University of California-Santa Barbara Top Questions

sororities and frats aren't as popular at ucsb as they are at other campuses. it's kind of nice to not have the greek system running the school. rowing has been a lot of fun this year, and it is really nice to make a close group of friends. people party but if u don't it's not a big deal. it's also not weird for you to go to parties but not drink. no one really cares either way. it's nice that everything you need is within waking distance. casual dating is pretty common, but people have boyfriends and girlfriends as well. my door to my dorm room is always unlocked. i trust everyone on my floor. our school is very creative with events. "Floatopia"=genius

definitely plenty of extracurricular opportunities on campus and off. lots to do, never boring.

Isla Vista is known as a party town and alcohol abounds.

do your own thing. whatever you like to do, do it. don't live by my experiences. its not hard to go get plastered with your friends, get stoned with your friends, have a trip with them, just don't be dumb about it to the point where people get hurt or get in trouble, see ivfp comment above.

the snowboard club is known not for snowboarding but for partying. campus living is fun, i did it for only my freshman year but Isla vista is practically a giant dorm complex in itself. normally there is an open door policy in dorms to keep people interacting for the firct few weeks of school. i met my closest friend in the dorms and my worst enemies in the dorms. thats just life. you get put in a hall or room with a complete stranger and you learn to adapt to it. its fun, but i am glad its over. 2am tuesday- probably doing homework- yesterday was folding my graduation announcements at 2am. halloween is one of the biggest events, students from all over california and even arizona- friends of friends of friends come to party for 3-4 days straight. isla vista becomes a giant party of grown up costumes combined with alcohol and Isla Vista foot partol arresting baligerantly drunk students- normally those NOT from ucsb are the ones getting in trouble. we are the ones too bust taking care of our visiting friends who are lost in IV, drunk, and trying to hook up with the bumble bee girl. its fun...

I am in Real Life, the Christian club on campus that is devoted to providing every student an opportunity to have a relationship with Jesus Christ and be a community of people that love each other. We are a very active organization with parties and events every week that are both planned and spontaneous. People party Thursday through Sunday, but it isn't centered on the Greek System. Alternative events to drinking include dance parties and movie nights. Last weekend I went to a movie in IV theater on Friday Night, went to a beach BBQ Saturday, baked cookies, then went out to dinner downtown. Sunday I went to church and then went for a walk on the beach.

The Greek system is definitely expanding at UCSB. I am involved with the democrats at UCSB, which has been a great experience getting people to register, vote, etc. People often leave their dorms open and are extremely friendly. Athletic events are relatively popular, though we do not have a football team, which does suck. We have many guest speakers, including Bill Clinton and Jon Stewart last year. Dating is hard because of the party scene. Dating is more hanging out at parties than going out. I met my friends in the dorms my freshmen year. 2am on a tuesday I am hanging out with my closest friends watching TV. A major tradition is Halloween, which is incredible. People party often, but its not hard to stay away from that scene if you want, just don't live in Isla Vista. Frats and Sororities are fun, but not necessary for a social life.

Don't want to drink? Fine. Go bowling at Zodo's or head to Q's for some pool. Have a night surf or break into the Santa Barbara skatepark. Come to Real Life's "complex" for some music and dancing (no booze, just good times). Blow up an extra XBOX, sneak into the attic of your dorm. People watch from your friend's balcony. Hang out at Java Jones. Go play your guitar at Dog Shit Park. Convert a stolen desk, stolen bike, and stolen caster wheels into your own mobile desk. Use two coat hangers to engineer a device that will open any dorm room door. Play Smash Bros, or Rock Band. Come to my house and I'll cook you Salmon Rushdie with sweet peas and brown rice. Go Freerunning. Find out who can lift your couch the most times in ten seconds, or do the most pushups while holding his breath. Go to Kickbox Club for some sparring. Cruise down town and pretend you're as rich as everyone else. Stroll through the moon-lit harbor. See who can swim to the pier and back with out getting hypothermia. Mix your O Chem experience and some household chemicals to produce a contact explosive, and use it to get rid of your extra microwave. Go shopping for a new desk or mattress (on the side of the street). Build/burn down a beach fort. Go airsofting in the butterfly reserve. Bob for apples... in ice water. Run the naked mile with the track team. Race the midnight crit with the cycling team. Find a skateboard/bike/shopping cart and race down the parking structures. Meet the woman of your dreams on Facebook. Dump the not-so-woman of your dreams. Study for your O Chem final (no it doesn't have to be finals week). Honestly, all of my best times are times that I was not drinking.

UCSB Soccer is the most follow sport (2007 National Champs). Gaucho Locos, Campus political clubs, and greek clubs are the majority of the orgs on campus. Dorms are usually on lock down from outsides, but are open to most freshmen. Isla Vista is the most open community in existence. Most people's doors are open, and so are the beer fridges. If you value privacy, dont bother living there. Parties usually start on Wednesday and run through Sunday. There is always music playing. So much in fact, that when you leave it takes weeks to get used to the silence of the normal world. People dont date in Isla Vista. They hook up. Then, they might date. Put 20,000 young people in a square mile and have them interact with no parental authorities. What do you think is going to happen? Just wear a condom. One in four people have some form of an STD. I was a member of a a fraternity, and it was the best choice of my life. You dont need to join a fraternity to party. However, its how I met the majority of the people I know these days. The Greek life is awesome, and it will give you some great memories, and a few scars to boot.

I'm super involved with Real Life, which is a Christian club on campus. The community there has been absolutely incredible. I've never met people with a more genuine love for Jesus and for people. We have a ton of events, some of which are outreach, and some of which are flat out fun. My favorite outreach is called "Jesus <3's IV Day," where we get into groups of about six and walk through Isla Vista on a Saturday morning (after Friday night's parties), knocking on doors and offering to clean their houses for free. They usually ask why, and we tell them that it's because Jesus loves IV. It happens once per quarter. As for flat-out-fun events, most of them involve games (Family Business, Psychiatrist, Settlers of Catan, Taboo, 4 on a Couch), dancing (our dances are innnncredible), some sort of popular movie/television show (Lost, Survivor, Arrested Development), or a combination of these three. Also, UCSB prints an After-Dark Calendar in the paper on Thursdays, and it lists a whole bunch of non-alcoholic events that are happening that weekend. There are plenty of options.