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UC Santa Cruz
Sueve
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'm gonna go there this year, grad class of '12...
Long story short, anyone want to give me hints/tips/advice for UCSC?
or
Just general College advice? (although more threads have done that before probably. )
Long story short, anyone want to give me hints/tips/advice for UCSC?
or
Just general College advice? (although more threads have done that before probably. )
Sueve on
0
Posts
The campus is beautiful.
The students are infuriating as fuck.
Don't bother living off-campus. Ever. I guarantee it's not worth it.
Other than that... what college are you going to? What's your major?
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Always take advantage of your professor's office hours. You will get a lot more out of the class because most students don't stop by and your instructors (professors and TA's alike) are happy to have someone to chat with when their door is open.
Be aware that some of your teachers are going to bring a personal or political agenda into the classroom. It can be a bit frustrating when you're smart enough to see it. Be prepared for a rough road if you challenge your instructor's ideas, but doing so will make you sharper than the kids who just repeat what they are told.
Go to as many free lectures or music or art events as you can. You might be surprised at what you find... and if it sucks you can just leave early.
Don't go overboard on partying your freshman year. Santa Cruz has a different kind of party scene than my alma mater, but you can go too far with your newfound freedom nonetheless. Have fun but don't do anything really stupid. Trust me when I say that you don't want to end up in a hospital because you didn't know when to quit.
Talk to everybody. You'll be around thousands of people the same age as you and you'll probably never have that kind of opportunity for social interaction again. I wish I had brought a camera with me more often because when I go through my photos I don't have nearly enough pictures of my friends from those days.
Go to a random floor of your library and just look at the books that are there. College libraries are great.
Be a volunteer. I did environmental restoration work. helped out at a food bank and tutored kids from tough circumstances when I was in college. When you're a grown-up you have a lot less spare time and you can learn a lot through volunteer work and put it on your resume later.
Get to know the town that you're in. Every college town has good local places that are tucked away from the tourists and the classmates who annoy you. There's hikes and secluded places that not a lot of people know about. Or a used bookstore off the beaten path whose owner lets you study there. Or a divey bar somewhere that has just a couple of locals plus you and your friends on karaoke night. Search them out, it's worth it.
Find some sort of student activity thing you're into, like martial arts or music or pottery or whatever. Clubs can seem kinda lame and 'high school' but you'll meet people that you wouldn't run across otherwise. I learned a lot about west african drumming because of a club that I was in... the weird part is that it wasn't a club that had anything to do with music (it was tai chi) and we were just in the same place at the same time and decided to hang out.
Take opportunities to do research projects or do field studies when you're in your upper division classes. I was an Ecology & Evolution major, and the three months I spent out at a research station in the White Mountains was the best time I ever had in college. The insane part? That so many students applied to take advantage of the opportunity.
That cute girl who sits at the other table in your lab class? Go say hi. You might end up living together for a few years. She might change your life. She might introduce you to an awesome band you never heard of before, or be a good study partner. You never know.
Don't pretend you're going to study at the beach. Just go to the beach.
The insane part was that so many students didn't apply for the opportunity. I mean seriously, getting to live out at a university research station, get credits for doing case studies out in the field and having the weekends to go backpacking? At a UC, there are great opportunities like this, and you're robbing yourself if you don't say what the heck and just give it a shot.
Man, I'm excited.
It's funny how Lonely Planet descibed UCSC as "ultra-liberal" whereas in the UK (from what I know of UCSC) we'd describe it as "politically active." UCSC's political leanings are sort of expected at UK unis
I've only met a few undergrad students here and they seem alright? Though they seem to have a lot of stereotypes based on what college you live at.
My general college advice has already been said, really just try to take advantage of stuff. My first two years of college I was miserable; I studied all the time and had a 4.0, but I hated being there. Then junior year I basically said to hell with grades (to a small extent) and actually made an effort to try new things, like studying abroad and performing in a play. People say the first two weeks of college are the best time to meet new people, but that doesn't mean it's ever too late to change.
I'm starting at Computer Science there.
