<p>lol Yeah, I’ve seen pics and my ex-bf/good friend attends there now as a freshman…I’ve heard. </p>
<p>I really like beautiful scenery…unfortunately college isn’t all about pretty scenery and instead focuses just a little bit more on education…lol but still.</p>
<p>Anybody who goes there, is it easy to get lost in?</p>
<p>im going to santa cruz!!! i wasn’t 100% sure but i visited sb and sc this weekend and fell in love with sc. spring spotlight wasnt as helpful as i thought it would be but im still super glad i did it. porter (even though transfers cant go there) and kresge seem the coolest. i can’t wait to hear which college i belong to!</p>
<p>Lost on campus? I’ve NEVER gotten lost on campus before. This even includes the 2nd day of UCSC when my roommate and I walked from College 8 to College 10 drunk at 3am. The campus really isn’t that big, you will probably know the whole campus by the first week or two (finding certain classes will require asking others though).</p>
<p>Also to those asking about the amount of Asian students, you won’t get a huge culture shock or anything. I went to a high school that was 70% Asian and UCSC wasn’t a huge change. Asian students are starting to fill up most of the UC’s, so you will notice the increasing Asian population. Although it does depend on which college you attend and classes you take.</p>
<p>I’m a transfer student and I am definitely going to UCSC! I fell in love with it my freshman year when I visited my friend residing in Porter college–the lush forests and view of the beach totally blew my mind.</p>
<p>I will not be attending “Spring Spotlight”, which I’m not too concerned about because I have been to the campus numerous times.</p>
<p>Relating to those above. I too am a chinese from East Bay area and my school is about 20-30% asian but pretty much all my friends are asian. And when I went to spring spotlight, I kinda got pis**d because of the lack of asians. But that’s what I get for messing around in high school and not getting into Irvine or Davis or San Diego. And yes spring spotlight didn’t really cover enough about the school in my opinion.</p>
<p>So right now the current decision to be made is Community College (DVC for those who are familiar) or Santa Cruz? I want to transfer to UCLA or UCSD so that I can study mechanical engineering (my lifelong dream is to work in the automotive industry) which Santa Cruz does not offer. But my dad wants me to stay at UCSC for the bioengineering program which is apparently booming in the Bay Area and because if i don’t do well at UCSC I’m not as badly screwed as if I went to DVC in terms of transferring. I’ve had mixed opinions and feedback, so I was hoping i could get a little bit more feedback on here.</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Rice, if your high school is 20-30% Asian, then UCSC won’t be much of a jump for you. All of my CLOSE friends at UCSC are primarily Asian and I didn’t have to go searching for them or anything, they all lived on my floor/building last year. In fact, last year my floor was about 70% Asian at C10. I wouldn’t go as far as blaming your lack of studying in high school for your “lack of Asian-ness in college.” I have friends at Davis who were surprised at how many Asians were in my dorms. </p>
<p>Also know that UCSC isn’t just a school for students who couldn’t get in anywhere else. I got into all those UCs you listed when I was in high school and I still chose UCSC (primarily due to the 3/2 dual engineering program with UC Berkeley). My ex-girlfriend turned down UC Berkeley because she loved the linguistics and psych program that much at SC. </p>
<p>If your heart is set on mechanical engineering, then you don’t have to listen to your father. My friend went into UCSC wanting to transfer after 2 years to Berkeley because UCSC does not have a civil engineering program. However, she realized after a few upper division courses that her life long dream of civil engineering wasn’t really for her, so she changed to Mathematics. After getting to know faculty at UCSC and gaining an internship at Lockheed Martin through her professor, she’s pretty much set on staying at SC. So you could choose UCSC and network with the faculty/gain a better understanding of your specific major or you could save money by going to a CC and take lower division courses there.</p>
<p>I’m surprised DVC still has any credibility left after the whole debacle with students changing grades there. Not to say it’s not a great school, but its reputation certainly took a good hit from that.</p>
<p>If you’re going to be miserable at UCSC, then don’t go. Not to be rude, but it seems to me if you have no interest in (or absolutely despise) the campus, then you shouldn’t take up a spot on the campus that could go to someone who does want to be there.</p>
<p>And I’m confused what you mean by “if [you] don’t do well at UCSC[,] [you’re] not as badly screwed as if [you] went to DVC in terms of transferring.” Are you saying you’ll have a better chance to transfer if you did badly at UCSC? If so, community college transfers receive top priority for transfer. Not UC transfers. You have more room to have “errors,” so to speak, on your record from a community college than you do from a UC if you are planning to transfer to another UC.</p>
<p>Besides, the community college route saves a lot of money and allows you the freedom to explore a little more with classes you are interested in. Who knows, your choice for a major may change. At least this way you would not have spent $60k+ figuring it out. Or maybe you’ll just reinforce your love for your chosen major. Who knows.</p>
<p>Or you could decide to go to UCSC and you end up loving it. No one here can tell what will be the best path for you. You have to make that decision. But from a purely financial and/or ease of transfer standpoint: community college would be your best option.</p>
