<p>I’m trying to put together a good picture of each of the colleges but there are still some details I’m unsure about.</p>
<p>My list right now is Stevenson, Merrill, Cowell, Kresge, and C10.</p>
<p>To describe myself, I’m used to having a lot of privacy and quiet at my house, so although I want to party some in college, I’m really more of a kick back, smoke weed, and listen to music type. I plan on working hard in college with the goal of getting into a good doctorate program and want to be in an environment conducive to that, but I also want friends, and socially I don’t think Crown fits. Fashion and music wise, I most closely identify with the hipster movement (although I guess I’m not supposed to admit that) and as long as the college has a few people with similar cultural interests, I’m good. </p>
<p>Some Questions:</p>
<li><p>Is there a big difference between the people/dorms/environment in Stevenson vs Cowell? (Especially dorms, I’m finding next to nothing online and I can’t come up for spotlight. And for people who go there, do you think dorm quality greatly affects overall quality of life?) </p></li>
<li><p>Does the Jew rep at Stevenson mean JAP types (Jewish American Princess; i.e. Ashley Tisdale) or more Sarah Silverman types? I’m Jewish myself, but I don’t really have any strong desire to be involved in the Jew scene, particularly the former. </p></li>
<li><p>Exactly how big of a pain in the ass is the Merrill hill? Will it isolate you/ prevent you from socializing because you don’t feel like conquering the slope, or is it just a good way to get in shape? And are drugs really that bad there, because I heard it was really quiet, and those two thoughts don’t seem to fit together.</p></li>
<li><p>Exactly how many hippies are there in Kresge? I mean full on, unwashed, shoeless, chained to tree stereotypes. Is that something that can be weeded out in the rooming survey process? Don’t get me wrong, those kind of hippies are cool for the occasional existential chat, and some of my bffs wear tie dye, but I don’t know if I could handle that type of person in a living situation, if only for hygienic reasons.</p></li>
<li><p>Final Question Unrelated to Colleges: Is there anything notable about the linguistic and/or psychology programs? (I know the linguistic program is highly ranked)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Sorry for the length, I appreciate any and all insights!</p>
<p>Stevenson is ok, but their core course (mandatory writing class for freshmen) is 2 quarters long. Most colleges its only 1 quarter. Nobody really talks about stevenson that much, my RA said they’re kinda of stuck up. MERRILL HILL IS SO STEEP! HAHAHA. i have a class there this quarter and damn its like crazy. i really dont enjoy going there. My friend lives at kresge, she says there isnt crazy people trippin out on drugs and hugging trees at kresge. If there was, i doubt she would have applied (and recieved) the RA position at kresge. hehehe if u get into kresge better watch out for her! hahaha</p>
<p>Whichever college you choose, you can be sure to have at least a couple of students who are similar to you. Don’t be worried about that. </p>
<p>1) Not really. Most people just pretend those colleges are the same anyways. They have a new dining hall and are right by the gym/bookstore… which will make them very popular next year. The spotlight was not that useful anyways. It was mostly just a chance to see the campus if you have not already. If you have, you are not missing much. </p>
<p>2) I do not think it is that bad no. There is a Jew frat which annoys me because they always try to give me stuff or make me sign up as I am walking around, even though I am not Jewish. Otherwise, I think the people at Stevenson are just regular students.</p>
<p>3) It is not as bad as people make it out to be. I wouldn’t even call it good exercise. It is just a short steep hill. The students who put it down are probably the same ones who cram on the bus to go to all their classes because they’d rather take a bus than walk through the forest. </p>
<p>4) We don’t really have ‘full on’ hippies (thankfully). Don’t worry about having a room mate that is way different than you. They will at least put you with someone who takes showers whichever college you choose. </p>
<p>5) Probably. The best part about the University so far for me is the professors. I am the nerdy type, but I can honestly say we have a lot of great minds both as Lecturers and Professors doing research. UCSC obviously is most notable in the sciences, but are fairly good in other areas (I am an BME major…Business Management Economics).</p>
<p>Thanks! Both of your answers help a lot. The core course is actually one of the things that attracted me to Stevenson, it looks really interesting and I don’t really mind that it’s two quarters considering I’m used to the semester system anyway.
Cali Trumpet, thanks for the perspective on the Merrill hill. Also all personal accounts I get about Kresge seem to be that the people are more chill than hippy, I think I was just getting paranoid about the stereotype. It’s definitely getting bumped up on my list.</p>