UCSC rumors...

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

<p>I am considering this college as one of my top choices, but I hear so many bad things about it... </p>

<p>Someone who just graduated from there told me that people are "just wierd", and well, knowing the Santa Cruz area, people don't seem all that 'clean cut': there's a lot of hippies... As for the campus, are people like that there too? </p>

<p>Then I hear from everyone that the food is terrible... Is it that big of an issue? And if so, is the school planning to do anything to make it better?</p>

<p>Just want to be warned ahead of time, thanks! </p>

<p>While I'm at it, what are GOOD things about the school?</p>

2

<p>UCSC used to specialize in experiments with alternative lifestyles but that seems to be fading out as entering classes increase in GPA and SAT/ACT scores. It is becoming much more normal in terms of student life.</p>

<p>The City of Santa Cruz, on the other hand, remains pretty weird. Two years ago, when my wife and I had taken our two UCSC children to breakfast on Pacific Avenue, we watched a Gay Pride parade roll down the street. The spectators far outclassed the paraders in weird.</p>

<p>My son, who graduated last year, and daughter report that the on-campus food quality nose-dived last year. It still seems to be poor and even the dorm students are subsisting more on microwaveable foods.</p>

<p>The best thing about UCSC is absolutely the gorgeous campus and local area - that is what makes it stand out from just about every other university. Some smaller schools are very good here too, but none have the geographic area of UCSC.</p>

<p>Otherwise its strong points are pretty much those of quite a few other schools - lots of on-campus activities, a supportive local area, extremely convenient local bus transportation, etc. The most uniquely UCSC aspect is that it is most definitely an undergraduate friendly school - professors are accessible, there are minimal adjunct faculty, and undergraduates are expected to have major responsible roles in almost all on-campus actiivities, notably the performing arts.</p>

3

<p>Thank you, Tom, that was very informative and interesting! </p>

<p>I'm glad to hear UCSC is "back to" normal... or at least getting there.
I hope they take care of the food problem... </p>

<p>How is the psychology program there?</p>

4

<p>Psychology seems to be fine - a normal UC department with nothing really good or bad about it. The professors seem to get more requests for assistance and counsel from the local government than elsewhere due to all the community strangeness. "We have someone really weird down here and would appreciate it if youi'd come down and talk to him." I have no idea if this gives them better anecdotes to mention in class than UC psychology departments elsewhere.</p>

5

<p>the food isn't that bad. the entrees for lunch and dinner are pretty good. some dishes are prepared right in front of you (like a lot of veggie/vegan dishes). other foods are customizable like burgers, burritos, tacos, or pizza (dining hall dependent). i'm pretty sure that some of the fruits and vegetables are as fresh as you're gonna get since they come directly from our own farm. in the end, the quality of the food is up to you. no one can decide what tastes good or bad for you.</p>

<p>i'll echo what tom said about the scenery of ucsc and the surrounding communities. downtown santa cruz has shopping, dining, theaters, and clubs. there's only one mall that i know of in the county though. it's located in capitola. the boardwalk is also a pretty fun place to go with a date or friends. the people on and off campus seem pretty cool and laid back. i think the best part is the area itself. i don't think there are that many campuses that have forrests, wild animals (not that deer are that vicious), beaches, state parks, streams, caves, or civilization (the surrounding cities) on or really close to the campus.</p>

<p>oh yeah, the education is good and getting better every year (if you're one to pay attention to that us news ranking thing).</p>

6

<p>Cool... thanks both. I visited UCSC this week finally. The campus is splendid, I got to see those wild deer!... I was a little turned off by the people though. . . It was a weekend, but almost everyone I saw had dreadlocks and whatnot... Except for the tour guide, she was quite normal and friendly.
Maybe I'll have to go back during a weekday to get a better idea! </p>

<p>I also started thinking to myself... would I feel safe here? It's beautiful, but there are woods everywhere. Is it safe at night if you are walking by yourself?</p>

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<p>depends, can you run faster than a bear?</p>

<p>jk, and when i visited i saw a barefoot guy wearing a long skirt. i even took a pic.</p>

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<p>courgette,</p>

<p>The biggest danger walking by yourself in the woods is getting lost, especially at night and worse, in fog at night.</p>

