15 Things I Wish I Knew Before Going To UC Santa Cruz 

As long as you put in the effort to make friends/explore college life, you’ll find the right people.... Santa Cruz wasn’t even on my radar when I applied but the opportunities I’ve had outweigh any negatives

I am going to choose UCSC but I am so nervous! I am from L.A and use to the city life so this will be a interesting ride.

Rate my professor is a must! Please use this everytime you are choosing your classes, it can literally save your life....everyone, please please please for the love of ucsc take drapper for statistics....i took him, he is rlly good which is also evident in rate my professor, but alsothe other stats prof are horrible and make it 100x harder for no reason

I go to UC Berkeley, but I really wanna go to UC Santa Cruz for grad school! I feel like it's a really underrated school! 🌲🐌

me watching this having lived in Santa Cruz my whole life but not going to ucsc. I find it so interesting hearing people talk about Santa Cruz and the school. so trippy

I’m excited to (likely) move onto campus this summer! I’ll be (re-)transferring in (after starting winter ‘we quarter and postponing due to covid) as a junior anthropology major. I did not have a good experience with online classes as an upperclassman in anthropology. It’s just not a major made for remote learning. Your points about the college experience are so true and I too highly recommend building relationships with professors and participating in research opportunities. Thank you for the great info in this video! I really appreciated it!

Im currently a second year at UCSC and def agree with most of your points! But I do think college affiliation may affect your experience or who you're friends with bc I think some colleges are just really good at community building. :) I'm an Oakes affiliate and have made sooo many friends at Oakes and RCC and I've loved being in that community.

your videos encouraged me to apply and now im really excited to commit!!! also a vid about getting involved in research would be very helpful at least to me :)

dude this was so helpful. i got accepted as a computer science transfer for fall 2021 and happened to come across your channel so it's pretty cool that you had info about comp sci classes lol. thank you!

hey(: i’ve been watching your vids since i sent in my application back in november and i just committed to ucsc a couple days ago!! your videos have been such a huge help especially being first gen i have no idea what i’m in for a lot of the time. sometimes i show my mom your vids for her to also get a better idea of the school and she always says you’re so cute haha. thank you for all your help(:

Just got into UCSC! Not committed yet but excited either way :)))) THANK YOU!

I've been binging your videos ever since I found you while looking into UCSC (which I realllyyyyy want to transfer to) and I love them!! BTW YOU LOOK SO PRETTYYYYY

I was a politics major and I wish I had known more about the white savior complex among many of the student activists AND the performative activism of other students. Also I wish I had known that getting groceries without a car is like a full day activity

Banana joes! Omg....i love the cafes...the asai bowls and even the prepackaged food from the student store....i loved those pita chicken sandwiches....and from banana joes, the best thing are the monster fries and the chimichurri fries, to die for

Great video! I recently got accepted to UCSC & I submitted my SIR. I’m excited to attend but this video helped cleared a lot of questions, thanks!

i would love a research vid! i just committed to ucsc recently and would love to see different perspectives on the research realm of college :)

As someone who has lived in SC my whole life, I love seeing the point of view of a UCSC student! This was so interesting to watch :)

yay glad you're back!!

Omg i love the dh! Tbh 9/10 has the best DH, the best salad and breakfast bar and its closest to everything....to student health, library, all the colleges....the dh pizza is bomb

Simran always with the great advice!!

Timestamps: 1. [0:49] Impacted Majors - You have to apply to take these majors, or else you will be denied 2. [2:13] Large Class Sizes (Many are 100+) 3. [3:03] Take some community college classes before attending 4. [3:54] Party Scene - Not a Party School 5. [4:42] Activism on campus - Some students protest on campus, but its separate from administration 6. [5:24] The Location - The school is hidden in the trees, not close to the beach/boardwalk 7. [6:29] Laid back student culture 8. [7:08] Dining Hall - food is good; note that you aren't close to many fast food locations in UCSC 9. [7:39] Online Learning - Can be good or bad; check rate my professor reviews made in 2020+ to see how they've adjusted 10. [8:29] Office Hours - Intimate setting for better understanding and better relationships with professors 11. [8:56] College changes you as a person. You'll grow and change through the years 12. [9:46] Research based school, get to research topics over many semesters not just one; broadens your horizons 13. [11:03] Cost of living - the city is expensive and the dorm rooms are tiny 14. [11:53] Internships - Kind of a hard search 15. [12:36] Campus Affiliation - Don't stress over it too bad; it doesn't dictate your entire life. Definitely go to events at other colleges and meet people

I got waitlisted for Santa Cruz, but I really hope I get off!! Thanks for all the great information :)

i just got accepted and i plan on attending ucsc!!! im excited but also very nervous.

yay hi!! 🌼 thanks for the video, super helpful!

