Next year, I will be a freshman at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo! While it is bittersweet to move away, I’m really looking forward to the new year and I feel more than ready for the change. emilydalybl

My close friends and family (and now you after reading this) know that before I chose Cal Poly, I was committed to play softball at a private university in Washington. It was a really brutal decision, but I decided I no longer wanted to devote my time at college to the sport I love and instead, explore other interests of mine- such as music, writing, and public speaking. Still, I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to play softball at the collegiate level and I learned so much from the recruiting process. Actually, I will probably write an article in the future for advice on how to get recruited if you do want to be an athlete in college.

Anyways, I applied to Cal Poly SLO last year and if I am being honest, I didn’t think much of the school at first. I had driven by the school a few years prior and it looked nice but being an English major and all, the whole “tech” vibe of the school threw me off. I still thought playing softball in college was the path I would be taking and so I didn’t bother to actually stop and walk onto the campus.

Flash forward to the college acceptance (and rejection) letters! I soon had it narrowed down to four colleges- my top two being the school I had my softball scholarship at and Cal Poly. I then went to the Cal Poly Open House weekend for admitted freshman and it really opened my eyes to how the school would be a great fit for me!

First of all, Cal Poly SLO’s teaching method is “learn by doing.” I’m really drawn to this because I want to go into the fields of either law or journalism in my future and experience/internships will help me gain insight on what career I could have in the future. In terms of campus size, the school is pretty big but class numbers are small to average so you are really getting the best of both worlds. Also, despite the school being known for Engineering and Agriculture, the English department is a hidden gem and has some of the best teachers on campus that have won several standout awards.

Another plus of Cal Poly SLO is that there’s an endless amount of activities at and around the college. It has an amazing choir and well put together newspaper which I am hoping to join in the fall, as well as ASI (the student body/council) that interests me. There is Morro bay, Pismo beach, and Avila beach to explore and endless amounts of hiking trails in the area. There’s a bubblegum wall, the SLO-DO-CO donut shop, and a really cute downtown. It has a college town feel and all the students that I have met so far are friendly and have made SLO already feel like my new home.

I can’t wait to make the move in September and I’ll keep you all posted when I do! I’ll soon be able to share my new life and all its adventures with you. I wish you luck if you are going to college next year as well and feel free to ask me any questions you may have about SLO, college, or really anything else. In the meantime… go mustangs! : )

On the left is me and I’m next to my best friends, Sebastian (middle), and Grace (right)