<p>I visited UCSB my sophomore year in high school and absolutely fell in love with the environment - the beach, the people, the weather, food, etc.
However, from what I have heard and from what I saw at night when I visited, UCSB is seems to be a major party school.
That does scare me a little...
Don't get me wrong - I like to party, let loose, and have a great time! But I also take my studies really seriously.
Is the partying that bad that it would get in the way of my studies?
I know that the answer partially depends on the amount of control I have (which is moderate control, by the way). But if anyone has gone to UCSB or knows anyone who has gone to UCSB, it would be great if you could reply with your input.
Thanks :)</p>
<p>Every college is a party school, and UCSB just has more reputation for that. Also, remember the fact that people do need certain stats to get in, so people do know how to study. And, pick friends wisely. :P</p>
<p>Like everything in this world, you don’t have to take part.</p>
<p>I don’t think the partying is bad enough to start interfering with your studies as long as you’re careful. You just need a little control. If you really need to get some school work done over the weekend and don’t have time to party, don’t go out. The friends you make and the people you live with will probably affect how much you party too. Not saying don’t live with big partiers, just know that they’re gonna be going out a lot so it’ll be tougher to stay in.</p>
<p>Any school where students are living away from home in a college community is going to have plenty of parties. But that doesn’t mean that’s all that they’re doing, nor does it mean there aren’t plenty of people that don’t take part. I wonder if your impressions might have been skewed, BTW, if you visited on a weekend; Fri or Sat nite there are far more kids interested in going out and having a good time then on a typical school night.</p>
<p>The problem is you’re focusing on the things in life that don’t really matter. When I was a kid I had hopes and dreams. We all did. But over time, the daily grind gets in the way and you miss the things that really matter, even though they are right in front of you, staring you in the face. I think the next time you should ask yourself “Am I on the right track here?”. Take advantage of the knowledge I have given you now. Good luck.</p>
<p>There are definitely tons of parties going on off-campus every weekend from Thursday night through Saturday night, and I definitely know people who have gotten way too focused on having a good time and not focused on studies and either failed a quarter before pulling themselves together or even ended up dropping out.</p>
<p>That said, if you have even a moderate amount of self control, and go into it knowing that you don’t want to get too much into the party thing, you should be fine. Just be aware that going out and partying on weekends is a major form of socialization here (like a lot of schools, I’m sure), and if you don’t want that to be your thing, choose your friends accordingly.</p>
<p>Also, if you’re serious about school, the party school thing can work in your favor because there are definitely people here who came here to party and are fine with getting C’s so they don’t really study- since most classes are graded on a curve, if you care about school it’s pretty easy to get good grades. :)</p>