<p>hi... i'm looking @ doing exchange from australia to the university of california... i need to decide which campus i want to go to... at the moment i'm leaning towards san diego or santa barbara... i'm really looking to party hard during my stay, and i've heard that as far as UC and parties go, UCSB is the place to be... what is UCSD like in comparison?</p>
<p>cheers</p>
<p>UCSB is way more of a "party school" than SD. If you're looking for fun, you'll probably find it easier at SB. That being said, I'm sure SD has fun too. It is college after all! Do academics come into play for you or are you just focused on parties? They are both very good schools, but one of them might be better depending on your major.</p>
<p>UCLA and UCSB both have interesting party scenes...and close to beaches...anyways, both are within 20min. so of each other...</p>
<p>academics don't come into play too much for me really... i'll get the same credit toward my degree whichever campus i go to... i'm really after the place where i'll have the best experience... and i'll be studying economics... sounds like SB may be the go...</p>
<p>If you want proximity to the beach, UCSD still stays in the picture.</p>
<p>I think you might also want to check out UCSC, but I think the rumors relating to it being a fun are that people just smoke all day.</p>
<p>But back to UCSD, from what I hear, people don't go there to party. Instead, they go down to San Diego State to party.</p>
<p>20 mins. is a stretch.....2 hours is more like it.</p>
<p>haha yea i know ***. its DEF not 20 minutes...</p>
<p>i'd say an hour with no traffic lol</p>
<p>if you're looking for on-campus or around the campus parties and the social scene, i'd suggest UC Santa Barbara ("U Can Stay Buzzed" or "University of Casual Sex and Beer") or UCLA. </p>
<p>UCSD is "University of California, Socially Dead." not many people party on campus. some UCSD students do go to san diego state or tijuana to party though.</p>
<p>I don't want to be driving anywhere near someone who gets from UCLA to SB in 20 minutes. </p>
<p>SB is definitely your best bet. All three of the schools (I'm including LA because its mine) are really awesome in their own ways, but SB is definitely the most notorious for really, really hard partying.</p>
<p>I don't think it's possible to drive from UCLA to UCSB in 20 minutes under any circumstance!</p>
<p>However as others have said, if it's the party scene you want at a UC then UCSB is the place to go. From what I've heard UCSD is actually one of the most boring schools in terms of parties.</p>
<p>UCSD is definitely NOT a party school.</p>
<p>Yes, UCSD is certainly not a party school. however, if you hang out with the right crowd that parties, etc, well...;)</p>
<p>In other words, fun won't come to you, you'll have to seek it out yourself. </p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>If you're into the smoking, alternative-partying scene, go UCSC. We're right near it and my brother has his heart set on it. I know he wants to party day and night like his best friend, a current student there, does.</p>
<p>Santa Barbara is the ONLY choice</p>
<p>
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If you're into the smoking, alternative-partying scene, go UCSC. We're right near it and my brother has his heart set on it. I know he wants to party day and night like his best friend, a current student there, does.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>what do you mean alternative party scene? as in music or what? i'm into what i guess you'd call alternative music, but i don't smoke or do the drugs that quite often go with it...</p>
<p>another question, i believe on my application i may have to put down 3 preferences for UC... santa barbara is definately no. 1, sounds like UCLA should be no. 2, what should I put down as no. 3??? with the same objective in mind...</p>
<p>santa cruz's party scene has tons of hippies and pot. from what i heard, a lot of the music is local, and the town has tons of street musicians. of course, you could find some of everything, but the enviromentalist/hippie/pot lifestyle seems pretty dominant.</p>
<p>There are way way way too many stereotypes about UCSC. I am a student here and I LOVE it. </p>
<p>yes there are hippies and we tend to be more environmentally conscious/etc, but there are DEFINITELY "regular" people here too. </p>
<p>drug-wise, you'll find drugs at every university, SC just tends be more open and accepting of them. </p>
<p>We have plenty of parties here, that either can or cannot involve various substances, depending what you're looking for. again, make friends with the right people and you'll find the right parties. </p>
<p>the only MAJOR difference between SC and SB is that SB has frats and our greek life is very very minimal.</p>
<p>Besides, SC is a much prettier campus. (2000 acres of redwood forest, on a hill, overlooking the ocean) and we're barely 3 miles from the beach.</p>
<p>AND we have one of the best econ programs in america.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.ucsc.edu%5B/url%5D">http://www.ucsc.edu</a> at least look at it.</p>