<p>Hello!
I am an international student (from Canada) and am unable to visit the US schools on my list.
Could anybody tell me about the campuses (what they like/dislike) of UCSB, Reed, UCSC, UCSD or Colorado College?</p>
<p>What is the campus atmosphere? What are the students like? </p>
<p>Also if you could give me any direction in how likely an international student is to get in, it would be very helpful :)</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I’ve driven through/seen UCSC, it’s really pretty and on top of a giant hill overlooking the ocean. Very, very pretty. I imagine UCSD is equally pretty (and UCSB, for that matter… I take it you’re looking at colleges by the beach? XD)</p>
<p>Colorado college is kinda crowded together building wise and has streeets runnning through it.</p>
<p>Yes! One of my criteria is definitely for a beach-side school. I don’t want to see anymore snow! I know (through browsins this site and others) that UCSC doesn’t have the best reputation as far as the UC schools go…could anybody tell me why?</p>
<p>I can tell you a little about UCSC because I used to teach there. The faculty are excellent, and there are some departments that are the best in the country/world (some that come to mind are astronomy, linguistics, computer science especially bioinformatics). The school does tend to attract a more laid back crowd as far as students go. It is a little bit “hippie”. It has always been that way since the school was opened. It is one of the easier UCs to get into. I think you would find a lot of bright and motivated students among your classmates nevertheless. The facilities (classrooms, libraries) are nice for the most part, and have good technology. I have not been in a dorm room.</p>
<p>UCSC used to have a system of narrative evaluations as opposed to letter grades (letter grades were an option). In other words, the professor wrote up a paragraph or two about each student’s work. This worked well for small classes, but not for large ones, and professors ended up using a spreadsheet to automate the narrative evaluation process (i.e. “excellent” translates to A, “good” is B work,…). I don’t think they have the narratives as the default anymore, but this is one reason why, I think, the school had its hippie/eclectic reputation. Sometimes people on the outside (i.e. grad programs) did not take it seriously.</p>
<p>As you know it is also not right on the beach, but up the hill from the beach. You have a great view of the ocean from many parts of campus. If you are interested in marine biology, there are labs and an aquarium right on the ocean. There are lots of nice beaches in the Santa Cruz area.</p>
<p>I actually am quite interested in marine biology, which is why I really want to go to university on a coast. I’m trying to find the right “fit” for me, but going off of what I read is a little difficult. Both UCSB and UCSC have been labelled as “hippie”. Which campus is less of a party scene and more academically focused? What campus is more green (not eco-friendly, but less of city feel)? </p>
<p>Is UC Berkeley’s education significantly better than both of these schools?</p>
<p>Thanks for the help :D</p>
<p>UCSB is a HUGE party school - they have their own beach! </p>
<p>When I visited UCSD, I really hated it… hated the architecture, it felt cold, stark, unwelcoming. Just my opinion but it’s not really a “green” campus as far as presence of nature goes. However, San Diego’s a great town, lots to do, gorgeous.</p>
<p>As far as “better education” or “rigor” generally UCB > UCSD > UCSC > UCSB. However UCB is very much more of an “urban” school - not really any unity of architecture, not lots of grass/open space - and Berkeley is a “hippie” town as well 
</p>
<p>I live ~20 minutes from UCSC. GORGEOUS campus, but definitely a “hippie” school… or at least very relaxed. The whole town/area of Santa Cruz has that attitude for sure. Definitely not a “city feel” there - very green, lush. It’s AWESOME, imho, but it isn’t for everyone. I come from a competitive HS and one of the class of '11 went to SC for a year. She was considered a “slacker” at our school, but was so under-challenged at SC she ended up transferring.</p>
<p>That said, it could have just been her program. Marine Bio is stellar at SC, so don’t rule it out there.</p>