University of California - Santa Cruz
Reviews

There Is a Wide Area of Wonderful Majors.

All of the teachers here are fully committed to their students and will always help you out whenever you need. They are all very intelligent and really want you to succeed.

Nursing/Business

There is no nursing program at my school, which is pretty disappointing. And the counselors aren't really helpful at helping me with my career path. The prerequisite classes aren't available when I want them...which is also pretty disappointing. The business major, on the other, offers a lot of classes and these classes seem to always have a huge amount of space, which is good. I suggest going to talk to a counselor right when you enroll, to get on the right track right away. I though I could've did it without speaking to a counselor, but Beth Thompson has helped me a lot even though I've only met with her a few times.

False Advertising. Dont' Believe the Hype!

UCSC has been ranked as having one of the top two most vegan-friendly dining halls on campus. Although theoretically speaking there is a vegan food stand in the dining hall, there hardly ever actually is food there... But they make a big deal advertising how they provide high quality, organic and locally grown food. In reality it is neither of these, and what they offer is quite mediocre, and oftentimes downright disgusting (chorizo and cheddar cheese mushy pizza, anyone?).

Off Campus Dining at UC Santa Cruz

There are many places to go eat off campus, especially in downtown. There is a variety of different types of food. There are several fancy restaurants as well as fast food places. The cost depends on where you choose to eat. Downtown has Indian, Greek, Mexican, Italian, and various other types of food. The Surfrider Cafe is one of the best places to eat. It has a number of options, and the service is great. The atmosphere is also nice; it is lit with dim candles but is still casual. It is pretty convenient to go downtown. The buses here are free for students so we are able to go whenever they are running. Many places also have student discounts.

Really Safe

I have always felt safe on campus and even walking in the dark in no big deal. The CSOs are always nice and willing to help you if you have a concern.

Melting Pot

Santa Cruz is a mixture of all races and economics backgrounds. Some colleges (Oakes, Nine& Ten etc) are more predominantly a certain race, but overall UCSC has a little bit of everyone. There are tons of different ethnic and religous clubs that students can join. There isn't one type of student that goes to UCSC, everyone is different but mesh together well.

Weed Smokers and Acid Trippers...But Sober People Too

There is a huge drug scene here if you want to get into it. Almost everyone drinks on the weekends and a lot of people casually smoke weed. In the dorms weed seems to be the drug of choice. At electronic music events that sometimes happen downtown you'll often see people on E . If you decide to go hiking through upper campus on the weekends and stray off the beaten paths you'll likely encounter freshman experimenting with LSD or mushrooms. Several dorms are notorious for their drug use (Porter, Kresge) and in the others the amount of people using varies. I'm a third year that has experimented in highschool so I dont mess around with that stuff anymore. But I've encountered everything here from pot to mushrooms to opium to nitrus oxide.

Basically, theres a very large underground drug scene thats very easy to get involved with, but if you dont want to have anything to do with it everyone respects that and you'll just as easily find friends with the same interests

Nice and Quiet With Families, Dont Expect Wild Partying

The pros of living off campus are that its usually nice and quiet, and the town is pretty small so you are close to everything like the beach and downtown. Houses are almost always available and you can usually find what your'e looking for. Typically it is very safe save for one or two areas. The cons are that property is pretty expensive compared to other universities towns in northern CA, and that since Santa Cruz is full of old people and young families, its VERY hard to have a fun party without the cops coming. Its way better than living on campus though, the only downside to that being that you have to use the metro to get to class or buy a parking pass.

Beautiful

Love the campus, love my teachers, love the other students. A great place for the right person.

Greeks Don't Dominate the Scene

Greek life is there for parties and some other events, but it doesn’t dominate at Santa Cruz.

Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology

My major is Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology. I love everything about it, from the subject matter to the whole Biology Unit at Santa Cruz. The counselors are friendly and knowledgeable.

Transfer Student's Dream

I transferred to UCSC as a junior because of the amazing psychology program they offer. The campus is absolutely gorgeous and makes each study sesh in the library that much more tolerable. The professors I had for my junior year were hands down the BEST professors I've had in my life. They actually care about you as an individual and ensure your right to excell.

