Our kid was admitted to UC Irvine and Cal Poly SLO for business admin. He has visited both campuses and attended admitted students days. He feels he will be happier at Irvine. He does not care for the location of Cal Poly and is not outdoorsy at all. SLO is slightly cheaper to attend. With that said, judging by their respective websites and research we have done online, Cal Poly SLO will likely have a better outcome for him in terms of job prospects while he will have to put in more effort if he decides to attend UCI. We (the parents) like that SLO has smaller class sizes and much better support system for students. UCI’s undergrad business program is fairly new. They have a beautiful and fancy new building with all the bells and whistles. Class sizes will be larger, and there will be much less support if he struggles. The kids at UCI did tell us though that the business school is a small community compared to other programs on campus, and that they do support each other. He also has friends that are already attending UCI that are upperclassmen. Where would you go?
I’d let him pick. He is the one who has to live with it in the end. If you push SLO and it doesn’t work out, he will blame you. And may be more likely to give up in a rough patch at a school he didn’t pick.
I’d put more into the quality of the experience (especially academics… they’re there mostly to learn) than the quality of career services. The education is valuable per se, and being in the place that is the better fit will help that.
They’re both good choices, but if he has a strong dislike of SLO I would not push it on him. UCI seems like a school on the rise and I would not be surprised if the business program has a much stronger rep by the time he graduates. It’s also one of only 2-3 undergrad business schools in the UC system I think. I assume you’ve already made your points to him, let him decide now so he “owns” the decision.
There is an international grocery store in Irvine that makes flat bread. It is so delicious and people stand in line for it to come out of the ovens, then hang it over their grocery carts.
UCI.
I want my children to be where they are the happiest. The rest will come.
It is very clear, as an impartial third-party reading your post, that he should go to UCI.
That’s how I read it. The job prospects aren’t that different between those schools - his job prospects will be up to how he does, not where he goes. He will do better where he is happier.
He had a talk with his college counselor today. Counselor also confirmed that he would need to do more legwork at UCI for internships and jobs. I guess as parents we just want to be assured he’ll have a real job after graduation. SLO has a well established reputation and a significant number of tech companies in NorCal recruit there. UCI - not so much, but I think his decision has been made regardless.
Thanks for the update…no worries - (and it’s a long four years ahead, plenty of other things to worry about between now and graduation) 
if he does well, the opportunities will come - it is not all up to the name on the school sign. A lot of recruiting at schools is not as it seems, they can have very long lines like rides at Disney land - some are lucky to talk to one recruiter yet several. If you aren’t into the scene and outdoors of Cal Poly, it can be a really long four years. If he works with the career office, makes contacts, relationships with professors, he will do great. It sounds like he will be engaged and happy at UCI, and that is so important.
The tech companies aren’t really at SLO for the business majors anyway.
As someone who lives around the corner from UCI, I can tell you there are no shortage of job opportunities. The Irvine and Costa Mesa area is a big growth area. Obviously not as big as some of the biggest cities (e.g., San Francisco, Chicago, Boston) but I doubt he will have trouble finding excelllent internships and jobs.
He’s majoring in business administration. He’ll get a job. Let him spend the next four years where he truly wants to be. It sounds like UCI has a close-knit group of business kids that will provide support in college when he needs help … and they will most likely be there for him when he graduates and is looking for a job. A Honda will get you from Point A to Point B just as easily as a Mercedes.
A Honda can also get you to the same place as a Toyota.
I realize that SLO is primarily known for engineering/CS, but the business school was very good about pushing the narrative that many of their grads receive job offers from the big tech firms(Apple, Google, Facebook, Tesla, etc).
Of course SLO is good at pushing this narrative. It impresses parents Let your son make the decision. The last thing you want for him is to start his college experience feeling resentful that he’s not at his #1 choice.
Your kid needs to LIVE at that college location and like it for FOUR years…at least. Both schools are fine. Let him pick. He is going to college…not you.
There is something to be said for being happy where you live, and attend college.
If he gets depressed and anxious by attending a school he hates, then it will delay or ruin his chances at a career. If he’s happy, he will thrive.
@Dustyfeathers is right. Happy kids = successful students. However, I’d ask him to follow up with the kids that live on campus at UCI; from what I understand, it’s the most commuter-y of all the UCs. That would affect the culture of the school in ways that aren’t immediately obvious.
Kind of in a similar situation. One school is further away and offers a lot more, but my daughter is scared to go that far and wants to go closer to home. I’d rather her be happy than stressed. I know she will succeed wherever and can always transfer if she decides to venture off.
There are no guarantees for jobs out there. These two schools are close enough in ranking and name recognition (in CA at least) that there’s really no difference. Maybe one is marginally better for recruiting than the other (thought it sounds like you’re basing that on Cal Poly’s own marketing and on one counselor’s opinion) but like with all statistics, just because the odds are in his favor doesn’t mean he’ll actually get a job offer. I’m sure there are plenty of UCI kids who get recruited right out of school and also plenty of Cal Poly kids who don’t get offers and have to do their own job hunting.
Bottom line, I agree with everyone else – you have to let your son choose. I really don’t think you have a strong enough case for why he should be forced to attend a school where he really doesn’t want to go. If the choice were between Cal Poly and an expensive, much lower ranked school, then you’d have a case. Here, you don’t.