Are you in E2? What's it like? Are there good computer labs where it sort of settles that people have "their" computer (even though they're communal)
Do go off-campus, though. Places that I would definitely hit: Westside Video, indie video store that has everything. Logos, two-story used bookstore that will destroy your wallet if you let it. Poet and Patriot, the best (well, possibly the only) Irish pub in SC. The Crepe Place, good crepes that will add 10 pounds to your ass but are still oh so good (get the chocolate mocha pie). Natural Bridges, especially during the fall - monarch butterflies migrate there to mate and lay their eggs, and around October the eucalyptus grove will be full of them. Jacks - best burgers in town. The Red Room, decent bar and hook-up place. Kiva - clothing-optional spa. Quite relaxing, if you're not weirded out by being surrounded by naked people. Marianne's Ice Cream - homemade ice cream in all sorts of interesting and old-fashioned flavors. Pleasure Pizza - arguably the best pizza in town. (Pizza My Heart sucks.) Santa Cruz Diner - quite possibly the worst waitress in the history of food service worked there, and probably still does. I'm convinced she's a zombie, brought to life by the owner to serve bad coffee. You will know exactly who I'm talking about if you go there.
Oh, speaking of naked people, be aware of the tradition known as First Rain. The first time it rains in the school year, students will strip and run around campus naked through the rain. It's a little like the Naked Mile, but with fewer frat bros and sorority sisters and more hippies and pierced tattooed people.
Another random piece of trivia: the wood sculpture in the Stevenson courtyard (affectionately referred to as 'the boat') has been hollowed out as a hash pipe in two places.
If you happen to find yourself up past 11 and hungry, Banana Joe's has two locations on campus that sell gut-destroying nachos and bad pizzas until 1 am. At least they did while I was going there. The food is terrible, it's probably legally classifiable as toxic waste, but really that's part of its charm.
Don't ever live off-campus. I guarantee that it is not worth it.
Make friends with Porter students. Go to parties at Porter college. Just trust me on this. I can't really go into detail why.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
If you love hiking, biking, surfing, and nature in general, Santa Cruz is an amazing place. If you are at all unsure about your opinion on abortion (FOR SOME, TINY AMERICAN FLAGS FOR OTHERS!), the military (FUCK THAT NOISE!), and/or distribution of wealth (FREEDOM FROM WANT!), then the student and general populace may not endear you too much.
Also, no fast food. Some people love that fact...I personally need Taco Bell or Jack in the Box every once in a while to balance out my normal, somewhat-healthy diet (I was raised in a poor family, fast food is unfortunately comfort food to me).
But really...you're going to have tons of fun. Doesn't get much better than college and its combination of adult freedoms with lack of responsibilities. I envy you.
Santa Cruz is pretty much a smaller San Francisco in terms of politics, the central coast of CA is a pretty liberal place.
There are ten colleges within UCSC, each with their own separate vibe and area of study. I chose Crown because it's science oriented (thus I figured that's where all the gamers would be, but they're prevalent all throughout the campus), and it has a really good location relative to the rest of the school (right above the bookstore and really close to all the major classroom areas).
Here's a quick rundown of the colleges, in order of when they were first established, as well as their most well-known features.
1. Cowell: I think it's for poli sci majors, not sure. Closest to OPERS (the gym, pool, basketball courts, etc), amazing view of the ocean.
2. Stevenson: Definitely for poli sci majors. Attached to Cowell (they share the same dining hall), but the dorms are shit. They have heaters that you can't turn off, it's a nightmare. Both Cowell and Stevenson are the first stops for the buses.
3. Crown. HUGE hill to get up to, and its apartments are the northernmost point of the entire campus. I went here, kinda small-ish dorms, but since we have more incoming freshmen than ever, it'll only get worse. Full of comp sci, bio, chem, and biochem majors, really good video gaming crowd.
4. Merrill. Merrill is Crown's Stevenson. Heavily liberal focus. It's dubbed "sterile Merrill" because nothing ever happens there. They share Crown's dining hall.
5. Kresge. Kresge is tucked off to the side of the campus, as if UCSC is ashamed of it. It's right next to Science Hill and Baskin, which is convenient if you're gonna be a hard science major, but Kresge itself is focused on feminist studies, which I found out the hard way. It's also considered the "stoner" campus. There are no dorms, instead, incoming freshman (as well as anyone who chooses to stay there after their first year), live in these nice apartments...or rather, they'd be nice if you could get the smell of weed out.
6. Porter. Porter is the fine arts campus. Painting, creative writing, film, and music majors all tend to go here. It's also the considered the college of "wtf is he/she/it wearing". I saw a guy wearing cat ears with a cat tail attached to his belt walking around. Ugh. It's also the birthplace of "first rain", a tradition we've had since who knows when. Basically, as soon as it rains AFTER classes start, people gather around Porter's fountain, strip bare ass naked, and then proceed to run a lap around the entire school (which is fucking exhausting because UCSC is nothing but hills).
