Maria
The grades thing definitely isn't - when UCSC was first founded in 1965, the school used long narrative evaluations rather than letter grades, but that practice has long been replaces by the traditional grading scale.
And, yes, of course there are a lot of hippies - the school is literally surrounded by forest paths and hiking trails, so it naturally becomes a kind of hippie haven. And weed is big here, especially on 4/20, but its not a necessity for a social life at all.
But there are so many people who don't fit that mold. There are a great number of students who don't party, don't smoke, and spend weekends studying or hanging out with a close-nit group of friends rather than partying. We've really got all types of people, because Santa Cruz attracts a lot of different students for different reasons.
Cameron
Tussanee Reedboon
Marshall
Of course they are accurate for SOME portion of the student population, however i found that as far as academics it was department specific in terms of attitude. But... everyone smoked pot.
Jessica
There are a lot of hippies there, and a lot of radicals. People are protesting all the time and it seems they will protest anything and everything. Things sometimes get out of control.
Students there are often very friendly though.
Parker
Most of the time, yes. As bad or good as it may sound, everyone at UCSC is in some way a hippie, a stoner, a free-loader, a vegan, an environmentalist, a feminist or a tree hugger. Whether you abstain from showering in order to reduce the consumption of water, or you have given in to your feminist urges and given up shaving your legs all together or you are a part time vegan, you definately live up to UCSC standards.
Alex
in some ways, but if you aren't into these things, i don't think it should prevent someone from coming.
Jon
You can see the reasons behind it but not completely accurate
Lavender
Yes and NO. The university as a whole is comprised of very diverse groups of people. Some are liberal while others are more conservative. Some smoke during 4/20, and many don't. But then again, every university has students who smoke, drink, or do other stronger drugs as well as some students who do not. Some people really REALLY care about the environment and so they take certain life-style choices that lead other ignorant people who don't understand environmental issues to refer to the "hippies" in a negative way.
Lauren
There are a lot of people who smoke pot. There are a few smelly hippies. There are people who think they are left wing radicals, but all they do it talk.
Megan
Partly. There is a lot of marijuana to be found, but it is a rigorous university, just like any other UC.
Lindsay
To some extent, they are but not completely.
Claire
Only a little bit. Everyone showers, except for a few people who live in trees. The student body is very socially active in protests and causes, which is always well-minded but occasionally gets carried away.
Allison
hah some people are they come here for the stereotype
but most people i have encountered are normal