I was planning on attending San Jose State instead but when I checked on my financial aid packet...wow! UCSC offered me more aid..

I'm going there! finally! I've been waiting for someone to start this thread so that I know that there will be other soompiers going there as well. I heard ucsc is the "gem" of the UCs and that it has a really beautiful campus. I'm wondering if we need to bring bikes to ucsc, I think davis people need one but just not sure about this school

I don't go to UCSC (I actually go to UCSD, just an alphabet letter away lol) but don't get a bike until you check out the school because I bought a bike for UCSD and that was pretty stupid since it's a little hilly and we have a schoolwide shuttle service.

LOL! I'm going there too!!! and I've been waiting for someone to start a UCSC topic too! hahaha
There seems to be already 4 people on soompi going there, then now the 3 of us

I don't really know much about UCSC, just that its a "party school" as everybody has told me.
you guys attending Fall 2007 right?

actually it's the 2nd party UC school..after UC Santa Barbara..
I wouldn't really recommend a bike..when I went there..it wasn't really hilly but hilly enough to not want to ride a bike...or it was when I visited.

I didn't know everyone was waiting for this thread to start.

I also heard that UCSC is the 2nd youngest UC....

WOOOOO!!!!! INCOMING BANANA SLUGS!!!
How exciting! Hi you guys, I'm currently a 2nd year at UCSC and I love Santa Cruz!! It's a small town (their downtown is only a block , so there's no Pho or In n Out, unfortunately ; however, Santa Cruz is FILLLED with amazing, friendly people! Though the campus is filled with hills, there are many shortcuts to get to your class and the walk itself is not bad at all. These walks and hills will help your freshman15 . We have buses and shuttles that will take you to designated stops by your classrooms as well. Be proud that you guys are the CHOSEN ONES!! mwahahaha to enter into one of the most beautiful campuses in the nation ;]

If you guys got any questions, feel free to PM me, I'm really, really nice! Trust me. I've made some UCSC Soompi friends ;]

OH! And another thing. UCSC is NOT A PARTY SCHOOL. sorry for those who've been looking forward to crazy parties, that's all UCSB UCSC is a very mellow school, where everybody is pretty much laid-back and go with the flow. There are parties here and there, but they are not in the open. If you're looking for a party, you might as well plan one or LOOK FOR ONE :]

Have a good one my future fellow banana sluggies! ^_____^

O boy, me and Khanh are gunna have a fun time hazing all the newbies bwhaha. Anyway, it's a nice peaceful school, some people can be loud and party too much, but they normally fail all of their classes so they're gone after a quarter or two. Ya definitely not a party school, DEFINITELY some odd characters on campus though. Bikes.. I kinda want to bring one, but more for recreation than getting anywhere, it's really hilly, so biking people are like flying all over the place at like 35MPH.. super dangerous. All classes are generally within 15 mins walking distance.. and there are buses, but I opt to not take them very often because I like walking.

See you around!

O ya, College Ten for life.

Yeah, I actually go to UCSC, hence the name SLUG(I had to create a new one since my other username "was not in [soompi's] records). Heh, anyhow, the campus is really large(last I heard, the campus is around 24 acres).

Anyhow, bringing a BIKE is okay, but unnecessary. If you live at COLLEGE TEN, then you're basically in the middle of everything, which makes everything about a 15 minute walk away. There are also buses too, that take you to other stops on the campus, as well as downtown Santa Cruz. Oh yeah, and speaking of BIKES this guy got pulled over and got a double ticket for speeding and not stopping at a stop sign. HAHAHAHAHAHA!

As for parties, there actually are a lot, but not known. There are a lot of dances though, if you're looking to mingle.

Anyway, GO TO UCSC! It's a great place for people that are chill(kick back and relaxed type). Funny though, since the other day this ASIAN FRAT tried to punk a few of my floor mates. Hahaha, that was funny. I wish I was there. =/

Well yeah, everyone is usually chill. Nobody fights around here, and usually ends their drama by talking. VIOLENCE IS NOT THE ANSWER.

BOO NO NAME NUMBERED COLLEGES! GO CROWN!! YEE!! HAhahahha jk :]
Yeh despite Mr. Sluggie's floormate's experience with Asian Frats, GREEK ORGANIZATIONS ARE NOT BAD, they are nice EVERYBODY IS NICE :[, those guys who started beef just happened to be in a frat GOsh what a way to ruin your reputation you buttholes! But yehhh.

AND NO! THERE IS NO HAZING! Don't scare them, Tepper!

go crown! lets have a las palmas or shoguns meet!

sushi ga hoshiiii!

CROWN SUCKS. I hate having to walk by there when I go to the gym. LOL, JK.

