<p>I'm currently at the beginning of my application process, and UCSC, is my second choice (first being Berkeley, but I'm not very sure of my chances there)</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Is it difficult to get in? I don't have my official GPA yet, but it should be a bit over 3.3 (weighted) and my SATs are fairly average (1810, but I took them again, I just don't know my scores yet). I'm in a few clubs; MESA, JPL, Community Service Club, Environmental Club. Do I stand a chance?</p></li>
<li><p>I live in LA. What's the commute like? Without a car, I mean? Are there convenient planes/ trains/ buses to get there? For that matter, are there car rentals available to those under 25? And is transportation very expensive?</p></li>
<li><p>What do students typically do in their spare time? Are there any good movie theaters around? And how excessive is the party scene?</p></li>
<li><p>What about Study Abroad? This is something I've ALWAYS been interested in (especially UK). What's the situation with that? Is that something people get involved in at UCSC?</p></li>
<li><p>What's the psychology program like? Is there anything to note about the teachers? Or suggested classes maybe?</p></li>
<li><p>How competitive is it, as far as classes? Do people usually get into the classes they wanted?</p></li>
<li><p>What's the atmosphere like? Are people friendly and sociable or more focused on the academic aspect of school?</p></li>
<li><p>I currently attend a very small Humanities magnet, about 80 people or so per grade. How would UCSC compare?</p></li>
<li><p>And what are the dorms like? Loud? Dirty? Spotless and quiet?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>And do a lot of Russians attend?</p>
<p>Wow. That was a LOT of questions! I'm so sorry! I do hope someone responds...</p>
<p>Haha, that is a lot of questions, but I’ll try to answer:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Your GPA is a bit low, but you do still have a good chance of getting in.</p></li>
<li><p>Getting to SC from LA usually entails taking a plane to San Jose and then taking a bus to SC. However, you can also take the Greyhound directly from SC to LA (just takes forever though). Transportation is pretty good for inside the city of SC as most students just take the metro buses (don’t have to pay when you ride - the fees are already added in your tuition) or the campus buses. You can also rent Zipcars on campus for pretty good rates.</p></li>
<li><p>Students usually hang out with friends on campus, go downtown, go to off campus parties, or just find things to do. It really depends on what you like to do. There are a few movie theaters downtown, where one is a regular theater and 2 other ones mostly play independent films (or classic films). Party scene isn’t really a big problem. You can probably go to UCSC for 4 years and not notice a party if you really wanted to. However if parties are your thing, you usually just need the right connections to get to them.</p></li>
<li><p>You can study abroad quite easily. Here is a general website for the UC’s program:
[University</a> of California Education Abroad Program](<a href=“http://eap.ucop.edu/]University”>http://eap.ucop.edu/)
You can probably find more links within UCSC’s own website.</p></li>
<li><p>I’ve heard the psych program is great and some of the professors are amazing. I was an econ student though, so my experience mostly comes from my friends majoring in psych/intensive psych and the one psych class I’ve taken at UCSC. Definitely take Psych 65 though.</p></li>
<li><p>Competition varies depending on the course and major, but it’s so-so. Getting into classes depends on your major and how many credits you have, but usually freshman get the short end of the stick (happens at all universities).</p></li>
<li><p>It’s a very friendly atmosphere, where people are open and sociable. Not everyone is like this, but in general the student atmosphere is great.</p></li>
<li><p>UCSC would probably be on par with that type of system (at least out of the other UC’s). Class size is pretty great because some of your classes might only have 20 students and even the large lecture halls might only have 300 students (where some UC’s have close to 1,000).</p></li>
<li><p>There are 10 different residential colleges and each has their own type of dorms. Freshman get to rank which colleges they prefer to stay at and that usually determines where they live freshman year.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I actually don’t know about how many Russians attend, haha. I wouldn’t be surprised if you met a few, but I really don’t know.</p>
<p>I do have just one more question that I forgot. Are there jobs available for students on or off-campus? If so, how difficult are they to acquire?</p>
<p>No problem! You can find a few on campus jobs, but most people usually end up working at the dining hall because it’s usually the easiest job to get and the hours can be pretty good. For off-campus, I heard many of the stores downtown have already hired students, but there might be a few jobs open. </p>
<p>There’s a website for UCSC students that allow them to search for some of the positions on campus, off campus, and also some internships. You can take a glance over there if you get admitted.</p>
<p>You only have to be 18 to use UCSC’s zipcars. You must be 21 or older to use any other zipcars within the system, though. Zipcars are limited on the number of miles they can travel in a day (180 miles and then you are charged per mile once you go over and are charged if you are late returning the zipcar to its “home”) and can get expensive if you rent them for more than a few hours.</p>
<p>For regular car rentals (not zipcar), most companies require you to be 25 or older. Some will rent to you if you’re under 25 (a 21 or older minimum may be enforced depending on the company), but will charge you a underage driver fee.</p>
<p>The bus system is more than adequate. Also if you need a car as a freshmen, lots of people park their cars off campus sometimes for a fee. Um as for going home to LA, for the holidays and stuff there are bus rides back and forth for a pretty good rate.</p>