University of California-Santa Cruz Top Questions

Guest speakers= sensational. Go to them, take advantage of what they talk about. Education is a priveledge. Dating scene= depends on your taste. Most people I date I don't meet on campus. Frats/ sororities= kinda looked down on/ asking for drama/ go do it if you want, but if you're going to college to join a frat, don't go here because the SC environment isn't particularly conducive to it. Off campus= beach, run, church, volunteer, eat, and go to concerts. Saturday night= movie night/ cooking frenze. 2am on Tues.= homework/ socializing. I'm involved with the pro peace movement, the International Living Center (where the foreign exchange people live) and have been involved with the Education for Sustainable Living Program (ESLP). All are great. Take advantage of it while you can. They will change your life.

Campus is always crazy with activities and people, either in the quad or on the fields all showing school spirit and making new friends or having a great time with old friends; there is never a dull moment. Plus people are always open to new things, so usually events are always taking place.

While UCSC may not be your typical greek-oriented college campus, it certainly doesn't lack any social life. There are ALWAYS events (dances, beach clean-up, movie-nights, dining hall theme nights, etc.) going on on campus, so chances are you will never be bored. Going downtown is an amazing and ecclectic experience everytime with the popular Pacific Avenue and many beaches just a bus ride away. There is something for everyone to do every night, guaranteed. UCSC is not a crazy party school, but if you're looking for a party you will almost always find one. This campus comes with it's crazy traditions, from the Naked Run (running naked around campus on the night of the first big rain of the school year) to the notorious 420 meadow migration, you should come prepared and open to new things.

The people that I lived with in the dorms freshmen year are my closest friends still. We became close and formed a tight-knit group. You always here people say, "the friends you make in college, you'll be friends with the rest of your life". I can definently see that. Santa Cruz has some good bars and what not, not a lot of dancing, but a lot of parties. April 20th and Halloween are the biggest hollidays in Santa Cruz.

There are a lot of fun activities. Social life is good, people are friendly. The RAs aren't crazy narcs.

Don't bother with the greek system. Frats and sororities do exist but they are by no means the main way to socialize: most people avoid them. If you are a freshman planning on living in the dorms, make an effort to put yourself out there in your first few days. After the first 3 days or so, cliques begin to be formed, and it becomes much harder to meet new friends. I brought a box of chocolates and literally walked down my hall the first night, knocking on doors and offering a couple to each room on my hall as an excuse to meet my hallmates. It worked really well. As for parties and whatnot: they are always around, and usually get crazy with a theme, at least at Porter.

A life? LOL besides school I guess its just pretty normal. I usually go to watch plays during my spare time or head down to the beach or play tennis.

Frat's aren't very proular, parties are fun but get broken up early as a result of how students live all over the town. Girls, on average, not that cute...

In terms of stuff to do: there's tons of outdoor activities, but most of it you have to plan ahead for. You can go down into town (which is small, but really nice) which can take you 20-40 minutes by bus. Over the weekend the campus can really shut down - dining halls open at 10, close at 7. Cafes aren't open and most people go home. UCSC tries to pretend we don't have fraternities/sororities, but they're there. They're pretty quiet, but if you want to join it isn't hard to find them at the fall and spring rushes. The campus is pretty safe. A girl can walk around and feel pretty safe, though it's more comfortable to be with a friend after dark since some parts of campus are dimly lit. A lot of people leave their doors open when they're in their rooms, but it's common sense to lock up when you leave - most thefts are simply crimes of opportunity.

Most groups are student run. The university supports it's groups and teams, everything from sports to academics, financially but the responsibility falls on the student coordinators. It makes it harder to keep teams together and healthy, but when they do work well, they become the best team imaginable because they know themselves like other schools can only dream. Also it's great for a resume to be able to be part of something that wins that you helped make.