The local atmosphere is definitely an incentive for choosing Santa Cruz over other UC schools. Here, the Pacific Ocean meets looming redwoods to provide one of the most beautiful campuses in the country—it is paradise for people who love the rustic outdoors. UCSC students participate in surfing, mountain biking, hiking, and many other recreational pursuits on a regular basis. On campus, students walk to class on trails and bridges through the woods, then break through to incredible ocean vistas along the perimeter of the campus. Besides the beauty and the outdoors, most people seem to like the mellow, laid-back Santa Cruz vibe. Downtown has a very liberal, hippie feel, and the feeling carries over to campus. Although the town is small, there are great places to eat, drink, and hang out. People are rarely bored in Santa Cruz due to the variety of activities, the crazy events, and eccentric people that clutter the downtown area.
Living here, you will run into a lot of social, environmental, and political activists who almost always lean to the left. Conservatives and conservative ideas are definitely the minority or aren’t visible at all. Along with being mellow, Santa Cruz is a very slow-moving town. People walk slow, drive slow, eat slow, speak slow, and only on rare occasions will you see anything resembling aggressive behavior. However, there is slight tension between students and locals because the overflow of students creates a demand for housing, as well as more traffic on the roads—and waves—to which local residents are otherwise not accustomed.
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Local Atmosphere at University of California - Santa Cruz
B
One Word: Unique.
The school is located in the heart of a beautiful redwood forest! Now how many universities can claim that? The scenery is majestic and there is an abundance of wildlife. The atmosphere is serene, which gives students a clear head when it comes to studying. Unfortunately there is no central area for students of different colleges (there are 10 at UCSC) to meet and mingle. Each college tends to keep to themselves. And though the campus is beautiful, it is very spread out, making it slightly difficult to get from one place to another.
May 29, 2012
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Local Atmosphere at University of California - Santa Cruz
A-
Ucsc!
students, staffs, & deers are pretty friendly. the campus is pretty lively. shopping is pretty convenient at safeway, cvs, costco, etc., & if you don't want to go off campus you can always go to banana joe's which is located next to the crown dining hall. everything's great in general.
Feb 26, 2012
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Local Atmosphere at University of California - Santa Cruz
B+
Downtown Santa Cruz
It is fun but a bit pricey. I enjoy holidays like halloween where there are fun events.
Jan 01, 2012
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User rating for University of California - Santa Cruz - Local Atmosphere is
4.6 out of 5
based on 43 user reviews.
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