<p>So far the lions haven't eaten anyone.</p>

9

<p>Regarding safety on campus.....My freshman year at UCSC was 1972, the year of the murders (headline in Newsweek was 'Murdersville, USA'). It was also at a time when attacts on women were NOT generally publicized. It was not unusual for me to walk across campus, through the woods from College V to Cowell College at night. During that year, they started the campus escort service, where you can call for an escort at night to accompany you to your car, dorm room, etc. Today, it seems that pretty much all campuses have these services. If you are concerned about walking alone at night, then by all means, take advantage of this service.</p>

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<p>Hehe, I appreciate the sense of humor everyone ;-) </p>

<p>Taffy, as for the barefoot guy wearing a long skirt, I'm not surprised!! LOL! I saw people pretty close to being like that... A lot of them are so "extreme". </p>

<p>So I guess bottom line is there are a lot of wierdos there (from what practically everyone says), and the safety thing isn't that big of an issue because of this new escort service.. Now that I have all the info I'll probably go back and visit a couple of times see if I can picture myself there for the next 4 years!
Thanks all, I'll come back with more questions if anything comes up~
:-)</p>

11

<p>courgette,</p>

<p>I wasn't kidding about the lions. Bobcats are dangerous too. The ban of dogs on campus brought the deer back (they're everywhere - when a deer is stamping its feet, it is not being friendly - back off at once). And the lions have come down from the hills after the deer.</p>

<p>Here are some URL's and postings by UC Santa Cruz Police and Animal Control:</p>

<p><a href="http://www2.ucsc.edu/police/liondoc1.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www2.ucsc.edu/police/liondoc1.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>"DO NOT HIKE ALONE. Make plenty of noise to reduce your chances of surprising a lion. Go in groups, with adults supervising children. A sturdy walking stick is a good idea: you can use it to ward off a lion. </p>

<p>KEEP CHILDREN CLOSE TO YOU. Observations of captured lions reveal that the animals seem especially drawn to children. Keep children within your sight at all times. </p>

<p>STOP! Do not run from a lion. Back away from it slowly, but only if you can do so safely. Running may stimulate a lion's instinct to chase and attack. Face the lion and stand upright. Make eye contact. If you have small children with you, pick them up so they won't panic and run. Although it may seem awkward, pick them up without bending over or turning away from the lion. </p>

<p>DO NOT BEND OR CROUCH OVER; DO ALL YOU CAN TO APPEAR LARGER. A person squatting or bending over looks a lot like a four-legged prey animal. Raise your arms. Open your jacket, if you're wearing one. Throw stones, branches, or whatever you can grab without crouching down or turning your back. Wave your arms slowly and speak firmly in a large voice. </p>

<p>DO NOT APPROACH A LION, especially one that is feeding or with kittens. Most mountain lions will try to avoid confrontation. Give them a way to escape.</p>

<p>FIGHT BACK IF ATTACKED. Try to stay on your feet if a lion attacks you. Lions have been driven off by prey that fights back. Some hikers have fought back successfully with sticks, caps, jackets, garden tools, and their bare hands. Since lions usually try to bite the head or neck, try to remain standing and face the attacking animal."</p>

<p><a href="http://www2.ucsc.edu/police/lion3.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www2.ucsc.edu/police/lion3.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>"1/19/06 12:15 PM Two runners saw what they believed to be a mountain lion on the Lookout Trail in Pogonip park, below the Coolidge Drive lookout on the east side of campus. The animal was about 150 yards away from the runners and did not appear to notice them. The campus animal control officer searched the area immediately but did not find the animal. </p>

<p>1/12/06 12:45 PM A couple walking in Inclusion Area A, the open field off Empire Grade Road across from the UCSC Arboretum, reported seeing a mountain lion near the treeline on the west side of the field. The animal did not appear to notice the people.</p>

<p>1/5/06 Residents of the 2300 block of Empire grade Road, off campus, found a dead deer in their front yard that appeared to have been killed by a mountain lion. The UCSC animal control officer inspected the carcass and determined that it was consistent with a mountain lion kill."</p>

<p><a href="http://www2.ucsc.edu/police/wildlife.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www2.ucsc.edu/police/wildlife.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>"Living with Wildlife at UCSC</p>

<p>One wonderful aspect of campus life is sharing our space with wildlife. There are numerous vertebrate species that inhabit the campus lands. It is not uncommon to be treated to the sight of a mother gray fox taking her kits out for a midday hunting lesson, a coyote loping through the lower campus meadows, or a bobcat slinking through the tall grass. Some have even had the opportunity to catch a rare glimpse of the elusive mountain lion on campus (seeing a lion is not justification for alarm, but we still want to be called!)."</p>