That policy ended many years ago. Students can receive grades at UCSC. In fact, UCSC limits pass/no pass grading. And with popularity of CS, UCSC is major feeder to Silicon Valley. As Santa Clara is too.
Certainly not the case in 2021. Santa Clara is the 53rd ranked national university in USNWR.
Iāve enjoyed reading everyoneās stories and final decisions so will post my sonās. We are from Los Angeles and in the end my son wanted a liberal arts college in the Pacific Northwest. Heās a rock climber and very interested in continuing his Japanese studies and studying abroad in Japan. He didnāt apply to any reach schools because we are full pay for them all and no school is worth paying $70k+ a year in my eyes. So we were chasing merit. Both my husband and I went to USC and my son had no interest in that and was thoroughly turned off by all the rah rah Trojan spirit! 
Accepted: Western Washington University, Whitman College, University of Puget Sound, Pacific University, Lewis & Clark College, Willamette University, UC Santa Cruz, University of Redlands
Denied or Waitlisted: UC Santa Barbara (DS refused to create his UC portals so we have no idea the outcome!)
We just finished an 11 day mom and son trip visiting the 5 schools in the Pacific Northwest that are open for in person tours. Whitman became his first choice but our goal all along was a small liberal arts college for the price of a UC school and Whitman was about $17k a year out of that budget even with the $14k a year he got in merit from them initially. All the other schools he got into were within budget with the merit he received initially. We sent off an appeal and a week later we received word that they were increasing his merit by an additional $16k a year, so $30k a year. That put Whitman right within our budget and now he can commit. We are all ecstatic!
Gavin Newsom went to Santa Clara.
Yep, that was āback in dayā when kids graduating from various West Coast Athletic League High Schools, such as St. Ignatius, Serra, Mitty, Riordan, St. Francis, Bellarmine, etc., would populate Santa Clara University, St. Maryās of Moraga and the University of San Francisco.
Not so much anymore.
Heās done well for himself.
I donāt know much about UMiami as an actual school but what I know about the kids from here that have gone there and other kids that my own know - bigtime partying going on there, these kids go to clubs a lot, uber all over town, spending a lot of money. No clue what some of the kids from here do that donāt have money but they also seem to be right up in it and involved. One mom couldnāt believe the $500 uber bill she got in one month for her son last year the first month (they could afford it) but regardless, I would flip my lid if my kids had a bill like that, but then again, mine know better and would be using their own money.
There are some good programs there I do know Biology is there and I will also add that at the end of the day, if that scene is not your kid, then they do find their own as every school has partiers and non partiers too.
My daughter at an Ivy tells me about all the kids in certain clubs that do cocaine and other drugs and how aderall is taken like tylenol at many East Coast schools. Kids get it for ADD and then turn around and sell it. We were there for orientation after move in last year and she told us the first night how kids were snorting it. More bad stories than I need or want to know. So take it with a grain of salt that it can be any school in the country and they can all be party schools.
This is consistent with UMiami feedback from students/families that attend from our area. Partying, clubbing, alcohol, cocaine use all prevalent. Lots of pressure and focus on looks (makeup, hair, clothing) as well. $$$ spent. Of course not all students partake in the partying/clubbing, but that aspect is not an insignificant element of student life at the U. I also agree with the comment that there is partying and drug use at many schools, itās just less magnified/prevalent at some.
This would definitely not be the place for meā¦lol. Makeup, hair, clothing!! Who has time for any of that? I canāt remember when I last bought any clothes (thanks covid), stopped wearing almost all makeup a year ago, and my hair? Lol I had to dye it myself last spring 3 times and got a whole new appreciation for my colorist!
S21 was accepted to UMiami as a Spring admit. Iāve been trying to learn as much as I can about the program and the school. Weāre going to visit next week, thanks to really cheap flights on American. I even āfollowedā the UMiami Spring Admit Instagram account - but I had to āunfollowā IMMEDIATELY! Itās almost exclusively young ladies posting puckered lip kiss face selfies and bikini shots. I didnāt want to be the creepy dad follower.
This is a thing on most of the admitted student insta accounts. Definitely not for parents to follow, go to old people FB and the parents groups
That has to be THE funniest thing Iāve ever read here ! Thank you for the comic relief 
Iām so old that when I went to college, a facebook was an actual book with pages and pictures.
Ditto. I still donāt even know if it is a website or app ā¦ 
I thinks itās a program (kids laughing at me)
Purely based on one student at Colgate, but our friend who goes there is traditional preppy looking, liberal politically, econ major, art minor, in a frat:) He has felt totally comfortable there. He can prob fit in with both conservative and liberal folks.
I agree! From the Instagram and Facebook page alone, there seems to be a very superficial student body. Also everyone seems extremely wealthy and from Long Island or NJ(like many other wealthy kid schools)
As @Aguadecoco noted, this is common at many college student insta accounts.
Donāt get me wrong, I have nothing negative to say about UMiami, I want to love the school and I want my son to love it, too. This is how we approach all schools - always find the best in any school you look at - then think of reasons to cross it off the list.
Selfishly, weekend visits to Miami to see S21 donāt sound that bad.
I think secretly you want to apply there (lol).
Shhhhh!