Student Profile
Bryan
- Class: Freshman
- Major:
- Gender: M
- High School: Oak Park High School
- Transfer Student: N
Big Picture
At first the school seems massive and like it will be impossible to navigate, but you learn your way around quickly and can usually get anywhere on campus in under 30 minutes on foot. You seem to spend most of your time on campus in your own residential college, since there is no great central meeting place. The college town is small, but it has a good spread of everything you could possibly need, plus its close to the beach and the boardwalk, which has rides and games. There is tension between the students and administration at times over further development of the school, but for the most part both sides get along fine and the students are pretty much able to do as they please. While there is hardly any emphasis on sports teams, there is definitely a strong sense of school pride since UCSC is such a unique, at times quirky place.
Academic Life
You'll find classes of all sorts of sizes and varying degrees of quality. While UCSC isn't the most prestigious UC, for the most part the professors are still of excellent quality and really know their fields. So far, as an undeclared Freshman, the school has provided a great opportunity to learn information in all sorts of fields, some of which I'll never work in.
Student Body
UCSC is open to just about everyone. It may not be as racially diverse as some would like it to be, but you can still find people from all cultures here. There is a very active LGBT group on campus. Everyone seems to mesh and get along very well. The only type of student that probably wouldn't fit in would be a close minded one, or a very conservative one.
The Best Things
Unique, amazing experience
The Worst Things
Could be more challenging academically
