University of California-Santa Cruz Top Questions

I honestly love my school. The best thing about UCSC is the really laid back, "chill" atmosphere we have on campus. We're surrounded by redwood trees, which really helps give this ambiance of peace. The view of the Monterey bay is one of my favorite things about my school. Regardless of how long you've been at the school, it will always awe you. The school is a little bit on the large side; getting to classes usually takes around ten to fifteen minutes, and there's a lot of people so you tend to meet someone new everyday. The town of Santa Cruz definitely has the college town feel; most of the residents near the base of campus are college students, and downtown is really small, but fun. The administration of UCSC definitely sides with the students; they do their best to accommodate all student needs despite the budget cuts. There is a lot of school pride. One of the complaints students have is the bus system; they lag and its hard to get around sometimes but for the most part there's not a lot of negativity on campus.

My opinion of UCSC couldn't be better! My parents, brother, and I have all attended UCSC and loved it. The reasons I chose to attend UCSC rather than another UC still remain some of my favorite aspects of the school. These reasons are: 1) the college system, and 2) the physical beauty. I'm a huge fan of UCSC's college system. What this means is that UCSC is divided into 10 residential colleges. I, for example, am affiliated with Cowell College. These 10 smaller colleges are where you live in the dorms for at least your freshman year, attend a core writing course with other students from your college, and often make your closest friends! They are not divided by major; you choose your college solely based on what it looks like and the theme of the core writing course. The college system gives you a small, close-knit community within the large university, and makes UCSC feel just the perfect size. The other reason I mentioned is the physical beauty of the campus. Santa Cruz is a truly unique place because it includes both the ocean and the forest. The campus is set on top of a hill so there are amazing views everywhere around the school. This also makes UCSC perfect for many outdoor activities including surfing, hiking, climbing, and biking. Santa Cruz also has a very nice downtown area that includes shopping, restaurants, and occasional concerts just a short bus ride from the campus. Between going downtown, hanging out at the beach, hiking around the trails on campus, and attending events on campus like open mic nights and movie screenings, there is always plenty to do at UCSC!

The best thing about UCSC is the location! You simply can't beat the gorgeous campus settled in the redwood trees. No other college campus in the country compares to the gorgeous views, hikes and photo opportunities at UC Santa Cruz. The campus, while cozied into the forest, has breathtaking views of the Pacific ocean. It is famous for it's field which over looks the whole Monterey bay! I love the opportunity to hike one day, explore creeks and climb trees and then run down to the ocean the next day. There you can enjoy surfing great swells from the North and great views of the ocean from West Cliff. For me there is nothing better than the simplicity and natural beauty of Santa Cruz. After a stressful day of classes a soothing walk around campus puts everything into perspective. Coming from Los Angeles, I looked forward to a more laid back and non rushed city. In Santa Cruz I get just that. People in town are enjoying life, not rushing around in it. There are always people walking around and talking, playing music and taking in what the city has to offer. In my opinion you couldn't ask for a greater location for a UC campus!

Okay, the big picture. Santa Cruz is a big university with roughly 14,500 undergrads, but it based on a residential college system modeled after Oxford's. After you're accepted, you select from one of ten colleges to be affiliated with and live in your first year - these aren't based on majors, but on a "theme" or message, like social justice, international issues, or environmental awareness. Each of these colleges has its own vibe and you'll take your first 'core' class with about thirty people from your college, which is really great way to get to know people you'll be closely surrounded by. Budget cuts are the biggest problem the University is facing. Departments, faculty positions, TAs - they've all been cut back severely. It's important to note that this is not UCSC's fault, per say, but the result of a poorly run UC system, and you're gonna see similar cuts at any UC or state school. Unfortunately, however, bigger schools like UCB and UCLA have a lot of private funding, as well as revenue generated through sports, to fall back on, so it's fair to say UCSC is feeling the impact more than other UCs.

--Scenery is absolutely beautiful --Academics in sciences and engineering are top-notch --Parties are good, social scene is very healthy. plenty of people to meet --if you are into music, that is good. there are plenty of musicians looking to jam.

