Hostel:

I lived on campus for two years in apartments, which was expensive but very convenient and included maid service, and now I live in an off-campus apartment, which is also nice. Bus passes are included with tuition, which makes getting around town very easy.

I enjoyed my tour of the college when I visited, plus I loved the vibe of the college town. Everyone I met there was super friendly, and the college heavily uses the Learn By Doing/hands-on learning approach. My class sizes there would be much smaller than at other California schools, but I would still get affordable California resident tuition. I got full-ride scholarships to two other schools, including research grants, but the people and weather here were incredible, so I turned the scholarships down.

Hostel:

As a first-year everyone is forced to live on campus. After that, it is an option to stay on campus or move off-campus. Most people move off campus because there are better options. There are lots of options.

The location and the engineering program. I always wanted to peruse engineering so that was a priority, but I also wanted to be happy. Cal poly is such a happy campus with so much around it between hikes and the beach.

Hostel:

I would have stayed on campus only for my first year (since it is required) and then I would have tried to find cheaper housing for the next three years.

It provided the most money to me (scholarships, grants, and loans), CAL POLY SLO is also the best Cal State.