University of California-Santa Cruz Top Questions

predominantly white. i often see divisions among students based on skin color. i feel like many students try painfully hard to look/act/feel unique and to separate themselves from others by way of dress and speech when in reality, it seems to boil down to the fact that by striving desperately to be so different, we still converge to mirror each other. republican students congregate together and upon talking with them, in my experiences, they often push their views onto others and refuse to listen with an open mind to other sides of arguments. people affiliated with other political parties are often stubborn as well, but a general lack of understanding of politics plagues many conversations about politics. i see many girls disrespected by boys, and many girls basking in attention from boys. people on buses and in libraries always look for empty rows of seats or tables and only sit next to strangers when forced to. eye contact longer than split seconds is rare and sometimes it's difficult to converse with strangers. people usually study in groups and is generally really easy to meet friends in classes. many science-related courses are extremely competitive however, and people seem reluctant to provide help when they know more than others. it's generally a gay-friendly environment, more so for lesbians than for homosexual males as there seems to be a higher percentage of homosexual females. the LGBT is a comfortable place to go, there is an extensive collection of literature based on homosexuality. the words retarded, faggot and gay are still used freely by many students in conversation. there is a lack of support for strikes and protests on campus and most people do not even know that there is still a tree-sit presently taking place on science hill.

Let's face it, UCSC does not have the most diverse student body population.

UCSC is diverse and extremely open-minded. The university is separated into ten colleges, so that it is easier for new students to get adjusted and not feel overwhelmed by the thousands of students that come up to campus. Before arriving, we get to pick which college we want to be affiliated with. Students decide based on the look of the college, the people that live at the college, and the college theme. Each college has a theme, and my college theme was Social Justice and Community. Every college has a core class that the students must attend, and the course is focused on the theme. My college discussed social problems that come up in our community (i.e. our city, our state, our country) such as racism, sexism, and issues with class. It is good to actually talk about matters that are relevant in today's society and figure out ways to overcome those problems.

Unfortuately, UCSC isn't super diverse, nor is it super financially diverse. UCSC is, in fact, one of the wealthiest out of all the UC's. Most are moderate to liberal leaning and the common dress is one that is bohemian comfort. Many students are politically aware, but you'd be surprized how many aren't . Because people are focused with their studies they don't always have time, at least so they say, to research politics.

Very diverse and culturally oriented, they come from all over and all speak many languages. I would say students enjoy being a part of the community but also being a large part of the school as well, it's how they get involved and it truly is what UCSC is all about. Our student groups are really the core that makes this school complete.

UCSC is an extremely well diversified campus with countless social and community outlets for all students. In actuality, most people don't care where you came from, who your dad is, what you're wearing, etc. This campus is a place for everyone and anyone in this world.

UCSC is a very laid back place. In fact, Santa Cruz is a very laid back place. There isn't a lot of pressure to look or act a certain way. There is a very diverse student body. And people don't belong to specific groups, like in high school. You figure, to get into a university, you have to be kind of nerdy. There are a lot of people from Southern CA, but there a lot from the bay area also.

They are nice and super cool. Some are a bit pretentious and fake. They come from being normal and then turn into a hippie a little bit too quickly.

Most of the student body is fairly relaxed and open-minded. My only main gripe is that most of the colleges are predominantly white, as most everyone else goes to Oakes: the "diverse" college. As a result, none of the colleges are very ethnically varied, including oakes.

I don't think anyone would feel out of place at UCSC if you do then...idk whats wrong. People wear whatever they feel like wearing here at UCSC. Some people go in pajamams, most in a sweater and jeans. Like about half of the students here are NorCal and the other half are SoCal. One thing I absolutley love about this school is that we dont have too many frats and sororitys so there is no such thing as a "cool crowd" around here. This schoool is pretty liberal. I guess the only time you'd feel out of place is if you were an extreme conservative. So if you are..Im not too sure youd like it here.