IS UCSB a good school? good and bad about it?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Santa Barbara
1

<p>I'm choosing between coming here and going to Penn but I'm confused because I heard that UCSB is a good school and obviously Penn is as well being Ivy League, but I also heard that UCSB is tarnished by its party school reputation? Is Isla Vista "dirty" like everyone says? I want to major in pre-med so is UCSB a good fit? what are some good and bad things about it? also how about other factors like:</p>

<p>Dorms
parties
Social life
Girls
Academics
Campus feel
Architecture
Classes
Greek Life
Surrounding city</p>

2

<p>LOL!</p>

<p>UCSB is a great school, but also a terrific college experience. Beach towns tend to be a bit run down from salt (not all, but there is an air to them if you look for it). Isla Vista has a touch of it, but I wouldn’t say it was ''dirty". It is a beautiful place, mostly likened to a resort, not to the Bowery or anything.</p>

<p>I’m an alumn from a while back, but my niece recently graduated from there, and she loved it, loved being in dorms steps from the beach, loved the social life and pre med opportunities (she became an EMT and is now in medical school). In fact she is hoping to get back there.</p>

<p>The party life is there, but it is overdramaticized on the internet, in my opinion by fantasy driven posts more than actual UCSB student posts, but Halloween is a huge deal there. Mind you, people come in from all over the state for it, most problems are with those not local (nor UCSB students) and the drive is to ‘keep it local’ as a result. But students either avoid it or love it, like Mardis Gras. The rest of the time, as a student posted here recently, ‘if you don’t go looking for a party, it won’t come looking for you.’</p>

<p>UCSB students are very serious students. They focus on more than just school, though, in fact they are picked specifically for being well rounded and involved (check out the admissions web page.)</p>

<p>Re: parties, here is the USC paper discussing Santa Barbara discouraging people from out of town coming up for Halloween.</p>

<p>And here is the Isla Vista Foot Patrol closing the Halloween party around 2 a.m. this past year, with impromptu student accompaniment (“Closing Time”)
<a href=“Closing Time cover IV Foot Patrol Halloween - YouTube”>Closing Time cover IV Foot Patrol Halloween - YouTube;

<p>But Halloween isn’t a ‘typical party’.</p>

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<p>I live in Santa Barbara, and am a UCSB alumnus (yup, I didn’t leave). UCSB used to be a party school decades ago (my parents remember the B of A building in Isla Vista being burned down by students) but really isn’t outside the norm of any college now. Like #collegevetting explained above, Halloween is really the one big weekend/night of partying, but it’s the out-of-towners and local community college students that make it such a large event. </p>

<p>UCSB is not for the academically weak. The admitted students have high GPAs and test scores, as well as a bevy of EC on their applications. They take their studies seriously. Those type of students do not make it through to graduation if all they are doing is partying.</p>

<p>Engineering and biology (especially marine biology, for obvious reasons) are highly acclaimed at UCSB. My husband is VP of engineering from a local company, and he is constantly at UCSB recruiting graduating engineering students to come work for them. In fact, they would rather hire a UCSB grad than a UCLA grad. </p>

<p>The campus is on a highly desirable piece of land right on the ocean. Absolutely beautiful. The weather is perfect here (current 73 degrees with blue skies). I was walking my dog on the beach right below UCSB campus on Friday, and the women’s lacrosse teams from Univ of Oregon and a college near Lake Tahoe were all running around the beach, happy to be warm, loving the ocean. The town of Isla Vista is pure college town. There are some locals that live there, but they live at the very outskirts of I.V. The city of Santa Barbara is great. Not too busy, not too boring. </p>

<p>The campus buildings are somewhat typical UC buildings, which means they can lack flair. However, some of the newer buildings are very visually appealing. There has been a lot of new building at UCSB in the last decade. </p>

<p>Hope to see you at UCSB in the near future!</p>

4

<p>Dorms: Can only speak for Santa Cruz since that was the only one I lived in, the rooms are a little cramped for a triple but we managed to make it work and even had a couple band sessions in there and a fair amount of BP games. It is what it is.</p>

<p>parties: Absolutely epic.</p>

<p>Social life: If you’re the type who is outgoing you’ll feel more than welcome here. If you’re more introverted you’ll find like minded people. There’s something for everyone but I encourage you to come with an open mind! Experience anything and everything (within reason).</p>

<p>Girls: Shouldn’t even be a question. Take one visit there.</p>

<p>Academics: I’m an Econ major so I can only speak about that but from my experience it’s very competitive and they will push you to your limits. The reward is that you’ll be scouted by large accounting firms.</p>

