Not true. UCSB main party hub is isla vista. If your child doesn’t want to venture into isla vista he doesn’t have to. Dorms are plenty distance from isla vista. They used to say the same thing about the school in the early nineties when I went there. Not true again. We had a new chancellor in Yang at the time and boy did he do wonders for the school. Can’t say enough good things about the guy. And school. Your child is in good hands. Trust me. Partying will be the last of his worries.
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as an out of stater, how would those who know say the value is for full out of state tuition payers? advising, facilities, dorms, food, internship opportunities, class sizes…are they worth paying full price for (it’s all relative, I know, no school really is worth it)?
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I’ll add that there are many regions of IV that are not party central. Del Playa - definitely. Sabado Tarde and Trigo - probable but not always. In general, the farther you are from campus, and the farther you are from the beach, the less of a party scene you’ll encounter.
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See Edward’s posts above. That’s your value! Enough said.
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Thank you for sharing all these pics!
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So beautiful! We are planning to visit on the 14th; is there anything you would recommend we check out?
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It’s funny because I had visited UCSB in the 1990s and then later in the 2000s once or twice for various reasons and then finally I visited the French Riveria in 2019. I visited Cout d’Azure, Cannes, Monaco, so beautiful. But really all I could think was: this looks JUST like Santa Barbara! Identical mountains, ocean, terrain (but SB has sandy instead of pebbly beaches). And then I realized why Santa Barbara is called the American Riveria. . .all the royalty and celebrities of Europe head for the French Riveria for vacation and we lucky Californians have our very own. . .going to UCSB may be the only time in their lives some Californians can afford to live actually oceanfront. My DD may not choose UCSB, but wow, what a location. (Not that location is everything–it’s too bad UCSB isn’t in a classic college town like Davis or SLO, and doesn’t have more affordable/available housing options, but we can’t have everything can we?)
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This is very major dependent. If they are seriously interested now then apply now! It may, or may not, get processed before the SIR deadline (I can’t speak for other majors) but it would likely get processed in time to join the incoming class in CCS if successful. How easy it is to transfer from L&S to CCS in the first quarter or year VERY much depends on the major. In Biology we get a lot of students transferring, I’m not sure about Chemistry - I suspect it is possible but not as common as in Biology.
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Greetings! I am a Computer Science admit at UCSB’s CoE for the class of 2027. I potentially want to transfer my major to CE or EE down the road. I had the following questions:
- Is intra-college transfer to an engineering major easier than an inter-college transfer at UCSB?
- Please help me understand the difficulty of transferring into the above-stated majors provided that I maintain an outstanding GPA in the screening courses.
- Since I’m also an admit at UCSD, which college has a relatively less competitive intra-college transfer process?
Thank you!
Easier to switch out of the College of Engineering into the College of Letters and Sciences but not the other way around. Easier to transfer majors within the College of Engineering if you want to change to EE or CE. This is true for most colleges. If you are already admitted into the College of Engineering at the UC’s, in general it is easier to change Engineering majors within that college. Trying to change to an Engineering major if your original major is outside COE, can be very difficult.
For UCSB:
COMPUTER ENGINEERING
Students may petition to enter the Computer Engineering major at any time both of the following requirements are met:
- An overall UCSB grade point average of at least 3.0.
- Satisfactory completion at UCSB, with a grade point average of 3.0 or better, of any five classes, including at least two Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) classes and two Computer Science (CMPSC) classes, from the following: Math 4B, ECE 10A/L, 10B/L, 10C/L (each count as one course), ECE 15A, CMPSC 16, 24, 32, 40.
Acceptance into the major will be based on UC grade point averages, applicable courses completed, and space availability. All students considering changing into Computer Engineering are required to to meet with the ECE Academic Advisor during their first year.
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
Students may petition to enter the Electrical Engineering major once both of the following requirements are met:
- An overall UCSB grade point average of at least 3.0.
- Satisfactory completion at UCSB, with a grade point average of 3.0 or better, of at least five classes, including at least two mathematics classes, from the following: Math 4B, Math 6A, Math 6B, ECE 10A/L, 10B/L, 10C/L (each count as one course), ECE 15A. The calculation of the minimum GPA will be based on all classes completed from this list at the time of petitioning.
Acceptance into the major will be based on UC grade point averages, applicable courses completed, and space availability. All students considering changing into Electrical Engineering are required to to meet with the ECE Academic Advisor during their first year.
For UCSD, easier to switch within COE.
See link: Capped Major Application | Electrical and Computer Engineering
I can give more context to this regarding Mech vs Aero! Both are very similar programs in undergrad generally speaking. UCSB has the benefit of a very strong local job/internship environment when it comes to the aerospace industry.
I wrote a little bit about it here:
In addition, aerospace companies like Raytheon (based locally in Goleta, California), Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman, Boeing etc. recruit pretty aggressively on campus.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CqniHSDrfSo/
^^ Here’s just one of the recruiting events hosted by the College of Engineering - this event features prominent aerospace companies like Raytheon, HRL Labs, Northrup Grumman and Lockheed Martin.
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Which major were you admitted for?
I think a must see is Campus Point! Google Maps Go to this location on Google Maps (you can park in the campus point beach parking lot), continue on the train towards Campus Point beach and climb the stairs up the hill. Keep going until you hit some cliffs.
Favorite spot on campus!
Additionally, I recommend spending some time in Isla Vista, especially along the shoreline. There’s many different places to climb the stairs down to the beach along Del Playa Drive.
Going to school here is like being on vacation year round 
Isla Vista should give you a good taste of what it is like to live and study at UC Santa Barbara.
As for on campus, I’d suggest you check out the newest building on campus, which opened just last week. It’s called the Interactive Learning Pavilion or ILP. UCSB has stated that they expect more than 1/4 of a typical undergrad’s academic time to be spent in this building.
I personally have two classes here.
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We are absolutely taken by CCS math program. I think it’s now back on top of his list. Really impressive what he could accomplish there. In contrast we are worried UCLA will be four years of fighting how to get classes.
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During the Biomedical Engineering session at UCSD triton day last Saturday they said if you want to transfer from Biomedical Engineering into another Engineering major (like Mechanical) you are subject to that Departments transfer requirements and aren’t treated any differently then a history major. I thought that was odd considering Biomedical
Engineering falls within the Engineering school.
My son is also leaning toward CCS math (his other top option is Cal). It seems like the small community and personal advising make it the better option for him.
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FWIW there is a separate thread for CCS and one of the CCS professors is on it as well if anyone has any CCS specific questions:
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Thank you so much Edward! Appreciate it!
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CCS is truly one of a kind!
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Thank you for the information! She’s definitely coming to UCSB…working on the CCS application now.
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