ksquaredmom Really? That's actually the first I've heard of anything along those lines. I've met a few out of state students and they definitely didn't seem isolated. Usually I don't even know someone is OOS unless they talk about their home, but as far as I've seen they've fit in well. Two of my apartment-mates are actually OOS and they both love it here. However, I also haven't heard of that issue at other universities so I may be uneducated on the subject.
@bionics can I ask some admission questions? The biggest rumor/concern here is that if one forgot to put his algebra etc. math classes he took in middle school in his application, he would lose 250 - 500 math rigor MCA points which will greatly impact his acceptance chance. From your experience, do you think it is true? Thank you.
They are being lenient with the 7th/8th grade missing math classes this year because the new application was confusing. I called admissions earlier this week and they confirmed this. Does anyone know if there is a max MCA (overall, not for the subcategories like rigor)?
The other question is if CP admissions will give any extra consideration to the applicants that scoured the new application (clicked on the “tips link”), called to ask questions, and entered all their classes (including middle school) correctly. Time will tell. Good luck to all!
The new application can't be more clear on how to input coursework. The FIRST line is about middle school classes:
High School Coursework
You must enter coursework to verify completion of A-G subject requirements and to allow for an accurate GPA calculation. Enter only approved college-preparatory coursework that is used to fulfill A-G subject requirements.
-Enter middle school courses in the 9th grade year (if applicable).
-Report college courses that were used to fulfill A-G requirements by including the grade and the course type “College.”
If entering a repeated course, note that it must be exactly the same course with exactly the same course title taken at exactly the same school at a later point in time. Enter the highest grade earned for the repeated course; do not enter this repeated course twice. If the repeated course is planned or in-progress, enter the original grade earned since a new grade has not yet been earned.
-If you have multiple term types at the same high school, enter that high school once per term type in the High Schools Attended section. For example, if your high school included quarter and semester term types, you would enter that high school twice. in one entry you would select quarter and in the second entry you would select semester.
For more information on coursework entry, visit this page in the Help Center.
And if you click on "visit this page", it again emphasizes on 7th\8th grade classes. I'm confused why so many people got confused.
Because on the application you had to click on an additional link get those detailed directions. And I think the CP admissions website has now been updated and includes information that wasn’t there prior to the application going live...it now explains how to input the 7th/8th grade classes and before I don’t think it did. Also, the application’s explanation of what constitutes a repeat class was slightly different than what is now on the web site....application said that a class with same title/content was not a repeat class if taken at a different school, but web site says that even if the class is taken at a different school (like a middle school), it IS a repeat class if it has the same title/content. Fortunately my D spent a lot of time on the application and input everything correctly, but she knows many others that did not because they missed the add’l info link.
Replies to: Cal Poly Class of 2022 Thread
1. We have heard that Cal Poly SLO is over enrolled. Are you feeling the effect of this with larger classes, difficulty scheduling needed/wanted classes, housing shortages, long lines in cafeteria/food places?
2. What is the stress level like? Does CS/Engineering feel competive or supportive among your peers? Do you see much depression or despair over school work? How accessible and supportive are the professors?
I am sure I will think of more.
Thank you!
I have looked on Reddit but perhaps not deep enough??
In answer to your questions:
1. It is true. Each year a certain number of students are let in based on an algorithm which tries to predict how many will choose to actually attend Cal Poly. In this way, each year more students than capacity can hold are accepted, taking into account that some will choose other schools. Last year, the prediction was wrong and more students chose to attend Cal Poly than expected, making the incoming class of 2021 quite large. (I believe this was also an issue at UC Irvine last year as well). I have heard however that the math department made adjustments this year to account for such a possibility, and enrollment should be more realistic next year.
