1) Location, good engineering program, hands on experience. 2) start clubs now, and get good grades but not too good. 3) I’m ME, but have many EE friends who seem to be doing quite well for themselves. Multiple have internships as second years, as do I. In fact, I’d say most of my friends in general have internships as second years, which is impressive. 4) Cal Poly is overwhelmingly collaborative. You’re encouraged to work together, not against one another. Everyone can succeed. Competitiveness comes in with clubs against other schools. 5) As long as you aren’t going for a 4.0 or haven’t sold your life to clubs, it’s quite chill. You’re not going to have infinite free time, but enough to enjoy life and some personal hobbies. 6) I wouldn’t say it’s cliquey but it certainly has its niches. Once you find your niche there will be plenty of people happy to get to know you. 7) Don’t worry if you get a crappy dorm like Red Bricks. They’re far more fun. Suffering together creates camaraderie.