I was accepted into UCSB with a scholarship under the communication major. I’m excited about this because I saw online that it’s highly ranked and has classes that I’m interested in. However, I can’t bring myself to submit my SIR because of the “party school” reputation UCSB has. I was wondering if anyone has insight on this (e.g. if most people do party there, if it is a major part of the school…etc…)? I have 0 interest in partying/drugs or anything like that, so from what I hear I don’t know if I’ll fit in at all The pictures on Instagram and the videos on youtube about ucsb only confirm this stereotype, so I would really like to hear more about it from actual students.
I’m really focused on academics and want to be around other people like this… While I understand that ucsb students do value academics, do the majority also value partying just as much?
Also, this is really specific but are there kind of nerdy asian people there (especially in the comm major) lol
A couple of my friends said that there aren’t many people like that there, and if there are any they probably are in STEM majors, so I’ll have a really hard time fitting in. I have no idea if this is true or not
Thank you for taking the time to read this If you have a little time I would really really appreciate it if you can leave a response. Thank you!!
@texcalmom I’m also considering UCD. I really like their campus and it seems more like my kind of school, but I heard their comm program is not as good (significant difference in the rankings) and it’s very far from my home (UCSB is only 90 minutes away). I’ll take a look at the list of clubs again and see if I can find something that appeals to me : )
Thank you for your response!
@cccccm Hi! I’m a UCSB alum, and found there were plenty of non-partiers. UCSB has something for everyone! Most students seem to be involved in at least one activity (whether it’s a club, intramural sports, part-time jobs, etc)…it’s just a mater of finding the right “fit”. That being said, from a job placement and “rankings” perspective, it won’t matter whether you choose UCSB or UCD- both great schools. Have you visited both? If UCD felt like the better fit, then follow your gut. I chose the “higher ranked school” coming out of high school and ended up regretting my decision and transferred to UCSB. College fit is very important— hopefully you’ve spent time on both campuses and in both communities and feel like you have enough to figure out which community is the better fit for you. Good luck and best wishes on a great college experience!
@cccccm I doubt that the differences between the schools is really too significant. They’re both relatively equal UCs and Davis definitely has some better programs in engineering and such if you want to try different classes and learn other things besides communications. From what I saw when I visited UCSB the party atmosphere was alive in Isla Vista, but on campus it seemed relatively relaxed and calm. If a party atmosphere really is detrimental to you then go to UCD.
Our son doesn’t drink or do drugs and has plenty of friends at UCSB the same way. Certainly there are many kids that do party. There are also fairly large, active student church groups if that’s your thing. All kinds of kids enjoy it there. Davis is also an excellent school, but if you think there is no drinking and partying going on there…
If you’ve visited both, probably best to go with your gut feeling and make the most of it there.
FWIW (and this is purely anecdotal), I know two students who dropped out of UCSB after a semester and went to community college because there was so much partying. I imagine a lot has to do with who you end up rooming with, so maybe if you could find another likeminded person to room with, you would be better off.
My son is on a scholar floor in his dorm, and he is a STEM major. He has a few outside activities, like playing violin with the UCSB orchestra, but he says you can easily avoid the party scene.
My son is in Anacapa … 2nd floor scholar. It is pretty quiet on weekdays. The best thing about Anacapa is it is right next to the ocean. Only issue is he is in a triple that really should be a double. Next academic year he moves to San Miguel 3rd floor (scholar floor) and he’ll be in a single room.
What am I missing? How can a college that is ranked the #8 best public school in the country have such a strong party reputation? Seems like there’s a disconnect?
Hey @STEM2017! I think it’s a combination of several things. Sometimes the rankings get ahead of the reputation - USC is like that too. It is definitely not a socially dead school, people are pretty friendly there. Another factor is the unique setting on the beach where nearly all the students either live on campus or in a 1 mile square area. That’s a lot of young people in a small area. As the ranking has gone up and the difficulty getting into UCLA and Berkeley has increased, a stronger set of students has started to fill the school. With an increase in more serious students, it seems to have calmed a bit. There are still knuckleheads of course, just like at nearly any school. Rankings also take into account the faculty and they have/had about 6 Nobel Prize winners. It has a really strong Phyics grad department that seems to attract some profs who wouldn’t mind spending their working years near the ocean. The school has also been buying several buildings and apartment complexes in IV, the small community where half the students live, and that presence has stabilized and calmed things. When you have apartments and houses across the street from the beach though, there will be parties. Some people might be surprised to hear that Stanford and Berkeley actually have parties too. That said, the extreme end may be a little higher (no pun intended) at SB, but non-partying kids can have a fun, enjoyable time there too. It also seems to have more tech companies slowily making a presence in Goleta and Santa Barbara and that will keep improving things too. If someone has a kid where partying was a problem in HS, UCSB may not be the place for them. For a person with some focus, it can be a great place.
Hi! I’m another UCSB 2022 student (or soon to be student!). Thank you for your insight @youcee. I definitely have been worried about sb’s rep as a party school since I’m definitely not one for that kind of scene, but the more I research it online, the more assured I become that sb is a place for serious students. I know that the May 1st SIR deadline has passed so this info may not be relevant, but to the OP: I joined schoolsapp to find a roommate and the number of kids who specifically state in their bios that they are not into partying, drinking, or smoking was surprising to me. It seems that a lot of incoming sb students are also worried about that aspect of the school’s rep, but that it tends to not play out in reality.
Honestly, what would bother me about graduating from ucsb is their reputation as a party school. It just seems that whenever ucsb is brought up the first thing people say is “party school”. Or maybe it’s just the people I know, lol. If you don’t think you would be comfortable there perhaps you should consider Davis more.
@socalemma From an employer standpoint, in many ways the “social reputation” helps UCSB students. UCSB students have a reputation for being collaborative, friendly, often outgoing, and many hold leadership positions in college— all factors that make UCSB students very desirable in the workplace.
The pictures on Instagram and the videos on youtube about ucsb only confirm this stereotype, so I would really like to hear more about it from actual students.
If you have a little time I would really really appreciate it if you can leave a response. Thank you!!