Activism from admins or professors....it really just depends on the professors you hang out with.....stem isnt as diverse especially with BIPOC, but humanities is so you hear a lot of activism and allyship amongst those groups

There are programs you can be apart of that give you priority, like if ur in EOP freshman yr, your enrollment date and time is with seniors ....this comes from personal experience

this was so helpful thank you

i love the aesthetic of ur channel

Watching this now over two years later. I got waitlisted for many months before being accepted in mid June, so it was a bit turbulent at first, but I was able to enroll in some summer courses and will be starting the fall quarter in just under two weeks. Fortunately, I’ve lived in a forest near Santa Cruz for most of my life, so I guess living on campus won’t be so much as it is for other students. But anyways, I’m excited to begin. Thanks for the advice.

hi! i got accepted into UCSC and have committed as a marine biology major. i’m super excited to move to california and attend UCSC!! this video was soooo helpful thank you :))

currently living on campus rn! the dining hall options atm are not great tbh, its pretty mediocre and gets old quick (there are currently only 2 dining halls open and not very many options). also in terms of the size of the dorms, having seen my sister in a ucsd triple nearly half the size of a ucsc double, I honestly don't mind it (that being said, I currently have a triple to myself lol). so far, all but one of my classes have had under 40 students, but i'm also just a freshman so 🤷‍♀️. for me the worst part has been the social life, the campus does nothing to facilitate any sort of events or gatherings, and besides social media it's incredibly hard to meet new people (especially if your floor is one of the less-occupied ones). obviously these are mostly covid-specific issues, but I just thought I'd share my experience!

literally just committed an hour ago & this video helped so much thank you!!

I’m definitely drawn to nature so it is so beautiful when I see pictures of the schools

I just commited to UCSC, this video seemed so helpful!

Haha I was a UCSC student 2001-2003 (really only on campus 3 qtrs and a summer, studied abroad '02-'03. Crown-Merrill Apartments). Anyway, so true about the "party scene" back then too. I think it had been voted "best party campus" a year before that or something. Maybe the R.A.s had to crack down more but sure there might be a party to be had at times but mostly low-key and seemed off-campus always had better options.

Very helpful! 🙏

I just got accepted! I am super excited. I got the Business Management Economics major’ ! If anyone knows more about this major please let me know!!! This video was super helpful to me and I am glad I could see your point of view as a UCSC student.

I just committed to SC! I'm really excited (and kinda terrified since I've heard a lot of bad things, but ah well) lol. We'll see how it goes! (:

Large classes are different per major, as i got out of my core classes or GEs and more into my major, my major classes were always 30 ppl .....a little background, freshman yr i was an EE major, then switched to psych my 2nd yr then fem my 3rd yr.

Hey! I got accepted aand have already committed to UCSC! My top college is Kresge. Thanks so much for this video it was so helpful!

Hey! I'm coming in proposed as a CS and Game Design major. Two things: 1) Am I technically categorized as a CS major, or do I have to waitlist classes for enrollment? 2) Is it possible to switch to normal CS from CSGD when I end up declaring (at the end of the first year or smth)? I know the classes for both are relatively the same in the beginning, so I'm wondering if that's possible. Thanks!

you're editing!! >

I'm a transfer and would love a video around research opportunities and internships! Love your videos :)

