Help Me Choose UCSC College! Please!!!

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Santa Cruz
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<p>okay! this seems like a good thread to get some information.</p>

<p>so, i’m a typical white girl. i live in a small town filled with preps & gossip.
i’m going to ucsc because i love california, and i love what i saw of the ucsc campus.
but, i only saw stevenson, and i don’t think that’s what i want.</p>

<p>i want a good party scene. i’m more into drinking than hardcore drugs though.
weed is totally fine with me :slight_smile:
i’m torn between kresge and porter.
is kresge completely secluded?
and is porter old/run-down?</p>

<p>& i ain’t gonna lie, i like me some guys.
which one has a better pool?</p>

<p>feedback would be highly appreciated!</p>

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<p>skinnykittee: Precisely :). It confused my older brother when I attempted to explain this to him since his dorm assignment had everything to do with his proposed major when he went to Chico many years ago. At UCSC, college affiliation does not matter except for personal reasons. So have fun picking one that looks like it will be a good fit for you!</p>

<p>xx93fifi: I wouldn’t call any of the colleges secluded except for maybe Crown/Merrill simply because many like to avoid Cardiac Hill, but even then, it’s still easy to get to if you have the stamina. However, the most secluded place on campus would be The Village. Living here has nothing to do with your college affiliation. Note that Kresge is all apartments.</p>

<p>Porter has the newest dorms on campus (Building B renovated during the 2008-2009 academic year, Building A renovated during the 2009-2010 academic year). The dining hall was also renovated during the end of the 2008-2009 academic year and through most of the 2009-2010 academic year. It is far from being the oldest college on campus. Cowell, Stevenson, Crown, and Merrill are all older than Porter.</p>

<p>No college on campus has its own pool. The only pool available is at the gym on the east side of campus. If you want to be close to a pool, you’ll need to choose either Cowell or Stevenson as they are the closest colleges to the gym.</p>

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<p>Hi everyone. I’m really excited about going to UCSC next year. I too am looking for the right housing option for me. I am a pretty friendly mellow guy who gets along fine with all different people. I’m white & gay but not super flaming. I’m not really a hard partier (I don’t really drink) but I can certainly let loose at times and don’t have a problem with people smoking weed around me. I just don’t want people being loud late on a weeknight. I’m really into different kinds of music and some might consider me a hipster. </p>

<p>I’ve kinda ruled out colleges 9/10 because I do want to be in a college with a little more character even if it’s old. My main concern is bathrooms; privacy is important to me and I’d rather not have to wait for an hour to use the shower. I’m hoping someone here can give a rundown on what the bathrooms are like in the different colleges. </p>

<p>So far, it seems like Stevenson is my #1 pick, but I could use some help in filling the other 4 spots. Thanks! =]</p>

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<p>i meant pool of guys! haha, but thank you for your information.</p>

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<p>sayyes:
Noise issue is honestly easy to deal with: if it’s after quiet hours, then call an RA or a CSO. It will be taken care of. RA is faster, but CSO seems to get more lasting results. I usually give the noise about half an hour to quiet down before I even think about calling in a complaint especially if it’s close to the start of quiet hours.</p>

<p>As for showers, I’ve never had to wait for one unless I was being picky about which one and even then, it was only about ten minutes of wait time. Waiting an hour for a shower has not happened in my experience (NOTE: this is for the dorms. I have no experience with the apartments).</p>

<p>Privacy is not a big problem. Some colleges have co-ed bathrooms, others have gender separated bathrooms. It seems like many of them around campus have the double shower curtain set up. I know for sure Porter is set up like this and I saw them in 10 when I stayed there last summer. I’ve never had any privacy issues and many in my hall are more than comfortable enough to walk to and from our showers in just a towel.</p>

<p>xx93fifi:
Based on the way you wrote your post, the two lines did not seem to be a connected thought ;). You’re going to find a range of guys at all the different colleges. You could go with the stereotype that the “better” guys will want to be closer to the gym. So Cowell or Stevenson. But I don’t follow stereotypes. If I did, I never would have chosen UCSC let alone Porter as my affiliation.</p>