In terms of my personal experience (which differs for everyone I have talked to) the over-enrollment has been frustrating, but hasn't made things impossible. In terms of the class sizes, I have found most to be the same (~20-30 students for most classes, and lecture halls for some of the more popular GE's). Scheduling has been something of an issue (that administration tries to help fix each year), however this has been an ongoing issue for several years. Personally however, I have been able to get a full unit load of classes each quarter I have been here and so has everyone I've known. I don't believe scheduling is as big of an issue as it sometimes appears from the outside. If you really need to get certain classes, you will get them. At worst, I have occasionally had to take courses at less-preferred times (8am, 6pm, etc), or choose to push back taking a GE with another one. In terms of major related classes, I have always gotten the right classes and am on-track to graduate (as are all of my friends). People I have heard of not getting classes are usually due to them registering after their designated time, or giving up and not trying to crash courses (sometimes this has to be done). In terms of upper-division classes, I have heard rumors that these may be harder to get into, but I don't know yet.
In terms of housing, this actually was an issue this past year. Due to the over-estimated number of incoming freshmen, many freshmen were moved into the upper-classmen apartments on campus. This forced those of us staying on campus to be moved into double rooms which were normally used as singles. I happened to luck out by asking around and landed myself in one of the few singles this year. That being said, there is an entirely new set of on-campus dorms currently being built which will be complete next year and have space for ~2000 students. This should make housing quite a bit better next year. Additionally, there are good number of off-campus housing options for 2nd years and above if one wishes to move off-campus.
As far as dining goes, long lines are not too much of an issue. Of course, lines can occasionally take up to 15 or 20 minutes if you go during bad times during the day (usually on the hour, right after classes get out). But in my experience, it has never been too much of a problem.
2. The stress level in CS/Engineering is definitely present, however I feel it will be the same at any university. Starting projects as soon as they are assigned definitely takes much of the stress off of looming assignments. In terms of competitiveness, in both my experience and that of many of my peers, I have found it to be competitive in a friendly way, and quite supportive. Most students here want to see their classmates succeed, and I have always found people to work with on assignments/studying. That being said, it is a difficult major and you will always find those few individuals who don't want to help others out (this is definitely not the norm however).
I have not found most of my peers to have depression or despair. Once again that being said, usually those who start projects last minute or fall behind in lecture material seem to fall into a hole, and I have seen a couple of breakdowns occur due to (what I believe is largely) irresponsibility. Usually these are people who drop out of the major. Projects in CS can take their toll from time to time, and occasionally rough all-nighters may have to be pulled. But nothing has brought me closer to some of my peers as struggling through a project all-night with the same group of people. As I mentioned, most people here are quite supportive. And hopefully as one gets better with time-management, these stressful days will also be less-common.
Most of my professors have been extremely accessible and supportive. I have always been able to get help at office hours or after class, and most of professors have genuinely cared about their students' success. While some are more helpful than others, I would say in general if you are willing to put in the time and effort, they will make sure you succeed.
Hope this helps! Happy to answer any other questions you may have!
How many OOS students do you see in the CS department? Are they quite isolated or do they socialize well with Californians? I have heard of one friend's kid who went to UCSD from OOS. He got no friends there and felt lonely and transferred back to a college in our state after a year.
I have also heard rumblings of isolation from less than outgoing Cal Poly OOS students. What does Cal Poly do to promote community?
High School Coursework
You must enter coursework to verify completion of A-G subject requirements and to allow for an accurate GPA calculation. Enter only approved college-preparatory coursework that is used to fulfill A-G subject requirements.
-Enter middle school courses in the 9th grade year (if applicable).
-Report college courses that were used to fulfill A-G requirements by including the grade and the course type “College.”
If entering a repeated course, note that it must be exactly the same course with exactly the same course title taken at exactly the same school at a later point in time. Enter the highest grade earned for the repeated course; do not enter this repeated course twice. If the repeated course is planned or in-progress, enter the original grade earned since a new grade has not yet been earned.
-If you have multiple term types at the same high school, enter that high school once per term type in the High Schools Attended section. For example, if your high school included quarter and semester term types, you would enter that high school twice. in one entry you would select quarter and in the second entry you would select semester.
For more information on coursework entry, visit this page in the Help Center.
And if you click on "visit this page", it again emphasizes on 7th\8th grade classes. I'm confused why so many people got confused.