Do you have what it takes to survive college? Making it out in one piece requires more than academic prowess—our Cuesta and Cal Poly students need passion, creativity, connection, critical-thinking skills, and much more. In this year’s Student Guide, our annual cheat sheet for student success, we bring you pro tips from Survivor fans who bond through competition at Cal Poly; notes on the new Ethnic Studies Club at Cuesta College; the pros and cons of using generative AI; Cal Poly’s course catalog of interesting electives; and the ins and outs of handwritten vs. digital note-taking.
Andrea Rooks
associate editor
This article appears in Student Guide 2025.