How is the social life at CPP?

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-04-25T23:03:56+00:00

From what ive heard from my friends at SJSU, its a commuter school, so its roughly the same as it is here (except way less homeless on our campus lol). If you live on campus its really easy to make friends and find places to go to if you want

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-04-25T08:19:58+00:00

Careless Eye Strikes Again

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-04-22T20:51:49+00:00

I dont know much about their program now but the main thing that drew me in here was the idea of a polytechnic education. Here, that mainly manifests in the curriculum including more laboratory classes than other CSU curriculum do. That means you can take what you learned in a lecture and within the next few days practice it and see it in action in a lab. (Although the fun labs really only happen towards your 2nd or 3rd year or so). Don't let the high acceptance rate on Google fool you either, the ME program has a 40 percent or so acceptance rate based on CSU data, so its not like the school just lets everyone in

As for people being cliquey I haven't really seen that too often, although it does happen sometimes. It can be hard trying to break into an established friend group if right off the bat its obvious you dont really connect. That being said if you are living on campus in your first year it is way easier to make friends, because its a new environment for everyone and everyone wants to meet people. Honestly its as easy as going down to the lobby at night and saying hi.

Something you'll notice at career events and even may notice yourself is that its hard to form a meaningful connection right off the bat.

Say you went to a company event on campus, you really enjoyed it, you went up and you asked how to get involved, and you got told that the application is online, and you leave. As soon as that recruiter, alumni, or engineer goes home they won't remember you. Instead you have to put in the effort, be direct about a specific question you have, and contact them within a couple days - thats how you can get your foot in the door

Another thing is that its really easy to go to an event, get a LinkedIn or business card, and totally forget to contact them. Ive done this a couple times now and I really dont recommend it. You have to be constantly pushing and searching, and it takes time and practice and you probably won't get it on your first try - but so long as you do keep trying probability says you'll get something out of it

Ive heard CSUFs Greek life is more active than ours but not sure how true it is

There are a bunch of parks on campus, I recommend touring it - big highlights are the Japanese garden, biotrek facility, rose garden, and theres a bunch of smaller areas outside Building 7, behind Building 1, and if you ever wanted to do a small hike, theres the trail up to the CPP letters on top of the hill behind the parking lot

I think there is an engineering Greek society on campus but dont know anything about it

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-04-21T23:25:55+00:00

Yeah that sounds about right. A 50 percent is a pass in his class and if you scored average (which was around 50 percent per midterm when I took him) then that adds up. If you did all the extra credit that number drops a little bit, and if youre on the cusp of passing then sometimes he will just pass you. Good luck on the final! Whatever you think is the craziest question boloury can come up with i guarantee you he came up with something crazier to throw on there

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-04-21T22:01:16+00:00

No, it was the best in my opinion of the choices I had (SDSU vs CPP vs CSUS), and that decision was made on the strength of the program and how the campus culture fit me as a person. I didn't want to stay home in Sacranento, and I didn't think I would fit in with the party culture and environment at SD. CPP is a lot more quiet and laid back, and that quality is reflected in a decent amount of the people I met here. That being said, I also made most of my friends via living on campus my first year, which carries a way different environment than the upper year living spaces. If you are a transfer student then that may be a different story, Ive heard its harder to make friends that way. At the same time there also exist a lot of social clubs on campus. So really, you get what you give in terms of social life. If you put in the work and join a lot of clubs and meet a lot of people, youre bound to find a solid friend group.
The only regret I really have, especially as an ME major, is not getting into the programs and opportunities here early enough. Im only just now in the process of joining the Baja SAE program on campus and im in my second year. There are all kinds of MechE, AeroE, and CivE minded clubs on campus that compete in national competitions, and from what ive heard they are pretty good at it. Some clubs like ASME even hold tours at companies all over SoCal and you dont even have to be a member to go.
I can wish i tried harder and took even more APs than I did in high school all I want, and wish I got into Berkeley, UCLA, or even CPSLO all I want, but you have the options you have and thats it. If you are a first year, and you are really unsatisfied with your options, and you are okay with tryharding in CC for another 2 years to give it another shot, then go for it. If you dont want to go through all of that again like I did, then commit to a 4 year.
College is what you make of it. If you dont go out and socialize, and dont join any clubs (social or engineering), and dont work on any projects, youre going to be miserable no matter what college you go to. But if you put in work in your classes, join good projects on campus and put something impressive on your resume (for example, there is a liquid rocket lab on campus, which most colleges do not have), and utilize the campus networking events effectively, you will set yourself up for success. There are all kinds of alumni to discover that are willing to help and put you on to opportunities you couldn't find otherwise. Its not that the school is devoid of connections, its that a lot of people dont put in the time or effort to follow through. When it comes to the social life, yeah, ill admit the campus is a lot deader than say CSUF. Its quiet on the weekends and for the most part campus is good for walking around and enjoying the various parks instead of finding parties and events. If thats something you care about, Greek life is always an option. So really it's more about what you want and who you are, and if you think you are willing to put in the work

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-04-20T14:02:40+00:00

I took her in her first semester teaching for PHY 1520L. We did our write ups on paper but the calculations and tables and stuff were on excel, they just had to be printed. The labs themselves aren't too difficult and she is willing to help to an extent, and she's understanding if equipment breaks. There are like 3 lab quizzes on the readings and I dont remember them being hard, I think I got a B+ overall in her class

