I’m looking into all the campuses that I’m really interested in and I’m really curious how life is (not just academically) for students. I would really like to live in a city because it seems like there are always things going on and if I develop an interest in something (say rock climbing or spoken word poetry or painting) I’d be able to find somewhere to cater to that. How does Santa Barbara compare? I’m not really interested in partying or whatever. Thanks.
UCSB is not in a city. It is about 10 miles north of Santa Barbara proper. It is in a small slum called Isla Vista (cleaned up a bit these days) and the nearest “city” if you want to call it that is Goleta a few miles away which really is just a suburb, not a city with a downtown. However any campus of 20K+ students will have lots of activities. Take a look at the clubs on campus and see if there is enough variety for you.
As for partying, not to worry. It isn’t as if they drag you off the street and force you to attend, nor the case that if you don’t sit around drinking or whatever you won’t have friends. This is a constant rumor among HS kids.
What I suggest you do, for UCSB and your other choices, is take a day to visit. Missing a few days of HS won’t matter 5 years from now, but what college you attended will. Take the tour, but more than that talk to a few current students. Approach some small groups of students hanging out and explain you are a HS student visiting and would they mind chatting for a few minutes? Ask what they like, what they don’t, ask about your questions above.
Oh wow I had no idea. I thought it was actually in Santa Barbara. Thanks, will do!
If rock climbing is an actual interest of yours, not just a hypothetical, it is great at UCSB! There is a indoor climbing center in UCSB’s Rec Center with various recreational classes and day trips to excellent climbing locations.
http://recreation.sa.ucsb.edu/adventure-programs/rock-climbing
http://recreation.sa.ucsb.edu/adventure-programs/adventure-climbing-center
I don’t know much about the poetry or painting scene, but I found this, which looked fun:
http://thetab.com/us/ucsb/2016/12/04/everything-need-know-mural-painting-course-ucsb-2477
People also say good things about the pottery and fiber arts classes through the Rec Cen:
While UCSB is about 10 miles north of downtown Santa Barbara, there is excellent bus service into town every 20-30 minutes. UCSB students can use their ID cards for free service. Isla Vista has cleaned up and grown a lot in the last 10 years and has a large offering of stores and restaurants.The campus is on the beach- really it is right there. You could leave class and walk right to the beach in a few minutes. It is a large campus and there is plenty to do on campus and in Isla Vista, and like I said it is easy to get into Santa Barbara where there is always a lot going on- a cool downtown with a lot of stores and great restaurants, a large fishing pier with commercial boats, restaurants and stores, a great zoo, volleyball on the beach, bike rentals (although you can put a bike on the bus when you come in from UCSB). There is a shuttle that runs up and down the main street and along the waterfront, so it is easy to get around once you are downtown. Santa Barbara is a really fun place to hang out, although it has gotten a little touristy for my taste. That being said, like @MikeMac said, it is a campus you definitely need to visit if you get in. That goes for any school you are considering.
Oh, I forgot, Like Ynotgo said, there is a great climbing center on campus, and the Santa Barbara area has a zillion great places near-by for natural rock climbing and for hiking and camping. Also SB is VERY artsy- lots of opportunity for arts/literature.
This is one of my daughter’s top choices. She worked all during HS as a rock climbing instructor so was really excited about the rock climbing facilities and opportunities for outdoor recreation. We didn’t go into Isla Vista but did walk through the shopping/restaurant area of Santa Barbara which was not far from the school. We are OOS, so it’s a long shot for her, but she has also applied to some other schools that offer similar outdoor adventures. Good luck in your search!