My kid got into Pre BA Biology and is seriously considering going to UCSC.
But the housing situation is scaring us. As I understand it:
a) With a very high probabilty she will get housing as a freshman (no guarantee but highly preferable)
b) As a sophmore she’s unlikely to get on campus housing and off campus housing is tough as Sophmores can’t get parking permits.
c) As a junior/senior it’s easier as she can drive to campus
So for a) are the dorms decent if you can get them?
For b) If she goes off campus it has to be on a bike/bus route. How hard/expensive is it to get a 1 or 2 bedroom unit?
For c) As above but now it’s drivable distance.
Thanks in advance.
Don’t have experience but just hearing this and having to be that far away makes me think - choose another school. Kids should be able to walk to school or no more than a short bike ride.
While understand some take the bus, it’s college and hopefully kids can find one, that while might have a bus, can still be walked or biked to as well.
I’m glad neither of my kids have this issue. It’d be a hard no. I’d be looking elsewhere.
Hope you get the answers you want and that they are better than hoped for.
2 Likes
Is there a UCSC parent Facebook page you can join? I expect there would be good info on housing there. Good luck.
2 Likes
My kid is a freshman
- He will get housing OC as a freshman (they don’t guarantee it since some people need a lot of accommodations, which they can’t always predict)
- My gut is telling me my kid is likely to get on campus housing for soph year. A group of 5 guys asked him to be the 6th guy. These six chances will give them the best chance at a earlier selection slot (btw, my very introverted/non social media/non planner kid found someone to take him in - he told me he has to now get insta since that’s how they are going to communicate about who has the first appointment). I guess this can be considered the “gaming” part.
We have found Merrill to be lovely (or at least no complaints). Apparently there were some ants in the beginning of the year, but they do live in middle of a redwood grove. Merrill tends to be for quieter people so it’s easier to get the room you want. Cowell is, from my guess, the most popular since it’s right in the thick of things, which my introvert didn’t want.
I’ve heard that an “average” off campus rent would be $1200 for a single and $800(?) for one with a roommate? We haven’t tested that part yet.
I am so proud of how my slug has been able to navigate this all by himself. While of course we parents worry, even my super quiet slug seems to have managed and I’m sure feels great about it too.
Housing is definitely something that is concerning us too. If the new proposed housing goes ahead it won’t be built in time for my daughter to go there.
I was looking at the student apartments at the village and the website shows $1441.75 for just a bedroom, a shared kitchenette and shared bathrooms which seems insanely expensive for what you get. I’ve seen prices anywhere from $2000 to over $4000 a month for a single in an apartment.
No way would I pump that sort of money into someone else’s pocket.
When is the new housing due to be ready?
No date as far as I can tell. The article just says that the housing won’t be ready for a few years. Also, I don’t think it’s even been fully approved yet at UCSC because it’s keeps getting stalled by the locals objecting.
@parentofnicekid Does your student like it at UCSC? What is his/her major? Pros/Cons so far?
My kid is a Marine Bio major. It’s only been two full quarters so far, but generally it’s been what’s expected. He’s still working through the foundational courses (math, bio, chem, etc) along with GEs. I don’t get too involved with the mechanics of it, like registering for classes. I think he was able to register for what he wanted, but maybe didn’t always get his first choice for sections/labs? I’m not sure. They register in “passes”, generally two I think. They may get “waitlisted” for certain popular classes and have to come back for a second pass to see if room is still available? I’m not exactly sure, but I think it’s to ensure that everyone who needs to take the class has a fair shot of enrolling at some point and this ensures that. Regardless, it seems to work out and while it causes some anxiety for those who don’t like uncertainty, it generally seems to have worked out. There will be a lot of walking around (in a beautiful) setting, kind of like walking through a park, when going from class to class. This makes for a somewhat quiet campus tenor, but my kid likes that. Others may find it too isolating or lonely. There is a reddit forum if you want to see specific examples of what students complain about or think is funny (there are some shenanigans, but they seem generally on the milder side). There is also a FB group for parents that has been immensely helpful (UC Santa Cruz Unofficial Parents Group)
1 Like