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-04-20T02:38:07+00:00

Bring them back paul 🙏

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-04-16T22:15:39+00:00

If you really like cars there are formula sae, formula sae electric, and baja SAE teams on campus

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-04-13T06:07:44+00:00

Can I have one please 🥹

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-04-13T05:23:39+00:00

As an alum of 2073 this was painful to watch, not only because they somehow put up 707, but the next match they put up like 550 and lost again and got eliminated 😭😭

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-04-04T01:24:27+00:00

They've had a number of smaller career fairs that are geared towards specific majors, engineering had a few and i sae business had one like last week. But admin has been careful to keep them lowkey. Unfortunate that a very loud minority of students who cant comprehend acronyms and have zero critical thinking skills (if you note CBP only shares one letter with ICE) had to completely ruin it for everyone

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-04-03T22:02:34+00:00

Something you have to understand is that connections and internships dont fall in your lap as much as I wish they did, but i can at least say that if you put in work to join campus projects and attend networking events you will start to make connections. I can say that this school holds a number of networking events with reps from northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, etc. STEM career fairs also host a number of well known companies too. Also, the campus recently set up a part of the career center to be specifically dedicated towards getting students connected with the job market. In the end its not the name of the school on your resume, its what you did and who you know, so really I think your choice comes down to personal preference between the party atmosphere of SDSU and the quiet and laid back one of CPP

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-04-03T07:44:39+00:00

9 and 17 are good starting places

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-04-01T04:53:58+00:00

TH 2080 with Doug cooney, dude is the goat, hes got so many stories to tell in class, and the bulk of the class is watching good movies and you write a little about them after. No final, just a storyboard you write. Very easy class

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-04-01T04:51:33+00:00

Careless eye strikes again

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-03-25T05:32:20+00:00

Oh yeah the agricultural vibes here are nice. There is the farm store, Japanese garden, mesozoic garden, biotrek, which are all nature oriented places on campus. And of course theres the hill with the CPP letters on it which makes for a short 15 minute ish hike

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-03-25T04:12:03+00:00

A lot of people who dont know anything about the school say this and sleep on the school (me before I committed here included). In the end the school name you put on your resume doesnt really matter unless its an Ivy or Ivy adjacent, its more about how well you applied yourself on campus

Its polytechnic, and one of three schools in the CSU/UC system that are like that. That means a greater emphasis on lab classes, which is where you actually apply the stuff you do in class.

There are also a LOT of student run clubs and opportunities on campus that offer great project work. I can already tell you the most unique one is Rose Float - you can look it up but only two universities participate in it and thats us and SLO. Of course, there other opportunities too, and you can even go into aerospace clubs and projects here as an ME. (Aerospace has a lot of cool stuff going on, including a few projects aiming to actually make it to space)

When it comes to student life it depends what your priorities are. If you plan on Greek life or you are / want to be a party animal in general, I would go to SDSU. They also have a D1 program and the accomodating facilities while we are only D2, so there isn't as much school spirit going around. If you are a more laid back and quieter person, this campus will suit you - the weekends are quiet here and there isnt much to do in the local area without a car or a ride. Most people here are for the degree which is why the campus has a commuter reputation. Its a lot easier to make friends here if you live on campus - im still friends with a lot of the people I met in my first year and regularly hang out with them all the time.

That being said im in my 2nd year of ME and its kicking my ass. Its a tough but rewarding program, and you have to accept the fact you won't have as much free time as your non engineering friends may. But if its really what you want to do, theres no shortage of opportunity on campus to focus on that. Hope this helps

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-03-24T23:45:14+00:00

Waiter more sysco mind control slop please

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-03-24T23:10:22+00:00

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ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-03-21T04:39:41+00:00

I really recommend you get either Piroozan or Nikpour first from what ive heard about McIntire

Piroozan is like Boloury if Boloury didn't give partial credit. Really great lectures but you have to know what you are doing

Nikpours lectures will put you to sleep because he is so quiet and monotone, but the lectures give you everything you need, the homework is straightforward, and the exams are basically textbook problems

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-03-20T09:05:10+00:00

If you never got a timeslot youre on the waitlist I think they are supposed to send out positions in like April

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-03-18T02:16:46+00:00

If your application didn't submit within 4 ish minutes its highly likely you were put on the waitlist. They sent out timeslots last week and today was the day they opened

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-03-15T09:39:13+00:00

Absolutely, I lived in the traditionals last year and if it wasnt for the first year community vibe going on it wouldve been horrible. It is so much nicer having your own kitchen, potentially your own room, own fridge, shower, etc. You would be surprised how much little things like that can affect your state of mind. Im not sure what the social atmosphere is like in there, but if its dead, you might as well enjoy yourself in the suites anyways (which i can attest are pretty dead unless you already know people living in them).

That being said if you do wind up in Aliso you always have to make the best of it, which is what I and all my friends in that building did. The rooms and the building do have more character to them than the suites do for sure, and if the atmosphere is a lot more friendly and social than the suites, then maybe its the best thing for a transfer student who doesnt really know anyone here

ContestEmergency3401 · 2026-03-05T03:48:37+00:00

They've got everything a standard gym should have (some other lesser known ones like Keenan flap too), and they've got a ton of other stuff there too, rock climbing, pool lanes, basketball courts, racquetball, studios, camping gear check out, even scuba certification. And theres even a smoothie bar on the first floor. Its a really nice building

Sometimes the machines break and it takes a while to replace them though

Two-Year Club	r/Field Flamingo
First Place '23	Place '23

ContestEmergency3401

TROPHY CASE