University of California-Santa Cruz Top Questions

Students of any racial, cultural, national or financial background at UCSC will agree that the university is a predominantly caucasian middle to upper class campus. From my experience, I've been to so many multicultural and diversity events on campus from organizations such as MECHA, ISO, FSA as well as AAIP and many others. Since I have been a Dining Hall worker, and one that had dealt with students that eat at our tables I can give a pretty accurate description of the four different tables of students at the Dining Hall: the first table is one of the Residential Advisor group, they all sit together, eat together, live together and seem to be the table everyone is aware of. The second table is the table of Freshman and upperclassmen where Freshman are eager to make friends and branch out on campus; the dining hall is where most socializing occurs. The third table is usually some people from a campus organization that have come to eat and the last is a mixture of all kinds of people, such as those that have not showered and those that take regular showers.

diverse.... you will find everything from the preppy person, to the incredibly funky and over the top one. most people seem really excepting and laid back, though.

Encourage diversity strongly and try to build a community within the colleges

UCSC is the UC that has the students with the richest parents. Supposedly (I've heard it from an Economics professor and several other creditable sources), they have the most assets and the highest incomes. But you might not be able to tell by the looks of many of the students here. Many students do not dress up all pretentious or flashy. And many of those students are aware of their economic privileges (though like with most things, not all students do). But there are also a lot of students who are part of EOP (Educational Opportunities Program) who are first-generation college students, generally from lower socio-economic backgrounds than other students whose parents did go to college. I'm not sure about the religious make-up of the university, but I do know that there are clubs for different religions here. But hey, if you come and that club doesn't exist for your specific religion, you always have the opportunity to create it! But that goes for any club or organization. We're also pretty accepting and supportive of the LGBTQQIA (did I miss a letter?) community. This community has many allies here, and this is generally a safe space to come out (there are many people who don't feel safe to come out at other universities, which translates to: "There aren't a lot of LGBTs in this community." Yeah right! ). There are a couple of clubs for it, we hold a yearly Drag Ball at Oakes College, a Glitter Ball at Merrill College, a Queer Fashion Show at Porter C., and a PRIDE Festival at Kresge C. in which all the colleges participate. But there are actually a bunch of other events that I can't remember. The genearal atmosphere does depend greatly depending at which college you're at. I'm from Oakes and I can say that it's pretty chill and really diverse. We have a lot of wonderful people who keep it pretty real. I won't speak for other colleges though.

Whitest UC in the UC system. Majority white, then asian, then latino/chicano/hispanic, then african-american. Very big on "diversity" training. Very LGBT friendly and supportive. Most students are from California, with about a 50/50 split between Northern and Southern California. Most student's families are middle to upper middle class to wealthy. Students very socially and politically active. Not a good place for jocks or athletic students, unless you are in to Ultimate Frisbee.

The population is generally pretty LGBT friendly. There are not enough minorities attending UCSC and the parents of UCSC students have the highest socioeconomic status of any of the UCs. So that means you will meet a lot of rich kids. People dress athletically or funky, pretty much anything goes in terms of fashion. Many people are from the Bay area of the L.A. area. They tend to be fairly politically aware for college students and lean to the left. If I hear someone talking about how much they will earn one day I laugh in their face.

The student body is very diverse and i think that most types of people (personality, ethnicity, etc) are accepted. I do not know what type of student would feel out of place because of this. Students wear different types of clothes to class. Some dress in dark colors, some wear summer clothes year round. Some do not wear shoes. it all depends on their personality and lifestyle. It seems as if most students are from California and particularly the San Jose area. I think most students are politically aware and seem to be mostly Democrats.

The only real unifying factor in the UCSC student body is a moderate to liberal political position. We have our conservatives, but they're few and far between. Beyond UCSC, this goes for most of the city of Santa Cruz. I sometimes wish we had a little bit more ethnic and racial diversity here, since I grew up in a very diverse, cosmopolitan little city, and I've yet to find any decent soul food in Santa Cruz, but there's definitely a healthy mix of all colors, orientations, and bank accounts. Different groups of students definitely do interact, and any self-segregation I've seen has been on the basis of interests, not backgrounds (i.e., theater nerds run in packs)

there are various ethnic and LGBT groups on campus, which is great, and they're pretty visible and active. i don't think anyone would feel out of place here as long as they were open-minded and accepting of all kinds of people, because that's who ucsc is made up of! all different kinds of students interact, and there is little discrimination on the part of the students, though i can't say the same of the administration. most ucsc students are from california, but we also have an education abroad program, so there are students from europe, australia, and africa as well. most students are from fairly affluent families, as you pretty much have to be these days as even public school is so expensive. a lot of students do apply for grants and loans, though. most students are definitely left of center, but there are a lot of moderate to right students as well.

There are all groups represented on campus. We have a large LGBT representation, and we are a very tolerant student body. I can't imagine that any student would feel out of place. An extremely conservative student may feel out of place, but I've met some and they appear happy here. Most students are from California, but some are from other places, including the east coast and other countries. Different types of students tend to interact out of necessity and often become good friends. The financial backgrounds vary, but it tends to be a wealthy school. Students can afford to eat organic foods and wear nice clothing (though some choose not to). I was told by a professor that we have one of the wealthiest backgrounds of any UC. Students are very politically aware, and many are active. They are predominantly left or far left. I have never heard a student talk about how much money he or she will earn one day. We are a liberal arts school, mostly, and students talk about what they will accomplish in society, not what they will ear.