I'm thinking about attending (Fall 2007). From online pictures of the campus and descriptions of it, it certainly sounds really beautiful. I'm not sure what I would think about it, though; I'm not very used to being in such a... nature-ish environment. I like that students are laidback and generally not as cutthroat competitive, though. The main factors that are making me hesitant are its location/weather and that it is far (to me) from home.

Oh yesss.... hearing that its a laidback school makes me feel so much better, now I definitely want to pick this one over davis then hahaha

I got few questions about UCSC~~~ I'll just ask here since some people might have these questions in mind anyways?

1) Can you pick a roommate if live in dorm? like a friend from high school
2) Does people really leaves their door open to make friends with others?
3) How many classes do you have per week? for around 15 units?
4) Which dorm do you recommend to stay in? for a Health Science or maybe Computer Science major. (I'm thinking of crown college)
5) Why can't freshman live in apartment?
6) For gym, do you have to sign up for membership? how much per month?

1. I'm pretty sure you can. These two guys I know were high school buddies that decided to dorm together.
2. Yeah, some people really do leave their doors open. I wasn't very frantic about it at first, but I started to do it, thanks to KONEEE(hahaha, she suggested it to me ).
3. For 15 units, that is about 3 classes. MWF classes meet 3 times a week for 1hr 10minutes. TTH classes meet twice a week for 1hr 45minutes. There are usually sections(taught by TA's(teacher assistants) once or twice a week). You do have a lot of free time.
4. I recommend COLLEGE TEN 'cause it's nice and clean and in the middle of everything.
5. I don't know.
6. Gym is free for students. You sign this paper that says the gym isn't liable for any injuries or something, then you're good to go!

My friend says that on 4/20, everyone goes to a field and smoke weed, and that on the first day of rain, people will run around naked.

Hi Kon

Not everybody. But yes. The first rain is monumental, dont get any ideas and run solo though.

AH AUDREY I MISS YOU <333
YES! 4/20 is crazy here HAHAHA you see a huge cloud of smoke in the field.
And we have a tradition where everybody runs naked during the first rain*
*First Rain must be after 9PM, not some wimpy sprinkling rain, must occur on the day of or after the first day of instruction of the school year :]

1) Can you pick a roommate if live in dorm? like a friend from high school
Yes, you can pick a roommate to live with in the dorm; however, whom you want to roommate with must be the same gender as you. You both must also sign up for the same college in order for this roommate selection to work

2) Does people really leaves their door open to make friends with others?
Yes they do! AND IT WORKS! When I was living in the dorms, my roommate and I kept the door open all the time! People will come in and introduce themselves or give you random visits! Leaving the door open is a must once you settle into your dormroom. Don't close yourself off-- it's harder to make friends that way.

3) How many classes do you have per week? for around 15 units?
Each class is 5 units, which means you will pick 3 classes. Some classes come with secondary classes like discussions/sections with your TAs. Labs are 1-2 units and they are sometimes required for certain classes. Since some of you are freshman, make sure to only enroll into 2 classes because you need to leave one open for a Core Class (requirement for all freshman).

4) Which dorm do you recommend to stay in? for a Health Science or maybe Computer Science major. (I'm thinking of crown college)
CROWN COLLEGE!!! is full of people who are computer literate and is in some sort of science major. But in the end, it doesn't really matter which college you end up in. CROWN COLLEGE HAS COOLER PEOPLE!!! MWAHAHHA

5) Why can't freshman live in apartment? sad.gif
The only apartments freshmen can live in are the KRESGE APARTMENTS (Kresge College does not have any dorms, only apartments). I can't say why freshman can't live in apartments, but my theory is that living in dorms will help you make friends BIG TIME. My whole dorm is like a huge family, aww I miss them :[

6) For gym, do you have to sign up for membership? how much per month?
I don't go to the gym, but I KNOW IT'S FREE whatever mr. slug said up there!

the schools been crowded with tours the past week. so many boppers with their tall tees and baggy pants running around the campus bothered me.

anywayy, you all should take yoga and hit the gym, its funnnnn

Ya, mine's actually open most of the time except when I'm showering or in class... or asleep. Some people on my floor leave their doors open when they sleep, but only a crack for fresh air.

Lol speaking of crowds of people, there were some angry hippies chanting outside my window last week . Oh well.

i spent 2 years at ucsc.
there were not much hk ppl.....so i didn't exactly enjoy it that much

whoa..this thread grew...

*runs off to read the comments

edit:

1. From reading about the units..that means it's possible to double major, right? You can double major and graduate within 4 years?

