<p>Until tonight, I was looking forward to this coming school year and attending UC Santa Cruz. However, this website's threads reminded me of the attitudes held by many in not only the academic world but mainstream society concerning the school's academic integrity. I don't say this to sound arrogant, only to put this in perspective, but I was a high performing student and a National Merit Scholar, so I chose this school over quite a few very well-regarded schools like UC Davis and Santa Clara. I did so because of the extraordinary campus, laid-back atmosphere, and appealing classes. However I've become discouraged reading all the comments about slacker, stoner students and poor departments. How have alumni dealt with these attitudes? Is the education truly so lacking? I need reminders about why I chose this school. Any confidence boosting would be very much appreciated.</p>
<p>Hello there,</p>
<p>I, too, was a National Merit Scholar and just completed my freshman year at Kresge. Obviously I can't speak as authoritatively as a third or fourth year student, but I'll give you my two cents.</p>
<p>In general, the classes I took this year, ranging from huge lectures to small seminars, were creatively taught, interdisciplinary courses that broadened my knowledge and pushed me to excel. Of course there will always be a few duds, and with the 300+ capacity lectures you really have to be an engaged student to get anything out of it. Make an effort to speak with the professors, TA's, etc, and you will get more out of the class than a lot of your peers. Seminars are really the best- your Core class will be a seminar, and any upper level division or 2 credit course are great to take even if they seem intimidating.</p>
<p>I lived with stoners, and they were just as motivated to do well academically as I was (I am a non-smoker). Not everyone smokes. Don't worry. There are slackers in every university, but for the most part UCSC students are on the right track. UCSC isn't a slacker school...not from what I've seen, at least.</p>
<p>Settlingsounds,</p>
<p>You will need to be somewhat pro-active in your course selections to take best advantage of the better instructors and courses, but that is true of any public university. Doing as little as possible beyond meeting your graduation, major and graduate application requirements will expose you to the same random chance of a bad course and/or instructor as most students.</p>
<p>And you can't expect counselors to help much here. One of the principal differences between public and private colleges is that the former's course and major counselors are significantly infererior to those at private schools.</p>
<p>What you get out of UCSC is pretty much up to you.</p>
<p>I'd also point out, for what it's worth, that the US News Rankings place UCSC at about mid-way (68) of the top 125 national unveristies. So there must be some things going for it.</p>
<p>As a recent graduate of UC Santa Cruz (Cowell College 2006) I would like to say a few things about those comming in and have their preconceptions about college rankings and sterotypes.</p>
<p>First thing first. If you go to any college that's in the top 125, you are set. If you go to any college at all and get a BA, you are set. Depending on where you want to go after and what you want to do afterwards, there is a certain amount of prestige that will follow you. The amount of prestige lessens on the subsequent tiers but you are still better off then the 75% of Americans who have no college education to speak of. College is what you make of it. Unless you go to one of the top 25 college's in the nation, it really doesnt matter if you are at 30, or at number 90. Top 125 is out of EVERY university in the country. Trust me, for grad school or for life, it isnt that big of a deal. I know many people who make more then I do comming out of state schools which are ranked far lower, there is something to be said about initiatve.</p>
<p>I was accepted into UC Irivine, UC Santa Barbara and UC Santa Cruz. I chose Santa cruz because I could have imagined myself liking it there. I visited Irvine, did not like the vibe of the campus or the area. I vistied Santa Barbara and like it a lot but I didnt like the Socal feeling I got, lots of people there just like partying all the time. I fell in love with Santa Cruz because of the town, the physical beauty of the campus and the people there. Please do not confuse laid back with stoner. There are just as many pot heads at Berkely, Davis and Stanford as there are at Santa Cruz. Santa cruz students just likes to be more public about it because of its liberal atmosphere. I drink socially and do not smoke pot, getting along was fine. there are as many people that smoke as there are people who dont.</p>