Awesome video! I'm a second year CS major with Kresge affiliation. Here are my thoughts on some of your points: 2) I'm def a large class fan also it's not as bad as most people make it seem, 100% put the effort in and go to section and tutoring. It's so worth it and has def saved me in a few classes. 3) This is definitely a point for all colleges, but now that I know, CC classes are soooo much better AP really isn't worth it at all. I also came from a small HS with not that many APs and 2 of them overlapped 1 GE and another went to something that was useless. 4) I'm not a party person, but I had this impression and was happy to find out how laidback it was. 5) Completely came to realize the same things during those protests 6) I thought I would be on the boardwalk and beach more, honestly, I really only left campus to go places with friends (not super often). Please everyone considering this campus take into mind the location. The separation from the city became a plus the more I knew downtown SC, feeling safe on campus is an amazing thing. It is also insanely beautiful (also not an outdoorsy person) and inspiring, being surrounded by this environment honestly put me in a good mood every day. Although the campus is disorienting at first once you come to know it you'll love it. This was definitely one of my favorite things about the school. Also, freshman 15 is not a thing here, for me it was actually freshman -15. 7) The laidback culture is AWESOME. Even in STEM there isn't too much competitiveness so usually, you only meet a few competitive people and (in my experience) it's just because they're new to the school and came from somewhere that is competitive. DO NOT mistake this for the school having dumb students. I've met so many insanely smart people and the laidback culture only makes this better because you don't feel like you *have* to keep up with them. It's almost more like you *want* to keep up if that makes sense. 8) (DOWNLOAD THE "UCSC Dining - Menu" app it's on iOS, but I'm not sure about android. It lists the food that each dining hall is serving and makes it much easier to decide which you want to eat at) The food is pretty good, but honestly I almost always found myself walking from Kresge to C9/10 Dining hall to eat since they most often had the best food. My sister goes to CalPoly SLO and every time I've eaten on campus there its been expensive, not enough, and not great relative to its price and amount. 9) In my CS classes I haven't had to use ProctorU (fuck ProctorU) so far, so that's been nice. Definitely use RMP and other students in Discord to gauge professors. Not sure if this only applies to CS but just keep in mind that sometimes professors that are rated as hard are the best ones. 10) I'm exactly the same with OH. 11) College definitely will be draining the first year so do all the little things to make everything run smoother. For me, some of these things were utilizing Google Calendar to keep track of my classes (and locations, when it was in person, because campus will be really confusing the first quarter) and going to tutoring to stay on top of things. 12) It's my sophomore spring quarter and I'm working to get some CS research also! Really hoping I can in order to boost my resume for internships. 13) Looking for off-campus housing right now and the prices are truly insane, 100% the biggest downside of UCSC imo. Also keeping in mind having a car is super expensive bc you have to pay for a parking pass, which is not cheap, and if you're a freshman you have to keep it off-campus and either 1. pay for a parking pass at the nearby church or 2. look at the laws and find where you can park legally (you have to move your car every few days so it doesn't get towed) and with either of those you still have to bus to campus (free for students). 14) I'm still on the internship grind right now and haven't been to career fairs and I'm only now looking to join an org so I wish I did those two earlier. Since I'm CS I feel like internships are super important for my future career so I've been working mostly on beefing up my resume with personal projects and some class assignments (this is where *some* harder teachers come in clutch as your assignments will be much better for resumes compared to easier classes). 15) I tried to get C9 and C10 as my college affiliation and actually got Kresge which was my 3rd and I'm so happy I got it because Kresge was pretty much the only way to get "apartment" style rooms as a freshman. What I mean by "apartment" style is you have a kitchen, living room, and bathroom for the people in your apartment and generally there are 6 people per apartment with 2 rooms of 3. The living room is so nice because it's the only way to have friends over that aren't crammed on your bed or something and you can have friends from your hometown visit and sleep on your couch or something. IMPORTANT: Kresge is remodeling and afaik they plan on getting rid of this "apartment" style housing to make room for more people. Just like you said in the end your affiliation doesn't really matter. This is my pros/cons list: Pros: Location Laidback ( I cannot emphasize both of these enough, they are amazing) Cons: Expensive AF (imo this is really the only one for me but it's a big one) Dining hall ratings: 1. C9/10 2. Crown/Merril 3. Rachel Carson/Oakes 4. Stevenson/Cowell (rarely ate there since it was so far) 5. Porter/Kresge (easily the worst and the hours it's open suck) NOTE: Sorry if this is hard to follow and if I repeated some words too much 😂, but these are some things I wish I knew before I started. Random points: For any gamers out there they're starting to get rid of ethernet (which was really decent at 100mbps down and I forget upload). AFAIK Kresge is one of the last places to still have it and will be gone after the remodel ~2023

Nice video, I'll be transferring this fall as a Biology major! :D How exactly did you start reaching out to professors and what qualifications did you need for research?

I got accepted as a computer science major and I’m still debating whether I should commit or not so your videos really help :D thank you !

I know some ppl who have switched from cs to ce and changed within stem majors....its just difficult to do bc there are so many prereqs but the uni gives you extensions or should but thats a choice if someone wants to stay longer, i had a TIM friend who took like 7 years to graduate

Hi! stubbled in watching your video- I'm a community college student thinking of going into cog sci. I'm not really that familiar with the field, however, I am curious to know what your thoughts are with the courses that you took and some viable paths to think about after college! I'm thinking of going to UCSC too- let me know your thoughts :)

Honestly your vids have helped me get pretty excited about attending UCSC. But I don't know what college to pick in UCSC or would it be better to just do random..... I am still trying to figure that out

Two questions. Can a regular student playing no sports have access to the gym? And is their basketball courts on campus where u can jus play ?

