Questions about UCSC

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Santa Cruz
1

<p>Just some questions about UCSC</p>

<p>I head there are 10 dorms i was wondering which one i the best for me</p>

<p>I am Asian and am most comfortable with Asians but at the same time I don't want to be surrounded by only Asian...Its nice to have other races as well. I am not the most upbeat making conversation type of guy but I'm pretty good at meeting new people. I want to focus a lot on studying and i do not find drinking/drugs or anything of that sort in anyway desirable or pleasant. I'm not the whole party type of guy but at the same time I don't want to be stuck not able to do do anything. I will be doing electrical engineering. Which dorm has the most privacy (ie: bathrooms).</p>

<p>Is there a meal plan kind of thing in UCSC? if so which one do you suggest?</p>

<p>What year can i get a single room?</p>

<p>How is the engineering department (i want a students opinion not one from online or the school website since that isn't "accurate" since they are advertising it)</p>

<p>More specifically how is the electrical engineering department?</p>

<p>Do classes fill up fast? </p>

<p>How's calc 2, calc 3, and higher physics classes?</p>

<p>I want to do lots of research and internship starting freshmen year, is it hard to get these?</p>

<p>Overall how would u describe the environment (outside and inside) the campus, the student body, professors, and the school it self (as in building structures, equipment, etc).</p>

<p>And anything else that i didn't ask that you can tell me</p>

<p>Thanks and much appreciated</p>

2

<p>Crown. Mostly for the studying aspect and lack of drugs/alcohol. I love it here for that reason. When I want to socialize I can go out and do it, but I don’t have to deal with people blasting music every night or the smell of weed lingering in the hallway. Bathrooms here have decent privacy, especially on the first floor. Theirs are slightly different from the rest of the building. </p>

<p>Not to mention it attracts a lot of people within science/engineering majors. You’ll benefit from knowing a lot of people taking the same classes as you.</p>

<p>There are a variety of meal plans. 7-day, 5-day (no weekends), and 55-meal plans are available to those living on campus. If you’re in the dorms you’ll want the 7-day plan, as a kitchen isn’t easily accessible. The 7-day plan is all-you-can-eat, all week, as many times a day as you want.</p>

<p>You could potentially get a single this year. It’s just rare. Your chances are a lot higher 2nd year.</p>

<p>The engineering department is wonderful. They plan classes very far ahead, and their advising office is super helpful. There are a ton of research opportunities, and companies recruit on campus all the time. I’ve been in some of the EE labs, and they seem to be very well equipped. We even have an undergrad hardware lab that’s accessible 24/7. All you have to do to get access is go to a workshop and prove you can safely handle the tools, which they can teach you how to do. :)</p>

<p>Classes fill up at a decent clip, but I’ve never had too much trouble getting into anything within engineering. Professors are good about waitlisting and giving priority to students within the engineering disciplines. </p>

<p>Calc2 and 3? Don’t exist. There’s Math 2(algebra), Math 3(precalc), Math19A (calc for engineers) and the continuation, Math19B. Which would you like to know about? </p>

<p>I’ve heard good things about upper div physics classes from my roommate (3rd year physics major).</p>

<p>Internships your first year are HIGHLY unlikely unless you’re way ahead of the game. Research however, you have a much better chance at.</p>

<p>Trees. Trees trees trees greenery everywhere. It’s very nice. Walking to class is quite pleasant. Professors vary a lot, can’t make a generalization there. Student body as a whole seems to be full of kind, open minded students who care about local and global issues. Compared to other schools I’ve been to, this definitely stands out about UCSC students.</p>

3

<p>Thanks for the Super Quick Reply :D</p>

<p>for calc i would like to know about math19A and everything up to what ever the highest is (multi variable i think?) and linear algebra</p>

<p>also how do i know if i am accepted to Electrical Engineering since the acceptance didn’t say a major</p>

<p>do i have to wait till i actually go to UCSC?</p>

4

<p>My experiences with Math19A and 19B were pretty good. Usually they have the same teacher who does 19A also teach 19B the following quarter, which is very nice to have that consistency. The faculty who most often teach the series have a good reputation.</p>

<p>I don’t know nearly as much about multivariable calculus. The first part, 23A isn’t supposed to be bad. 23B…yeah, that’s the killer. Generally the B part of any math class series is supposed to be a lot harder than the previous.</p>

<p>Linear algebra is a bit of a joke, difficulty wise. You don’t need calculus to take it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an interesting class. But after calc it feels very easy.</p>

