California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Top Questions

Throughout my entire pre-college educational career I have studied in order to pass "the" test. I never saw what I was learning in school as applicable, and I worked for the grade instead of the knowledge the grade supposedly represented. Here at Cal Poly Slo I have been integrated into the "learn by doing" ethic, and have greatly expanded my potential, and capabilities by learning in a way that will not only allow me to pass the test, but also perform in a work enviroment, where errors can cost one their job, or worse.

A moment so life changing and beneficial such as college, is the perfect opportunity to travel back in time and receive all the answers to higher education. If I were to travel back in time I would cover three major topics with myself; time management, networking and independence. Time management truly means dedicating yourself to plan strategically your daily schedule. Secondly networking, this includes forming relationships with teachers, counselors, employers and even local community impacts such as pastors/ministers. Lastly create independence your senior year. Push yourself to complete tasks on your own. Become your own parent and except responsibility.

More information about scholarships and financial aide....so far the school has not been much of a help for scholarships.

I wish I had known that the entire Cal Poly campus resides on a hill. There are no level surfaces anywhere and inclines are impossible to avoid. Of course, such trivial matters would not affect my choice, but I would be more prepared in hiking to and from classes everyday if had known. Other than that, there is nothing else I had to know before coming to Cal Poly because their welcome committee does a good job in showing new students the ins and outs of campus. Everything I have to know, I found out after coming here.

I wish I would have known about polyratings.com to see ratings specifically for Cal Poly professors before I registering for classes.

I wish I had known to get involved in organizations and clubs immediatley. This will enable students to get to know their professors on more than a classroom basis. I wish someone had given me advice to utilize office hours and get to know professors on a more personal basis. Getting to know professors would have shown me more opportunuties to get involved in research labs. Having research experience is the most valuable thing for going to a graduate school, and I was not aware of the opportunitites available to me as an undergraduate.

It is difficult and harder to make friends than in high school. It takes a long time to get used to all the changes and you spend a lot of time alone because there is so much more free time than in high school.

How to manage my study time better

I wish that I had already known which study habits work the best for me. Being on the quarter system, Cal Poly is fast-paced. When I first came from High School, I still hadn't figured out the most effective ways for me to study and this affected my grades my first quarter. However, as time has gone on I think I have developed great study skills. If I were to retake those same classes, I would probably get better grades and have a much higher GPA.

I wish I had known how to study better. In high school there was a lot of homework but it didn't take too much effort to study for tests or exams. However at Cal Poly it is very important to know how to prepare and study for tests. That was an awakening I had when i first started going there because i didn't do well on my first few tests at all because i didn't know which information i should study and i have a hard time recalling important information i had studied.

Nothing, I knew a lot about it before coming because my mom, two uncles, and older sister had all gone there.

I wish I had known that the greek life was such a huge part of the social life here. I would have rushed way sooner. I also wish that I had known that you absolutely cannot miss classes. Just missing one affects your grade because you miss so much information. Go to class, work hard, and you will do fine.

I wish I had known you CAN change majors

I wish I knew how culturally diverse this campus was. I figured it would be dominated by one race, like the other schools. But I came to find out that it is very diverse.

I wish I had known how expensive housing is!

I wish I had known how difficult the quarter system is. I was on semesters at a previous school, which allowed more time to study for tests, write papers, and do projects. The quarter system goes by extremely fast and really keeps you on your toes. It isn't necessarily a bad thing, I just wasn't fully prepared to be taking classes that move so quickly.

This school is on the quarter system, so the class work is fast pace and demanding from the first day you take a seat in the classroom. It is important to never let yourself fall behind on school work because it is difficult to jump back once a person falls behind. In the quarter system it is easy to have your GPA drop because of this fast pace class setting.

The best place to park on campus if I communte to school.

I wish I had known about more of the programs and clubs that my school offered because it woudl have been much easier to adjust to college life and the different programs. As a third year I am still finding programs that I want to join but I am having more trouble integrating them into my schedule now that I am not used to them.

I wish i would have known how much was the tution and how much the books and dorm room was.