Fun Beautiful Campus

What makes UC Santa Cruz so special is that it is located perfectly between the redwood trees, giving the campus an outdoor, woodsy feel. The campus is right around the beach area and the boardwalk, which in the summer months becomes very popular with visitors. There are clubs and events going on throughout the school year, such as concerts and festivals. The school is great for me, in particular, because not only does is offer a major in Astrophysics, not a very common major, it actually specializes in it, making the school a perfect choice for me. The university also owns two observatories, one is San Diego and one in Hawaii, giving me much desired opportunity to travel and take advantage of these amazing facilities and the same time.

I Am Over Looked

I apparently do not qualify because I still live with my parents. I can not afford to pay for classes and books as easily as they think. I would love to have financial aid for a little help to get through school. I know exactly what I want to do in my career but I am having a difficult time getting there due to my financial inability.

Everyone Is Welcome, but It's Definitely a White Majority

It's amazing how UCSC can be so accepting of people of all walks of life. Everyone finds a nano-community to which they can belong. The only real "stereotype" that may not fit in here is if you are really right-wing republican. If you are part of a racial minority, don't worry - you'll be totally welcome at this school. However, you may feel a little underrepresented as far as the rest of the student population goes, unless you are white or Asian.

Gym

The gym is always crowded because it is relatively small. An expansion of the facilities would definitely benefit the student population looking to stay in shape. The outdoor track and field are amazing and make up for the small gym. You can run laps around the track while admiring one of the most stunning views of the Pacific Ocean around.

Got Enough Aid to Attend

Since I lived in a low-economy based house, I wanted to take opportunities to get every grand and non=loan scholarships possible

A Wonderful University

It is the university where undergraduates receive a lot of help, and the university provides almost every occupation major for all students of UCSC!

BANANA Slugs FTW

Food Quality Has Declined

Food was good at the beginning of year, but has declined in quality this quarter. Variety has decreased, food is not prepared as well, needs to improve.

Its Too Hard to Get Money for College.

I wish that there were more work study jobs on campus, because I really need one, and there are none to be found. I am probably going to have to work off campus to help pay for college, which is unfortunate since I don;t have a car, and will have to stretch my academic schedule to fit working off campus into it.

Drugs

Santa Cruz is pretty infamous for its drug culture. Marijuana is pretty popular among the student body and very easy to obtain. You can choose to hang out with people that don't smoke and I have never felt forced to try anything I didn't want to. Alcohol is slightly less popular, but still prevalent among the party kids. That being said, ever since going here, I have been shocked at the number of my friends that have taken drugs before that I thought were straight.

Never Felt Unsafe

Although there are definitely some "interesting" people in Santa Cruz, I've never felt that I was in danger. The locals (and the students) are generally very nice and warming.

Strict About the Wrong Things

We get yelled at for being loud, but people who drink get away with things sometimes. Not to mention, parking enforcement is oddly strict. It's not the students' faults that we're paying $10,000 plus a year for a school that can't even afford adequate parking.

Greek Life Is Steadily Improving

I transferred to this college from another, and was pretty disappointed with the party scene; that is until I joined a fraternity. I've seen that many people have made comments that there aren't any huge parties off campus and that most people just hang out with 3 or 4 people in an apartment. I go to at least 1 party every weekend and somehow I haven't attended any frat parties that look like that...

If you're in a frat, you have access to pretty much every party on/off campus, in many ways. With so many people in a frat, you ALWAYS hear what/where/when the party is, and even if you don't have a car, someone will pick you up and take you. Also, while there isn't an official frat house, most people in fraternities and sororities live in houses and take turns throwing house parties. Most of the people that posted have never been to these parties, because we limit the number of people who can attend, so if we don't know you, you can't get in. Every party has top notch risk management; we keep people from hanging out outside the house and control noise pollution.

Some of you may have been to our Rush events or the rare party where anyone is invited and made a generalization of how Greek Life parties. If you were actually part of it, you'd see how much more you were missing out on. (A- for SC cops)

Terrible Parking

Because of the lush landscapes on the campus, the places you can park are very limited. The remote parking lots allow you to park on campus, but you then must take the shuttle to your classes. There is metered parking littered throughout the campus, but be wary of your time remaining, as the meter maids love to give out tickets. Also if you are a freshman/sophomore, you cannot have a car on campus unless you have a specific reason (a job, disability).