California Polytech State University Admission
California Polytech State University Undergraduate Program
California Polytech State University Application

The Facts

California Polytechnic State University is a terrific public university with a distinct emphasis on no-frills, preprofessional education in the areas of technology and science. The school is located in the town of San Luis Obispo, California, and is also one of the top research institutions in the country. The school is home to over 16,500 undergraduate students and approximately 1,050 graduate and part-time students. The university is divided up into several smaller undergraduate schools including the schools of agriculture, architecture and environmental design, business, engineering, science and math, and teacher education. The school offers many bachelor and masters degrees; some of the most popular choices are business, mechanical engineering, agricultural business, civil and environmental engineering, as well as electrical engineering.

Admission to the university is quite competitive, and the number of applicants has been increasing with each passing year. Last year, over 21,000 students applied for admission, about 8,000 were accepted, and approximately 3,000 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1090 to 1280, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 23 to 27. Furthermore, over 78% of those admitted were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of 3.71.

The university has a large student to faculty ratio of 19:1, and many students complain of their classes being way too large. Many professors are also more concerned with their own research and careers to have very much time for their students. Most of the required classes are held in large lecture format, and many students say they just fall asleep, and don't actually learn very much. The plus side: they are usually an easy A.

The Social Scene

The town of San Luis Obispo is a gorgeous beach town, and whenever they aren't in class, students are almost always hanging out on the beach, surfing, or swimming. The town itself doesn't offer much in the way of excitement, but students don't seem to mind because the natural setting is so beautiful. Most students do own cars, and the town is only about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, so treks to both of those cities are often popular weekend road trips.

Greek life is prevalent at the school, and the fraternities and sororities often throw large parties that are quite popular with students. Drinking is definitely a popular activity, however, if you aren't into that sort of thing, there are always groups of people who aren't either.

The dating scene is pretty vibrant; we hear that people are friendly and tans are everywhere.

What’s Good

“The setting is amazing; you can walk to the beach, and everyone is so laid-back here.”

“You are really able to make friends easily here; people are really eager to meet new people.”

“The school is great in terms of solidifying your career. It helps to foster that ultimate goal.”

What’s Bad

“The students body is pretty homogenous here. There isn't really diversity, and it'ddddds kind of boring.”

“The town is really dull. There just isn't a gosh darn thing to do here.”

“People can get way too competitive because the school is so job-focused.”

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