With a campus of over 23,000 students at Cal Poly, each current and past student found something about the university that led them to commit to two to five years here. Here are some of the reasons as to why current students chose Cal Poly.
Biomedical engineer freshman, Gracie Lefeben, was debating Cal Poly against another potential school during this time last year.
“I’m not even joking, I took one of those large papers and made a pros and cons list… and Cal Poly just had way more pros,” Lefeben said.
After arriving on campus, Lefeben said different parts of Cal Poly’s community that have given her a great experience so far. From being able to have small class sizes — which is a big highlight for her academic career — to being involved in on campus organizations such as United Movement, Merge and taking that passion even further by adding a dance minor as well, Lefeben has found her footing and place within campus.
Similar to Lefeben, many students at Cal Poly were stuck between the choice of another school and here, specifically many East Coast schools and which lifestyle would suit them the best.
Paige Ludwig, anthropology and geography freshman, felt dejected after visiting numerous schools in the East Coast. When touring campuses she was excited to see, she just could not envision her future there where she could be truly happy.
After deciding to visit Cal Poly, she had a friend show her around.
“She took us around, and I felt like I could see myself going here, like it felt like I had a future here, and it was just beautiful,” Ludwig said.
With all the places to explore around SLO and the beautiful nature, Ludwig is certain about her choice. And Ludwig is not alone in appreciating the school’s surroundings, as many students at Cal Poly appreciate the nature and opportunities to explore all around.
Transfer student and business administration junior Alexander Dinh also appreciates exploring surrounding areas and the fact that the beach is just a quick drive away.
“The reason why I chose Cal Poly was because when I asked current students their summer plans, almost all of them said they had an internship lined up,” Dinh explained.
Psychology major Zachary Farr, who is originally from Utah, said that Cal Poly was one of the only schools in California he applied to. In a similar way to Ludwig, Farr was ideally aiming to go to a school on the East Coast, but after seeing the cold and gloomy weather and mood, he turned to Cal Poly.
“I have a couple friends who go here, and when I saw what opportunities they were able to use here, it just seemed really special and beautiful and really ideal for me,” Farr said.
Graphic communications freshman Rachel Barry also saw the academic culture and ambitious nature of the students when she came to visit before deciding on Cal Poly.
“I just noticed people seemed a lot happier here and they were taking advantage of all the things that Cal Poly has to offer,” Barry said.
Overall, many current students chose Cal Poly as their homebase due to the lively culture, academic reputation and beautiful nature and activities to do nearby. Among some of their favorite experiences at Cal Poly, Week of Welcome, enjoying the scenery and making connections within different communities, Cal Poly has fit into each of their lives in a different way.
“There’s a lot of stuff that you can get involved in here on campus, and it’s a great place to find new opportunities,” Farr said.