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<p>oh, i didn’t mean to sound like a judgmental person, but it did come out that way.
i just wanted to know which college had the biggest guy population. i wasn’t sure if any of them were generally filled with girls, which would annoy me, personally.</p>

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<p>Thanks Kender! Do you have any suggestions for which other colleges I should put on my list? All I know is that my first choice is Stevenson, but I’d like to find 4 other backups that are similar to Stevenson or would be appropriate for someone like me (please refer to self-description in my last post ^).</p>

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<p>Accepted to class of 2015.
From NorCal (510 Bay Area)</p>

<p>I don’t drink yet, don’t plan on doing drugs ever though.
What’s close to the computer science buildings?</p>

<p>Ideally, I want a dorm close to the computer science classes, with some gym access (not a huge deal though), and a nice dining hall/good facilities. Any takers? :stuck_out_tongue: Crown seems nice.</p>

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<p>@CommonIntuition: Your diverse spread of interests and the avoidance of drugs tells me you might be a good fit for Merrill. Especially because of the diversity thing. The only downside to note about Merrill is that it is somewhat secluded. I do have a good friend there though, and they say that the upside of this is that the hallways create very tight communities, though you interact with people from other colleges less.</p>

<p>@xx93fifi: Porter is more drugs than alcohol. Past that, drugs vs alcohol depends on the people you hang with within the college. On-campus parties are sparse, but Porter is one of the better places to look. Kresge is not secluded at all. The only college with a larger % of guys than girls is Crown. And as a girl living there: The odds are good, but the goods are odd. There’s no college where the amount of girls is obviously more than the amount of guys.</p>

<p>@sayyes: You’ll likely get in your top 3 so don’t worry. Cowell is similar of course. College 8 is also a pretty good choice from what you’ve said about yourself. </p>

<p>@AnonymousGirl: Yup, you sound like a Crownie! We’re about a 10 minute walk from engineering where most CS classes are. The only closer buildings are 9/10 by a few minutes, though also further from the gym. Crown is also about 10 minutes from the gym, and less than 5 from the bookstore/quarry. Despite the hill it’s fairly central. Crown dining hall food is good. Only downside is that it’s closed on weekends, but the schedule does change from year to year so who knows. 9/10 has late night hours, but the majority of the food served around the clock is junk food. Personally I benefit a lot from being in Crown as a CS: Game Design major because many of the people living near me are also in my classes. 9/10 seem to have a decent chunk of CS students too. I can answer more questions about Crown if there’s anything specific you’d like to know.</p>

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<p>If I could like your post xx93fifi, I would. That’s pretty much what I’m looking for, so thanks for posting :D</p>

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<p>xx93fifi:
Oh, I didn’t think you were being any such way! Just saying that stereotypes are something that are, to be honest, just that: stereotypes. They’re not something I know much about since I think they should be ignored. The way people talk about Porter from a stereotype standpoint makes it sound like 24/7 drug central. I’ve only been subjected to the stench of marijuana a few times in the year and a half I have lived at Porter. My worst exposure was over the summer at 10 (which, unfortunately, resulted in me becoming very ill for several days due to an extreme allergy to marijuana). I’ve just never seen the type of use, though, people say happens at Porter. It exists, but it exists for all college affiliations. It just seems worse at Porter because of the meadow nearby and that many from all around campus come to partake of the area.</p>

<p>Truthfully, I have no idea where you would find a larger population of guys. It all looks about even to me, but I just ignore most everything around me since both guys and girls tend to annoy me. Sorry I can’t be more help with this part of it. But if it helps, the girls I have come to know are far from annoying. I’d say I run into more tom boys than I do girly-girls.</p>

<p>sayyes:
Well, like I mentioned to someone else, you should find something that’s important to you about the college from a fact standpoint and not a stereotype standpoint. A lot of what you mentioned can’t really be pinpointed to one college from facts, just opinions.</p>

<p>Think about it like this: why did you choose Stevenson? Was it because of stereotypes you heard about the college? Location? Special program offerings? Alumni?</p>