2. Is it cheaper to buy stuff not academically related at the student store or off campus?

3. Does UCSC have a course catalog? I want to see the units/courses they offer or do I have to log in and use people soft?

1. Double majors are possible. Don't know much about the details though.
2. Non academically related materials are usually cheapest in stores such as Walmart or Target; however, Santa Cruz is not a big fan of large businesses, so everything is relatively expensive. Though, I do think that things downtown are cheaper than at the Slugstore(where you buy books and everyday things). Depending on where you live, it's always cool to go home on the weekends and stock up; I tend to do that.
3. As for course catalog, it can be found here. Make sure to change the session to FALL, WINTER, or SPRING. I'm sure classes are usually the same every year, though some courses are not offered in different quarters.

It is possible to double major, and even possible to double major in 3 years!!! I have a friend who is a 3rd year, double majoring and she's graduating this year!!!! I AM SOOO JEALOUS! and on top of that, she's the president of a sorority! my, my, my, very admirable she is. What a role model AHHA, she's hecka pretty too :/ I don't know how she does it, ... I just don't know.... BUT she IS a busy bee and she is very good at time management so I'm not surprised




Student stores on campus ARE A RIP-OFF!!!! They jack up the price like crazy :/ NOT WORTH IT :]

Thanks for the catalog! Santa Cruz is starting to sound like Palo Alto.


Wow..it really is like Palo Alto. She must have taken a bunch of AP courses before? Now I regret not taking my ap exams more seriously.

Besides downtown..are there any other reasonable priced stores? Or do students usually go out of town to buy stuff? I live about 2 1/2 hours away from Santa Cruz but I don't plan on going home every weekend.

That's a lame excuse not to enjoy things. I didn't go, hey there's a lot of white people here, I love it!... I like only have a couple white people friends. And there are quite a few HK'ers here now at least.

my kid bro is going there. i visited him twice. it's literally in the middle of a forest.

Technically, it's the edge of the forest because the beach is like a couple miles away. But yes, if there's a particular thing that theres more of than white people at UCSC, it's got to be trees.. or deer.

are you talking about teresa?!

can anyone tell me about the dorms? what they generally have already inside? and what I might/have to bring?

At least here at Ten dorms come standard with: A desk with a drawer, a bookshelf, a small set of drawers for who knows what and a large drawer set for clothes a heater, oh ya and a bed. There are TV, Phone and Internet jacks as well as wireless internet but it's up to you if you think you'd want to bring a TV or anything. If you want to be a baller, bring a mini fridge and a microwave.. I got sick of the dinning hall after a year and a half. Speaking of.. time to go to Crown/Merill. I can post pics of my dirty room later, but mine's a single so it's half the size of a double.

I suppose I'm a "baller" then. I have a mini fridge(although it really isn't so mini) a microwave and a 27inch LCD TV and WII to top that off!!!


Anyhow, doubles are fairly large and much cheaper to live in.

PS. I JUST GOT BANNED FROM RESNET FOR TWO FREAKING WEEKS FOR DOWNLOADING AN EPISODE OF HEROES. AMAZING! ON TOP OF THAT, I HAVE TO GO TO A MEETING WITH A RESNET GUY AND DO A COPYRIGHT TEST.

PS AGAIN. BECAUSE I AM ANNOYED BY UCSC FOR THE ABOVE REASON, DON'T BELIEVE THEM WHEN THEY SAY YOU HAVE TO BUY AN EXTRA LONG TWIN BED SET FOR THE BEDS. A REGULAR TWIN SIZE BED COVER IS A PERFECT FIT. THOSE GUYS ARE JUST TRYING TO GET MORE MONEY!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Woooooah wtf? That's the first I've ever heard of charges being pressed against TV, I mean it's publicly accessible. So what Resnet is saying is VCR's are illegal? Anyone with a TV and an antenna can watch heroes albeit with commercials but seriously WTF. I hate resnet but I might try to work for them cuz im poor.

NBC = Free To Air.. so what's the big deal? I guess I'll have to look up US Copyright law to see how they're able to be so agressive with something floating in the airwaves normally.

Dude there are a buttload of HKers, I see them everywhere man o___O


YESS!! SHE'S SO PRETTY!



Alright as for the dorms, it really depends which college you pick for how big or small it is. I'm pretty sure all dorms have a bed, desk, chair, drawer, and some sort of closet thing (or someplace to put more clothes). The nicest looking dorms are college 9 and 10... BUT IT'S JUST LIKE HIGHSCHOOL (DRAMA FOR YOUR MAMA) ahahah xD

i'm a first yr bananasluggy right now and i had a really good year. i have lots of crazy friends who are always down for crazy stuff and i enjoy myself thoroughly.

