<p>I think I will be applying to UCSC next month. I have heard a lot of good things about it, but I still have some questions about it.</p>
<p>1.Is UCSC a good pre med school? I'm not asking about acceptance to med school, I'm just curious as to what students think about the science classes they've taken. How challenging are they?
2. I don't do any kinds of drugs, are there a lot of people at UCSC that choose not to smoke weed? I don't mind people who smoke, it doesn't bother me, but I would like to have friends who are not into drugs. Will people think you are weird if you don't smoke ?( I know this question has been asked before, sorry)
3. I've seen a lot of people in this forum who have transferred out to different colleges, How hard is it to transfer out if you don't like it?
4. What do you think about the campus? are there a lot of clubs/sports for students to join?
5. How hard is it to get out of Santa Cruz? I love San Francisco and would love to be able to go there once in a while :), what do students usually do during the weekend?</p>
<p>I'm sorry if I have too many questions, but I really don't know who to ask.</p>
<p>Okay, so, it’s past 2am. I’m exhausted, hungry, and have had a couple drinks, but I’ll answer the questions I can (bonus: impeccable spelling).</p>
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<li><p>People will be fine if you don’t smoke. And if they’re not (fairly unlikely), then **** those people. You don’t want to hang out with them anyway if they’re gonna be like that. I do partake, but I know a decent amount of people who don’t.</p></li>
<li><p>Keep in mind, this list is for the previous academic year (2009-2010): [Registered</a> Organizations 09-10](<a href=“http://soar.ucsc.edu/v2/studentorgs/org-list-09-10.html]Registered”>http://soar.ucsc.edu/v2/studentorgs/org-list-09-10.html)</p></li>
<li><p>San Francisco is ~75 miles (~1.5 hrs driving) northeast of Santa Cruz. The closest city would be San Jose (right over the hill; 30-75 minutes max, depending on time of day/traffic on the 17). Santa Cruz is kind of in a bubble (not necessarily in a bad way), since we’re surrounded by the Pacific on one side, and mountains on the other. There are house parties/kickbacks, the bars downtown, and also the fact that I’m going to bed now, so I guess it’s got that going for it too. The end. Hope that at least marginally helped! :)</p></li>
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<p>1: I know a few people here who are pre-med or pre-vet. They seem to like the science programs. Some departments are a bit stronger than others, but overall I think we have an excellent bunch of science course offerings.</p>
<p>2: I don’t smoke/drink/do drugs and I’ve had no trouble finding friends who accept that fact, and many who take the same stance as me.</p>
<p>3: UC to UC can be hard, but I don’t know about transferring out of the UC system.</p>
<p>4: You can take the 17 bus ($5) to the San Jose diridon station. From there you can take Caltrain to San Francisco. ^^</p>
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<li><p>I’m pre-med. UCSC is a research science based university so the science offering is pretty good. You’ll run into a few bad professors but overall it’s a good science school with good science classes and professors. </p></li>
<li><p>Don’t do drugs at all. Most of my friends are the same. I know few people who do some occasionally but they never pressure me into do anything and don’t really care</p></li>
<li><p>Have no idea sorry</p></li>
<li><p>It’s pretty easy to get to SF. I’ve never done it from UCSC but I know people who have. Just take the 17 express to San Jose and like Liesel says take the Caltrain I think you can take the amtrak there as well so that’s another option. There are a ton of things of different things for you to do in Santa Cruz so overall you’ll find something to do here if not you can always go find something to do in San Jose which is close by or SF if you want.</p></li>
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<ol>
<li><p>I think the above posters basically covered this one.</p></li>
<li><p>In all honesty, UCSC really isn’t a total druggie school. You’ll be fine if drugs aren’t your thing.</p></li>
<li><p>It really depends on how impacted your major is and what UC you are applying to. It actually isn’t that difficult if you have a well thought out plan of your time at UCSC and know what needs to be done. However, the CC path is much easier and saves you more money.</p></li>
<li><p>It’s a UC, so of course it has a lot of clubs/IM sports for you to join. There’s a type of festival that goes on at the start of the year where all the clubs/groups/frats table out in the field and you can find out what you’re interested in. The only thing lacking in this area is that UCSC doesn’t have a football team or participation in Greek life, but this isn’t a big issue for most students.</p></li>
<li><p>If you are relying on public transportation, then getting out of Santa Cruz isn’t that difficult (17 express -> Caltrain). You’ll probably even make some friends who are from the Bay Area and that will give you a ride to SF. </p></li>
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<p>Most people choose to hang out on campus on the weekends or go to some off campus parties. You can always go downtown, but it’s not really an “every weekend” type of deal. Downtown is mostly full of restaurants, shops, and also The Catalyst. I’m not gonna lie, sometimes you’ll hang out with your friends on a Saturday night and you’ll wish there is something to do. But sometimes you’ll find out that hanging out with your friends or going to random parties will make some of your best memories in college.</p>
<p>I’m really interested in the arts, and thinking about becoming an art major. Is UCSC a good school for art majors? I’ve been looking at their website, and I’m getting a really good vibe from this school. I’ve completed my application and I’m just working on my personal statement. Just want to know anything you guys know about the art program, thanks!(:</p>
<p>Awesome art dept. I am not an art major but have a lot of friends who are. There are a lot of offerings in the different disciplines, great studio space and gallery space for students. One unfortunate thing is that the undergrad studio classes are quite impacted and getting the lower division classes you want or need are sometimes impossible. You also have to be a proposed or declared art major to take art classes.</p>
<p>I don’t attend UCSC (yet haha) but the campus is like a second home to me. Drugs/alcohol/parties all depend on the crowd you hang out with. ALL colleges are the same when it comes to drugs, there is no such thing as “a party school” because… all schools have lots of parties. UCSC doesn’t have a lot of wild parties, but a number of people smoke weed there. You’ll find that a large majority do not smoke weed though, and some people don’t go near party scenes period. It’s like any other school, it just depends on your crowd.
UCSC is within reasonable distance of SF if you have a car. If not, it is a difficult commute. Of course SC has an amazing beach, lots of nature, cool shops and movie theaters and really nice people. It’s a fun city and if you put yourself out there you can make the best of it.</p>
<p>“UCSC doesn’t have a lot of wild parties, but a number of people smoke weed there.”</p>
<p>Actually, you can find a lot of “wild parties” at basically any college you go to. The big difference here is that the SC campus is kinda separated from the actual town, so most people don’t really see or hear about most of the parties going on. Sometimes people think the parties are just confined to places on Bay St and the west side of Santa Cruz, but there’s actually a TON going on further from campus because less freshman crash those and those don’t get shut down as fast. Also, I’ve actually been to crazier parties at UCSC (compared to places like Cal, CSULA, UCLA, UCD) and those parties never included a huge weed sesh or anything, just mostly massive amounts of drinking haha.</p>