Thinking about how to build a college list? Thinking about how to pick colleges to apply to? Thinking about how to pick the right college? In this series, Life of a Matriculate Student In College, you will get a first-hand perspective of our Matriculate students at their different campuses. Get a glimpse into UC Santa Cruz college campus life!
THE WHY: Why did you decide to commit to UC Santa Cruz? What factors drew you to UC Santa Cruz?
The main factors that drew me to UCSC were the location and environment. I knew that I wanted to stay in-state when I was deciding my college list. UCSC became one of my top school choices because it is not too far from home (1-2 hours away) and I wanted to attend a UC. I also knew that it was a target school where I had decent chances of getting into. Upon visiting campus, I grew to like the school even more. UCSC offers a unique campus environment within redwood trees that cannot be offered at any of my other college choices. The beauty of nature and wildlife drew me in even more.
UC SANTA CRUZ ACADEMIC LIFE: Can you share more about your experiences with classes, class size, lectures, and professors?
For classes, I find that a lot of the lower-div classes will be in lecture form and therefore have larger class sizes. Nonetheless, there are some seminar form classes that only have 15-30 students per class. For example, at UCSC, every first-year has to take a core course in their first quarter that corresponds to their residential college affiliation. These residential college core courses are in seminar format with a smaller class size. For professors, I have found that they are pretty hit or miss so far. Professors are kind but some are better at teaching than others. For classes that don’t particularly have professors that are good at teaching, you would need to rely on discussion sections and TAs. UCSC offers a lot of extracurriculars and opportunities to participate in different ones. I think a lot of clubs can be trial and error; some don’t work out but others work out immediately. UCSC also has a lot of career resources for students to take advantage of. There are a lot of programs, job sites, and even advisors that can help students navigate their careers, as long as the student reaches out.
UC SANTA CRUZ CAMPUS LIFE: Tell us more about the dining hall and dorm situation! How is the food - are there enough options for those with dietary restrictions? What is the dorm and housing situation like?
The food here is not bad. It definitely doesn’t compare to home-cooked food but it is pretty decent. There is a website and app that allows you to check the menus at each dining hall which is convenient. There are also some options for people with dietary restrictions. The dining halls are buffet style, so you pay $12.75 every entry and there are entree options, soups, desserts, and a salad bar just to name a few things in each dining hall. