<p>Daughter incoming freshman for Fall '11. She will reside in freshman dorms first year. I was wondering if is there an area to rent apartments near UCSB other than Isla Vista. I know that area is pretty loud and was wondering if there are apartments for rent in quieter areas that are close to UCSB....I am trying to think and find out info for the future. ANy advice will be appreciated.....</p>
<p>I thought freshmen was advised to get a dorm on campus/ near campus rather than renting an apartment. But if anything I believe everywhere in IV is packed with parties, making studying a lot harder… But there is a “No substance Floor” in one of the dorms if you’re interested in that. I heard they’re very strict on the policy though…</p>
<p>Yes, she will be spending her first year in dorms but what happens after that… will Isla Vista be her only choice or are there other housing options in quieter areas?? I know freshmen are guaranteed dorms only the first year…</p>
<p>Go to a different school.</p>
<p>UCSB is infamous for its parties the biggest of which is on Halloween.</p>
<p>Quieter? UCI, UCR, UCSC, UCD</p>
<p>@kabobs: When I toured UCSB (mind you, this was over a year ago and I will not be going to UCSB), the woman said there was more housing that was a bit farther away than Isla Vista, but was still within reasonable biking distance. She said that it was quieter and had less parties (although I assume there would be some parties.) I don’t remember what this area was named/called but I know that there are off campus locations that aren’t as crazy as Isla Vista.</p>
<p>Also, where else was your daughter accepted? Is she definitely going to UCSB? Because she could go to a mellower University and not have to worry about avoiding noise, parties, etc. (I am in no way trying to say anything negative about UCSB. I know that it’s not all about parties, but it would be easier to avoid them at UCSD, UCD, UCI, etc.)</p>
<p>My daughter was also accepted at UCI but she really wants to go to UCSB… we will be touring it next week… she went to UCI but hated the campus…she has her heart set on SB but my main concern was the party scene at IV…and where she could live during her sophomore year…</p>
<p>That’s my biggest concern. That and the drug scene. It’s frightens me a bit, I do not want to live with a guy who goes out every night and smokes + brings back girls. I feel like that’ll distract me from my studies… I’m attending the open house so let’s go from there and going up to Davis as well :] UCI is really boring to be honest…</p>
<p>@kabobs: From everything I’ve read, the party scene really should not interfere with your daughter’s schoolwork if she doesn’t want it to. Like someone mentioned, there are floors dedicated to silence, being drug free, and other interests that will help her surround herself with like-minded peers. And like I said, there is an area off-campus that caters to the non-partying students. I wouldn’t worry about sending your daughter to UCSB.</p>
<p>You can live in the dorms all four years if you wanted to. </p>
<p>Even though space is not guaranteed in the dorms beyond the first year, there are plenty of space available, due to the fact alot more students opt to live in the apartments.</p>
<p>is it true that the dorms are more expensive than the tuition fees?</p>
<p>Yes it is true…</p>
<p>there are apartments outside of the UC that is next to FT. Idk if you can find anything there, but it doesn’t hurt to try. Also, living on the edge of IV isn’t that bad</p>
<p>There are probably more noisy areas than quieter ones in IV, but that doesn’t mean quiet areas don’t exist.</p>
<p>One general rule may be that, the closer you are to the beach (DP), the louder the area is. </p>
<p>Look for “family-friendly” apartments. Although the population of IV is dominated by students, there are, believe it or not, working families with children who live here. There are various apartments around IV where families, the elderly, and quieter students live. For example, La Loma Apartments (Eckert Investments) has been described to be a more “homely” area.</p>
<p>Look out for certain rental companies and landlords. Some landlords are more strict on noise/partying than others. Meridian Group apartments are, I’ve heard, very strict on noise and enforce the rules when it comes to noise/partying (to the dismay of some of their tenants). </p>
<p>There are some buildings that advertise their friendliness towards academically-oriented students. Studio Plaza Apartments is one of these. You can likely count on these sorts of apartments to be populated by quieter students and watchful landlords.</p>
<p>Something that you really can’t get away from is noise from pedestrians on Friday/Saturday nights. They can be pretty loud, but they have places to go and usually don’t hang around. Vandalism can also be an issue. There are plenty of apartments that are gated, like Conquest/Breakpointe housing, to ensure higher safety.</p>
<p>And then there’s always Goleta as an option. If you don’t mind the small commute (assuming you have a car), then you’ll be living in suburbia away from all the crazy college kids. A lot of students start to gravitate toward housing outside of UCSB/IV toward their last years of college.</p>
<p>It’s difficult to explain over the internet, but once you get more accustomed to IV, you can generally tell which streets will be loud and which ones won’t.</p>
<p>^^ I appreciate your advice…TY</p>
<p>yesterday I took a tour and the guide said incoming freshmen get guaranteed housing for the first two years! If you accept the second year, they said they may be able to accommodate you for all 4! So your daughter may be able to be in school funded housing for all 4 years. If not, she can definitely head out to Goleta. There will be regular apartments with families and such.</p>
<p>^THanks for the info…I will be touring next week with my daughter!!</p>
<p>@kabobs–I worry about the same thing, but I just noticed on the housing page for continuing students that they are advertising “space still available” in the residence halls, so I’m guessing that, even if it’s not guaranteed, kids who want to live in the halls can do so after freshman year</p>
<p>Just putting this out there…</p>
<p>The price difference between living in the dorms and living in an IV apartment is just staggering. Including food, the dorms come out to approximately $1300-1400 per month for a double, which is comparable to tuition. Excluding food, the average apartment in IV will cost an average of about ~$500 a month. When I moved out of the dorms, I slashed my housing expenses by more than half.</p>