<p>Don’t go to Santa Cruz, especially with that whole “that’s what I get for messing around in high school and not getting into Irvine or Davis or San Diego” attitude. I find that kind of offensive because UCSC was my number one, despite the fact that it’s a “lower UC”. </p>
<p>Go to DVC and transfer to wherever you want to be two years from now.</p>
<p>i will go to uc santa cruz for sure unless i get accepted off of the waiting list from santa clara university or csu long beach. what do you guys think, ucsc vs. csulb vs. scu?</p>
<p>"i will go to uc santa cruz for sure unless i get accepted off of the waiting list from santa clara university or csu long beach. what do you guys think, ucsc vs. csulb vs. scu? "</p>
<p>I would choose the UC over a CSU any day. I got accepted into Csulb and I am not even really considering it at this point.</p>
<p>hmm not trying to be mean to rice4you but i agree with AGR1010. Dont bring down the awesome atmosphere of UCSC with an “I got stuck here” attitude. Two years ins’t that long so maybe DVC is the better choice for you since its easier to transfer to the other UCs and get into one that you really want.</p>
<p>@kef, It depends on what you are majoring in and what type of financial aid you are offered. I like SCU because it has a great alumni network and most students can easily get an internship. However if you have to pay full tuition, I would easily pick UCSC over it.</p>
<p>I’m really sorry guys. I really didn’t mean to offend anyone, it was just me ranting at like 3 in the morning so I wasn’t really watching what i was saying or aware of the people I was about to offend. Really the only thing I was worried about was the culture shock, which really is a rather dumb reason in determining what college I want to go to.</p>
<p>The campus really is beautiful though. Also Santa Cruz’s bioE program is supposed to be the best? And thats the major I’m considering if i decide to go the Santa Cruz. Can anyone describe what classes are a part of that major and what kind of careers are available to that major?</p>
<p>Again I’m sorry about my previous post, I just reread it and ya its pretty bad.</p>
<p>Well Im going for sure.</p>
<p>: ) I think I can speak for more than myself if I tell you it’s okay. Everyone makes angry/silly typings at 3 AM in the morning. </p>
<p>As for more info for bioE, check out this link: [url=<a href=“http://www.worldwidelearn.com/online-education-guide/engineering/bioengineering-major.htm]Bioengineering”>http://www.worldwidelearn.com/online-education-guide/engineering/bioengineering-major.htm]Bioengineering</a> Major | What Can You Do With a College Degree in Bioengineering?<a href=“click%20the%20read%20more.%20:%20”>/url</a></p>
<p>Since I’m an incoming freshman myself, I don’t know anything about classes, sorry!</p>
<p>^hahaha agreed!</p>
<p>For classes, check out the requirements for the major:
[Program</a> Description | BS in Bioengineering | Jack Baskin School of Engineering | UC Santa Cruz](<a href=“http://beng.soe.ucsc.edu/program-description#MajorRequirements]Program”>http://beng.soe.ucsc.edu/program-description#MajorRequirements)</p>
<p>thanks triplescrew and midnightgolfer…
the one thing i love about ucsc is the whole science program - i love biology, physiology, astronomy, etc. and ucsc simply seems to have a good science program. however there are a few reasons for why i’d choose csu long beach over uc santa cruz. first of all i’m simply not into the whole vibe i get from ucsc… the liberal scene, excess of pot, hippies, lack of athletics, lack of parties/frats (please correct me if i am wrong). it’s simply not me; im a moderate conservative, love sports and wouldn’t mind a more outgoing social scene.</p>
<p>long beach seems like a more outgoing, fun environment; everyone’s got school spirit. as for the campus, ucsc definitely beats csulb but then again csulb is cheaper. i am not getting much financial aid from the gov so me/family will be paying the most of it. plus i love the beach (i hear the girls are very attractive at csulb? can anyone confirm?)</p>
<p>now santa clara university is very attractive for many reasons. first, scu is a highly regarded school and i’d imagine i would be getting in and getting out with a good job. second, the school simply has the money to pay for resources - - classes, campus cleanliness, computers, etc. also i would think there’d be a nice amount of financial aid/scholarships available exclusively from the university itself. and the major downside is the price tag that follows a school like this…</p>
<p>however i am on the wait list for csulb and scu… i will be accepting my offer from ucsc and then putting down a deposit. im planning on changing schools however if i hear any news from csulb/scu; as i highly prefer them over ucsc. does anyone else have any differing opinions?</p>
<p>kefalonisos-</p>
<p>It sounds like you have a pretty good grasp on what you are looking for in a college. If you don’t think SC is the right fit for you, I wouldn’t encourage you to go! After all, you don’t want to be at a school that you will be unhappy at. I’m not sure how accepting offers while waiting on another school’s waitlist works, so I’ll leave that to you haha.</p>
<p>As for the price tag on a private university- high, yes, but like you mentioned, there are many financial aid opportunities and actually, most of the time, the cost will come out to be equal or less than public university costs. Just make sure that you’re really on top of your financial aid. (This is what my teacher told me, at least.)</p>
<p>I wish you the best luck on your wait-listed schools. : )
Out of curiosity, did you apply to UCSB? It sounds like you would enjoy it there as well.</p>
<p>rice4you, thank you for the apology. Late night rants are perfectly understandable.</p>