I also was accepted very first day for transfer acceptance my program is MCD Biology and only college that seem to fit me would be Crown but I won’t really be involved in that. I be more focus on research and studies then any social events.

Thanks for the info! What would you say the party scene is like?

I recently got accepted but I’m questioning whether I should accept the offer. And I was wondering would you say their classes are harder than other schools or what was most challenging about your classes?

thank u so much for making this. i'm not gonna watch this but i need to boost ur watch time so i'm just gonna let it play on my phone ur welcome

What about financial aid? When will the final offer come in? Wait listed elsewhere.

As a parent, you did an amazing job with this video. Very informative! Can you let me know if you're still checking these comments before I post some questions? Again, great job!

I’m from San Jose and I’m applying to UC Santa Cruz. I’m so glad I’m not into parties or anything like that

The uninformed assist.. as a slam dunk alley oop. Shaquille O'neal .

So I'm thinking of transferring to UCSC for Electrical Engineering (I'm probably gonna get a minor in comp sci since I took the comp sci classes in community college) What's it like for sTEm students there? edit: I'm asking because I saw your minor was in comp sci

Do you know if UCSC is doing in person or hybrid classes? I got accepted last year but decided to defer for a year cause COVID. This year I’m pretty sure I’m going to attend, even if it’s mostly online :)

RATEMYPROFESSOR REALLY IS A GAME CHANGER!!

Is computer Engineering easy to transfer in to from other major?

I’m 20 I took a break from school and really wanna go here but idk how to afford to live there >.

I was a Slugg in 1974...at College 8...but lived at College 5 A Dorms. No regrets!!!! All those good stories you heard about Dr. D are true. All the negative stories you hear about Dr. D...are also TRUE. Go Fighting Banana Sluggs!!!

UCSC is legit my dream school! Omg I hope I get in!!

I’m doing elementary education major and want to do UCSC

Omg girl! I agree! Campus is way to far from the city and beach to go all the time and those buses💀 what a nightmare hahah

this video was wonderful super true

What about dorms? Or financial aid???

where did you have your research opportunity/internship with UX/UI? I am an AGPM student with a focus on UX/UI and am looking for research opportunities. Thank you!

I am having such a hard time choosing which school to go to. I got accepted to UCSC, UCSD, and UCSB but I don't know which one to go to. I am a psychology major so I literally don't know what to do. I don't want to go too far from my family and my dog lol (i live near monterey) but I also want to go to a good school. please help

Heavily considering SC, but how’s the cost of living like in there?

Could you do a video discussing your research

Proctoru is an absolute nightmare!! I had to use it for math 19b.Worst testing experience ever.

i like this video :D

I am considering UCSC as a transfer student but I am terrified of the housing crisis

got accepted and am gonna make the move from santa barbara to santa cruz in a couple weeks. is there a facebook group for housing or where should I look? also, do you know anyone who does uber eats? Will probably live off my savings + uber

Just went to the campus today. It is completely in the woods lol....

I'm an incoming cs major ty for this

Is it possible for FAFSA to cover dorming ? Or is that unheard of ?

Haha I lived off campus 2nd year and yet I still didn’t go to the beach that much 😰

I hate the cs impaction but you can always do cs gd and Recruitor’s don’t care at least for software engineering

How diverse is UCSC?

Hi from France ! I was expected to go to UCSC this year (for a reciprocity program), but I could'nt because of covid (I was sooo excited, I watched all your videos 😂). I am a computer science major student, and I always wondered how is UCSC "rated" for CS (compared to other UC campuses) ? DO you know if it's a good campus for studying CS?

I got accepted and I will be attending as a Kresge affiliate!!!! I'm siked

would u say its easy or difficult to find a job off campus?

Your nightmare will start on your second year when there is no housing on campus. A lot of students are now homeless. Be aware, do your research before applying here. Rents in Santa Cruz are going for over 3,000 for one bedroom apartment.

Fuck ucsc, also damn simran I didn’t know you went and started a RU-vid channel

Im a recent ucsc grad so im interested to see what this video says....lets see

Hi

Hey iim I'm video editor and I can edit your videos so that it would be more interesting and impactful for your audience..

😂 I’m a homebody too

if you're in the humanities its easily the most annoying area of study at this school. everyone is a self proclaimed activist, leftist, or LGBTQ member and they talk about how inclusive we are as a campus but if you don't agree with every detail the majority of people will ostracize you. current 2021 senior.

Omg oven roasted chicken thighs 🥴🥴

Stay away from guys named Ed Kemper.😳