Hi, I am from Bay Area(south bay) and I will be transferring to UCSC in fall. I am not sure if I should stay here and commute to UCSC or live on-campus there. Commute is 40minutes-1hour. For transfers, UCSC has guaranteed on-campus housing for first year. What are your suggestions/views? Appreciate your input.
Unless you live in the Santa Cruz area, commuting from the South Bay (i.e., SJ area) or any area north of San Jose can be difficult, especially during the commute or rush hour traffic. Even though in the mornings you are driving opposite of the heavy traffic going into SJ and Silicone Valley, you are still driving the winding mountain road and there are occasional accidents there, which can cause you to be late or miss class. Personally, driving that winding mountain road daily can be exhausting. If you can afford it, it is probably better to live on campus housing to get the “college experiences” and meet new people and make new friends. Sometimes these new friends become lifetime friends.
@UCBUSCalum yes definitely, if I live on-campus I will meet new people and make new friends. appreciate your response.
I would say that unless you live in Los Gatos, Saratoga or the Almaden/Cambrian part of San Jose, you’re better off living on campus. Besides, parking is a pain in the rear end despite all the open land there.
One sort of gets used to driving the winding roads, unless it is raining in which case it is a pain to deal with all the drivers going 25 MPH.