5

<p>k thanks for your reply :D</p>

<p>last question for the day :smiley:
do professor/TA/whoever teaching give interest into the students or is the classes so big that you just end up being another head?</p>

<p>my whole goal, where ever i end up going, is to do as much as i can while keeping a high gpa my first 2 years so that i can go and try for a transfer to the top school in the country (dream school=MIT or Stanford :D). Nothing wrong with UCSC or any UC or college its just i didnt have a strong application or even close to one to even think about those schools so its like a second chance kind of thing.</p>

6

<p>Are you sure that considering UCSC is the right choice, then? I know a lot of schools prefer to take CC applications, but I dunno if that applies to MIT/Stanford.</p>

<p>Professors almost always hold office hours, so it’s easy to find them and get to know them if you feel motivated. Even TAs often hold office hours. You’ll probably get to know the TA anyhow, as the (often mandatory) sections/labs for classes are usually 30 students or less.</p>

7

<p>Thanks for the reply</p>

<p>I know many colleges take CC but I know that by going to a UC i can have the chance to do more than at a community college which can help when the acceptance rate is only like 2% :smiley: (at least thats what i believe :P)
i have a really good whose doing a cc transfer because he wanted to go to a top tier UC and he says he hates it and he should have just taken the low tier (we are pretty similar in taste and personality) so i don’t really want to take that chance. Also even if i don’t make it to any of those dream schools or what not i’ll already be in a good school so it wont matter too much :D</p>

8

<p>This should help. It’s got the curriculum map for electrical engineers.
<a href=“Baskin School of Engineering – Baskin Engineering provides unique educational opportunities, world-class research with an eye to social responsibility and diversity.”>Baskin School of Engineering – Baskin Engineering provides unique educational opportunities, world-class research with an eye to social responsibility and diversity.;

<p>Here is curriculum maps for all engineering majors.
[Current</a> Curriculum Charts and Department Sheets | Undergraduate Advising | Jack Baskin School of Engineering | UC Santa Cruz](<a href=“Baskin School of Engineering – Baskin Engineering provides unique educational opportunities, world-class research with an eye to social responsibility and diversity.”>Baskin School of Engineering – Baskin Engineering provides unique educational opportunities, world-class research with an eye to social responsibility and diversity.)</p>

<p>I myself just got admitted for Comp. Eng. but I’m thinking of switching to Comp. Sci. Probably gonna stay in Crown if I end up going to UCSC. From what I’ve heard, Electrical engineering and comp sci and related majors are really good a UCSC due to being about 45 minutes from Silicon Valley.</p>

9

<p>@FutureEEMajor
Transferring to MIT or Stanford is really difficult. You better have near a 4.0 GPA, research, and an internship to have a hope in getting in. I’ve heard that Stanford only takes in around 40 transfers each year. Probably less for MIT. By the way, MIT and Stanford still require transfers to send in their SAT and test scores in.</p>

10

<p>^haha i know :smiley:
i mean Stanford/MIT are my dream college
thats why i know i messed up a bit in high school but im not stupid…just was a bit messed up in the head lol…</p>

<p>I’m trying to figure out if I do aim to transfer would it be better to go to UCSC than UCR?
I know UCSC ranked much higher but it has a greater population. So I was wondering if it might be more beneficial to take the lower rank because, I am assuming, it would have more research option and maybe even more internships? Please correct me if I am wrong because I could use all the help I can get. Also I feel that I may have insulted or hurt some people by saying I want to transfer out of UCSC or UCR and I do apologize if I seemed to express myself in that way. In no way am I saying anything negative towards either school, its just that I want to see where I stand compared with other applicants. I know its a long shot for either school but at the same time I don’t want to just discard it. I already know I’m behind from most applicants that are going to these schools because they were able to get in as freshmen but I want to see if I can make myself MIT/Stanford material. So again I apologize if anyone felt as if I was being snotty or anything its just that doing a transfer is my second chance.</p>

<p>Also how dangerous (to gpa) is taking 5 courses instead of 4 as an EE major. </p>

<p>And GuyNumber1 thanks a bunch for the outline :D</p>

11

<p>Completely wrong about the internships. UCR is just in the wrong location to get as much interest from companies or researchers. Smaller population does not mean more internships are available at all.</p>

<p>The normal number of courses in the quarter system is 3 per quarter, which is usually 15-19 units. 4 will take you up another 5-7 units. This means you either have to maintain above a 3.0 GPA or get special permission to take more than 19 units. If you pick the right classes it’s possible to handle that many.</p>