I would have liked it if there wasn't nso much protesting going on. People deciding to skip class in order to make a statement seemed ridiculous to me considering how much we pay for that education. I think some of the students need to focus a lot more on their studies. I liked the size, although it would have been very annoying if there were not buses around all the time to get you to your next class quickly. They ask if I'm a hippie. People are also impressed sometimes (I think its mostly because its a UC). I spent most of my time on campus in class..... Many of the residents don't really like the students...or so it seemed to me. They were annoyed by them. I hated that an A- lowered your GPA a little but then an A+ Didn't raise it!!! I have always thought an A is an A and its not fari that a stupid little minus next to it should lower my GPA!! I was there for the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 school years and there were several big controverseys during that time. There was a large protest when the regents came during my first year there, which resulted in students running around screaming "police brutality!!" when they themselves had gotten out of hand. I think the biggest one though was over winter break 2007 (or simetime around then) when people decided go live in the trees on campus to protest a new building that was being planned. Many of those people were not even students at the UC.... totally ridiculous!! (and a little funny) Yes, I'd say there is a lot of school pride even though sports are not a big thing there. The people there are unusual.... The first time I experienced the "first rain" with people running through the campus naked at night in the rain!! That was quite unexpected... Tuition costs are complained about a lot (and the costs of books).

UCSC is one of those nearly big UC's that fell like a small town liberal arts school. Minus the small town gossip, minus everyone knowing who you are, where you are from and everything about your daily life and definately minus the harsh presence of the stereotypical "college" environment, such as frats and sororities. For those whom love and live for the outdoors, such as surfing, sailing, biking, hiking and camping it provides a plethora of activities as well as breath taking views and scenery of redwoods and the Monterrey Bay. The most common complaint I hear of UCSC is the lack of appreciation, funding and spotlight given to athletics at UCSC. Athletics is a big thing on most college campuses, and although a lot of students UCSC are in fact athletes, every year more and more athletic programs find themselves being cut or in desperate in need of funding. The second most common complaint that I hear from students is the lack of parties. Although I completely agree with the first complaint, this one is far from the truth. Sure, parties at UCSC may not live up to the college parties portrayed by the media (except for those Bonny Doon parties that I hear of) but good parties are never in short supply here at UCSC. UCSC is a great college to attend, and in my two years at UCSC my experiences completely reinforce my decision to attend one of the UC's that is usually under appreciated and valued by most people.

UCSC is a progressive, active university. i very much enjoyed my time there, but wish the campus wasn't so spread out. the individuals who attend this school, for the most part, seem welcoming, fun, and open- minded. all the staff is very kind and the atmosphere is conducive to learning in all way, shapes and forms.

I loved the UCSC campus with all its beautiful redwoods and vastness leading to the potential to find new unique places. Everyone is very friendly and one gets to know each college well. The biggest recent controversy was the planned cutting down of Redwoods but it did not have too big an effect.

The best thing about UCSC is the Natural Beauty. I get to see dear walking casually around my dorm every day. I've seen birds and plants that I had never seen in L.A. before. Oh, and the stars are AWESOME. Unfortunately though, a big portion of the beautiful woods will have to be cut down in the name of development and competitive growth. But the good thing about that is that more students will get accepted into UCSC. So instead of being just the right size, it's going to grow into a larger school. We have pretty awesome professors and staff members though. They're generally all pretty friendly and understanding. You can tell they care for us But one of the most recent controversies, beside the half-wanted and half-unwanted UCSC expansion plans (the LRDP: the Long Range Development Plans), is the issue with unfair contracts for some of our workers. Many of our workers (like the maintenance crew, janitors, and cooks) are getting paid less than the workers in the City College nearby. They're not getting a good living wage or fair benefits, even though the UCs make more money. The workers were gonna strike for two days, but the UC brought in a whole bunch of expensive, Union-busting lawyers to try to "negotiate" (used as a tactic to just buy some time to eventually come up with a legal contract so that the workers can lose their legal right to strike unless they want to lose their job or get fined. Crazy, huh? Therefore, I think many people have lost pride in the whole UC system as a whole, because there are a lot of monetary profits involved. We spend so much money trying to acquire a good education in order to do some good in this world, but meanwhile, we're doing it in a corrupt system. But I think most people are at least happy with their UCSC college experience because of the general atmosphere. Many people are really accepting and open-minded. Like if you want to do something crazy here (as in dress up every day as if it's Halloween or walk bear-footed), you can because, after all "it's Santa Cruz." Unfortunately though, there seems to be an influx of people who don't seem to understand that mentality.