California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Top Questions

Definatley visit the campus. And the surrounding area. Think about what you want to study and if the area around the campus will help with your learning. The school might be great for your major but if the area doesnt emphasize it too you will never get any real world experience.

College opens roads that allow you to suceed in life. Therefore, finding the right college for you is one of the most important choices of your life. One of the best things to do is to start doing some research on the colleges you are interested in. Then after you have a couple of choices left, schedule a trip to go visit those colleges. I would recommend you to go when school is on session, or if you do no have the time go during the summer. During the summer there are some classes going on so you can take a peak into the classrooms, and see if you like the classroom and campus environment. After you have received your acceptance letters and decided which college you are going to attend, get ready to begin college life. College is not only about spending sleepless nights studying in the library, but also about making your life friends and having FUN! ENJOY!

Select a school that focuses on tangible life experiences and an integrated academic curriculum. The more a school can integrate learning between and among academic majors, the better graduates are able to understand and contribute to the goals of the organizations they work with. Likewise, internships, research fellowships, community programs, and similar activities that encourage students to "learn by doing" not only augment academic curiosity but also provide tangible experiences that are highly valuable to employers. Such programs allow students to get a step ahead while still completing their academic program.

My advice to students when choosing a college would be to have a strong sense of self. If you have a strong sense of what your future plans will be you have a better idea of what you want to do in the future. That will narrow down schools that do not meet your criteria. Choose a school that can meet your academic needs and offer resources that can facilitate growth while making the most of your college experience. As a student seek out all the help, resources and guidance you can take in and help your fellow students do the same. College is about learning, sharing, educating and helping each other reach their goals. Throughout this learning process there will be many changes don't be discouraged. My advice to parents is to encourage their son or daughter to embrace and explore their independence. Lastly, I would say to students and their parents always keep an open line of communication, that is extremely important. College can be fun yet overwhelming so many students loose their way so, if you feel lonely connect. A support system through school can make the difference between success and failure, take time to connect.

Advice that I would give parents and future students is to go and check out every campus that they are sending applications too. Having a feel for the campus is important. Also make sure that you research the major that you want to persue. You may just like the sound of the major and not really know anything about it. Find out what it take and what is required of you. Also look at the jobs the major will bring you. Always have backups and check to see if the school you want to attend specializes in that particular major and or majors. Make sure to see if that school is accredited by any major companies. For example Cal Poly Pomona's engineering program is accredited by ABET and has many programs such as AIS to help the students grow. Again visiting the school and getting a feel for it I can not stress enough on how important this is. As far as college experience goes do not be afraid to join groups and or clubs. Try anything and everything that you can. Do not just blow it off because you think that you would not be interested.

Visit the colleges and dont just apply to the well known schools.

The advice i would give to students about finding the right college would be, first of all decide what you want to do in your life and decide what field of career you want to go with. This will help you finding a right college, you can research which college is best known for your choice of career and then make a decision , find out everything about the college and your career choice, then decide whether you want to go to this college or not. Find out about the courses, what kind of courses you will have to take because finding out about the courses will help you decide if this is the right choice for you, then you will know if you really can do this or not. this is really important to decide beforehand if you don't want to face difficulties in future and do well in your career. Talk to your counselors, your seniors, friends, and ofcourse consult your parents as well about your career plans. The more people you talk to the more knowledge you will receive, which will help you in your future plans.

Find out what extra curricular clubs are available that you would be interested in. If the college has your major, see if they offere clubs for students in that major. If you can get connected and become involved with other students with your same educational goals, you will succeed in your classes more easily.

Take careful note of the job opportunities in the area surrounding each potential campus. An area with few jobs in your field of study within easy driving distance will make building a resume particularly difficult. In the end, the degree is less important than what you've learned, so ask current students how much they feel they've learned which wouldn't be easy to learn on their own time (e.g. purchasing a book from a bookstore and teaching themselves.)

Visit the campus and talk with professors, staff and students.