A drive-through visit this summer (limited access due to COVID-19 closures) and a recent virtual campus tour have given me insight into another University of California campus, UC Santa Cruz.
Growing up in the area, I have many childhood memories on campus - from training for the Wharf to Wharf on the track with my sister and dad (most incredible college track view ever) to outdoor Shakespeare Santa Cruz productions in the Festival Glen to my high school graduation in the Quarry Amphitheater. The campus' natural beauty can take your breath away. However, I had a lot to learn about the current student experience (spoiler alert: it's still gorgeous there). Here goes!
My take-aways:
- UCSC is divided into 10 residential colleges with the goal of providing a small, liberal-arts college experience within a large research institution. Freshmen take a college specific seminar in order to explore educational interests and meet other students.
- Only 45% of campus land is developed, providing tons of gorgeous open space and sweeping views of the Monterey Bay. Students interested in traversing through redwood trees while spotting deer on the way to class will feel quickly at home here.
- UCSC has its own farm on campus, developed as a research, teaching, and training facility. Students can choose sustainable housing options on the farm as well as enjoy its produce in the dining halls (30% of produce in the dining halls is grown on campus).
- Students are encouraged to keep their cars at home (at least during their freshmen/sophomore years) and enjoy the walk/bike friendly campus. There’s a reason it’s earned the nickname of “UC Strong Calves”. If you don’t feel like roaming on foot, shuttles are on a constant route through campus to get everyone where they need to go, as well as short-term car rentals for longer trips.
- The campus boasts of 60+ different majors and a 19:1 student to faculty ratio. The most popular majors are Computer Science, Psychology, Business Management Economics, Environmental Studies, and Sociology.
There’s still time to apply to be a Banana Slug! UC Santa Cruz’s application deadline has been extended to Tuesday, December 15.
More info here:
https://admissions.ucsc.edu