<p>Stevenson is close to the gym, quarry plaza, and has, from some areas, a nice view of the ocean. Cowell would be a good one to add if these are important factors. Porter also has a beautiful view of the ocean from the Squiggle, but it is on the other side of campus from Stevenson and Cowell.</p>

<p>Any idea on proposed major? Sometimes people like to be close to their potential department so they can more easily go speak with an adviser. This would also be a factor to consider.</p>

<p>Interested in the Queer Fashion Show? Unless something changes, this event occurs annually in the Porter/Kresge Dining Hall. I’ve yet to go myself, but I’ve heard great things about it. My schedule is insanely busy so I do not always know about the events happening around campus at each college, but they all have their own annual shows and various get togethers. If student life of this sort is important, definitely look at each college’s website to find out the official annual events (and google to find out the not so official events).</p>

<p>The core class is often mentioned as something that shouldn’t be a deciding factor since it only lasts for one quarter, but if you get down to two colleges and you can’t decide which to put higher because each seems equal to you, then start looking at that core class. I’ve talked to several science majors that chose Porter because they liked the opportunity to be surrounded by art and a chance to produce art through scholarships.</p>

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<p>Kender, you’re allergic to weed??</p>

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<p>Laurennn123:
Yes. Extremely so. It’s far from being what I would consider being one of my “weird” allergies, though. People can be allergic to some seemingly oddball things.</p>

<p>My reactions to marijuana are far worse than my reaction to smoke from say a cigarette. My throat closes up with both (although my albuterol easily takes care of this reaction), but only marijuana induces what I can best describe as flu-like symptoms (complete with occasional vomiting) that can last anywhere from a few hours to several days depending upon level of exposure.</p>

<p>The fact I can live at Porter happily should be proof it’s not a constant source of drug use ;)</p>

<p>It’s like the cliche says: if you go looking for trouble, you’ll find it. If you look for parties, drug use, alcohol abuse, etc, then you will find it. I do not go out of my way to avoid any of these things, but I have little trouble avoiding them with so little effort.</p>

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<p>That is definitely one interesting allergy! The worst I have is severe sesame seed and then the fact that I’m allergic to soy and lactose intollerent! Oh dear…</p>

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<p>@Kender:</p>

<p>Where do Crownies eat during the weekend then?
What’s the ratio of men and women?
What are the theme halls/houses like? How prominent are said themes in daily life?
Is it easy to get merit aid as a female comp sci major?
How are job/internship opportunities for comp sci majors?
How are campus jobs?
What do Crownies do for phone?
What is the culture of Crown like?
What days should I go to visit Crown as a prospie?
Am I likely to get into Crown if I request it or is it overimpacted?
How are rooms?</p>

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<p>Thanks Liesel & Kender. I was admitted as a Literature & Cultural Studies major, but I feel like I’m going to have to become a Business Economics Management major if I ever want to get a job. I’m about to go searching through each college’s webpage to see where each college is situated on the campus. I really appreciate the help.</p>

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<p>So I’m pretty stuck on what to choose for myself!
White, female, not bad looking :stuck_out_tongue: , straight, prefer a space that I can get away from people when needed (overall, I’m outgoing), I like to party (weed + alcohol are both fine) but I’m also a really diligent studier (neuroscience major), and I guess I should add that I’m really one of the guys. I like sports and I play video games/ mess with electronics (my dad designed airplanes for a living) BUT I’m still really feminine (makeup + skirts). (I don’t know if the last bit helps but you never know!)
And, so far I’ve decided that I don’t want the apartments.
Help? (:</p>

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<p>@AnonymousGirl:
I assume that post was pointed at me, so.</p>

<p>Crownies travel to either 9/10 or Cowell/Stevenson. The dining halls are about equidistant from Crown. 5 minute walk at most.</p>

<p>There are slightly more men than woman. If I remember right, %55 men and %45 women. Just the usual college ratio reversed. I think the video game themed house might suffer from a worse ratio, but I’m not sure.</p>

<p>I’ve had experience with 3 themed houses at this point. Galileo, the academic house. It’s only impact was that the house was overall quieter than average. We also got a couple unique events/field trips but not a big deal. Maxwell house is the outdoor adventure house. Same goes about the unique events, but it also draws together more people with a similar interest. Harvey is the video game house, which is the extreme example of that. Almost everyone is a gamer to some extent, the floor of their lounge is littered with at least 3 game consoles at any time of day. They having gaming tournaments and all sorts of stuff. </p>

