<p>I've been wondering why UCSC is considered as a "bad" UC? I've actually been thinking about going there, but I'm hearing and reading a lot of bad things about it. Can anyone clear this up? What are the good things about UCSC?</p>
<p>Are the people there actually "weird"? A lot of websites that I come across seem to tag UCSC as the college with a lot of so-called "weird" people.
What's the education system like? I've read some conflicting reviews, so I'm not sure about this one.
Why is it tagged as a "lower" UC?
Is it really a party school? </p>
<p>Thanks!
-Christine</p>
<p>It’s not a bad UC at all. People who make judgments like that usually go by the stereotypes. Ever since the 60’s, UCSC students have been following the tradition of smoking marijuana every year on 4/20, so the school has been stereotyped as the “stoner UC”. There are parties, but it’s low-key and no one pressures you into anything. The sororities and frats aren’t too prominent either. The campus is also very diverse, probably more diverse than the rest of the UC system. There are people from different cultures, backgrounds, ethnicities, etc… But that doesn’t mean they’re “weird”. UCSC is tagged as a “lower” UC because it’s better established than Merced and Riverside, but it isn’t that prestigious. The education at UCSC is just as good as any other UC; of course you’ll come across some mediocre teachers, but you can find them at any school regardless of reputation. But UCSC’s education is very good, especially because the class sizes are small, which encourages interaction between professors and students.</p>
<p>School is what you make it. If you want to smoke 24/7 that’s up to you, but if you want to learn and grow as a person, you can totally do that too. It’s not like people there are slackers, you have to work to get in and stay in. Don’t pay attention to what people say about it, go there for the programs and create your own atmosphere that you can thrive in.</p>
UCSC will be what you put in it- if you are from a conservative background, you will have an opportunity to experience diversity ( racial, sexual , political etc. ) that you may never view firsthand. Be prepared to work hard because the serious students will be there (like the competition for lab jobs) but as in any large university, you will get professors who don’t care about teaching or don’t know how to teach.