University of California Santa Barbara
Sample Review

Name: Janina Nuno

Hometown: Sacramento, California

Class Year: Junior

Major: English

Extracurriculars: Ajua Campos, Alpha Phi Sorority, CLAS Writing Tutor, Intramural Softball

What are some stereotypes about UCSB and UCSB students?

UCSB is stereotyped as a party school on the beach, with really good-looking students who have sex, do drugs and drink a lot of beer. Over the past few years, though, this reputation has died down a bit and UCSB has gotten more recognition as a competitive public school.

Are the stereotypes accurate?

Some of them are accurate, but definitely not to the extent most people have in mind. Sure, at UCSB you can find a party every night of the week, and at the bigger parties there might be hooking up and drinking and drugs. But really, you'll find that at any big school, and no-one is ever forced into those activities. Also, if that scene isn't for you, there are lots of really fun, mellow activities going on at the exact same time.

UCSB: The Big Picture

When people hear I go to UCSB, eight times out of ten the first thing they'll comment on is how beautiful Santa Barbara is. And they're totally right. The weather really is unbeatable, and most students (at one point in their college career) will either live directly on the beach, or only a few blocks away. Isla Vista (or IV), the town next to campus where most students live, is basically the ideal college town. It's a one-mile-by-one-mile block entirely populated by college students. I live there in a sorority house with most of my closest friends, and in-between classes I'll either head back to the house or go to the Starbucks right down the street. Living there with all my friends is a really amazing experience.

Back over on campus, UCSB's administration might best be described as ... inaccessible. They always appear to be really helpful and available when you don't need them, but when you're suddenly in a bind UCSB's large size becomes apparent, and you'll sometimes feel like just another number. I've found the key is getting to know your major's academic department really well. If anything goes wrong, they'll pitch in to help out. The English department, in particular, is pretty great at this because it's medium-sized (compared to other majors on campus) and the administrators and counselors are honestly very helpful whenever you need them.

Moving on to the campus sports fields ... we don't have a football team at UCSB, which leads to the joke amongst students that our "school sport" is probably drinking. That said, we do have a really good men's soccer team, and the games are widely attended (even if this may just be another excuse to get drunk.) Nonetheless, there's a lot of UCSB pride amongst students. We know we're very lucky to be at a place like this. UCSB wasn't my first choice school, but I couldn't have asked for a better college experience.

Academics at UCSB

UCSB is a pretty big school, so the first year or two of classes can feel overwhelming. Most survey classes are huge - up to 800 kids in one hall - so it's hard to get to know your professors. (Almost all the interactions you'll have in classes like that will be through your TA's, which is ultimately okay because they're the ones who grade everything, anyway.) Then, as you become an upperclassman, classes will shrink and you'll start learning which professors/classes are the good ones to take. I'm an English major, and my favorite class right now is British Literature with Professor Carlson, where we're reading Austen, Edgeworth, Shelley, Bronte and Gaskell. Professor Carlson is hilarious and brilliant and really opinionated, which makes the class entertaining (but still difficult - she's probably one of the toughest teachers I've had.) When it comes to academics I work pretty hard, and I'm usually in the middle of a couple novels, anthologies and papers at any given time. During the week, I'll do about 2-5 hours of reading/studying and writing each night. During midterms and finals I'll spend far more time than that.

I also try to make an effort to see my professors during office hours at least 2 or 3 times each quarter. I'll usually go just to talk about a poem or a part of a novel that I'd like their opinion on, but I'll also go when I'm in the middle of writing a paper to make sure I'm on the right track. If I had to name one thing I've been disappointed with about UCSB academic life ... it'd probably be class participation (or the lack of it.) The good TAs and professors generate discussion, but the bad ones just give up and I've been in classes where there's a lot of silence. It's weird because students are generally very opinionated and competitive, but in these classes they won't say a word. Maybe they want to keep their good ideas to themselves? I don't know. Since UCSB is so big, there's a fair split between students in school to get a job, and students in school to learn for its own sake. Definitely for English majors, it's the latter. Although I love the curriculum, it's hard to imagine when I'd have to dissect a Donne poem in the real world - but I'm sure I'll be able to use the analytical tools I've learned in some capacity. It's mostly the engineering, business/economics and science students that are very job-focused and talk about how much they'll earn one day. A lot of them are already interviewing for accounting, banking and consulting jobs. Among humanities and liberal arts, most talk is about grad school or law school.

UCSB's Student Body

If I had to describe the typical UCSB student, I'd say they were open-minded, intelligent and outgoing. Someone who is narrow-minded, shy and awkward would definitely feel out of place here. Also, the student body is pretty physically fit - the Rec Cen, or gym, is always packed. In class, most students wear jeans, t-shirts and flip flops. On warmer days, you'll see people coming straight from the beach or laying out in sundresses, cut-offs and board shorts.

Also, a quick story - my freshman year, I joined the group Ajua Campos. At first I was really loving it, but soon I started realizing the members only ever hung out with each other. When I looked to expand my horizons and meet other people, they gave me a big guilt trip. It's kind of weird, because I'm the type of person who needs a few circles of friends, not just one that I'm with all the time. I eventually stopped going entirely. It seems most cultural and religious groups on campus are like that - united and welcoming, but the members are also really dependant on one another.

Activities + Social Life at UCSB

I'm in a sorority, Alpha Phi, and for all of Greek life there are pros and cons. The cons are that you're instantly put in a box - I got a lot of flak from my dorm friends who claimed this meant I was "buying new friends", and they pointed out there were all sorts of sorority events where you might not want to participate, but you always feel obligated. In my opinion, though, this is a small price to pay, and the pros definitely outweigh the cons. I've met some great friends through my sorority, I always have something to do, and it's great for networking. Also, since there's a stocked kitchen and dinner 5 nights a week included in living in the sorority house, I only spend about $100 a week outside of rent (mostly on going out / coffee.) Overall, I'd say the Greek system is prominent on campus, but doesn't dominate the social scene.

As for partying ... if you're a big partier at UCSB, you probably start your weekend on Wednesday or Thursday. Under-age students stick to IV parties, which they'll hear about through a friend or a friend of a friend. IV parties are big and usually open to anyone. When students turn 21, they head to downtown Santa Barbara (or "DT") which has plenty of bars and clubs. If you don't feel like drinking, you can go out to dinner, or to the movies, or bowling. There are definitely things to do. Also, LA is just an hour and a half away, so it's fun to shoot over there with your friends to hang out for the weekend.

No Holds Barred

Dating ... it's a bit tricky at UCSB. Mostly there's random hooking up, or friends with benefits. But every now and then you'll hear the occasional story of that sort of thing turning into a relationship. For the most part, though, it seems to be taboo to actually like and start dating that person you've been hooking up with.

In Closing ...

What's the single best thing about UCSB? The camaraderie among students who love where they are, and have pride in their school.

What's the single worst thing about UCSB? A general lack of intellectual conversations.