Applying to Cal Poly: San Luis Obispo

[MrCodeDude]

Ever since middle-school I've always said I wanted to go to Cal Poly: SLO and major in Computer Science. This however, was during the dot-com boom and now with all these jobs being outsourced and the major hit that the Bay Area took (where I live), it's kind of swayed my view towards Computer Engineering.

However, Cal Poly's Computer Engineering program is probably their toughest program to get into and I have been told the competition to get into is tougher than Berkeley's CS program. I also know that it is practically impossible to switch majors @ Cal Poly and that it may very well take me 5 years to graduate with a BS. I still want to go to Cal Poly because I like the campus and the area, as well as it is a great school.

Seeing as I probably do not have the grades / SAT scores to get into CE (3.7 weighted, 1310 on SAT, 5 on Calc AB test), I've been told to try for EE. A friend got into EE with a 3.5, 1250 last year, so I'm hoping I can pull off the same thing. I have also been told that if the opportunity presents itself, going from EE -> CE wouldn't be that drastic of a change and has a nice possibility of happening.

So, here comes my question. Should I apply for EE and take my chances with trying to get in the CE program after a year or so? Should I apply for CE, possibly get rejected, go to a 2 year CC and then try transfering into Cal Poly?

I really like working with computers, I like to think I know a great deal about them, I run an enthusiast site regarding computer hardware (link <-- shameless plug), so CE seems like the most obvious choice of a major. But it's also the thought of getting rejected and blowing my chances.

I also know that it really doesn't matter what major you get your degree in as long as you have a degree, I know a friend who has a degree in Journalism and he is a system admin for a small ISP in Oregon. Your degree doesn't determine your job, but it would be nice to go into a field where my degree would at least give me a bit of a jump start.

Enough ranting, I let Anandtech Off Topic decide!

 

[imported_Mike]

EE

 

[Kermy]

5 years isn't that bad. I'm currently going thru my 6th year. IE -> MfgE. One more year! EE is pretty fun though, circuit design and such. If you keep your gpa up I'm sure you can switch to CE.

Glad you like SLO, it can get boring here. Quite boring, especially if you don't have a car. *cough*

 

[Martin]

<== CE

IMO, its better than both EE and CS. You get the best of both worlds, and not too much of the bad (I don't have to take the really hardcore EE classes, nor the easy CS ones). With that said, if you think you won't get into CE, go for EE. It should be very easy to switch (I have a friend who went from CE to mineral engineering, then to civil and then to chemical).

But keep in mind that CE/CS enrollment has been steadily dropping. So your chances may end up being better in CE.

Finally, are you sureyou can't apply to both? When I applied to UofT, I applied to "engineering" then picked 5 disciplines in order. If I hadn't gotten into the first, I would automatically be consiered for the second.

 

[MrCodeDude]

Originally posted by: MartyTheManiak
<== CE

IMO, its better than both EE and CS. You get the best of both worlds, and not too much of the bad (I don't have to take the really hardcore EE classes, nor the easy CS ones). With that said, if you think you won't get into CE, go for EE. It should be very easy to switch (I have a friend who went from CE to mineral engineering, then to civil and then to chemical).

But keep in mind that CE/CS enrollment has been steadily dropping. So your chances may end up being better in CE.

Finally, are you sureyou can't apply to both? When I applied to UofT, I applied to "engineering" then picked 5 disciplines in order. If I hadn't gotten into the first, I would automatically be consiered for the second.

I haven't completed the form that far yet.

I still have to fix a Calculus grade and make sure it's changed before I get a print-out of my grades.

 

[MrCodeDude]

Originally posted by: Kermy
5 years isn't that bad. I'm currently going thru my 6th year. IE -> MfgE. One more year! EE is pretty fun though, circuit design and such. If you keep your gpa up I'm sure you can switch to CE.

Glad you like SLO, it can get boring here. Quite boring, especially if you don't have a car. *cough*

I've only been to SLO for one week, for the past two years. It was pretty fun for the week, but that might have been the soccer tournament. I did explore the campus though 😉

 

[esun]

Harder to get into than Berkeley's CS program :Q. Wow, I've heard Berkeley's is as tough as it comes (although I'm in it, so I can't say for sure). To tell you the truth, at Berkeley the EECS major (they combine it into one major: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science) has 5 sub-specialties which, four of which give you a Computer Engineering degree and one of which gives you a Computer Science degree (technically they're CSE and CS, but basically that's how it works). I'm going for a CE degree myself.

Personally if I were you I'd go for CE. Although there is some advantage to playing the game and sidestepping the rules a bit, I personally don't like doing things that way. Plus, I think your scores are quite good and depending on your class rank I'd say you have a fine shot of getting accepted. However, if you are certain that is really is that hard to get into Cal Poly with a CE major, then it might be smarter to go with EE for now.

 

[MrCodeDude]

Does class rank matter?

Scores are inflated beyond belief here.

First of all, the school DOES NOT weigh grades. Meaning a B in an honors course is the same as a B in a remedial course.

My friend, who has gotten two B's in his entire HS career is ranked something like #60 something. It's insane. I've gotten I think 8 B's or something and I'm #112 out of a class of 450? It's stupid. One of our valedictorians is a guy who is a senior, yet only took math up to Geometry and is taking junior level english.

You tell me how that works.

 

[Jittles]

I'm an Aerospace Engineering student at CP currently in my 3rd year here in SLO. First, I love the school, love the people, love the city, love the weather.

It is easier than you think to switch majors. I haven't looked into it personally, but I understand you need only a 2.0 GPA in your current major to switch to another -Engineering- major. So you could switch from CE to EE or vice versa with only a 2.0 cumulative GPA in college. Switching out of a college such as engineering into architecture or agriculture is more difficult.

I voted EE, based on the fact that they are very similar, just EE is more focused on the EE part, whereas CE incorporates lots of programming, which I hate. EE is a solid major and a solid career as long as you are willing to work hard.


First year if you're living in the dorms I'd recommend living in the mixed major dorms instead of the engineering dorms. I had a much better time socially in the mixed dorms than some friends did in the all engineering dorms.