@Twins2000 no problem! I hope you have fun and enjoy the campus as much as my family did. I currently have no idea where to attend. I’m in between UCSC, UCSB, and UCD right now.
@Twins2000 I’m going to visit UCSC with my DD next week. We are flying from Long Beach airport to San Jose airport, staying just one night in Santa Cruz. I’m going to rent a car (only ~$35/day) so we can check out San Jose, Santa Cruz downtown; drive to Santa Cruz from San Jose will be about 30 min and the view will be amazing. I’m really looking forward to it!
@jjkmom just so you’re aware, it’s more like 45 minutes from SJC to UCSC and that’s if there’s no traffic. I don’t know what time you’ll head down to SC but traffic on 17 can be bad at rush hour so just keep that in mind - it’s a twisty highway with only two lanes in each direction so it gets pretty congested! Enjoy your trip, the drive over 17 is indeed pretty but the driver really needs to watch the road on this very curvy highway so it’s a bit hard to take it in while driving 
Thank you @CAtransplant, I didn’t know traffic is bad there. We will arrive on 4/5 early morning and wanted to check out SJSU in the morning and head down to Santa Cruz. We will join the UCSC tour on 4/6 (earliest tour day); our school spring break starts 4/2, but most tour and preview days are the week after. My DD is pretty sure now about UCSC but it will be good to join the official tour, checkout downtown and visit SC boardwalk. We will also visit UCR on 4/7; having visit two schools (actually 3 with SJSU) back to back and make decision while the comparison still fresh in their mind might be good for DD.
@jjkmom that sounds like a good plan. If you will be driving down to Santa Cruz after a morning tour, the traffic should be ok assuming no accidents! It’s just that at rush hour, the traffic can be heavy heading south as people live in SC but work over in SJ/Silicon Valley and since it’s only 2 lanes each direction, it can get busy. Same on weekends with people going to the beach. But the time of day you’ll be going will likely be fine. Enjoy!
@CAtransplant thanks, anything or place that you can suggest us to stop by and check it out during our visit in Santa Cruz? We booked hotel in downtown and wanted to see if there is a walmart or shopping center nearby. I don’t think the campus tour will cover all 10 colleges, so we might check each of them out on our own. Anyplace in UCSC that is absolutely must see or avoid? We will be checking out UCR the day after. She has many friends in UCR and don’t know anyone that will go to UCSC.
@jjkmom As both a local and a mom touring UCSC on Friday as well with my S (in CS games as well), your trip is going to be a study in contrasts. SJSU is a compact urban campus, easy to get around quickly, and right in downtown San Jose, giving easy access to dining, movies, sports, and museums. UCSC is a sprawling forest/field campus - I have yet to be on campus and not see deer during my visit. It is also separated by a bus ride from downtown Santa Cruz, and much of the major commerce is separated from Santa Cruz, down the road into Capitola. Most anything big box (including the Target and the mall) is in Capitola. The closest Walmart is in San Jose or South in Marina. I would recommend that you look at the bus routes on the Santa Cruz Metro site and look at where she can easily get from campus - drive those routes through town and see where she can get by bus, wander through downtown (Front and Pacific sts), and for a pretty drive or walk, go from Natural Bridges State Beach along west cliff drive towards the Boardwalk, or vice versa.
@momneedscoffee thank you for the suggestion! We will figure out and drive through the bus route and maybe practice next time we visit (summer orientation) or move in day. Natural Bridge state park to Boardwalk sounds amazing.
Not sure how many students are admitted to CS game design, perhaps our kids will take the same classes. Is your DS consider to live in Crown college?
Hi @jjkmom sure. I don’t have a kid at UCSC but we live “over the hill” in Silicon Valley and DH is a surfer and we’ve spent plenty of time in Santa Cruz and environs over the years. 
I’d say go to Lighthouse Point - there’s a surf museum there if that’s of interest, but in any case you can see where a lot of surfers gather there (Santa Cruz IS Surf City after all!) then drive a little further north on WestCliff Drive to Natural Bridges State Park, a beautiful park and beach. There are also monarch butterflies there at certain times of year though not sure there are any right now. You can also just walk along the walkway on Westcliff Drive along the ocean and enjoy the beautiful view, People walk, bike and walk their dogs along here.
In downtown, Bookshop Santa Cruz is a famous independent bookstore that’s worth a visit http://www.bookshopsantacruz.com/ and Marianne’s Ice Cream (not quite in downtown - it’s near where 17 lets you out or back on) is a Santa Cruz institution http://mariannesicecream.com/ and for a more modern, homemade ice cream experience, check out Penny Ice Creamery http://thepennyicecreamery.com/ If you have time to go further afield, Capitola is a cute little town a bit south of Santa Cruz, also on the beach - but parking is difficult!
@jjkmom My S doesn’t want to discuss the colleges until after our visit, but we did tour them two years ago when our friend was starting. He is either going to lean towards one of the gaming communities - either Crown or Porter - or 9/10. He liked the buildings and neighborhood and location at 9/10 better, but the themes at crown and porter.
As for the bus route drive, I just know that part of the discussion here is what can I do when I’m not on campus and since it’s not RIGHT THERE, it’s good to take a look.
Hahaha @momneedscoffee , same as my DD, she doesn’t want to discuss too much about colleges but it’s time to discuss. I have to find a good time when she is in a good mood to throw couple suggestions or insights. She is more excited to plan for summer trip with friends than thinking about colleges at this point.
@CAtransplant thank you! We love ice cream and will check them both and bookstore and west cliff!