<p>The nice thing about UCSC is that depending on what college you chose to live in, you get a diff experiance then by living at another. I liked Cowell because it had a little from every social group, but mostly I would say it had what I consider normal people. Porter had the artsy, emo, indie kids. Merill had the nerds and the science, computer guys. etc..... Each college had its own stereotype but each also had normal people to. No matter where you are, you will find people who are like you and be able to fit in.</p>
<p>UCSC is part of the University of California. The UC system is arguably one of the best public systems in the nation. No one will look at you badly for choosing to go there. You still have it better then every state school grad if you are interested in prestige. There is nothing lacking about the education. By all the construction they have completed there are still working on over the next several years, I would say its expanding. Many of my professors were Yale, University of Chicago, Stanford, UCLA, Harvard grads. Look on the website and check out some department facualty bigoraphies.</p>
<p>Good luck and have fun</p>
<p>Like yourself, I was originally a skeptic of UC Santa Cruz. I failed to apply broadly and ended up stuck at UCSC. I am now going into my third year at Santa Cruz and can honestly say that I am extremely happy and couldnt see myself anywhere else. </p>
<p>First of all, UCSC has the advantages of a private school with public school tuition. Advisors are readily available to consult with, the college system gives you a sense of belonging, class sizes stay relatively small compared to other UCs, and most of the time professors are readily available to consult with. Of course you have to deal with some bueraucracy, but that exists at any large university. </p>
<p>I've taken courses at UCLA, NYU (for two years in a row), UCI, and Cambridge University (in england). Ever since my Sophomore year in high school i've been exploring different universities and spending time taking courses elsewhere during my summers just to get out of my hometown. I can honestly say the difficulty and quality of my education is up to par if not superior to the education i've received at "better ranked" universities. Most of my upper division courses do not exceed 100 people and the professors all have PHD's from Ivy League Universities. Many of the departments share professors with Berkeley and Stanford due to the proximity. For example, Sociology of Death and Dying is taught at UCSC in the Spring and Stanford in the Fall by the same professor. I know this is true of several other courses as well. We have a ton of faculty that have taught at Ivys such as Brown, Columbia, and Stanford. </p>
<p>To me, the hippie scene is almost non-existant. This is probably because i'm active in Greek life (hippies tend to stay away from frats and sororities). As long as you find your nitch you're set. People need to realize that UCSC is changing dramatically. With the UC system getting more difficult, UCSC is now attracting a more mainstream student body. People are going to UCSC because they want to be part of the UC system. </p>
<p>In my core course my freshman year I met a boy who turned down Columbia University because he received a regents scholarship at UCSC. In fact, my housemate transfered to Claremont Mackenna her junior year at UCSC. She came back three weeks later and decided UCSC was in fact the school for her. The student body is quite impressive. I know several others who have turned out top rated schools for Santa Cruz. </p>
<p>The stoner population is really fizzling out. Of course we still have our big 420 smoke out and our naked run but that's what gives UCSC character. Personally, I love being at a school that has personality. What do Davis and Irvine have? What are they known for? I don't fit the mold of a stereotypical Santa Cruz student at all. However, I've grown to appreciate the culture imbedded in the school. I love taking the bus and seeing the diverse population. I really enjoying going to class and seeing hippies with branches coming out of their hair seated next to sorority girls outfited in designer jeans and gucci handbags. THat's what makes Santa Cruz so fun!</p>
<p>UCSC has the ability to really grow on you. Ive been in New York City all summer interning and you have no idea how much I miss being at school. I can't wait to go back. You did NOT make a mistake. You are among the priviledge few who get to experience what Santa Cruz has to offer.</p>
<p>UCD is known by its students for Earth Day. (you just go and watch people for fun) Also really fun lower GE's like animal science where you learn to milk a cow and make cheese, tractor driving, beer making and wine making. I haven't participated but cow tipping is popular as well. I think every UC has something special and unique to where it is located. Don't let a few negative people make you regret your decision dude. If you have visited UCSC and love it there you will be happy. A UC education is a great education.</p>
