hilaryvh

Trend Worshipping Hipsters, Hippie/Yuppie Hybrids, and Losers

The most well-balanced guy (who was a student) I've met so far used the same breath to complain about the influx of overly conservative city folk changing the traditional environmentalist/political activist demographics of Santa Cruz AND condemn organic-food-eating girls who don't shave their legs as "crazy, extreme feminists." He's a hippie/yuppie hybrid. The losers (mostly freshmen, 'cause they flunk out within a year or two) are those who only came here because they didn't get into anywhere else. They're mostly from So Cal, and there are way more than I'd like. Latte sipping, Linkedin-using hipsters, unlike in Seattle or San Francisco, are the minority here. I ignore them, unless they get too noisily arrogant. There are actual "hippies," but they're amongst the faculty here. There are sane, put-together people here too. I've heard about them, I just haven't met them yet.

Tons of Nightlife, Not All My Cup of Tea Though

There are lots of clubs and bars here, but I don't drink. There have been some great musicians playing at places in town, like Barenaked Ladies, Weird Al, and lots I can't remember. If I could afford the ticket prices, the 'music scene' here is great. Tons of parties, clubs, and events on campus too. I hear ambulances and fire engines taking away drunken freshmen quite often. The college housing is super noisy at night. But the library often stays open until midnight if you prefer. Once the quarter gets rolling and the regular bus schedules start up, it's easy to get around town at all hours. Aside from all that, the shopping is pretty good. No actual malls or anything like that, but several movie theaters and lots of novel, overpriced places and a good thrift shop.

Check in With Online Portals and Offices Early and Often

My financial aid covers everything (because I won a $10,000 Regent's Scholarship), but if I hadn't checked my portal and phoned people several times a week in the months leading up to (and a few weeks after) the start of my first quarter to fix lost paperwork and other snafoos, I'd still be assigned almost 15,000 dollars in loan debt because they were going to take away work study and leave the loans. As is, I'm down to about $5000 in loans with everything else covered by grants or work study. Good aid people here, but you gotta stay on the ball at all times by phoning and visiting offices whenever anything fishy looking pops up on your account. Also, plan way ahead if you can.