Last year at this time, my son was sad & depressed at not getting into his top choice UC’s (Santa Barbara, Davis, Irvine).
After much agony, deciding between state colleges (mainly SDSU) and UC Santa Cruz, he accepted admission to UCSC, reluctantly. He was a strong, involved, hardworking high-schooler, who got excellent SATS but had an early C and B- that weighed down his GPA. He really didn’t think he’d like UCSC much, as he’s more of a (good natured) jock than forest-loving stoner, and he was paying close attention to the stereotypes. He was so wrong! My son loves UCSC in so many ways, academically and socially. He’s made many great friends, had challenging classes where he’s stretched and grown; and really enjoys the beautiful campus and town. In short, he’s been surprisingly delighted. I think Santa Cruz’s small college concept is like a diamond in the rough when it comes to UC’s, or maybe an unsung strength. Being part of a small college really helped my son adjust to university on many levels, giving him a supportive sense of community that’s grown through the year. He has friends at other UC’s who talk about being lonely or overwhelmed by the competition, super stressed out. I’d say the opposite is true for my son and most of his UCSC friends, who say they’re really happy, beyond expectations. This comfort feeds academic excitement and motivation; thrill at learning. What a relief for a parent.
I am glad I saw this. I am going with my parents to the Spring Spotlight. I was rejected from my dream school UCSB. I’ve only been accepted to Purdue, UCSC and CSUMB. I am still waiting for three other schools but it looks like I will be going to UCSC in the fall as I don’t have many options left. I am hoping I fall in love with the campus.
Thanks so much for this post! I think Santa Cruz would be a great fit for my mellow gamer kid. He was happy to be accepted to UCSC, but I think his ego is still reeling from some other UCs where he thought he’d be accepted but was waitlisted. I"m going to share these posts with him.
Thank you for taking the time to post this…very happy for your son. My nephew is at Santa Cruz after being rejected from top choices several years ago and is having a wonderful time!
Op, your son sounds exactly like my DS. Fortunately though, my son is pretty happy with the idea of Santa Cruz. It’s closer than his other choices and he does like nature… I’m the one struggling with the lack of sports- no more baseball, not even a club team! lol Anyhow, does your son have any advice on which college to select for a sports-loving, science focused student?
Thanks for posting about UC Santa Cruz! My d was accepted at Davis and SC and at first was sure she wanted Davis. However, she just found out that SC is giving her some $$, so now is giving it serious consideration. We are going to their accepted students reception here in our state and will visit during spring break.
I was a little concerned about the stoner reputation, but we will keep an open mind. It is nice to hear how happy those that attend are.
Is the themed college system of UCSC working magic for some? My son also got accepted and we are deciding if we want to join the nerdy college (with pride).
At anxious98…Purdue is an amazing school! Congratulations on getting admitted. Do you know how many Midwesterners would love be in your position?
Stevenson or Cowell, as they’re the closest to the field, gym, etc. My son is the same. He was bummed at the lack of teams, and wanted as much sportsy-ness as he could find.
Stoners and non-stoners at pretty much all colleges and universities. I wouldn’t say this dominates UCSC, like the reputation. It’s a stereotype, kernels of truth, but exaggerated. Nonstoners won’t have any problems!
thank you so much - would your son be willing to talk to my admitted daughter? (is there a way to send private messages?)
I suspect that UCSC suffers because a lot of parents formed their impressions of the school back in the 1970s and 1980s, when they were looking at colleges themselves. At that time, a California kid could slack off in high school and still get into UCSC. The acceptance rate was over 80% as recently as 2002.
For comparison, UCSC is currently reporting 24,469 admitted freshmen out of 52,516 applications for Fall 2017 which represents an acceptance rate of 46.6%. Those aren’t the final numbers; they could go up slightly if UCSC takes students off the waitlist.
https://admissions.ucsc.edu/apply/first-year-not-admitted.html
But the point is that admission to UCSC is now far more competitive than it was historically. It’s reasonable to assume that this shift has worked to the disadvantage of the stoners and slackers, and so the common parental view of UCSC is outdated.
Thank you for this!! My son is currently deciding between UCSC, SDSU, and U of A. He’s leaning towards UCSC (somewhat reluctantly) but is concerned about “all the stoners”. I so very happy your son has found his niche: I hope mine does too!!!
FYI, some UCSC parents have just started a new FB group - ****/groups/ucsantacruzparents - please take a look. This is different than an older/inactive FB page aimed only at Cowell/Stevenson parents.