<p>I’m pretty sure they don’t. [UC</a> Santa Cruz Transfer Student Information](<a href=“http://www.housing.ucsc.edu/transfer/index.html]UC”>http://www.housing.ucsc.edu/transfer/index.html)
But it does seem like you could transfer to such a hall after a quarter if you really want to.</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I’m also another student who isnt sure what college to choose for UCSC. Any suggestions as to what i should pick?
Im Hispanic
I like meeting new people
Im a nice guy
I am an open minded person
shy at first, outgoing somewhat if I feel comfortable
am interested in being involved with clubs and such</p>
<p>I dont like being around stoners
Racists
stuck ups
Violent people.</p>
<p>I was looking into 9 and ten but im not really sure. HELP!!</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure that my top three choices for the colleges are Merrill, Porter, and Stevenson, but I’m not exactly sure yet about the order I’m going to rank them. Does anyone have any opinions on these colleges, know the pros/cons, etc.? Thanks :)</p>
<p>What types of people best thrive in Porter? Can anyone explain their experience there, and who would be best fit for Porter? Thanks</p>
<p>The people that thrive best in Porter tend to be liberal and open minded. They either don’t mind drugs/do them. You don’t have to be an artist or an eccentric hippie to be in Porter–but you might see a few.</p>
<p>I’m all over this forum raving about Porter–I couldn’t love it more. Everyone is truly very friendly and welcoming. A lot of students say “It’s the party dorm, there are hippies that smoke weed” Yes, people smoke weed. If you don’t have a problem with weed, you’re fine. It really isn’t that big of an issue.</p>
<p>In my experience, Porter is one of the most social colleges. They have a quad and you tend to see students everywhere. If you like being social and meeting people, just leave you door open and students will come to you. It’s truly a fun experience.</p>
<p>That’s my take on Porter, anyone can choose to add or retract from what I’ve said.</p>
<p>@AGR1010: Thanks for the information, I think It helps to know a bit more about what others experieneces have been at Porter. I’m looking for an accepting college, one that is open-minded as you said and accepting. And Porter defininitely seems to fit the bill :)</p>
<p>^I’m also from Porter and I agree about the social atmosphere. The people here are amazing!</p>
<p>One thing I don’t like, however, is the construction. Although the main construction will be done by the time you guys move in, trust me, they will still be doing stuff here and there, and yeah, it’s annoying and LOUD. When we first moved in, our building wasn’t completely finished, so every morning I would wake up to drilling of some sort. Just be aware of that as a possibility for the first couple of months if you get the misfortune of being placed in the A building.</p>
<p>However, despite all this, I love being a Porter kid and wouldn’t change a thing.</p>
<p>@ramman123: Your interests are wayyyy more important. Your description of yourself could fit half of the people here at UCSC. Based just on what you said, you’d fit in anywhere.</p>
<p>@Marcosaurus: It’s all relative. Some people like that Merrill is a bit isolated, others hate it. Ask more specifics! What matters to you? Drugs, dining hall hours, location, what?</p>
<p>@Liesel:</p>
<p>One of the things that really draws me to Merrill is that it’s tucked into the redwoods, so it’ll be a pretty peaceful place to live while at the same time I’ll be in pretty close proximity to the main parts of campus. I know it has the stereotype of “Sterile Merrill”… but that’s honestly something I don’t mind.</p>
<p>Do you know anything about the social scene at Merrill? Do they have a lot of events going on, is there a game or recreation room or anything where students tend to spend their free time in, etc.? And is it a pretty tight-knit community in your opinion?</p>
<p>Also I know that Merrill has a thriving GLBT community, which I’m interested in. I’m also curious about the Cantú Center which is right next door.</p>
<p>A drug/alcohol presence is not that big of a deal to me. I’m personally not that into either, but I am totally open to being around people who are.</p>
<p>I know that the dining hall hours are horrendous this year up there, do you know if that’ll change by next year?</p>
<p>Thanks for the help!</p>
<p>Merrill is definitely in a nice place if you like the redwoods. Plus the Merrill moat is awesome. I wish Crown had artwork to show off. ):</p>
<p>Not %100 sure. I live at Crown but I don’t hang out at Merrill all that often. There’s the Baobab lounge which is a general hangout place. Aside from general student use, clubs often meet there. And the cultural center there hosts a lot of events, such as “regression night” where they brought out board games, legos, and all sorts of goodies for us to fool around with. Not to mention Tacos Moreno, which is a pretty hot meeting place. Merrill is definitely a tight-nit community.</p>
<p>Sorry, I don’t know anything about the Cantu Center. And about the dining halls…I have no idea. They usually change each year. But currently 9/10 and 8/Oakes are on the midnight shifts, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it stays that way because they are the best-equipped facilities (I haven’t checked out the new Kresge/Porter dining hall, though).</p>
