<p>As a transfer student i am 100% dispppointed with my choice in this school. safe/ make use of your money and go to your other choices or go to a state school. unless you are a lame psuedo hippy.</p>
<p>sorry to hear about ur dissapointment...</p>
<p>Is it true they don't give letter grades at UCSC? DOes that mean that there is no stress at all?</p>
<p>I was having an argument that SB is better than SC w/ some guy last year on this board, he never agreed...</p>
<p>lol</p>
<p>croberts opinion is worthless because of his final statement.</p>
<p>Highschoolda: No, that's not true. It is true that they give narrative evaluations in addition to grades, though. Prior to 1997, your comment would have been true, though it is more likely to INCREASE stress than reduce it. Think about it: these aren't the little generic boxes the profs check like on high school progress reports ("S/he participates well in class"), they are hand-written evaluations that DETAIL why you received the grade you did. Some profs spend more time on them than others, but the point is that they'll show whoever reads them a justification for the grade you've received.</p>
<p>I would love to dispell myths about UCSC, but it's true that the school isn't for everyone.</p>
<p>it definetly isnt for everyone, yes they have grades plus narrative evaluations now... a policy that was required some years ago but i agree ucsc is a school for the left, if ur a normal person from the city DO NOT GO TO SANTA CRUZ, save ur money and sanity</p>
<p>My daughter is an unhappy freshman at ucsc. Initially I chalked it up to adjusting, however, the more time that passes, the unhappier she becomes. At this point all I can do is listen to her, but it's helpful to know there are others who share her opinion.</p>
<p>thats too bad im currently a junior there and am transferring closer to home to uci in the winter...i recommend a uc to uc to transfer if she wants it because it isnt that tough to accomplish</p>
<p>First make sure your daughter isn't unhappy about college in general. She could be just as unhappy at another UC.</p>
<p>I went to UCSC for my first year. It's not a terrible school by any means; I enjoyed many of my professors and classes. I had friends. I did stuff outside of class. The thing that got to me the most was the sheer amount of time I lost in class and around campus because of the liberal activists. I missed 4 classes (yeah, 4) because of strikes during the spring quarter, and this past fall quarter was marred by a bus strike that removed the buses from campus (which is big, since the campus is somewhat out of the way and spread and most people take buses to get around).</p>
<p>If you're politically active, particularly if you're on the far left, UCSC is a great place. If you're really into temperate rainforests (and who isn't? a redwood forest with views of the ocean?), it's a cool place to be. If you like a small town feel, you'll love Santa Cruz. The beaches are a no-brainer. Being close to San Francisco (about 2 hours or less) and San Jose (less than 1 hour) is also nice, particularly when it comes time for internships. Being bonded to your freshman class/college/dorms, then you might enjoy the Core.</p>
<p>Other than that... it's probably best to look elsewhere.</p>
<p>That comment is like princeton review quality--good description.</p>
<p>Most of the students here also make me realize why so many people on the east coast consider californians to be trashy and tacky. Most of these liberals cant even have a civil debate with out throwing out some whacky liberal hippy pot head propaganda. Regardless how much money most of these students parents make, they were clearly raised from homes where having manners is not emphasized at all. 90% of the campus dress like idiots, and would clearly not get well paying jobs. They will be the type of people that were just like their fat republican baby boomer parents and act conservative when their 50 but were liberal when they are young. stereotypical suburban white kids trying to re live the 1960's...how lame. the people at this school act as if IRAQ is VIETNAM and if you ask most of them, they will tell you that a DRAFT is a potential threat. Now while the rest of the country laughs, these people take this stuff seriously. most of these students have the nerve to call people in the military derogatory names. But the funny thing is if any of those skiny, vegetarian panzies actually talked to a real marine in that matter, their head would be up their ass faster than they would realize. </p>
<p>half the students are psuedo intellectuals that really think they have somthing to prove. Hey news flash freshman, being an intellectual actually means you have to accomplish somthing that further expands human intellect. Sorry to disappoint you but reiterating somelses ideas doesnt make you an smart, it just makes you a croney. for heavans sake its uc santa cruz, you didnt get into berkeley for a reason, that reason being you are not as smart as you think.</p>
