Collegewise Goes Coastal

After a 6 a.m. departure (which is earlier than any of us had been awake on a Sunday morning in a very long time), we hit the road for the three-hour trip up to San Luis Obispo for our first stop, Cal Poly SLO.  After two fast-food stops and minor trauma to Kyle’s forehead, we arrived on campus.  We parked and posed for our first picture in front of the visual and performing arts center, an impressive building that showcased student artwork and was about the size of a city block.  We were all immediately impressed with the natural beauty that surrounded the Cal Poly SLO campus, especially on such a clear autumn day.  Since the students had finished finals the week before, campus was pretty deserted, but that didn’t stop us from exploring.  Our first stop on our self-guided tour brought us to the Student Center.  We were disappointed to see that the bookstore was closed (no Mustang memorabilia!) but our frowns dissipated after making the acquaintance of a friendly senior Engineering major that snapped our picture and pointed us in the direction of some must-sees on campus. 

Our new friend told us about Poly Canyon road, a two-mile walk that showcases many of the senior projects of the students at SLO.  Although time prevented us from seeing Poly Canyon, we did get to take advantage of a few senior projects.  While trekking down in search of the plant shop stocked with plants grown on the SLO campus, we walked over a few footbridges, which were Jen’s favorite part of the tour.  While we never found the plant shop, we were excited to learn that the bridges underfoot were actually designed and built by students!  After walking through the center of campus, we stopped off in Mott gymnasium to see where the Division I Mustangs played.  Cal Poly not only boasts countless trophies and awards in the gym, but also has a huge separate recreation complex complete with personal trainers, sand volleyball courts, and a ropes course!

By the time we left the gym, Allison and Margot, the liberal arts alums, were very tired.  They weren’t used to walking around such big campuses, but luckily Kyle and Jen have no patience for liberal arts wimps and made sure everyone got back safe and sound to the minivan.  We bid farewell to the SLO campus and headed into town, an adorable little place with streets filled with restaurants and shops.  While campus was a bit deserted, the town of San Luis Obispo was bustling.  We grabbed a table at a local sandwich shop where we met up with Kyle’s brother, a volunteer firefighter in San Luis Obispo.  After grilling him about local life, we all decided that SLO seemed like a pretty great place to spend four years.

After spending the night in Solvang, a quaint Danish-style conveniently located between San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara, we continued down the 101 freeway until Jen veered our minivan towards the coast and found UCSB. Kyle had a fit when she realized that time didn’t stop in its tracks when she graduated, as the campus was undergoing some major construction. But Jen, Margot and Allison assured Kyle that it was the good kind of construction—they’re adding classrooms and facilities on-campus, in addition to housing for graduate students near the school. And they need more space, as evidenced by the 18,000 or so students who use the campus daily.

Speaking of the students, we all found that one of the most interesting aspects of UCSB was how loyal the students are to their school. As most people know, UCSB doesn’t have a football team anymore (or has been undefeated since 1992, as Kyle puts it), but that doesn’t stop nearly every passerby on campus from sporting the UCSB logo. And there were passersby—Margot and Allison, private college attendees, had to be debriefed about the bike path traffic on a public campus; in other words, don’t get run over. Football or no football, the Gauchos are proud of their campus and their sports (soccer, basketball, volleyball, and water polo are among the favorites) and everyone felt compelled to be a walking UCSB billboard.

“Where were they getting all of this wonderful merchandise?” we thought to ourselves…ah, the bookstore. Paying a visit there wasn’t a bad move, seeing as the bookstore overlooks the lagoon, an inlet from the Pacific Ocean that splashes the southwest part of campus. It’s true—there are ocean views from some of the freshman dorms, and also from the De La Guerra Dining Commons, or “DLG” as Jack Johnson put it in his song “Bubble Toes” (he’s a UCSB alum).

It was tough, but we left the ocean behind us, and traveled back through the center of campus, past the UCEN (where the bookstore and on-campus restaurants live), through Girvetz Hall for a slice of in-class nostalgia, took a quick look at the library (it’s full of books—big shocker, right?), and headed back towards the front of campus near Campbell Hall. This classroom seats an impressive 860+ students, and it’s where freshman can expect to spend time in lower-division courses like Art History 1ab or Psych 1. And no, your professor will not know your name (this made Jen and Kyle happy; Margot and Allison could barely breathe at the thought).

If you have a bike, like the ocean, and are looking for a great four years in college, take it from me (Kyle)—UCSB is a killer campus. You’re far enough away from home to ensure that your parents don’t show up on your doorstep, yet close enough to head home for the weekend and do three months worth of laundry. Personal experience? Nah…