So I just want to know what options I have and the pros and cons of each. Would really appreciate a current ucsb student or a ucsb alumni giving me some details of the following:
-University Apartments
-University Residence Halls
-San Clemente
-Tropicana
Thanks
Bump
My first choice would be Santa Rosa/Anacapa/Santa Cruz on campus housing. Santa Catalina is a trek. I think (but am not 100% positive) that Trop is being used to house recruited athletes.
Howdy.
University Apartments:
*They don’t let you live in here until your third year (or if you’re a transfer), so I won’t get into details here.
San Clemente
*Same basically
Tropicana
*I mean from what I’ve heard from fellow students, they’re pretty chill but like they are off-campus, so you won’t get the on-campus dorm experience. Plus you’ll have to take the bus. Not super convenient, but it’s good if you dislike dorms or miss the housinng registration deadline.
University Dorms
Ayyy, this is where it’s at.
Santa Rosa:
Awesome. My dorm here. Love it. Want a piano in your formal lounge? Want a sick rec room? Wanna make faces at the children who pass by on tours? Come to Santa Rosa! Plus, we’re closer to the rest of campus than Anacapa or Santa Cruz, so if you get a morning class in South Hall or wherever you can afford to wake up a minute or two later than the rest of them. Have fun getting lost in your own building the first week, though. It’s a friggin maze.
Anacapa:
I mean, it’s p cool. Plus, depending on what room you get, you might end up with a nice view of the ocean. Or a view of Santa Rosa. You never know.
Santa Cruz:
Not sure why you’d live in Santa Cruz when you can choose Santa Rosa…unless you’re set on one of the LLCs in here.
San Nic:
The people I know who live in there seem happy enough. Mostly freshmen, from what I gather (I mean, all of the Freshman Five are mostly freshmen, but this one more than the others). Still, wouldn’t be my top choice. Unless you’re desperate to get a high-up view of the ocean…but then, you can’t control what room you get, so it’s a lottery. Plus they have an obnoxious staircase system.
San Mig:
If you’re against living in one of the shorties (and by shorties, I mean Santa Rosa, Anacapa, and Santa Cruz), then this is probably the place to go. They’re right next to Ortega (although Santa Rosa is conveniently located right between Ortega and DLG, I might add), and I’ve heard rumors that there’s a piano somewhere there, too. Plus their formal lounge on the bottom floor is pretty sweet. Nice view of the lagoon, too.
Manzanita:
Really cool, but the chances of getting in are low since the second-years likely took all the spots.
San Raf:
The second-years DEFINITELY took all the spots.
Santa Catalina:
If you wanna eat in Portoilet and have to ride the bus to school each day, knock yourself out. The rooms are really nice, from what I’ve heard, but be warned: I don’t know a single person who chose to live in FT for their second year - they all hurried back to campus or just got a house instead.
(P.S. The dining halls are Ortega, DLG, Carillo, and Portola, so if I referenced them in the post, that’s what they are)
(DLG’s awesome because of Late Night)
(Plus Ortega closes on weekends)
(Basically, go for a shorty, so you get dibs on DLG. Santa Rosa and maybe San Mig are best if you want to have a short walk to both DLG and Ortega every day).
@tmendelson thanks a lot great info and details!
@tmendelson what’s the scene like for University apartments and San Clemente? Are these viable options for transfer students? I want to experience the whole UCSB party/social scene or is off-campus housing the way to go for this?