<p>@mal You just need to be smart about where you go and who you hang out with. You should definitely get on a substance free floor if at all possible and state that you are a recovering alcoholic on the housing application. Alcohol is abundant, but no one really pressures you into drinking. Just be honest and ask for their help in keeping you sober. I am sure they will be cool.</p>
<p>do you know which dorms i would feel most comfortable at being sober?</p>
<p>I believe the housing packet tells you which colleges have either an “academic excellence floor” of a “substance free floor.” Crown/Merrill are known to be the geeky/nerdy colleges and alcohol is not as present there.</p>
<p>Dude, Honestly, I am a recovered alcoholic, i do not want to be surrounded by nerds lol … i just want to not be around alcohol. i still have fun … constantly … and have sober parties lol god now i am sounding like a nerd but honestly, like i was voted most irresistable at my school … i have to be fun then right lol I just want to have fun, and not drink … or do drugs.</p>
<p>thanks guys for your feedback! 
more questions loool
- how easy is it to change your major?
- … so is this crazy left wing political protesting stereotype stuff true… im kind of a conservative… will i not be happy there? and will i be ostrasized for not sharing the same ideas (although it’s not like i will voice my political opinions anyways…)?
- are there even any conservatives at ucsc…
- is it easy to make friends with upperclassmen? (im really looking for people i can get advice from when i go there no one from my hs really goes/ went to ucsc…)
thanks!</p>
<p>malibume2…who are you</p>
<p>@malibume</p>
<p>Well, there is a lot of alcohol and an abundance of drugs at UCSC. You are going to need to have the will power to hang out with drinking/smoking friends, but not drink/smoke yourself. Like I said, as long as you tell the people around you that you are a recovering alcoholic, you should be fine. It still might be tough, though. I have not heard of a sober party in Santa Cruz. Sober parties, I imagine, translate to a bunch of Crown kids getting together with Dominoes to play video games.</p>
<p>What is college 8’s rep as far as drinking/partying…is there alcohol in the dorms? Is there really no way to bring a car freshman year…that would be very inconvient.</p>
<p>@Sunny</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Very easy. It depends on the major, but everyone that I know of who has tried to change their major had no problems. </p></li>
<li><p>Yeah, the majority of the student body are crazy left wing liberals. I am speaking as a moderate democrat. For me, this is one of the worse things about Santa Cruz. Both students and teachers push their beliefs in your face, and you can’t really debate the other side without feeling backlash. However, there was another poster that grew up conservative and said he/she has had a great time here. It really depends on the individual. Will you not be happy? Not necessarily. You can definitely find friends who share similar beliefs and separate yourself from some of the crazies if that is what you want to do. Many of my friends are strong conservatives and we seem to all survive. I can’t say they are the happiest UCSC students, but they definitely appreciate the University that they attend. </p></li>
<li><p>Yes, there are conservatives, but you gotta find them. They are not very loud about their beliefs. </p></li>
<li><p>Very easy. Most of the upperclassmen (jrs/srs) live off campus, but some end up living in the dorms and apartments. You will see a lot of these people in your classes, at the gym, at parties, and various clubs and organizations. I personally have met most of my friends through clubs and my classes.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>im <a href="mailto:malibume2@aol.com">malibume2@aol.com</a> I have facebook and you can look me up under my email</p>
<p>Hello
i’ve been also admitted to UCSC and currently considering going there. i have a couple questions about the different colleges.
i think i read somewhere above that someone is currently living in cowell.
i wanted to ask you if you liked it. i’ve read that cowell has the surfers, jocks and parties, which in a way is sorta what am looking for.
Now i’ve also read that College 8 has the SoCal environment and could be described as a mini UCSB is that somewhat true?
Thanks!</p>
<p>My son is at Cowell. He says that Cowell does sort of have a surfer vibe; there are great ocean views there too! But…he hangs out with kids from 9/10 and Crown a lot. I have only seen College 8 during visits and when we first went there, that was part of Orientation and I didn’t get the UCSB feel, but 8 definitely has a different feel…more concrete? It is a little further out too.</p>
<p>How noticeable are the effects of the budget cuts at UCSC? And how difficult has it been to get the classes you need?</p>
<p>@penguin</p>
<p>It depends. Some majors are losing most, if not all funding. Other majors have only lost a small amount of funding. If you list your major, I can tell you how it is being affected. In general, it is becoming hard to get into all of the classes you want. Usually, you can get into your two top picks, and then you may need to take a random elective/GE because everything fills up.</p>
<p>Budget cuts are noticeable only if they directly affect you or your friends. For example, if you are somebody who likes to spend two hours at the library on a Saturday afternoon, or likes to study in the library until midnight or later before your midterm, you might be less than thrilled to find out UCSC’s libraries close at 10:00pm on weekdays and all day on Saturday. If you personally liked going to the dining hall at 11:30pm with your floormates, you will be disappointed to hear that none of the dining halls are open until midnight anymore. </p>
<p>From hearing from my friends at other UCs, I believe Santa Cruz is hurting more than the average UC.</p>
<p>Thanks, Cali. I’m thinking about a Psychology major with a Business/Econ minor. But I might end up doing something more with Literature or History. How are those programs doing?</p>
<p>How is the Neuroscience department doing?</p>
<p>^And how is Biology?</p>
<p>Disappointing that the library closes early, but oh well…Are there any other places to study nearby? If dorms happen to be too loud or roommate wants some sleep, or some other odd circumstance requires it xD</p>
<p>ok cool
anyone else have info about Cowell or College 8?</p>
<p>i’ve got a few questions…</p>
<p>-how hot are the girls?
-best college to be at. i’m a CS:game design major so i’d want to be serious, but also want fun at the same time.
-i heard each college has a gym. i want to lift, get buff since i’m 6’2. is this true??
-also heard that the dining halls let you go in and out as many times as you want, eat as much as you want until 2AM where they close</p>
<p>A few questions~!</p>
<p>~Please recommend a college for me:
- I’m korean; I would prefer a college with other koreans/asians…cause I might have more to relate to culturally. But I also like diversity. I learned in psychology that you form relationships most easily with people who are similar to you; and of close proximity
- I’m looking for a college that people are serious about studying but also know how to have fun!
- No excessive drug use or excessive (so college parties every so often but not too frequently)
- Moderate~Quiet noise level in dorms preferred; not too noisy or I can’t study D:
- Biology Major
- Clean dorms; maybe newer buildings but if the college is well maintained then its okay
- Female
- Proximity to fun! Like the gym, library, dining,… not sure what they mean by music though; I don’t really want the college to be out of nowhere
- Environment-wise: forrest is okay, beach is awesome, ^^; I haven’t been to UCSC yet so I’m not sure.
If anyone could give me a brief summary about each college (^with those points), I’d be forever thankful!! Personal experiences too! (:</p>
<p>~When do we fill out housing stuff?
- Is it mandatory for freshman to live on campus? Do we get to choose residential or apartments? How do we know who we dorm with? Do we get to choose or do we fill out a survey so they can pair us up?
- Are there kitchens in residential halls or are we not allowed to cook for ourselves? :X I don’t want to depend on dining halls cause… I love home-made korean food xD I only eat out rarely</p>
<p>~How do you get around campus?
- I know UCD has a huge biking population but UCSC seems really large and hilly for that. Are there buses or shuttles?</p>
<p>~What do you think are the pros/cons of UCSC’s college life?
xD</p>
<p>Thank you~!</p>