Anyone know anything about Cal Poly Pomona (La Verne: homes, safe area)

[SoCalMomma]

From my son, who has been accepted to Cal Poly Pomona.. We are scheduled for a tour, but he wanted some 'insider' info.

The School:
Is it hard to get the classes you need?
How many students, average, are in a class?
Is it a fun place to go to school?
Are the classes challenging, and engaging?
How's the food?
How is the housing?
Are the sports teams any good?
How is parking?

The Area:
How safe is the area around Cal Poly Pomona?
Anything FUN within 1-2 miles of campus?
Any areas right there that should be avoided?
Is it in an area near a bunch of homes, or more of a commercial area?
Near a fun downtown type area?
Does the community like the college students?

Thanks!

[Mardala]

I've heard good things about Cal Poly in relation to their computer science programs. But that was years ago. I assume its still a good school?

As far as Pomona goes, I've been there, nothing too interesting that I can remember. But maybe someone who lives there can answer that better.

[rebagirl]

I used to live about a ten minute's drive from Cal Poly. It is situated in Pomona, which is not the safest city. However, the location of the school itself is not bad, and I think they have increased security in the past several years.

I have friends who graduated from Cal Poly several years ago (15 years), and at that time it was difficult to get the necessary classes. This issue has been addressed (according to a friend of mine whose daughter will be attending in the fall).

Cal Poly continues to maintain a very good reputation. I'm sorry I can't answer some of your questions specifically, but I do think your son will do just fine there.

I went to the University of La Verne, which is just on the other side of the 10 freeway from Cal Poly. Absolutely loved it, but the costs have gone up considerably since I was there!

[MisterDuke]

A lot of the freshman courses (general education) can fill up quickly, but that is true at every university. If he wants to avoid problems, he'll learn to register as soon as it becomes available. That's very important when you are taking 100 and 200 level courses.

Class size depends on the course. The entry level courses tend to be very large. Usually, they get much smaller once you get into the 300s and 400s, where courses are more specialized. The graduate classes, 500 and 600 level are even smaller.

Cal Poly Pomona doesn't have a sports culture. They offer sports, but it's not a big deal in terms of campus identity. Cal Poly is predominately commuter students who choose it because they are math and science geeks.

There isn't much going on in the area immediately around campus. It's surrounded by open space, a freeway, and business parks. It's in a relatively safe area. Once you cross under the freeway you are in residential Pomona, and that's a different reality.

Raging Waters and the LA County Fairgrounds are within a mile or two of the campus. Not too much right around campus.

[Forever Blue]

I got my Bachelor & Masters degrees from Cal Poly Pomona. I did NOT live on campus, but commuted about 30 min away. I seemed to get my classes alright. I was in the Letters, Arts, & Social Sciences & Education depts. I didn't participate in any extracurricular activities on campus. I attended my classes & left. I'm just the type of person to do that, it's nothing to do w/ the campus. I enjoyed attending there. The last year I attended was 2006. Parking's as hectic as every other college campus.

[Dirk Bonner]

If the weight gain my lovely neice experienced in the first four months of her freshman year is any indication, the food in the dining hall is excellent.

[SoCalMomma]

Thank you all for your input.

Keep it coming

[NewportBorn]

Your best bet would to go search on http://collegeboard.com or http://princetonreview.com , both sites are specifically catered to college reviews.

Also the site itself for Cal Poly Pomona should have statistics about GPA from the freshmen.

[SoCalMomma]

Originally Posted by NewportBorn

Your best bet would to go search on http://collegeboard.com or http://princetonreview.com , both sites are specifically catered to college reviews.

Also the site itself for Cal Poly Pomona should have statistics about GPA from the freshmen.

Yes, we've read all the 'marketing material'.. we want some 'REAL PEOPLE' info. But thanks for the links

[Ranch resident]

I received my bachelor's degree from Cal Poly in '93. My niece is currently a second year vet school major, and my next door neighbor's son is pursuing Civil Engineering. They both seem to like it there. As others have indicated, it is primarily a commuter school, but there is some on-campus and off-campus housing. While located in a suburban area, you can be on some parts of the campus and feel worlds away. While you have to drive to pursue most off-campus social activities, there is plenty to do and see within 30 minutes of campus.