<p>fair enough. that’s a legitimate factor in deciding where to go. i wish you luck, but hope you don’t have to settle on someplace you dislike right from the start. visit during the middle of the week perhaps and see if it’s any different than a big weekend party.</p>
<p>I just got back from UCSB, I decided to stay the night over there and my parents went driving around Downtown to the shopping areas, and around Goleta. I loved how a majority of the workers there are all college students and I really enjoyed the whole atmosphere of the school. The surrounding area is gorgeous also, and I loved the beach. I also drove around Manzanita and Isla Vista after and saw how relaxed everyone looked on a warm SAT. afternoon, with their floaties and bikinis haha. BTW, Manzanita is just wonderful looking and that will definitely be my first choice of a dorm, despite it being next to Isla Vista (which in my opinion doesn’t look so…pleasant).</p>
<p>When I went to UCSB, it was the first time I have ever felt so intimidated by everyone around me…
I am a little 5 foot asian girl…and I pass as 12 whenever I go out with my parents, and going to UCSB really scared me truthfully…haha
Everyone was so tall and very mature looking; especially when I went to the CS and College Of Engineering presentation, there was a portion when they told us to stand up, and everyone towered over me. (it was my first time ever that I’ve felt so short haha, i got a majority asian school so everyone’s around my height haha)
Also at the presentation, I swear there were only like…4-5 girls and it was just so overwhelming.
overall, I did not feel like I needed to go to many of the presentations I went to such as the Pre-Med and others because it was all stuff I already knew, the only thing that benefited me was the panel at the CS presentation, despite it taking the host about 10 minutes to call on me…(probably because she couldn’t see me…). </p>
<p>The campus itself is really nice, and the weather was wonderful and for me, a big factor in choosing what college I want is the surrounding area, and that is already a plus for me, it was quiet and nice and still had a lot of markets and easy to access stores, and restaurants, all within 20 miles or so. </p>
<p>I could definitely see myself going to UCSB, despite it being somewhat far from my house, becuase I get homesick easily, but it’s something I know I need to do so I can learn to grow up and become more independent! I just can’t get over how small I looked at the school, even my mom said that I definitely did not look like a college student…sigh haha</p>
<p>My only regret was not spending more time looking around the campus and not being able to take a campus tour…
and another regret was not checking out the lagoon and all of the housing, sports and activites fair…sigh</p>
<p>Haha, I totally know what you mean, |1|_V, I’m under 5 feet tall and I totally feel homesick already!</p>
<p>yea i got the same feeling too when i went to the CS and engineering presentations (im a short azn girl too… lol). while i was walking around campus, ppl mistakened my dad to be the student, and then another student there mistakened my younger brother to be the student… kind of sad… haha…</p>
<p>Hahah, I’m about 5’1" and asian too! I always feel a bit intimidated by taller/more mature looking people. 
I always feel like I look 15, no one will believe I’m in college when I go next year. Plus, I’ll still be 17 when I go to college, at least until november. :D</p>
<p>am I the only short non-asian!? well I suppose the middle east is in asia…XD</p>
<p>did anyone feel odd going to UCSB? lol. I felt a bit out of place since i wore a red dress shirt and had this asian hair do that i think no other asian guy did lol. ^^"</p>
<p>Ah! So pretty much all the girls at the CS talk are on CC. That’s funny. We should meet up sometime if we all end up going to UCSB. Then we can go to class together and not be intimidated (I’m not Asian, though, fyi. But that doesn’t matter anyways.)</p>
<p>Repl.to konakai’s post: "I hated it. The presentations were disorganized. The beach is nasty. Some guy was ****ing in the lagoon. A few guys were being carried in stretchers to ambulances. Isla Vista is the most disgusting place I’ve ever seen. I never want to go to that school even despite the Regents scholarship they’re giving me. It’s between Cal and UCSD now. </p>
<p>If you have any concern about your education, then DON’T go here. The guys are sexy, but that’s beside the point. And they were all drunk or high anyways. "</p>
<p>We ( me and my son) love the day we spent on campus during Spring Insight!</p>
<p>After the 6 hours drive from North California yes, we were tired 
But - we were directed by personel to the right buildings, we were offered help everytime we needed, we got a lot of hand outs. We had a nice walk around the campus, spend some time at the central plaza and after the Housing presentation (4pm) were ready to another 5 hours driving back home.</p>
<p>My son love the campus!!! Yes, he has been consirned first about the education at the place that has the reputation of “party school”.</p>
<p>But - SB has very good students, whom we could meet during presentations. And surprisingly enough, we have not seen any drunks, F**kings, fights and so on - at all!!!