<p>@Marco-- Merrill does have the Cantu Center but it’s available to all students–not just the ones in Merrill. I’m curious, DOES Merrill actually have a large LGBT community? I’ve really only seen Porter and Kresge and both also had a great LGBT community. I hadn’t even thought about Merrill.</p>
<p>I think unless students are in Merrill, not a lot of other students know too much about it. Hence the nickname you mentioned. Who knows, maybe Merrill is an amazing college and no one has a clue about it!!</p>
<p>Can anyone describe what the first week, at any of the colleges, will be like. Upperclassmen haze? People nice and introduce themeselves? I know it will probably be overwhelming, but how much down time will there be? Anything else worth mentioning?</p>
<p>@ramman123
we should be roommates bro, we basically have the same mentality and we both are hispanic. haha</p>
<p>Upperclassmen didn’t move in until a few days after the freshmen did, so we got some time to ourselves. Everyone was very friendly. There were a few mandatory meetings, and a lot of fun events to help us bond or whatnot. Lots and lots of downtime to explore the campus.</p>
<p>I am probably going to UCSC and, like many others here, am unsure of which college I should choose. After reading through all the posts, I am thinking Crown would suit me best?</p>
<p>-liberal, down-to-earth, environmentalist, love nature; but not a hippie
-mostly serious, study and work hard, like to relax (not party) when not studying/working
-love science, especially biology
-ecology/evolution major
-not very social, quiet/shy and introverted, few friends
-hate partying and don’t do drugs, don’t drink alcohol</p>
<p>Any suggestions for the top 3 colleges that would best suit me?</p>
<p>i havent read much about college eight, besides that the people there arent nice, is this true? does anyone go/know someone who lives at eight how do they like it?</p>
<p>I have tons of friends that live in Porter, and visited just last weekend.
So you get where I’m coming from:
Female, from Northern California (Petaluma, you’ll see a lot of us at UCSC), generally pretty average… I am open minded, liberal, okay with pot and alcohol, sometimes a participant.</p>
<p>I didn’t like Porter much, but all of my friends love it. They are very silly people, friendly, open minded, and to some people, ‘weird’. Everyone is pretty friendly, but there definitely is the drug scene (within two hours of arriving I was offered shrooms, molly and a pot cookie).
I would not reccomend Porter for anyone who wants to be substance free unless you sign up for the substance free hall in Porter, which even so has converted a number of ‘straight edgers’.
If you are down to have people going in and out of your room, lots of interesting and friendly people, new and mind bending experiences, porter may be for you. I personally need slightly more downtime for somewhere that is going to be my living space… I think i can always go out and party but i can’t kick the party out of my hall. </p>
<p>good luck!</p>
<p>I’m thinking cowell now, or 9/10</p>
<p>Dragonpaw: I just got home from UCSC; you seem to me like a 9/10 person if you don’t care too much about partying or community; its pretty nice a quiet up there, and right next to the redwoods. It’s also only like a 5 minute walk to science hill from there, and downhill.</p>
<p>brythellama: Actually, you can kick a party out of your hall if it’s past quiet hours easily ;). Just complain to the appropriate people. You can also keep people from going in and out of your room quite easily by setting down ground rules with your roommate. That’s your private space (even if it’s shared) and you have a right to limit who can go in and who cannot.</p>
<p>I’m sorry you had such a poor experience with Porter. I’ve never even seen any of the drugs you mentioned being offered, let alone been offered myself, since I transferred last quarter. I also disagree with what you about those in the substance free hall (and please never use the term “straight edger” except to describe a person who actually is one; no one I know here is one). I’m in a substance free hall and the only ones I have been told use despite the rules were already doing so before they got here, not through being converted. The bulk of the hall just has no desire for drugs or alcohol same as me.</p>
<p>I’m not trying to sway you towards Porter at all, just clearing up that not everyone will experience what you did. I really dislike it being implied that all here do drugs or will be coerced into doing drugs (not that you said all of this directly, but your post could be read this way based on some of the language used). It’s all in your focus and who you spend your time with. Sadly, it only takes a few people to give a place a reputation and just as few to maintain it.</p>
<p>For example, a strike blocking off campus sounds like a lot of people, right? The campus has around 15,000 undergraduates. There were an estimated 200 people at the March 4 strike. Access at both of the campus entrances was successfully cut off. It does not take that many to have an effect.</p>
<p>That said, Cowell will put you much closer to the east side of campus things like the Wellness Center, Quarry Plaza, etc. Location wise, it’s pretty decent :). And 9/10 are very centralized too so that’s a bonus there.</p>
<p>@DragonPaw: Crown, 9/10, or maybe Merrill. Definitely. </p>
<p>@kkyyllee: Pssh, stereotypes. I know some very nice people from 8.</p>