<p>the other half of the campus is hippys. atleast they have pot. Its a shame, with all these rich suburban kids youd figure the pot would be good. Wrong. All the kids here smoke outdoor boondock dank that goes for like 25-35 an 8th(you are only paying more if you are getting ripped off). Hippies smoke cheap weed not good weed. The only people at this school that had weed worth smoking were kids like me. not only that but hippys just plan suck, the things they say are so stupid and lame that if they werent so fragile id punch them in the face. </p>
<p>and gabew you need to shut up. if you want to try and be wity , lets do it face to face since we both go to UCSC. otherwise, keep being a hippy like the rest of the campus and go to the forest and talk to a tree or somthing, because you seem to say nothing of value here.</p>
<p>that is actually pretty funny.</p>
<p>Wowwwww, truly hillarious!</p>
<p>My daughter was basing her unhappiness on the people. I was having trouble understanding and just kept reminding her people can be annoying anywhere. But I see I wasn't giving her enough credit. Reading these comments has validated her claim. Thanks for the insight.</p>
<p>you can't say for sure unless you've actually experienced it.....imho</p>
<p>its hard to describe the atmoshpere at ucsc but croberts did a really good job of summing things up...there r basically 2 types of people here flat out porter/kresge hippies and then the rich suburban liberals with conservative parents...its sad to say but most of the professors follow relatively extreme liberal ideals that match the students..thank god im leaving</p>
<p>my kids mom, im telling you let your daughter leave if she wants. Im a transfer student and i need to stick it out for two years. the only thing i have going my way is the fact that my parents are gonna rent me an appartment next year so i dont have to deal with this nonsense. </p>
<p>let her go, she needs to be happy. i think you should visit her, just to get an idea of what the campus is like. </p>
<p>dont listen to gabe who said "she probably wont be happy at another uc". as if another UC scored low on the princeton reivew as UCSC did.(BESIDES UCR) chances are your daughter very well may enjoy another uc, or even a good state school. Or if you have the money, you might want to tell he to stick it out and get her own appartment. Ive heard from alot of people that UCSC isnt that bad once you get off campus. But yea, i basically got lucky finding some normal people to hang out with, but if i had to take it all back i would go some where else.</p>
<p>OH AND THE PROFESSORS. Dont even get me started. They are all bleeding heart schmucks. They are all against republican idea's and taxes, until there is some loop hole law that gets the university money (which fattens their wallets). Once there is an issue like university police excessivly giving students parking tickets, they totally support it. Their agenda is getting this university money which trickles down to them.</p>
<p>Thank you croberts532 for your thoughtful responses. I know my daughter would be gone today if she knew how. UCSC was her only way into a UC at acceptance time. If she has her information correct, she has to stick it out until next year before she can attempt a transfer (something about 60 credits(?). Personally, a state school, or a cc would be fine by me...I just want to her to be happy. Again, thanks for you time and keep looking forward to that apartment!</p>
<p>Honestly, I often don't understand why people are so surprised by their experience at UCSC. Although it is certainly not my cup of tea, I did apply there as a location-wise safety (When I'm not away at school, I live in Santa Cruz), and think that UC Santa Cruz does an excellent job at portraying their true identity and image. I found that there really weren't any cover-ups or lies - when previewing the campus, the surrounding natural beauty was just as obvious as the overly liberal atmosphere.</p>
<p>When choosing a school, you really need to carefully consider your options. If you live in the same state, there really is no excuse not to visit the university you may very well be calling home once the next semester rolls around. Even UCSC's website conveys an alternative college experience. </p>
<p>In terms of transferring to a good state school, it is certainly worth a shot. No one should feel forced sacrifice their happiness to remain at a school with a UC name. Besides, the prestige of a quality state school like say, Cal Poly SLO, is not too far off from UCSC's. </p>
<p>If you can, get off campus. While my lifestyle here in Berkeley is vastly different from my kick-back lifestyle in Santa Cruz, I still totally appreciate the time I get to spend back home. Santa Cruz, while known for it's vegan grocery stores and preaching hippies, has a lot to offer the willing student. The beaches are amazing, the town is accepting (come on - it's disgusting liberal), and there is actually quite a bit to keep busy, if you look in the right places.</p>
<p><3,</p>
<p>Izzie Bear</p>