<p>i got the invitation for the chancellor's reception and i hope i get accepted to this school. but honestly how bad are the parties compared to the other UC's. on princeton review it also lists the school on the list where marajuana is widely used. is this true?</p>
<p>There is no substitute for visiting. Go there and see what you think. Be sure to see both the campus and Isla Vista.</p>
<p>Kevinf - my son is in the honors program at UCSB. I can pretty much guarantee you that no one will tie you down and force you to smoke or drink or have sex or anything else against your will. On the other hand, if you're of a mind to do so, there will be no dearth of opportunities at UCSB (as with most colleges in America.) Most of the partying is in Isla Vista, the neighborhood adjacent to campus where UCSB and SBCC students and other young people live. Again, your involvement in partying is very much under your own control.</p>
<p>Oh, shucks, there's a lot of sex, alcohol and weed here? Damn, guess it's off my college list.</p>
<p>Heh.</p>
<p>wait are you being sarcastic?? even though santa barbara is known as a party school, isn't the school ranked as high as irvine</p>
<p>hahaha i thought this guy was implying that SB parties are "bad".</p>
<p>when what he's really asking is "will i be able to sit around, sip apple juice and watch PG-13 movies in the common room in peace for 4 years?" </p>
<p>col-lege. it happens.</p>
<p>yeah i know that each universities will have parties but i was just wondering what makes ucsb stand out so much as a party school.</p>
<p>scathing comments aside, i suppose it's because they're right on the beach and their campus is pretty tight knit.</p>
<p>kevinf, the party scene in IV is pretty strong. If you're of a mind to do so, you could pretty much party year 'round, and you would probably have more opportunity to do so at (or near) UCSB than many other schools. Of course, you would flunk out if you did. It's probably true that there's more social "acceptance" of a partier lifestyle at UCSB than at UCSD, for example. But it's still very much up to the individual student. There's a lot of serious academic activity at UCSB (on campus) if you're motivated in that direction.</p>
<p>is ucsb very well known though. like would i be able to get a good job related to my major if i do fairly well in ucsb. sorry if these are stupid questions. i mean parties are ok but im just wondering if the partying well bring ucsb's reputation down.</p>
<p>kevinf, you make a good point. Your questions aren't stupid at all. UCSB is a top tier school at the top of its game in some respects - Nobel Prize winning faculty, some very strong academic departments, etc. Top students graduating from UCSB will be perceived as select individuals. But it's still a state school, operating in the shadow of Berkeley and UCLA. A student who bumps along for 5-6 years before graduating with a C average may well be perceived as a slacker. You don't get the automatic presumption of quality just for being a graduate as you might from a school with a different reputation. It's really very much on you - perhaps more so than at a school without UCSB's colorful reputation.</p>
<p>Yep, kluge is absolutely correct. It's up to you. It's a good school that's well respected, but you can't just rest on your laurel of getting in, like you could do more at UCLA or Cal (reletively speaking, of course.)</p>