Cal Poly SLO vs UC Davis?

Question

I recently got off the waitlist for UC Davis. I already submitted my SIR to Cal Poly but now I'm starting to reconsider :/ I absolutely loved visiting Cal Poly and I was so excited to go, but after looking into UC Davis I'm wondering if the education there would be enough to reassess my decision. Sorry if this is rushed, I'm in a hurry but I wanted to get this out there ASAP. Keep in mind I have to make my decision by this FRIDAY Math 10th
Pros and cons of each:

Cal Poly SLO
Pros:
*Beautiful location (beaches, mountains, etc.)
*Demographics (I went to dominantly Asian school; I'm half-Asian myself but I didn't appreciate the cut-throat environment. At times it encouraged me to work harder and other times I felt discouraged)
*Smaller school
*"Learn by doing" philosophy
*The students seemed so friendly, polite, and happy!!
*The school looks like it has a good balance of academics, sports, social life, etc.
*Business school
*Actually has a journalism major
*Surrounding area has great food
*Safer for someone who may not want to go to graduate school after (should something happen)
*Closer to friends
*I've heard from people who have graduated from my high school and then went to UC Davis that it's "really easy"

Cons:
*Less emphasis on graduate school
*There is that CSU stigma (I definitely feel it at my school; my parents don't as much because everybody they talk to raves about Cal Poly)
*I feel it contends with UCD solely for it's engineering school
*Not as strong in the liberal arts...?
*Harder to switch majors
*Dining has been described as "gnarly"
*Farther from home

UC Davis
Pros:
*Emphasis on graduate school
*Looks like there's a wide variety of opportunities
*Good food (Hey, I love to eat)
*UC name
*easier to switch majors along the way
*Better for those on the fence about what they want to do...?
*Closer to home
*I've heard from people who have graduated from my high school and then went to UC Davis that it's "really easy" (my high school is fairly challenging)
*Football!
*One of my favorite UCs (Initially, I wanted to go to UC Davis more than Cal Poly)

Cons:
*Flat land (I've passed by Davis many times, though I've never seen the campus)
*Huuuuge campus. At times I like anonymity but I might feel intimidated with the sheer size of the school
*Large classes (taken classes at De Anza; at first I was impressed with the amount of students--"It's like I'm at a real university!"--but after a while you crave for some interaction with your professor. And I HATED our TA...so if you're behind on work, this could be a problem)
*I don't really like the idea of researching... I'd rather go out and do something with what I've learned...
*Farther from friends
*Demographics...
*Family friend dropped out; she said it was too hard and the environment wasn't conducive to her learning
*If I end up not going to graduate school, I feel at Cal Poly I'll have a better chance of finding a job
*No business school for undergraduates

At UC Davis I'm majoring in English, Cal Poly is journalism. However, I want to double major at Cal Poly with Business (now that I know more about the school; many of my friends were able to switch or add business to their major). Not sure if I'll switch to English at Cal Poly.

Any thoughts? As you can tell, I'm more inclined to attend Cal Poly but maybe I'd have a harder time going onto graduate school. And God forbid, I don't get into Orfalea's Business school...


Thank you!

Answer 1

I'll just clear a few things up for you. You said you're worried about "researching" at Davis, but as an English major...you won't be doing that. It's really for the sciences. Also, if that idea isn't something ideal to you, then DON'T go to Cal Poly. It's a polytechnic school which requires all of its students to have a "hands-on" education, meaning there will be more than just books and tests or projects. You will be completing tasks that may be research oriented.



UC Davis does have huge lecture halls (500 students) but so does Cal Poly (300 students) and lots of other universities. These are reserved for general education classes. You won't be a junior taking your major courses in a class of 500 students, that is VERY unlikely.



If you like sports, go to UC Davis. They have one of the largest student fan clubs called the "Aggie Pack" that attend a lot of the games. They also have a fun rivalry with Sacramento State.



Both have a college-like feel, but I would argue Davis is much more than Cal Poly. Davis is a biking city, has a cute little downtown (so does SLO), and has a nice Fraternity Row across the street from the campus. As far as I know, SLO doesn't offer that.



Something to think about - the CSUs are suffering more than the UCs economically, and even SLO's four-year graduation rate is around 20%. UC Davis' is around 50%. You might have a lot of trouble graduating on time at SLO.



Hope this helped!

Answer 2

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RE:

Cal Poly SLO vs UC Davis?

I recently got off the waitlist for UC Davis. I already submitted my SIR to Cal Poly but now I'm starting to reconsider :/ I absolutely loved visiting Cal Poly and I was so excited to go, but after looking into UC Davis I'm wondering if the education there would be enough to reassess my...

Answer 3

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Answer 4

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