Is Cal Poly SLO the right place for me?

NTKS17
Mon, 28 Mar 2016 22:05:14 +0000

I’m half Asian and graduated from Cal Poly a few years ago. I grew up in a predominately white area, so the racial/ethic breakdown of Cal Poly wasn’t that different than it was at my high school. I live in the Bay Area/Silicon Valley now, and I know this sounds weird, but sometimes I’m still surprised how diverse it is. I mostly just had a small group of close friends I would hang out with at Cal Poly, but no one I met in my classes or clubs I attended seemed to care what race you were. It always seemed like as long as you could find something to talk about, people would be open to getting to know each other.

There are all different types of people at Cal Poly - preppy party types, people who really care about academics, athletes, etc. The thing is, people are generally open to socializing with anyone they get along with, unlike in high school, and even some colleges, where there are a lot more rigid social groups.

If you prefer being closer to a big city though, SLO might now be the best place for you. It is a great small town with tons of outdoor activities, but definitely does not feel like a big city (like LA, San Francisco, or San Diego even) at all.