Some Questions

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Santa Barbara
1

<p>I have already read a lot of these threads, and gained some good insight, but I'm still looking for a bit more personalized opinion on some things. This is a big move for me, and the first time I went off to college I regretted not getting more info, so I don't want to make the same mistake again. Any and all info is appreciated!</p>

<p>Firstly for housing, my University housing options are: </p>

<pre><code>* Santa Ynez
* El Dorado
* Westgate

  • Manzanita Village
  • San Rafael </code></pre>

<p>My off campus options are living in IV or in Downtown SB (probably not the best idea). I guess I would just try craigslist and facebook to try and find some roomies if I didn't apply for university housing. </p>

<p>Here is a little background on me, so maybe someone can assist me. I like to party, and have fun, and I can get a long with a pretty wide variety of people. However I also own an online based business and need to get done with school in no longer then two and half years (I'm a transfer student.) So it leaves me in a predicament of needing a lot of quiet time for my business and school, but not wanting to miss out on social life, since this will be a once in a life time oppurtunity. I'm also going to be 22 by the time I get there, and was thinking maybe this would be on the "old" end for university housing? I'm also pretty sure that I will not be able to survive without my own room, so I definitely want to try and get my own room.</p>

<p>So knowing all that, can someone give me some insight on where they think I would be best suited?</p>

<p>Secondly, what would you guys recommend I make sure to do when I first get to UCSB to ensure I met a group of friends and find some hobbies or whatever. I'm a fairly social person, but not all that social in uncomfortable situations. My first school I went to after high school was a mess! I went there with a bad attitude, and met almost no one. I don't want to make that same mistake. I have matured a lot, and I'm much more open to different people and quite a bit more sociable now. I just need some ideas of things I should try when I get there.</p>

<p>Also just some random questions:</p>

<p>How is the bar scene in SB for 21+ers? I see myself getting bored of parties in IV all the time. How much is a cab from Downtown to UCSB?</p>

<p>Any near by cities (45min or so) around to head over to? Always nice to get away for a weekend here and there.</p>

<p>Is there a school gym? (weights, cardio machines, etc?) Is there a 24hr fitness close to the campus?</p>

<p>ANy other input is appreciated as well! I know this is long, but hopefully it will help out some other incoming students as well.</p>

<p>Thanks in advanced!</p>

2

<p>i think in the resnet contract which covers all internet usage on campus, you cannot use resnet to run an online business.</p>

<p>Businesses
It is against California State law for a student to run a business from a campus residence hall room. A student caught running a business on ResNet will face disciplinary action. This policy includes Internet Services (Web page or other) with paid advertisements.</p>

<p>[New</a> Resident Information](<a href=“http://www.housing.ucsb.edu/resnet/resnet-faq.htm]New”>http://www.housing.ucsb.edu/resnet/resnet-faq.htm)</p>

3

<p>I wouldn’t be using their internet to run the company. I would be using their internet to access my servers which run my company. So I think this would be just fine. Thanks for showing me this though.</p>

<p>Anyways anyone have any insight to my questions?</p>

4

<p>umm, i’m going into ucsb as a freshmen, so i can’t really tell you about any off campus housing, but i heard that manzanita would be a great place for students looking for some quiet. supposedly it’s a little isolated, but if you try a little (and remember, you’re going to UCSB, so this shouldn’t be too hard, lol) you shouldn’t have a problem meeting people. manzanita has less underclassmen in the dorms so there may be some older students in those halls and i think you may be more likely to get a single.
also, an apartment in SB might be expensive, and you probably won’t have a lot of down time in IV since there’s almost always something going on. as far as the bar scene, i saw a video on theU.com about santa barbara’s social scene, so you can go check it out if you want.
hope that helped!!:-]</p>

5

<p>I’ll see if I can answer the housing question later, but I’ll try to get your short questions answered…</p>

<p>How is the bar scene in SB for 21+ers? I see myself getting bored of parties in IV all the time. How much is a cab from Downtown to UCSB?</p>

<p>Downtown Santa Barbara has a very large club scene downtown. The biggest night in Thursday (“College Night”) went most places don’t have covers and drinks are extremely cheap. Because downtown is about 11 miles away, cab fares will be in the range of $35… However, very few people take cabs. Most people either carpool with a designated driver or take the excellent [Bill’s</a> Bus](<a href=“http://www.myislavista.com/bill’sbus]Bill’s”>http://www.myislavista.com/bill’sbus). The fare is $10 round trip now, and you pay when you board and they give you a wristband so you can stumble back on the bus roundtrip. It runs Tuesday-Saturday. Wednesday trips are free (funded by associated students) and go to a bar and a bowling alley in Goleta… </p>

<p>In general, Santa Barbara is much more “club” oriented than “bar” oriented… Lots of places to get your dance on, but not a lot of places to chill with your friends… I personally didn’t like this but most people do.</p>

<p>Any near by cities (45min or so) around to head over to? Always nice to get away for a weekend here and there.</p>

<p>Honestly, most people “get away” to downtown Santa Barbara. It feels like a world away from Isla Vista, and because it’s a tourist town, it has a disproportionate number of things to do for a city of it’s size. The closest next city would be Ventura/Oxnard (45 minutes to the south) which has a ton of shopping, something lacking in Santa Barbara. 45 minutes north, you can visit the tourist towns of Buellton and Solvang and hit up the Indian Casino in Santa Ynez. Los Angeles is about 1.5-2 hours south.</p>

<p>Is there a school gym? (weights, cardio machines, etc?) Is there a 24hr fitness close to the campus?</p>

<p>Yeah, there’s a full gym on campus that’s free for students. The only private gym I ever hear about that people go to is Spectrum in Goleta.</p>

6

<p>rc251 thanks for all the info…I appreciate it. I just got back from visiting this weekend.</p>

<p>Just a quick question for you personally or anyone else.</p>

<p>Personally would you rather live in IV, or say Mesa (by CC) or downtown?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

7

<p>does dorms cost differently than other dorms
for example does manzanita cost more than FT?</p>

8

<p>^ all University owned dorms are the same price. However, Tropicana Gardens for example, is a privately owned dorm and more expensive.</p>

9

<p>No problem. Haha, I just re-read my post, I don’t know what was wrong with me but I guess you were able to read through all the misspellings :)</p>

<p>Anyway, I suggest living in Isla Vista. It’s such a unique experience to be living among undergrads, and other neighborhoods don’t really have the same vibe. It’s really great to be half a mile from all your friends, a bunch of food places, a theatre, a grocery store, etc. If you ever need anything you can just walk a few blocks and you’re there. And while Isla Vista is small, it has all kinds of options that should suit your needs. Smaller places or larger places, quiet neighborhoods or party streets, etc…</p>

10

<p>Yea thanks for the response, I was just in IV for the weekend and it was a blast…it really didn’t seem that crazy to me…I mean yea there are a lot of parties going down, but I don’t think anything that would stop me from getting my stuff done…</p>

<p>Now just trying to find something with a couple other roommates…do things open up later, like in late Aug or early Sept? Or am I likely going to need to find something ASAP?</p>

<p>Thanks Again</p>

11

<p>The UCSB Dept. of Housing & Residential Services can help you find roommates. They have files of spaces looking for people and people looking for spaces. Good luck!</p>

12

<p>Best bet is to start looking on Craigslist for room shares sooner than later. Things always open up but your choices are going to start getting more limited the longer you wait. Have you ruled out living on campus or on school owned apartments?</p>