Does anyone know if it is possible to change into the computer science major if I applied and got accepted under computational math
@cocoonutty I’m pretty sure you can submit major change request and it won’t impact your acceptance. My DD has done that with another UC school, but school can still denied your request (depends on your stats) and ask you to follow the change major process AFTER you start school, since you want to switch to the impacted major.
@cocoonutty: Here is the information in declaring CS as a major.
Declaration of the Computer Science Majors
In order to be admitted into the computer science major students must be listed as a proposed major within the School of Engineering. Students must be listed as a proposed major within the School of Engineering before they can declare. Please refer to the “Declaration of Major” section in the School of Engineering Program Statement for more information.
Admission to the computer science majors is selective. In addition to being listed as a proposed major within the School of Engineering, students must satisfy the following three criteria: (i) students must declare CS (Computer Science B.S. or Computer Science B.A.) as their major between student’s second to sixth quarter, (ii) students have to complete all the foundation courses listed below when they declare their major, and (iii) students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.80 in the foundation courses attempted at UCSC, with at most one unsuccessful attempt (grade C-, D+, D, D-, F, or NP) permitted in a foundation course. Denials of admission to the major may be appealed by submitting a letter to the School of Engineering Undergraduate Office, addressed to the Computer Science Undergraduate Director, describing why the prior performance is not an accurate reflection of the student’s potential. Students who are informed that they are not eligible to declare the major may appeal this decision by submitting a letter to the department chair within 15 days from the date the notification was mailed. Within 15 days of receipt of the appeal, the department will notify the student, college, and Office of the Registrar of the decision.
Foundation Courses
The foundation courses for all computer science majors are as follows:
CMPS 12A/L (or Computer Engineering 13, or both CMPS 5J and CMPS 11) and 12B/M; Computer Engineering 16; and Mathematics 19A and 19B, or 20A and 20B. CMPS 13H/L may be used instead of both CMPS 12A/L and 12B/M.
@Gumbymom do you have any info regarding Compsci minor? My d would like to pursue it along with cogsci major. Also, can one do cogsci/comp sci double majors? She has been accepted as a cogsci major so not sure if this will be possible TIA!
@Twins2000: I would have your D look over the requirements for a CS minor or a double major and see if there is a significant overlap in courses between Cog. Science and CS so it will not take her any extra quarters to graduate. When she goes for Freshman orientation, she can speak with an academic adviser to see if it is possible.
https://advising.ucsc.edu/planning/your-major/double-major.html
https://registrar.ucsc.edu/navigator/section3/extension/index.html
@jjkmom I’m curious to hear what your D thought of her Silicon Valley schools tour - especially in the pouring rain we had yesterday in Santa Cruz. It finalized my son’s decision but he was leaning that way anyway.
At the BSOE presentation for admitted students yesterday, they said that unlike all the rest of the majors at UCSC, this year if you weren’t accepted as a proposed CS snot, you would never be able to switch into it. CE is still possible, CS Games is possible, but CS is closed. At least for 2018 freshman admitees. The minor is still an option though.
@momneedscoffee we visited SJSU Thursday morning and visited Apple Park, then drove to UCSC in the afternoon. The drive from San Jose to Santa Cruz on highway 17 was nice and beautiful. After checked into hotel and rest a bit, we went to Santa Cruz boardwalk, drove along West Cliff to Nature Bridge State Park. It wasn’t raining on Thursday and I’m glad that we went to check out the night campus Thursday late afternoon from 5 until 7ish. It was nice, beautiful and we checked out paths, colleges, some small cafe shops as we have Friday afternoon tour scheduled but not night time. My DD and I fall in love immediately with UCSC, it felt like we are in Yosemite or family vacation, and we enjoyed the clean air and beautiful views. I tried to pay attention and ask around about the smoke and marijuana problem I heard from false perceptions (from SoCal) but I’m glad that we now eliminated that as our concerns. After self-guided tour Thursday evening, we went to downtown, we loved that downtown is so cute, many mini stores, nice restaurants, even has Quickly boba milk tea store in case my DD craving for it in the future. We love the walk in downtown, the buildings, old fashion theater, diverse cuisines, even fashion stores like Forever 21 and Gap. I suggested to eat ice cream but it was already cold and drizzling so we will save that to summer orientation to try what @CAtransplant suggested. Then Friday we arrived Steven College event center around 10am, we scheduled for the afternoon but we’re able to transfer as standby to earlier tour, it was only drizzling at the beginning of our tour but around noon that’s when the shower got heavy. I know my DD loves this school already despite the fact that the rains ruined some of our advanture, and she was wet (just wore a rain jacket and didn’t want to zip up) and not wanted to rush to Engineering building for just Q&A session (she worries mom will ask questions), so we didn’t make to BSOE presentation at 1pm. We ended up eating lunch at Steven college cafe, and left the campus. I know she is leaning to UCSC already but I want her to wait until after today’s UCR Highlander Day to make decision. What a difference! Today was sunny, hot, lots music and school sprit, she saw few friends, go on housing tour, check out many booths, attended information sessions telling students why they should choose UCR, but, it didn’t change her mind. She will be a proud slug and I’m going to be a proud slug mom and will go up to vacation, visiting, my DD whenever I can. She finds an app online that’s very cool, it’s called “Schools”, my DD set up and was able to meet other students whether it’s the same major or living the same college, maybe you can ask your DS to check it out. My DD’s HS classmate went to tour UCSC today, he said the weather was gorgeous and he found 3 banana slugs! We couldn’t find any when we were there!