<p>Hi everyone : )! My TAG for UCSC was recently accepted and so I've been looking into whether or not to commute to school. I live in San Jose so I don't think it should be too bad of a commute, but after three years of community college I would like a real college experience. It seems that Santa Cruz doesn't allow transfers to choose where they'd like to dorm, so I was wondering how are the transfer dorms at Porter and The Village and is the experience worth the money to dorm?
Thanks!</p>
<p>Transfers used to be able to choose to live in the apartments or dorms at their college affiliation before someone got the idea that segregating transfers was a great idea. Village and University Town Center were always options as well.</p>
<p>You can request to move to your affiliation after the first quarter if there is room. I was fortunate that I transferred before this rule went into place so I was able to live on campus as my affiliation. I was unfortunate, though, that I was forced to face the transfer community every day as I was a Porter affiliated student. I fully admit I hold quite a bit of bitterness that Building A (where the transfer community is housed) was taken from upperclassmen Porter students at the last minute. We did not know until we went to choose our rooms that we would no longer have Building A as promised (the two buildings have been renovated and we were all anxiously awaiting having Building A back after its completion). To add to that, it pushed several affiliated students out to other locations on campus because there was simply no room.</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong, I loved living in the dorms. I had no problem with the co-ed bathrooms, I loved the privacy I experienced with a single room, and that my hallmates were mostly well-behaved. It was much easier to have someone come stay over because unlike the apartments, I did not have to have permission from anyone but me (as I had a single). However, I think the transfer dorms are demeaning and detrimental to transfers as well as Porter affiliates. It drives a wedge between them that did not used to exist and, had I been forced to live as a transfer and not as simply a slug among other slugs, I would have felt extremely isolated beyond what I wanted.</p>
<p>Village is something I’ve only visited. It’s towards the base of campus near the lower quarry. There are campus shuttles that go by there and you can walk to the rest of campus, but it’s not an easy walk. I thought it was a great little community when I visited and it does not require a meal plan while still allowing one to remain on campus. It also guarantees a single if that’s important to you.</p>
<p>University Town Center is off campus, but I thought it always looked nice. If I could have stood having a roommate and being that far from on campus, I might have gone that route.</p>
<p>Like I said, I’m obviously biased against the transfer community that is housed in the dorms at Porter ;). I think it’s ridiculous and was a poor decision that hurts everyone. One should feel attachment to their affiliation and not the college they happen to be housed at. They had to cut off who could walk at Porter’s commencement ceremony this past June because too many wanted to walk at it that were not even Porter students.</p>
<p>If money is a concern, but you want to live on campus, go with Village and get a numbered meal plan. They can be used at Banana Joe’s to purchase groceries if you don’t use up all the meals. I would not recommend commuting as 17 is not fun on a regular basis. Too many things can go wrong and you would easily wind up missing more than a few classes if there was any trouble on the road. As well as you would lose time you could spend in another class or doing an activity or even simply getting work done just because of the commute time.</p>
<p>I’m with Kender, I really dislike the transfer community and actually am meaning to lodge a formal complaint against it whenever I remember to, er, do that. For basically all the reasons he mentions- the point of UCSC is the college system and now you can’t be with your college. On top of this I mean, the point is to be with transfer students, but they filled up the A building. So they filled up the bottom floor of the B building with transfers. And the 2nd floor. And still had a few extras. So they put us on one hall of the third floor. So it’s like- why am I even living in Porter my roommates are transfers but what.</p>
<p>Luckily for me my college is Kresge which is neighbors with Porter and about a 5 minute walk, so it’s not a huge deal. And I actually love my roommates and whatnot. I was gonna move to Kresge next quarter cus all my friends are in Kresge and I spend all my time there, but it turns out moving to an apartment- even if I was still able to keep a small triple- would cost 200 bucks more a month, and that’s with downgrading to a 55 meal plan. So ya, nope, staying in Porter for the cheap.</p>
<p>So effectively I don’t really have issues with my room in Porter or anything, and I do spend all my time in Kresge ANYWAY, but, I should be in Kresge dammit. I’m a Kresge student. <em>RANT</em></p>
<p>BUT that set aside Porter is a chill college and alot of people love the transfer community and, mostly, being on campus is SUCH AN EXPERIENCE at this school- at all sure but especially this school- that. Ya. Don’t commute. Especially on the 17. :o</p>
<p>Kind of spammy to post this, but I’m a she ;). You can check most profiles to find this if someone has shared it. Or at least you could last I checked.</p>
<p>And please do get around to lodging a complaint! I have done so myself several times at every opportunity, but I’m just one person. I’ve heard of several who believe like us, but the problems have to be brought to UCSC’s attention for any hope that it might change.</p>