<p>I'm creating this thread so that current and former SB students can respond to housing questions. </p>
<p>My questions: What is The Loop like? Do the amenities outweigh the costs? And do they offer a meal plan for residents?</p>
<p>Hello I am a transfer student for fall 2013. Can you tell me which off campus apartment is the safest and the quiet for studying ? Thanks</p>
<p>Hello~
Which dorms are the best for studying? I want to be able to get good grades and keep my social life separate</p>
<p>I’m an alum from quite some time ago but here is my advice. The Loop looks nice. I passed by it when I drove thru IV last December. If a new building is worth paying more, then I’d do it. They look like apts so probably not a meal plan. All of IV apts. are old and it looks like landlords don’t keep them up because they don’t have to. IV gets quieter the further you are from Del Playa and campus. If all else fails for quite study time, you just have to ride your bike and shut yourself away in a nice quiet place in the library.</p>
<p>The Loop does not offer a meal plan, though you may purchase one from the UCSB dining commons, even while living off campus. Fourteen meals per week, for instance, costs $1,532. </p>
<p>Before attending UCSB, I was very concerned about the noise level in IV, which is why I chose to live in San Clemente (university-owned graduate student apartments, right across the street from IV). But now from experience, I can see that not everywhere in IV is that noisy. There are plenty of decent options, though many of them are older. The Loop is new and looks nice. People seem to like it, but I don’t know details.</p>
<p>I do know many people who live in Santa Ynez, and they really enjoy it.</p>
<p>I was just awarded a 4 bd 4 person contract in san clemente. I have a question. Is there any difference between paying monthly and quarterly? They both end up being the same amount right? Hope this doesn’t sound too dumb.</p>
<p>$1,532 is that for the whole quarter? And do yall recommend buying the meal plan or putting the chef hat on and making the food yourself? Cause i can’t cook for ish, other than popping in a tv dinner in a microwave.</p>
<p>I do not recommend living in the loop. Although it looks great from the outside, the room and beds are tiny and crammed and I have heard that interiors are already deteriorating. For incoming transfer students id look at campus 880 or tropicana del norte. Del norte may be a bit pricier but you get an unlimited meal plan and are close to campus and the rec cen. The loop is also very close to dp and will be loud on weekends if you are trying to study</p>
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<p>If you are not living in the dorms, I would NOT recommend buying the off campus meal plan. You are basically paying ~$10 per meal, ~$20 per day (with the 14 meal/week plan) and the food is RARELY worth that much money. You could eat out everyday at subway for half the cost if you wanted (and subway’s sandwiches are better quality than any dining commons sandwich imo). And if you buy and prepare your own food, it is SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper. I usually spend $150-$200 a month on groceries and $100/month on restaurant food, and I am much happier eating that than what I had to eat at the dining commons :).</p>
<p>Hello. If I requested to room with someone doing FSSP, will I still be able to room with that person since FSSP students are required to stay in the San Rafael dorms the entire freshmen year? I’m concerned my request to stay with someone will be void since I am requesting to room with someone in FSSP at the Santa Catalina dorms.</p>
<p>Who’s a transfer student this year? I got assigned a “2 bedroom / 4 or 5 person apartment.” They didn’t tell me which apartment it was exactly, but I am supposed to find out sometime in July, according to them. This really sucks, man. I specifically ask for Manzanita Village for all three of my preferences. I called about this and they said they have a large influx of Freshman coming this year and they are over-booked. I hate the fact that Freshman and other students have priority over transfers. That’s not fair. I thought Manzanita Village and San Rafael were reserved for Transfer Students and Continuing Students. So, basically, no transfer student got a residence hall this year and all of them got assigned to some apartment. I think it’s going to be like this for now on and every single up coming year, at least until they built more housing facilities. I hope I get the apartment I want at least…</p>
<p>Oh well, everything happens for a reason.</p>
<p>I know that some dorms open on the first day of move in weekend, and then some on the second. Does anyone know which ones open when?</p>
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<p>All the dorms are perfectly fine. In my experience, there’s no one dorm that’s louder than another. The majority of other people will understand that you’re going to college to actually learn and not to party. Most of you guys will recognize this after a few months and, generally things will be pretty quiet. There are no parties in the dorms, really - they’re all out in IV.
Plus, if your roommates are being loud, you can always hit up the library, which isn’t that far, and is ALWAYS quiet.</p>
<p>It’s up to you to talk to your roommates about whether your room will be more social or not. My roommates and I kept our door always open, and people would drop by every once in a while, but, for the most part, we were able to study in our room with relative peace.</p>
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<p>You’ll get a letter in… August, I think… that tells you who your roommates are, as well as their phone numbers to contact them. In that letter will be the date your dorm is designated to move in.</p>
<p>Hi I’m on the wait list for transfer on-campus housing. What are my chances of getting in?</p>