By Julia DeFoe, October 3, 2023
This year, Washington Monthly rated Cal Poly Pomona as No. 14 in a ‘Best Bang for Your Buck’ article out of West Coast universities.
CPP ranked higher than both Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly Humboldt. The ratings were determined by three major factors: social mobility, research and community or national service. The goal of the is to highlight universities putting low and middle-class students in the best position to graduate and get a well-paying job.
Social mobility is whether a university accepts a variety of diverse students, not a specific demographic over another. According to the article, CPP had 2,089
Associate Interim Director of Media Relations, Cynthia Peters; shared how CPP was able to achieve this accomplishment. She noted that it is the work of student support, education, and success that is being recognized.
Whether a school is serving a specific demographic of students who potentially don’t need the resources would put them in a high ranking.
“There has been discussion over many years about how well universities do, not just for the very, very best students but for all students,” Peters said.
Peters encourages prospective students to look at various rankings when deciding which school is best for them. She notes that rankings on specialties, financial aid, resources and ‘bang for your buck’ are all helpful tools when trying to narrow down the selection.
Ronald Whitenhill, assistant vice president for Outreach and Educational Partnerships at CPP described the thought process from a prospective student’s point of view. He shares that students are keeping in mind what they will get out of a school when they are already investing a good amount of their energy, time, and money.
Each student will have their own priorities when picking a school, however Frank Bruni published an article for the New York Times regarding how to look at college rankings and decipher what is important.
Bruni encourages prospective students to take note of what is logical and financially practical to begin with and build your list of schools from what you find with those in mind. He shares that students are making the mistake of creating a master wish list of schools based on factors that are not realistically important. Students should be looking for schools within the realm of what they can afford and go after themselves.
“They come to believe that the luster of the institution they attend, as established by its ranking and its exclusivity, will not only define their place in the world but also determine their professional success and contentment,” shares Bruni. He discusses how a great deal of importance is put on the name of the school that students are going to, rather than what the school provides for its students.
A crucial factor to consider is the recently confirmed 6% tuition increase for all California State Universities and how that will impact enrollment rates. LA Times writer Debbie Truong published an article discussing the change.
“The hike will help pay for employee pay increases, improve academic support and research and internship opportunities for students and enhance course options” shared Truong. Student trustee Diana Aguilar Cruz added how the increase is detrimental to students now but will benefit in the long run.
CPP has been well reflected in the feedback regarding data on what the university is doing for its undergraduates. What matters to students is they are getting a valuable degree out of however much time, money, and energy they spend on their education. Whatever it is students are looking to major in is just the starting block, and from there they can build up by looking at different rankings on whatever is most important.
Feature Image Courtesy of Alexander Novoa