University of California-Santa Cruz

I learned a lot at UCSC. However, I did learn that I am more of a hands-on learner which the UC system is not set up to accommodate for. If you are into research this is a great school for you!

I wish there were more hands-on experiences built into the classes. The Environmental Studies department did have an internship program that allowed you to pursue internships for credit, however, if you are like me and are paying your own way through school it is difficult to fit such opportunities into a work-packed schedule.

I have found that with the covid epidemic I definitely am having a different experience when it comes to education. But I have found that even with all the UCSC has found ways to foster a community through groups with studying and also recreational. Also, the dorms are really nice but you have gotta keep those clean yourself obviously. The education and also health systems are very helpful.

The ability to express yourself in any manner and be helped with it be it in any way you want to learn, or something you want to explore within yourself. There are many resources to help with things like mental health which do tend to be hard to grasp if you don't have someone helping you but accessing them will help anyone tremendously.

The campus is beautiful and it’s easy to find “your people”. The teachers are usually great and the classes are interesting. It’s easy to enroll and figure out the classes and how to get around.

The administration doesn’t really care about students. It seems like we always get screwed over when things change, and they don’t do much to placate us.

The professors care about their students. The campus is located in a beautiful area.

There is not much social life.

This campus is beautiful and the students are really warm and welcoming. I can count on seeing either deer or turkeys at least once a day. The professors are usually pretty good--at least the ones in the humanities department. This is a great research school as well. So if you're in STEM, this is the place to find research internships and other opportunities.

On the downside, the location is pretty isolated. While I love this huge campus, this means transportation can be difficult sometimes. Also, the food is not the best. It's dining hall food, so I never expected much.

Santa Cruz, in general, is a nice place to be in, the people are nice and some events allow you to interact with the community. The college is surrounded by nature and though it's hard at first, it ain't a bad place. The best part of the campus is the views, especially during sunset.

Sometimes the dining hall is not good and there are times when the Doordash delivery fee is more than $5.99 or doesn't come into the school campus, it's not bad but there are other options.