<p>I don’t have much experience with merit aid. From the emails I receive it definitely seems like women in computer science get a lot of aid and opportunities for scholarships too.</p>

<p>Internships and jobs are abundant. Every week I get at least one email from the school with another company looking to hire interns or upcoming graduates. Big name companies such as Google, Zynga, Tivo, EA, Blizzard, and many many more look to recruit UCSC students.</p>

<p>Campus jobs seem to pay well. I don’t know specifics on pay and such, but it seems like even the dining hall jobs are pleasant and hours are flexible. If you get to know professors, you’ll have an easy time getting tutoring/grading jobs.</p>

<p>Not many students use a land line phone any more. However, every room does have an assigned phone number if you wish to use one.</p>

<p>Crown culture is definitely nerdy. There’s this air of interest and appreciation for science and technology. Due to this half-stereotype half-truth we do draw in a lot of students from the sciences, whether they be a nerd or not. Same goes where we get nerds, even if they’re not in science. As such a lot of our events fit those interests. We host the Social Fiction conference, and many games of Humans vs Zombies. Past that the culture varies from house to house and floor to floor, based on who you live near.</p>

<p>Visit on the weekday, no matter where on campus you intend to go. A lot of people go off campus on the weekends so it’s a bit dead, and won’t tell you much about campus life.</p>

<p>Crown is not impacted at all. Crown is on the older side, but most facilities are still in fine shape. The rooms are good, especially on the third floor (vaulted ceilings!). A lot of rooms and the hallways suffer from having squeaky spots in the floor, but that’s the only real problem.</p>

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<p>sayyes:
You’re technically only proposed in those majors until you declare. Stevenson, Cowell, Crown, or Merrill might be good choices for you, though, because the Literature department is in the Humanities building between those two sets of sister colleges. If ease of access is important, of course. The Living Writers series (which is incredibly cool to go to even if you’re not interested in creative writing) is held near that area as well in one of the lecture halls.</p>

<p>To be honest, I don’t find myself going to them much, but I’m also obsessive and created such thorough spread sheets that I have no real need to speak with them. Mileage varies depending on individual situations and understandings of graduation requirements along with length of time at UCSC.</p>

<p>Laurennn123:
Oh I’d be so upset to be allergic to those! I love them! I do have the problem I’m allergic to bandaid adhesive so this can cause some interesting issues. The Health Center has been awesome about just using medical tape and a bit of gauze to cover up small punctures from needles so far. Love, love, love the Health Center on campus and all the staff I’ve met so far there.</p>

<p>I feel you on the lactose intolerance thing. Have you tried almond milk as a substitute since you have the soy problem? I usually just take pills when I have to have dairy myself, though, since I eat very little with dairy in it (mostly just pizza). Also currently reducing out gluten from my diet due to a suspected sensitivity. I get the feeling we’d get along great with our food issues! Could complain about all the things we can’t have and about all the things that make us ill when we ignore our diets, haha!</p>

<p>The apartments definitely aren’t for everyone. I’m a senior and I chose to live in the dorms (mostly because I saved $900, but still…). I personally prefer the idea of someone else caring for the bathroom for me. There are issues that come with the communal bathroom, but the pros outweigh the cons in my eyes.</p>

<p>If it takes some of the pressure off, there is a chance to change your affiliation if you really feel the choice given to you ends up not being the right one. There is no guarantee and it must be agreed to by both colleges, but there is the opportunity. Don’t sweat it too much, though. You’ll more likely than not love where you end up as long as you go in with an open mind. If you go in expecting to be miserable, then you will be miserable.</p>

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<p>@Liesel
That’s not true. There are more women than men. You got the stats backward. It’s 55% women and 45% men according to collegeboard:
[College</a> Search - University of California: Santa Cruz - UCSC - At a Glance](<a href=“College Search - BigFuture | College Board”>College Search - BigFuture | College Board)</p>