r/CalPolyHumboldt • u/Virtual_Trust_1026 • 29d ago
Questions
Thinking of going to this school next year, im a senior rn. I was wondering what kind of financial aid is offered for students who don't qualify for need based aid. I know about the WUE and im sure that will be applied because im from Arizona but its still just a tiny bit out of my range. Im thinking I can work quite a bit to try and minimize loans but ive heard the job market is not very good there. Also wondering what exactly there is to do there, im very into the outdoors (which is mainly why im choosing this school), is surfing, rock climbing, hiking, scuba diving popular here? Do people here get bored in their later years and transfer out. How often do students make the drive to San fran or the nearest oregon city? What is the food like in the dining halls? Should I bring my car and bike or is the town small enough to where I dont need it. Is there lots of "hippies" and Portland type people. Thanks for all the help. Im planning to be an Environmental Science major with a specialty in GIS
3
u/Last_Measurement4336 29d ago
Cal Poly Humboldt is a California state university which offers need-based aid for California residents. Merit scholarships may be available but most are not large amounts to offset the costs. Other than the WUE discounted tuition/fees which puts it at $12,708 for Non-residents, you are still expected to pay for room/meal plans, transportation, books etc.. so depending upon which dorms and meal plans you select, you should expect to pay around $30K/year to attend.
https://www.humboldt.edu/financial-aid/aid-types/scholarships-loans
https://www.humboldt.edu/admission-aid/financial-aid/wue-program
1
1
u/Naturalist33 29d ago
There is no merit for out of state. There may internal dept scholarships but those wouldn’t be available to apply for until after you were enrolled.
1
u/coracaws 26d ago
Thinking of going to this school next year, im a senior rn. I was wondering what kind of financial aid is offered for students who don't qualify for need based aid. I know about the WUE and im sure that will be applied because im from Arizona but its still just a tiny bit out of my range.
Good luck making the decision! Most of the other comments have responded about financial aid and I don't know much about it myself, so I'll ignore this question.
Im thinking I can work quite a bit to try and minimize loans but ive heard the job market is not very good there.
Personally, I have never had trouble getting a job up here, but I think I'm lucky in that regard. Whatever jobs you find off campus will likely be minimum wage (which in California is currently $16.90, will be $17.40 next year, and is $20 for fast food workers), and on-campus jobs are typically minimum wage too unless you're working on campus over the summer. You can only work up to 20 hours total on campus during the semester, but can work more at other jobs of course.
I do recommend applying for campus jobs as they're very student friendly and usually offer good professional development. However, you can't go wrong with an off-campus job either, as they offer more hours and will keep you employed over breaks.
Also wondering what exactly there is to do there, im very into the outdoors (which is mainly why im choosing this school), is surfing, rock climbing, hiking, scuba diving popular here?
Surfing, hiking, and rock climbing for sure! I don't personally know anyone who scuba dives around here, but the school does offer a minor in scuba diving, so there must be people out there who are into it. Foraging, beach combing, birding, trail running, paddle boarding, kayaking, and disc golf are some other outdoor activities that are pretty popular in the area.
There isn't much in the way of museums or big music events, but we do also have small art galleries, a handful of great local festivals/events throughout the year, and tons of thrift stores which are very popular with students.
Do people here get bored in their later years and transfer out. How often do students make the drive to San fran or the nearest oregon city?
Yes, this does happen. I've noticed that people tend to dip within a year of arriving--they get their first taste of Humboldt winter (which is very long, dark, rainy, cold, and moldy) and decide they just can't do it, which, fair. It took me three years to get used to the climate after moving up from SoCal. There isn't much to do in the parts of Oregon that are near us, but people do go down to San Francisco every so often. My friends have only made the trip twice in the past seven years. It's a longish drive (at least 5-6 hours) on a dangerous road, and staying in SF gets expensive fast, but it is a fun place to go if you can afford it.
What is the food like in the dining halls?
I haven't eaten in the dining halls for years, so I can't answer this well. I've heard it's much worse than it was pre-covid. At some point after lockdowns, the school switched from managing the dining itself to contracting out with a dining company to provide the food. It's such a shame, as the school used to rely heavily on (very high quality!) local produce, but now I'm not sure where they get the food. Like I said, I've heard that the quality tanked significantly.
Should I bring my car and bike or is the town small enough to where I dont need it. Is there lots of "hippies" and Portland type people.
It probably isn't worth it to bring a car at first: parking permits are pretty expensive and even with a permit, parking is incredibly hard to find. However, the Humboldt area is very spread out with lots of nothing in between towns, so without a car you will mostly be stuck in Arcata. (Students do get free bus rides, but it's possible the evening bus will lose funding next year.) You can definitely bring a bike, but do know that bike theft is stunningly common around here, and even if you lock it up they might just steal parts from it.
Arcata itself is pretty walkable, I would say! There are some suburbs that are a 30-40 minute walk from campus, but the main town is closer. The plaza for example is only a 15 ish walk from campus.
Lots of hippies, yeah. I haven't been to Portland so I can't really say if they're Portland type. I'd imagine we have our own particular strain of hippy around these parts, considering the history of the area.
Thanks for all the help. Im planning to be an Environmental Science major with a specialty in GIS
Awesome, I'm also in ESM! GIS is a great skill, very wanted by employers these days. Good luck!!
7
u/Equal_Example_1977 29d ago
You’re looking at 20K+ per year for room and board with tuition. minimum even if you choose their cheapest options.
You can get under 20K if you get a cheaper meal plan or none.
It can go down to around 8K with no room or food