<p>Hey, halfway through my first year, I'd like to thank everybody who responded. UC Santa Cruz is great, and I'm glad I chose a college based on the factors most important to me (nature, access to UC facilities and resources, laid-back attitude) rather than those which figure so predominantly in CC (prestige, lucrative post-graduation positions, blah blah). I'm very happy here now, satisfied with my education and absolutely in love with the town, and hopefully I'll be hired as a tour guide soon so I can show off the school to others and get them to look beyond the unfounded or overexaggerated stereotypes. Thanks again, everybody.</p>
<p>Thanks for posting an update. I am taking my son up for a visit this spring and it is nice to read about the positive experience some students have had. I admit to having fallen prey to certain stereotypes in the past... thanks for giving me a new point of view. I think a lot of students can appreciate a laid back school after going through the admissions race in high school. FWIW...UCLA also has a run to celebrate 4/20, only they wear their underwear instead of going naked.</p>
<p>Hi -- thanks for reposting. What residence are you in and do you like it? I also wondered if each of the colleges have different types of housing. When I was there last summer for a tour, the rooms we were shown were pretty small and not so great. I'm wondering because college tours usually present the BEST of the housing options and I'm wondering if that's the BEST they had (I don't remember which college). I loved everything else at UCSC.</p>
<p>This thread is inspiring. Thanks to everyone who contributed! :)</p>
<p>I've thought twice about UCSC... look at the other thread concerning drug violations - UCD had about 24 students... UCSC had 600!!!!!</p>
<p>Those stats SCREAM OUT at me right now.</p>
<p>And what are they screaming? That Davis students are better at hiding their violations or that Santa Cruz dorms have stricter RAs?!?</p>
<p>Better at hiding their violations?? I mean seriously... 600 compared to 24. Either a.) you're wrong or b.) UCSC students are retarded.</p>
<p>Current/former UC Santa Cruz students, my daughter has been accepted for next fall and I'd like to get your take on the different residential colleges. How are they different? What kinds of kids do they attract? Which has the best location? We toured briefly last summer and I liked the look of Cowell, but it was summer so there were no students around. Also, what do students do for fun? Are there dances or parties on campus very often? What kinds of things can you do for fun in Santa Cruz? Also, my daughter will not have a car. Will that be a problem? My daughter worked very hard in high school so she wants to go to a school where she can have a good social life as well as a good education!</p>
<p>I live (well lived, but currently attend school there) in Santa Cruz, and personally, Santa Cruz really isn't my kind of town. I'm slightly slightly considering UCSC just because it's close and I'll be able to commute, but to people who attend UCSC, would you say that UCSC resembles SC in general (if that makes any sense, like the general attitude/surroundings)?</p>
<p>I graduated from UCSC last 2005 majoring in Physical Anthropology. Things you have to consider, forget about US News or whatever reviews they have out now. </p>
<p>Consider: 1) Does the school feel right for you. 2) Look into the major that you want to pursue, utilize the professors we have there, they are ALL very well qualified coming from top notch schools. 3) Utilize the school organizations. there are numerous things to consider.</p>
<p>I personally am glad that I attended a school which had resources for almost any kind of people out there: minorities, LGBT, etc. and that the school has such a tremendous focus (out of all the other UC's) on undergraduate teachings. Other UC's (reason why they are ranked higher) is that they focus on graduate research/study. </p>
<p>I got accept to Duke, UCB, UCLA, Wellsley, etc to name a few but chose UCSC because it felt right for me. I was pro-active, I was socially and politically active and have not regreted once my decision to attend. So what am I doing now?? I am a 2L Law student at Stanford University. Good luck to you and don't let anyone or anybody else determine your future. You make the most of it. Another reason why it doesn't really matter what school you attended: my boyfriend graduated from a state school...worked his ass off, but now works for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics as a Cost Schedule Analyst, making a pretty good living for his age (24 yrs old). Much luck again!</p>
<p>Karupt- Just because there were 600 drug violations, doesn't mean that ALL ucsc students are retarded. There are drug violations and what not in every college. It is up to you to control yourself and not get involved with those people.</p>
<p>regarding drug violations: UCSC is aware that its reputation as a stoner school hurts its prestige. In response they have started cracking down and their RAs are now more like gestapo. My advice: Smoke in the woods, drink with the curtains drawn.</p>
<p>poor trees.</p>