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.