I heard that Porter College..is...er...has a lot of crazy people there?

Porter is known to have a lot of hippies, art junkies, carefree, just people who know how to enjoy themselves. The people at Porter are very social; people would hang out in the grassy quad area just to socialize, play their instruments, play games with each other (4 square, hackiesack), and etc.

Porter is filled with very nice and friendly people, sometimes few of the greatest people you will ever meet. I don't know why people tend to avoid Porter though, my hypothesis is that people are too afraid to go out of their comfort zone (or would be somewhat closeminded) to explore this college _{(college 9 and 10 HAHAHA you high schoolers!)}

KEKEKKKEKE

The only thing that sucks about this college is their dorms, but I think Porter has a great dining hall though. If people say Porter dining hall sucks, it's because 1. they have never TRIED eating there 2. the last time they ate was probably last year ahahha. 3. they're stuck with the mindset that everything at Porter sucks.
THE DINING HALL IS REALLY GOOD! well this year it is. mmmm :]

HA TO RESNET. WE STILL HAVE CRUZNET.

CRUZNET FTW.

Dude, like 3 or 4 of my floormates got banned from resnet this weekend too. hahaha and some other people I know. Wow, Resnet is taking this copyright issue to the extreme.

Puh leeze fool I was a friggin Pre-Art, I spent like all last year in Porter/Visual Arts. C 10 baby. Porter people are very.. carefree indeed.

^ Hahahaha, Koneee is right. I am too afraid to explore other colleges. The only time I leave college ten is when I need to go to class outside of it or if I'm going to the gym. I don't even eat at any other dining hall.

i feel the same way about college 8 @____@
hahaha

I HAVE AN IMPORTANT QUESTION!

When you're doing the online application to accept and then following that..there are more steps.. I seem to be stuck on step 3 when choosing my house preferences..if I click on No Preferences..nothing happens! If I type in a college name then this pops up:

Invalid value -- press the prompt button or hyperlink for a list of valid values
(15,11)

What's up with that? Can Freshmen choose their housing preferences?

don't type in the names....
When the "No Preference" is not checked, you have to pick 5 preferences. Click on the magnifying glass, then click on "Lookup" then click on the name of the place you want to get in.

Here are my preferences for now:
*edit*
Preference 1: Ten
Preference 2: Nine
Preference 3: Crown
Preference 4: Kresge
Preference 5: Cowell

You have to fill out all spaces >.<
any suggestion for a good place to stay at? what are the chances of getting into your preference #1?
few other questions...
- *edit* nvm
- Are laptops and belongings get stolen often?

Oh, so that's why it wouldn't work..thanks a bunch! I'm putting the newest colleges as my top 2 preferences...then Kresge, Crown, Porter...I think so....

WOOOO ANOTHER CROWNIEEEE

The best place to stay at is College 9 and 10, because those are the NEWEST DORMS on campus. NEWEST meaning, BIG ROOMS (well, bigger than all the other) NEW BATHROOMS and nice, clean, and everything! Plus Colleges 9/10 are basically in the middle of the campus, so you SHOULDN'T have an excuse to be late to class because everything should be walking distance.

Because College 9/10 are new, a LOOOOOOOOT of people try apply to them (so good luck with that).

I suggest not to apply for Merrill College, no one goes to Merrill, it is like the outcast college HHAHAHA jp, but yeh.

I think the biggest reason why C9/10 are in big demand is because I live there. Ya, I said it.. I am awesome.

aww, i miss sc! can't wait to go back~

C9 wha wha!!

College 9 and 10? New? Big? whew okay glad to know about that. haha I think im not going to survive out there when i go. I dont like nature that much. =( are there good shopping areas? is there alot of bugs? Wheres the nearest pho/korean bbq place? gahhh help me. =(

o_____o ....
You don't like nature much? UCSC is basically feels like you're going to Science Camp, soooo........ ... are you sure you chose the right college? Hahaha, what's wrong with nature?
There's not much shopping in Santa Cruz, nor pho or Korean bbq places. Sorry, this college not taken over by Asians, so Asian food is rare. Nearest Pho/Korean BBQ place would be San Jose. If you want to shop, you can always go to Capitola Mall, which I heard is not so great anyway, your best bet is San Jose.

Ya.. capitola mall is blah. And there isn't even a Lee's sandwiches downtown anymore is there?

^ i wasnt allowed to choose my college. =( my parents decided for me cause santa cruz basically gave me a free ride.

oh boy, im going to die there. Is there a good transportation system to other cities?

edit: eekkki just looked up Capitola Mall on the internet. =( theres not even a nordstroms.

Where is the nearest decent mall?



are there alot of bugs? im scared of bugs. =(