<p>I visited the dorms today...I am so excited! I was just wondering what dorms you all want to live in and did you send in your housing request yet?</p>
<p>FT i think, no thoughts on where if i don't get into FT.. any suggestions?</p>
<p>I think you will get in there, it is huge. I really liked the ones by the beach. I talked to my friend there today and he said that Manzanita and San nicolas (or Miguel, I don't remember, one of the two) weren't very good ones.</p>
<p>Santa Cruz hopefully.</p>
<p>Tropicana Gardens in IV, unless they call me and say it's already filled up, which I doubt. Then it would be FT.</p>
<p>santa cruz, anacapa, or santa rosa</p>
<p>santa cruz, anacapa, and santa rosa are my first three choices too. I'm a little worried that they will get filled up fast though.</p>
<p>does the date you send in your SIR affect whether or not you will get the housing you want... and when are the housing applications due? and when you send that in? thanks.</p>
<p>No. SIRs are due May 1st. Housing contracts are due June 18th. As long as you get your housing contract in by June 18th, you are put in a lottery. They randomly choose where they start, then go down the list that way. I think its like an alphabetical list, but don't quote me on it. I'm pretty sure as long as you get it in on time, you've got the same chance as everyone else.</p>
<p>And can I just go way off topic for a second to express my frustration at the NFL draft? Aaron Rodgers (Cal) still hasn't been picked!! I woke up early to watch it hoping he'd go #1, and it's been like 3 hours! </p>
<p>Just a little digression for a guy from my high school.</p>
<p>when can you start filling oiut the housing app? Is it online or through mail. cuz the online site isn't taking me anywhere to fill this stuff out .</p>
<p>myname1sjude: download the housing contract: <a href="http://www.housing.ucsb.edu/application/freshman/default.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.housing.ucsb.edu/application/freshman/default.htm</a></p>
<p>you have to fill out a housing questionaire online, followed by mailing the application sheet in the mail. the housing contract has all the details</p>
<p>If I am not living on campus (at Trop instead) do I need to inform UCSB, or do I just not send the questionaire and contract in?</p>
<p>meggs there should be some details here: <a href="http://www.tropicanagardens.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.tropicanagardens.com/</a></p>
<p>I chose the same dorms, awaken. My friend at UCSB says those are the best to get the dorm experience. =]</p>
<p>I think maybe you misunderstood my question...I already know all about trop (I've already paid the first month+security deposit). I was just wondering if I have to do anything with my UCSB contract. Like, do I have to send something in that says I'm not living at FT, Santa Cruz, Anacapa...etc. I was just planning on not doing anything, but I was just making sure that's ok.</p>
<p>I sent in my housing contract recently, and my top choice was Manzanita Village since it is the newest/most spacious, but my cousin told me that MV and San Raf are mostly upper classmen because of priority (He went to UCSB). My next choices were basically in order of proximity to my classes (Anacapa, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas/San Miguel) as Anacapa will probably have the most students in my major being the closest to the Science buildings. I skipped over Santa Rosa since an ocean view would always be cool. I think all of the choices are awesome, and it's just a matter of different preferences.</p>
<p>EDIT: I would call housing about that question meggs since the majority of freshman will live in residence halls and might not know. Also, it's always best to get your answers from the source just in case =).</p>
<p>in your guys' opinion, which is better? Anacapa or Santa Cruz... i'm deciding between the two for my first choice.</p>
<p>Anacapa, Santa Cruz, and Santa Rosa too. These 3 plus San Nicolas and San Miguel are called the "Laguna 5" and they're the most social dorms.. you meet tons of people.</p>
<p>I've been told that Manzanita is really quiet and boring.
FT is said to be awesome and also a great dorm experience.. but I'm too lazy to ride my bike 15 minutes to class every morning.</p>
<p>My parents want me in the dorms instead of getting an apartment, but I hope to get an apartment sophomore year.</p>
<p>Here's some comments about dorms straight from UCSB students:</p>
<p>After going to UCSB currently, having friends in most of the dorms, and knowing a few people in housing...here's my opinion in a brief but hopefully comprehensive guide.</p>
<p>Anacapa and Santa Cruz can both be pretty fun places to live, but they're also far away from a lot of things. Also, the dorms are a bit spread out. They have the nicest rooms(Next to Manzanita), but there's less to do since people are a bit less social. Santa Rosa is similar, but is home to a lot of interest floors that may interest you, but is also older and laid out kinda funny. If you absolutely want the "Swastika" dorms, then I'd put it as the last of the three. Rounding out the "Channel Islands 5" (Who the heck thought up Laguna 5? No one calls it that.) are San Nicolas and San Miguel, the two high rises. San Nicolas has co-ed floors, which are definitely a plus. San Miguel looks like San Nic split in two, so that only one gender and only 25 people are on your "floor." The rooms are bit smaller than Anacapa, Santa Cruz, and Da Rosa, but there is MUCH more to do in terms of events, and people come out of theri rooms and socialize a lot. San Miguel is pretty old, though, and because it's split in two, that leads me to recommend San Nicolas over San Miguel. It's really Anacapa and Santa Cruz vs. San Nicolas, depending on how much you care about the size of your room vs. the people you will meet.</p>
<p>Manzanita, on the other hand, is a completely different story. Isolated and often boring, your room will be enormous, you'll get lots of bathroom privacy, but there isn't much going on, unless you get really lucky and get put in the Figueroa house or one of the crazier ones. It definitely can be fun if you want to be in a theme house. Forget about San Raf, it's not as nice as the others and is full of upper division and transfer students-not where you want to be as a freshman, and even then not as fun in general.</p>
<p>FT is a whole other issue. It's pretty much its own community...and has various nicknames, including "**** Towers." It's one of the crazier places to be, and the people who live there often swear by it. It is a pain, though, to get to class-living in most of the dorms, you can wake up 5-10 minutes before class and be there on time. FT requires a lot more planning and it's a lot harder to do random things. It's also a bit farther for your drunken walk back from DP, unless you're at the very end, where there are few parties. The rooms are also oddly shaped, though not tiny, and the lounges aren't so much lounges as "Spaces by the elevators with two chairs." </p>
<p>Living off-campus in Trop or such...some people like it, but it's a lot easier to meet people living in the actual dorms and going to the dining commons with your floormates.</p>
<p>As an RA next year, I put down my preferences as follows: Channel Islands 5, Manzanita, and then FT. Manzanita offers a great deal for RAs-our own private bathroom with a real tub and a standard Manzanita sized double, which is the largest on campus, all to ourselves. But, after some thought, I realized it was a lot more fun to be in a dorm with a lively community, which is mostly the CI5. I hope to see some of you guys on my floor next year, wherever that will be-I'll find out on Wednesday, and you can plan accordingly, if you like. :)</p>