By the way, one of the prospective freshman during the Housing presentation was working on his Calculus homework while listening to presentation. His sit was next to mine, so - students are studying at SB, or at least they will! :)</p>
<p>We love the place, and my son has already submitted SIR. SB has outstanding balance between nice weather, good campus and strong academical program.</p>
<p>I thought it was good…
I feel in love with the campus again
The drive was too long</p>
<p>happy bird: if you look later on, I apologized for my posts. did you happen to go to Del Playa because that’s where I saw all the things that I mentioned. It wasn’t just the “party school” atmosphere that turned me off, but also the unorganized presentations that I went to. You may have gone to different ones. I agree now that I was being harsh, but I just didn’t like the experience.</p>
<p>If you take a look at the local Santa Barbara community newspaper, The Daily Sound, you will see the article on Floatopia. (You can look it up online.) The city provided ROUTINE safety personnel for the event–which included two fire engines and two ambulances, considering the size and popularity of the event. There was also a helicopter sent out to make sure no one got too far away from shore. Police and rescue authorities reported to the newspaper that a few minor injuries were treated in an otherwise very safe day, and that crowds began to disperse at about 6. That doesn’t mean no one got out of hand, and it doesn’t mean that you should feel comfortable participating, but you are certainly misrepresenting it in your post here.</p>
<p>wow people like konakai are the type of people i dread living with my freshman year. please, if you really hate UCSB that much, do yourself and everyone else a favor and don’t go. It sucks that you got a great scholarship, but it sounds like you realllyyy do not want to go…and on the plus side, you got into some other great schools, like Cal. Just be aware that college students party, so don’t be so judgemental.</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>Have you not read konakai’s other posts? He/she totally apologized already about their opinions and whatnot.</p>
<p>In addition, that kind of commentary is not necessary nor conducive to the discussion of this forum. No one is more correct in the lifestyle that choose to live, and I’m sure people can be totally happy living a quieter lifestyle.</p>
<p>calpolyuc: In my first post I didn’t know that Floatopia was going on. I now understand and I do believe that I was being harsh. I apologized for that.</p>
<p>shinydiscoballs: Is it wrong for me to think that people can enjoy themselves without getting completely wasted? And I know that rankings don’t always mean much, but when a school consistently appears on lists for top party schools, I do get concerned. I was simply expressing disappointment for having to turn down such a great scholarship, not solely for the party atmosphere but for other aspects as well. So you don’t have to worry about me “ruining” your freshman year.</p>
<p>To Konakai,</p>
<p>I am just going to be blunt with you. If you are set on not attending UCSB, do us all a favor and stop ranting on the school because you are being a bit of a buzzkill. I went to spring insight and had a great time and yes I went to Isla Vista afterwards and saw some crazy $hit but remember this is college and the crazy $hit is bound to happen. If you are looking for a substance free environment I would highly recommend checking out the BYU forum.</p>
<p>I say give the guy a break already. Usually when looking around these forums, many people are very optimistic about the school, to the point where I begin questioning them. I appreciate a realistic, non-sugarcoated look at this school, and Konokai gave us just that. He ought to have the right to tell us how he feels anyway; it’s what this thread was asking. He even apologized… which I think was unnecessary, but whatever. I think it’s sad we can’t objectively look at this school without people bringing them down.</p>
<p>^Big big sigh (two posts above). First of all, read through all of konakai’s posts in this thread. Second of all, it’s perfectly fine to live a substance free lifestyle at UCSB (many of my friends have done so) and enjoy the campus very much. And “crazy $hit”,as you put it, isn’t necessarily bound to happen if you have common sense. That’s the kind of attitude that people held who ended up dropping out of school pretty quickly, at least in my person experience.</p>
<p>I’m a girl by the way. =)
And I agree, not everyone is going to like the school so you don’t have to give me your ****. I just wanted to give insight into what people should expect, specifically the people like me who aren’t into huge drunken parties.</p>