University of California-Santa Barbara Top Questions

UCSB is located right on the beach with miles of bike trails and running paths that wind around the area. Mountains in the background filled with hiking trails that are utilized by freshman seminar classes. Chancellor Yang is amazing! He is very personable and an active presence on campus. School pride comes out at soccer games where people sport sombreros and throw tortillas. The school is uniquely located adjacent to Isla Vista, a square mile of private rental housing that is almost entirely college students. Great community and very college-centered.

The best part about UCSB is the environment that exists in IV. Everyone here will tell you that they never want to leave for a few reasons. 1. We live right on the beach, I personally live a block away from the sand and the weather can't be beat. 2. Most of the student body lives right next to each other, everyone is social and it is amazing how many people you can meet. 3. The overall attitude of Santa Barbara is laid back but people still know when to party and when to study. I think that the school size is just about right, everyone finds their own niche here even though we have a large student body. Isla Vista is a perfect college town. There is a lot of school pride here, especially with soccer and other sports. We were national champs in soccer last year. Some experiences I'll never forget are all the random things we would do in the dorms. I'll never forget pledge quarter in Sigma Nu and all of the fun things we put together. One of the common student complaints is that rent here is way too high because it is, but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else during college so I'm willing to pay it.

Best thing about UCSB is the location (by the beach) and the college town feel and parties in Isla Vista. I would change the student fees and book costs, but that applies to all schools I'm sure. The school is quite large and might be hard to deal with for some people, but I find it fine. People are always jealous and excited that I go to UCSB, mostly because of the party reputation. UCSB has a lot of school pride, especially the Gaucho Locos!

I remember reading a book on student opinions of colleges back in high school. It said that the only common complaint about UCSB was that it should have "moving sidewalks." Now, this place is pretty amazing but it also has its flaws. This is a research University... if you don't want to research go somewhere else... you'll be happy you did. Every teacher wants you to go into academia, and because of that the system of instruction (knowledge for knowledge's sake) becomes tiresome when you realize that you can't do anything with your degree directly. That being said, if you just love your topic you will find more to love than you thought possible. Also, Santa Barbara/Goleta/Isla Vista is such a college town that you often forget there is anything else in the world. I only live and hour and a half away, but I never go home because I feel like the drive is too long. The experiences I will remember most all revolve around the oppression that is Chem 109B - Organic Chemistry. The friends I made sitting in the lab, praying that something would come out of this reaction so I could just go home, are my best friends on this campus. When it all came together (after failing the class twice) I found myself enjoying the final exam so much I started laughing as I handed it in. I am pretty sure the professor thought I was going to kill everyone in the room.

You'e kidding right? Its on the Pacific Ocean. On a good day you can actually surf to class. The academics are on par, if not better than, UCLA or Cal. Isla Vista is the best college town hands down. There is always something to do in that place. The administration as usually, are a bunch of idiots. The greek advisor, and the majority of the admin could care less about the students. They spend the majority of their time trying to convince the world they are not a party school. While I laud them for their efforts, they usually just come off as jerks to their students.

The best part about UCSB is the location. You can't beat being able to take a short walk to the beach in between classes. If I could change one thing, I'd definitely wish there was more school spirit and a higher interest in sports. When I went to visit other colleges, I would walk on the campus and feel the school spirit. Here? Not so much. The fact that we don't have a football team kills me. I guess it wouldn't be a big deal if you aren't into sports, but I am, so it is. When I tell people I go to UCSB, people usually respond by saying, "Oh, you'll have so much fun down there!" (probably because they assume I'm going to party), or, "Oh, it's so beautiful down there!!" I wish people would say less superficial things (maybe along the line of academics), but at least they have positive reactions. I guess the nearby town of Isla Vista is our college town...a very trashy, overly-priced, place-I-would=never-want-to-live town, but whatever. Trying to get around campus is insane! TONS of people pack on the bike paths every day, and there's always insults being thrown from one biker to another, and bike accidents are bound to happen every day. I've been in one, and it's definitely not fun. Even if you don't bike, just trying to avoid being clobbered by a biker is a skill that definitely has to be perfected.

Great Experience. I wouldn't change a thing

Most days, UCSB is sunny and beautiful. Most people bike to campus, but I have started to walk instead because such a beautiful place deserves to be seen and appreciated. You wouldn't think that this makes much of a difference, but people are happier on sunny days than they are on rainy or cloudy days. Most of the time, Santa Barbara delivers on this front.

I love the environment, everyone is easy going, but yet still serious about school. When I told people I was going here, they were like ISLA VISTA, big parties. I spend most of my time hanging out with my friends at our appartments. There is a lot of school pride especially with the gaucho locos at soccer games.

The best thing about UCSB is the huge variety of classes offered-you really get a chance to explore. I've taken classes in art history, religious studies, also ballroom dancing, pottery and yoga through our Rec Cen, just for the fun of trying something new. If I could change one thing, I would have the academic and career advice be more uniform. There are multiple resources, which is good, but they all say different things, which isn't. The school is just right as far as size goes. People who hear I go to UCSB immediately start asking about parties and are surprised when I say I chose it because it has a great linguistics department. They aren't used to taking it seriously. I spend free time on campus in the UCen or the Honors Study Center, or just sit outside if the weather's nice. Isla Vista and Santa Barbara are both college towns....