7. Oakes. Oakes is like Merrill and Stevenson, an afterthought attached to a college (in this case it's attached to College Eight, which I'll get to). While College 8 is shiny, new, and reminds you of the stereotypical imagery associated with colleges, Oakes is made of ugly brown buildings covered in shingles. It's called "The box that college eight came in". Awesome parties though. Interestingly enough, Oakes also has the highest number of blacks and Latinos.
8. College 8. This is considered the "abercrombie and bitch" college. Full of snooty, rich. motherfuckers, but they also have a sweet view of the ocean. My friend worked as an RA there, on move-in day, one of the parents asked "so when do the maids come by to clean up my son's room?" When he was informed that UCSC does not, in fact, have a maid service, he flipped out. True story. College 8 also throws kickass parties.
9. College 9. College 9 and 10 are basically the same thing, so I won't make a separate paragraph for College 10. They are considered the "Asian" colleges. Nothing but Chinese immigrants. They do have the biggest, most luxurious dorms, as they are the newest college.
OP: Go look at a map of the campus. Crown, 9, and 10 are the most conveniently located. Oakes and Porter are pretty isolated, but they're closest to the arts facilities. Your major doesn't really have a bearing on where you should live, but you'll be more likely to have dormmates that are studying the same thing you are.
In terms of city, downtown is where you'll be going for dinner with friends, movies, shopping, etc. It's basically just one long road with everything packed into it. The boardwalk has a giant arcade and is right next to the beach. There are buses that go to those that are pretty frequent.
Basically, as long as you stay social, you'll have a great time. Don't hole up in your dorm room, introduce yourself to all your dormmates on move-in day, and keep your door propped open whenever you're in, and I guarantee people will drop by.
Going to 8. Hopefully I can avoid the A&B kids, but after orientation today, my hopes arn't to high. I do like kickass parties, and I'm glad i'm not in the stoner college, because i would be tempted to smoke on the daily.
420.
My cousin goes to UC Santa Cruz. He's an third year electrical engineering major. Believe he'll be living in Oakes, like he did last year.
He's a hugely into surfing so naturally he loves going to school there. Surf in the morning, class during the day, surf in the evening.
Yes, I work in E2. I don't know about communal computer labs though, I work in the Computer Vision lab, and I have my own cubicle with a computer there. Most of the other CS labs I've seen in E2 have sort of a similar setup, mostly cubicles and individual workspaces, and then an informal meeting area with a whiteboard for meetings and stuff. I only write code though, so I'm not sure how it is if you use equipment and stuff. Do you know who you're working with, or in which lab? I might be able to be more specific.
(excuse spelling, getting home from the beers)
The plan is to work with Michael Mateas/Noah Wardrip-Fruin in the Expressive Intelligence Studio.
Don't let my post pre-determine how you perceive people at UCSC. For the most part, everybody is really nice.
Oh, nevermind then, I don't know anyone who works there. Sorry. >_<
I graduated from UCSC in 2006, but Brodo pretty much touched on everything specific-college related you'll need to know. For what it's worth, I went to Nine, which was decent, if only for the nice dorms. The reason it seems there are a lot of foreign students there is that the international dorms are part of Nine. I mostly liked it for its proximity to Upper Campus (great hiking) and the forest. It's also at, more or less, the top of campus, so it's sort of a pain in the ass to get anywhere.
Anyway, I think you said you're going to Eight, which is cool. I had a bunch of classes there in my senior year, and I loved the views. Just don't be afraid to go to the other colleges once in awhile, and try to make some friends outside of Eight, so you don't spend all your time there.
Feral's got some great advice about the city. I found that in my freshman year, a lot of my time was spent on campus simply because I didn't have a car (though my good friend did) and it can be kind of a slog to get down to town and back.
As such: Learn the bus routes. Memorize them.
Though this won't apply until next year, move off of campus in your sophomore year, but only if you have regular access to a car or can deal with taking the metro. For what it's worth, I moved to the East Side (near Soquel) and loved the area. Once I got used to it, the commute wasn't too bad either.
First rain is a must. Don't smoke too much weed. Hike a lot. Don't let the nutjobs get to you. Don't become one. Go down to Capitola if you have a chance - it's beautiful. Most of all, have fun. I loved the place, and fondly remember the time I spent there.