Can someone provide me some with some insight on campus life at UCR and UCSB? I Will be making a decision between one of these revered institutions and community college as well.
UCSB is definetly a great social environment from what I’ve heard.
UCR has a very high commuter population, if that matters to you at all.
@3mamagirls could you elaborate on that ?
@Kynediv is it all partying ?
My understanding from other friends who have visited the campus is that 30%-40% of the new students commute to UCR vs. living on campus for the first year. That just gives off a different dynamic to the school as a whole. It may or may not bother you - it’s more of an FYI. You might want to look up that statistic. UCSB is not nearly the same commuter population.
Both schools will have parties. UCSB has Isle Vista ( I think that’s the name) that will have a high concentration of parties though.
@Cris525 Hi! UCSB alum here! My time at UCSB were some of my favorite years. Really friendly kids and easy to meet people. The incredible weather and beach location were icing on the cake. I found there was something for everyone there. You’re surrounded by really smart students however it’s collaborative and never felt cut-throat. There are lots of students involved in intramural sports, outdoorsy-type clubs, etc. Really, there’s a club or way to get involved for just about any interest (including more academic oriented/professional clubs). The men’s soccer and basketball games are super fun and well attended (UCSB I believe still holds the record for men’s soccer attendance). Partying in Isla Vista is there for those that wish to partake, although there’s one common party street (Del Playa), so it’s easy to “choose” your housing based on interests (ie, choose a different street to live on than Del Playa if you’d rather avoid the weekend party goers). UCSB is definitely not a commuter school— so the weekends are just as fun and active as the weekdays, with the majority of students living on campus their first year and in apartments in Isla Vista, the neighboring college town, for years 2-4. There are on-campus options for years 2-4 also. Have you visited both UCSB and UCR? I’m less familiar with UCR, however I’d encourage you to spend time on both campuses (and in Isla Vista) and choose the campus that feels right to you.
Both of these colleges are on CampusReel. Or at least I know UCSB and it looks sweeettttttt. I’d just check them out there
@BayAreaRecruiter thank you for such profound insight on the campus and it’s atmosphere. I have visited UCR and i liked the campus but i have never visited Santa Barbara’s campus, my main concern with attending that university is if I’ll get home sick quickly. Is it that bad ?
@Cris525 Tough to say whether you’d get homesick, as everyone’s experience is different. I went to USC my freshman year, which was closer to “home”, and found myself venturing home on weekends much more often than I did at UCSB. USC was more of a commuter campus than UCSB, so I found myself missing home on weekends when there was less “going on”. At UCSB, the weekends were full of fun and kids stayed around, so I was actually less homesick and more involved even though I was further from home. Everyone’s experience is different though. I hope you’re able to visit UCSB/Isla Vista before making a decision to know if it’s the right fit for you. Great you already have an option you’re excited about in UCR!
I strongly suggest you find the time to visit UCSB before you make a decision. Also, every freshman gets homesick their first year, its all part of the growing process of becoming an independent adult. And congrats on getting into these two fine schools.
UCR students are very diverse, helpful, down to earth, and friendly without snobby attitudes. I was there a long time ago when it was much smaller…growing faster than any UC now. Barely recognized the campus a while back when I was there due to so much growth! There were commuters although the dorms (West Lothian Represent!) had a solid number of Northern Californians and some OOS, and internationals that were always there. I wasn’t huge on partying but did go to some house and frat parties and small scale dorm stuff…definitely has that scene as well. Used to be some great “nooner” concerts at the bell tower… at “The Barn” right on campus at night…Blink 182, and No Doubt would play there. They now have that great new student rec center as well which we didn’t have back in our day…still got pretty buff working out hard in the “old school” gym though! I do remember once heading to a UCSB party with a Harvey Mudd buddy of mine back in the day…he got an “open container” ticket at Isla Vista just outside of the house where the party was at lol! Check them both out and good luck!
@socaldad2002 Thank you !
What are you majoring in? UCSB is much higher ranked than UCR (one of the higher middle tier UC’s while UCR is a lower tier UC) and that is very important while making your decision. UCSB has a large residential population and is close to the beach, so if you don’t like living in that proximity to the ocean then it may not be for you. The actual town of Isla Vista is relatively small and SB is a bit isolated in that sense, so internship opportunities may be harder to get if your goal is to work in OC or LA. As a city, Riverside is relatively run down and not very safe, and there is also not much to do if you are not on campus. The air quality there is also pretty bad, and it is a 1-2 hour drive to LA/OC. I have friends that go to both UC’s actually, and when I went to visit my friend at UCR I noticed that in general the students there were not very academically inclined/focused, whereas UCSB felt slightly more well rounded. If I was you, I would not pick UCR over UCSB, but then again it is your decision and you should tour to see which school you fit in with better!
@cris525…UCR campus safe & immediate housing near campus fine. Gets a bit dicey more than 5 miles off campus but was nothing like USC (south Central) where my brother went. UCR was like Disneyland compared to there! Very academically inclined, focused students at UCR. The Bio-Med Thomas Haider program EXTREMELY COMPETITIVE…a complete bloodbath! Best to check it out yourself! Good luck & congrats on those great options!
you really need to visit both.