My son has been admitted to UCSD (Structural Engineering ), Cal poly SLO (Civil engineering ) and UCB (Eco management and forestry in CNR). We are in-state CA residents and live in San Francisco.
He is excited about his choices, but could use some guidance. He applied to a mix of civil/environmental engineering, majors, and environmental science related programs. As the season went on, he began to lean toward civil engineering–mainly out of practicality, occupational outlook and desire to build real things–but he is not 100% sure.
He loves nature and outdoorsmanship and hopes to work outside. He prefers to go to school a little farther from home and likes the idea of a college town/something different, but it’s not a dealbreaker.
He’s a little worried about the rigor of college level math and engineering; although he has done fine up to now he hasn’t really been challenged in his school district.
He is very attracted to SLO’s Learn by doing philosophy, and feels like that approach would support his learning style. He’d like to go to school somewhere fun and most of all inspiring, with peers who are passionate about their interests, and with a good balance of social life (clubs, parties) and work, where he can blow off steam hiking, surfing, maybe joining some rec or club sports). He’s not afraid of hard work though, and manages time well. (He developed considerable discipline in an extracurricular physical activity I’ll keep under wraps to protect his privacy.)
We’re going to visit all three campuses and attempt some admitted students days.
Any specific input on these programs or campus cultures appreciated…Or guidance on how he should approach this decision. (STEM far outside my wheelhouse!)
Between CPSLO civil engineering and UCSD structural engineering, he may want to look at the courses and curricula to see which is closer to his interests.
What math and science has he completed while in high school, and how well did he do in class and (if applicable) AP/IB/etc tests?
I don’t think he would even try. His older sibling attends Cal and he knows the culture fairly well. He was very interested in CNR and the forestry accreditation when he applied to Cal so that choice was deliberate at the time. He also wasn’t sure engineering there was the best fit for him. (He seeks a collaborative, less pressured program if he does choose engineering.) His leanings evolved as they do with some of these kids I guess.
He is in Precalc Honors as a senior. SFUSD eliminated algebra I from middle school during his era, forcing students to double up on math in high school to teach calculus. His school is small and he wasn’t able to double up and take the other classes he wanted so he didn’t. He has earned As and didn’t struggle with it. He’s also done quite well AP Physics and AP Bio. APES was his favorite class though. His SAT attempt (zero prep or study) was meh, but his standardized tests are generally above proficient in math if not exceptional. I think he got a 4 on the APES exam (or maybe a 5?) and is only taking the others this may.
He’s right about environmental jobs. And if he doesn’t like the major at SLO, he can pivot to something else - depending on difficulty. SLO is going to semesters whereas UCSD is quarters.
It sounds like he likes SLO - so why not go there?
There’s no wrong answer here - other than UCB - I know, it’s a hard get so that pulls at the heart strings but doesn’t seem the right choice.
It sounds like he’s made up a decision. Berkeley is not engineering, is urban, and is too close to home.
UCSD is close to the beach, but it is not what I would consider outdoorsy.
SLO sounds like a good fit for him.
For what it is worth, my child had a similar interest. They applied to engineering at several schools and CNR at Cal. By the time application decisions came around, they decided they wanted to study engineering instead of life sciences. That, along with other social factors, eliminated Cal as an option.
This is a really good summary and, yes, amazing similarities. Thank you. When you’re too close to the decision maker it can be hard to advise. Cal’s brand looms large and can be a distraction from actual fit on the metrics.
D22 wasn’t looking at the same majors (she was more into agroecology at the time), but was deciding between UC Berkeley (CNR), Cal Poly SLO, and UC Davis. Would recommend learning as much as you can at the admitted student days; I’m glad you’ll at least be going to the SLO and Cal ones. Being on-site really helped clarify the program offerings and different vibes of the student bodies at the different schools, and I suspect those visits will help him have a better sense as to what direction makes sense.
I think this can be very hard. D23 was accepted at Cal and chose a small school that was a much better fit for her, but it was HARD to let go of that prestigious ‘win,’ so I totally get this. It was the best thing she could have ever done to let it go, it turned out great!
Great advice here, sounds like SLO is an excellent fit - hope he enjoys the visit!
In a way my son is lucky his older sibling is graduating Cal this year and we live close by–he knows the campus and culture well and it’s therefore easier to be clear eyed about what it does and doesn’t offer him. In fact, I was more worried he wouldn’t give it enough consideration! I want him to be sure he wants to study engineering and for the right reasons. Then again, it is easy to transfer out of engineering but not the other way around.
Since we can’t attend UCSD triton day on 4/12 but are instead going next week during spring break, any suggestions of how he should approach beyond just walking around and trying to get a tour? (They are full.) would love for him to actually hear from the engineering or SE dept.
See if any profs are on campus. Call the engineering department and see if you can get a 30 minute overview. Also ask to speak with a student in the program - they surely have an ambassador - whether you talk that week or another, etc.
Even at spring break there will be kids on campus - stop them, chat them up about their experiences at school.
UCSD’s spring break is this week, the spring quarter starts 3/31, so there should be plenty of students around, without too much homework (yet). I’d encourage your student to try to talk to some students - best shot for engineers may be near the engineering department.
I’m pretty sure UCSD’s parent group on FB is allowing parents of admitted students to join. I often see prospective parents asking if a kid in XYZ major or XYZ college is available to give a tour. They usually compensate the volunteer guide in some way. The parent FB group can be found here: UCSD Parents | Facebook
CPSLO has an unusual look back in its change of major policies. For many majors, the student’s admission MCA score must have been high enough to have gotten admission to the new major.
So it may be worth asking CPSLO what his MCA score is, and whether it exceeds the admission thresholds for the majors he may change into if he does not like civil engineering.
I would suggest that he take a look at engineering student organizations. If there are any that he might be interested in joining when he’s a student, he could contact them and ask if someone might be willing to meet with him, show him around a bit, and talk to him about UCSD engineering. Undergraduate Student Organizations | Jacobs School of Engineering
As an example, my son was interested in teams that build race cars (Formula SAE), so he contacted students on these teams at each school he visited. He was able to visit project spaces, talk with engineering students, and really get the lowdown.
Another idea might be to contact Tau Beta Pi (the engineering honors society). They might have members involved in outreach who might be willing to show him around? UCSD Tau Beta Pi chapter