<p>Campus feel: It’s on a beach, everyone is down to Earth.</p>

<p>Architecture: The oldest buildings are a little run down but there are massive renovations being done across the campus and everything is shaping up nicely.</p>

<p>Classes: It can be a little hard to get all the classes you want as a freshman so be smart about it.</p>

<p>Greek Life: There are greek organizations for every type of person (Rush Kappa Sigma!)</p>

<p>Surrounding city: Isla Vista is probably the most interesting place you’ll every experience. In the day it’s a little beach town, at night it’s on a different level. Have fun (you definitely will), but be smart about it. There were some close calls.</p>

5

<p>here’s some more stuff (I’ll quote a few but you can go to the link):</p>

<p>"UC Santa Barbara ranks among higher-education leaders in the United States and Canada as one of only 62 research-intensive institutions elected to membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities.</p>

<p>In its annual ranking of the top 500 universities, Leiden University ranked UC Santa Barbara number 2 in the world in terms of impact in the field of the sciences.</p>

<p>U.S. News and World Report’s guide, “America’s Best Colleges,” the most widely read college guide in the country, ranks UCSB number 11 among all public universities.</p>

<p>UCSB’s renowned faculty includes five winners of Nobel Prizes for landmark research in chemistry, physics, and economics. An alumna of the College of Creative Studies was named 2009 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine.</p>

<p>UCSB faculty members are also included in many prestigious academic organizations, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, with 90 current or former faculty; Guggenheim Fellows, more than 60; the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 31; and the National Academy of Engineering, 25.</p>

<p>Demand for admission is keen, and the academic quality and diversity of the applicant classes remain very high. Fall 2014 applications from prospective freshmen and transfer students totaled 80,893, a record high for UC Santa Barbara.</p>

<p>The campus is home to 11 national institutes and centers. Among them: the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics and the Materials Research Laboratory (both funded by the National Science Foundation), and the Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies (funded by the U.S. Army).</p>

<p>UCSB is home to the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), founded by the National Science Foundation. NCEAS is launching a new initiative — SNAP, or Science for Nature and People — in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and the Wildlife Conservation Society.</p>

<p>External support for research, the lifeblood of a premier research university, totaled $165 million in fiscal 2012-13. Federal agencies provided $135 million of the total.</p>

<p>More than half of graduating seniors collaborate with faculty members on original research or creative projects."</p>

<p>more at link. <a href=“http://www.ucsb.edu/pop/”>http://www.ucsb.edu/pop/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

6

<p>Hell 81,000 applicants what do you guys think the acceptance rate will be like this year?</p>

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<p>Probably mid to upper 30s</p>

8

<p>^^Nothing like waiting until the data is in to make your prediction…</p>

9

A professor of black studies and pornography at UC Santa Barbara has been charged with battery, grand theft and sentenced to a two year suspended sentence last year after accosting two Thomas Aquinas students handing out pro-life fliers.

A spring break party last year resulted in two stabbings and 100 people arrested and a policeman hit with a brick. Police resorted to rubber bullets and tear gas to restore order.

I would avoid this college at all costs.

10

I go to UCSB, and I have never been happier in my entire life. By day, there is a very studious atmosphere to campus and in IV, as expected from a school with such prestige. However- you will never find yourself bored at this university.

Those who have a perspective of UCSB solely construed by it’s portrayal in the media have an immensely biased and inaccurate opinion of it.

I can attest myself that during finals and midterms, you will not find a party going on. In fact, you will have great difficulty finding seating in the library. I spent over 36 cumulative hours in the library during dead week. It is foolish to judge this school on it’s insane “party” reputation (which is usually never communicated through an actual student who indeed, actually lives there).

I have never seen more well-rounded students than at UC Santa Barbara. By day, we are surely exerting great effort with our studies, while maintaining a laid back and friendly environment. By night, Isla Vista’s unanimous love and strive for fun, laughter, and unforgettable experiences, definitely makes itself present. There is a strong sense that each resident looks out for another, referencing the school’s coined term, “We Gaucho Back!”

UCSB can be easily summarized by the phrase, “Work Hard, Play Hard”.

As a student myself, I can truly attest that I have never been happier than at UC Santa Barbara, and I can’t imagine my life at another university,

“Olé, Olé, I swear I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

11

Good school with great students!

You have to visit it to see what everyone is talking about. ^^^^