Cal Poly (California Polytechnic State University): Off the Record - College Prowler (College Prowler: California Polytechnic State University Off the Rec)

Introduction from the Author

When I tell people where I’m going to college, the follow-up question is usually, “What’s your major?” The response I get when I tell them I’m an English major is usually a puzzled frown, followed by something like, “Oh . . . really? I didn’t know Cal Poly had an English department!” This reaction is only logical. After all, most people who apply to, enroll at, and graduate from Cal Poly are engineers, architects, or computer scientists. Given the fact that the full name of the school is California Polytechnic State University, it’s only natural for people to assume that we’re a technical school. Even I assumed so as an incoming freshman. Poly was my third-choice college, and I was rather disappointed that I wasn’t going to a school with a well-known English department.

The reality is, however, that Cal Poly is far more diverse than that. It is a top-ranking university in all the polytechnic studies. But, it is also host to a thriving community of English, theater, history, and other liberal arts majors. These departments are smaller, but they are tightly-knit communities of students and professors who have hard-won reputations in their fields. I quickly came to see the benefits a small, personalized department has over a large liberal arts college where students get lost in the mix. ItÂ’s certainly true that there is something for everyone at Cal Poly.

Nevertheless, both the polytechnic emphasis and the school motto, “Learn by doing,” play an important role in the mindset of the University. Classes in all disciplines take a hands-on approach to education, and students expect to acquire real-world knowledge that will help them survive and thrive. This creates a very down-to-earth atmosphere not found at other universities. In fact, that heady, elitist mentality that hangs like a cloud of academic stuffiness over some prestigious universities is nowhere to be found in “SLO-Town.” Professors and students alike might theorize and explore philosophical regions of the mind, but they always come back to “real” life applications. That means Poly is not simply a limbo between high school and the “real world.” It is the real world!

Incoming freshmen will find Poly students very committed to this way of life. Whether building a pathway or bridge on campus, designing open house booths, or working on the school paper, Poly students will always find practical ways to enhance the community. That is why I am proud to say “yes, I go to Cal Poly, and yes, I am an English major!”

Nicole Biggers, Author
Cal Poly