Hi! I am wondering if anyone here knows about the UCSC arts and humanities programs and if they are good? I really like the look of the campus but I have not heard much about non-STEM academics and I want to know if it is worth filling out a separate application (UCs don’t use the common app) and paying out of state tuition. Thanks!
UCSC is a large public with about 18K undergrads and is going to deliver the same education as you can find elsewhere at big publics. Many large & impersonal classes especially your first two years, a quarter or more of your classes taught by temporary adjunct faculty (aka the farmworkers of higher ed), a heavy reliance on TAs for grading, no assigned faculty advisor, an overworked career center with about a dozen counselors for the 18K students, and so on.
But don’t let that dissuade you! As a CA taxpayer we love the $50K or so per year OOS students contribute to UC. And, hey, you’ll be living right near the beach with water that’s beautiful to look at (nobody swims in it, too cold). Put it at the top of your list!
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“Worth it?” posts are always loaded. No one can answer that question for you without knowing a LOT more than you’ve posted thus far. It depends on what you want your experience to be like, and what you financial situation is, among a myriad of other things. So, is it worth it? it depends is the best answer anyone can give you until you provide more detail.
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On your other discussion, you state that your sister is attending SUNY Purchase, you are a NY resident and your parents could afford a comparable school. The Cost of Attendance for SUNY Purchase on their website 2022-2023 including tuition, room/board, transportation, books, fees etc… is around $40K/year
UCSC COA for an OOS student 2022-2023 is showing around $70K/year or a difference of around $120K for 4 years. Unless your family has an unlimited budget and as @mikemac stated, the UC’s love OOS students $$, I am sure there are many schools that would meet your criteria for a great education and affordability.
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No OOS public university is “worth it”. Those who choose to go that route are either financially unburdened, or making a mistake. If you aren’t financially unburdened then you are putting yourself or your parents in a huge debt hole for no good reason.
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Right, but you’re making an assumption…that they are financially burdened. They may not be. In that case, then “worth it” becomes a lot more complicated.
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Is the school comfortably affordable (no harship, no loans) for your family? If not the answer is a resounding no.
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For OOS, no. Move to the beach after you graduate.
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This is the way. 
To add more nuance to the conversation—
For an OOS student, there are some benefits to UCSC other than a pretty location. Proximity to the Silicon Valley can make internships more available (assuming you have a car and don’t mind a 30 min drive on congested Hwy 17). Game development program is well ranked. CS is strong. The residential college model may appeal, especially in a large, spread out school.
Still, OOS tuition in CA is pretty steep. Personally, I don’t know that I could swallow it for UCSC. People do readily pay it for Berkeley and UCLA, even San Diego, Santa Barbara and Irvine. But OOS students make up less than 6 percent of UCSC’s population, so I think most are inclined to skip it.
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Santa Cruz has a real problem with housing. There is very little housing. If you don’t get campus housing, you are on your own.