"UCSC - The Best 5 or 6 Years of My Life"
Written: Sep 28 '00 (Updated Sep 28 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful campus, good academics, character-building experiences
Cons: Conservative individuals might feel vastly outnumbered
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| imbrium's Full Review: University of California-Santa Cruz |
The University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) is, by far, the most beautiful college campus I have ever seen. It is nestled in the edge of the redwood forest and much of the 2000 acre campus is covered by redwood trees. The library on a misty day is an especially beautiful site. Ansel Adams, the famous black-and-white photographer, took some beautiful pictures of Santa Cruz (The Ansel Adams: Fiat Lux exhibition). I used to see deer on campus at twilight.
The quote "UCSC - The Best 5 or 6 Years of My Life" is from a t-shirt I bought in my senior year at the UCSC. I actually managed to graduate in the standard 4 years but (back when I was going, at least) this wasn't a guarantee. UCSC has such a diversity of subcultures that many people become so taken with exploring their options that they may slack on their academics for a few quarters. In the long run, this self-exploration can be an important character-building experience and shouldn't be viewed as "wasted time". UCSC was good at character-building.
I want to add some specifics but I am afraid of becoming maudlin and sounding like a grandparent sitting in a chair and lecturing the grandkids about how things were back in my day. I sincerely apologize in advance. Oh well. Sit down kiddies, grandma has some stories for you.
Politics: Back in my day (and presumably today), UCSC was a very liberal campus. So liberal, in fact, that I would recommend people who lean strongly to the right, politically, might not wish to attend. I had a roommate who edited the campus Republican newspaper and spent all four years feeling incredibly put-upon by liberals and, occasionally, downright persecuted - mostly in her imagination, but not entirely. A few people did take their anti-conservative views to extreme lengths - the entire printing of one issue of that Republican newspaper was discarded by unnamed individuals immediately after distribution. This was soundly denounced by the other newspapers as utter hypocrisy and a violation of free speech (which it was) and never happened again. This was an exception to the rule and most UCSC students had a very mellow and live-and-let-live attitude.
Safety: I always felt safe on campus and never had any problems. We used to wander through the woods. Back in my day ("yes, grandma, what was it like back in your day?") there was a section of woods to the East of the Crown-Merril called "Elfland" - (more on Elfland in a sec). We used to wander through the woods at night and I once returned to the dorms from a long walk by myself and had no problems (a 20 year old woman alone in the woods at midnight, what a perfect setting for a horror movie)).
Overcrowding: The campus has always been crowded and I understand that it has only gotten worse in recent years. People often had trouble getting into popular classes and parking was always been a nightmare. People usually had to park in the remote parking lots which were a 10-15 minute walk away from most classes. Because of the parking situation and environmental awareness, many students rode the bus to campus. The bus was mostly a reliable form of transportation. On rainy days, however, the buses were jam-packed full of people and people often had to wait 15-20 minutes for the next bus (which was sometimes just as crowded as the last bus and full of people who were grumpy because they were as late for class as you were).
Academics: I feel I received a good education from UCSC. There were often times when I had trouble getting into classes, but I could always talk my way into a class I really wanted or needed. I studied Russian there, but I believe the Russian department, never large, has been since cut back or eliminated. I also studied linguistics and politics. I have nothing but good to say about the professors I had for almost all of my classes. (I only had one truly bad experience - she was a temporary Russian teacher (who was only there for two quarters) who, although nice outside of class, could be an utter witch in the classroom). Most of my classes were taught by professors, not TAs, something of which I approve.
Partying: Partying was ever present in UCSC, but there was little pressure to join if one was not so inclined. I always felt like I had the option of attending parties if I so desired but usually bowed out without feeling any social stigma. The Greek system was basically non-existant during my years at UCSC with only a few fledgling fraternities and sororities trying to eke out an existence on a college campus that didn't exactly welcome them with open arms.
Unique Santa Cruz institutions:
Elfland - Elfland was a wondrous area which had little "shrines" or "dens" constructed in the woods. People would leave poetry and burn candles in this shrine, if had a very natural but otherworldly feel. Much of Elfland was chopped down to make way for College 9 - I had friends who were arrested when they chained themselves to trees to protest this (sadly, they had chained themselves to the wrong trees and construction proceeded on schedule). That was a sad day and I really wish current students would have had the opportunity to see Elfland in is prime.
Banana Slugs - When I was a wee freshman, I heard a rumor about the reason the banana slug was picked as the UCSC mascot. Organized sports weren't very popular at UCSC (they didn't have a football team then, I'm not sure about now). Eventually, the legend goes, one chancellor encouraged the students to pick a mascot. He himself, it is said, favored a sea lion (a strong animal associated with the ocean). The students, however, thought that a mascot went against the whole UCSC mentality and tried to pick the weakest, least offensive and funniest animal possible: the banana slug! For those who don't know and haven't guessed, the banana slug is a kind of big yellow slug. Not very intimidating.
To summarize, I feel I got a great deal out of my UCSC experience, both academically and personally. I feel that UCSC played a major role in helping me grow up and change from a sheltered high school student to a well-educated college graduate.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
imbrium
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Member: Deborah Flores
Location: San Diego, CA
Reviews written: 14
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
I love reading, languages and zoology. So many interests, so little time.
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