California Polytechnic State University - San Luis ObispoCampus Housing Summary

Written by Amy Herman

Amy Herman

Hometown

Burbank CA

Major

Liberal Studies

Grad Year

2013

View all previous student authors

There are three main types of housing on campus: "Red Bricks" or South Mountain Halls, apartments (Cerro Vista or Poly Canyon), and "the Towers" (which are also known as Yosemite and Sierra Madre—collectively, the "Connections" towers). All are freshman housing, with the exception of Poly Canyon Village (PCV), which is reserved for second-year students and above. The Red Bricks are divided by college; there's one building for each of the six colleges. Roughly 70 percent of the students in each of the buildings are in the college associated with that particular building. For example, in the building associated with the College of Engineering, 30 percent of the students will be from any of the other five colleges. 

The apartments are mixed majors. The Honors College housing is located in Cerro Vista. Apartment-style living is the only housing with single rooms on campus. Yosemite and Sierra Madre are broken up into different special-interest housing groups. One tower is designated for music lovers, another for foodies, and a third for international interests. Each tower has a different theme. Living on campus is a must for a social life. Most of your friends will come from the hall you live in, and those late-night common-area chats about life and the universe will make your first year truly unique. It's not hard to find a group to go to dinner with or to keep you company in the library. The buildings are safe and clean, which is important, given the number of students who share such close quarters. Overall, living on campus is a necessary and enjoyable experience!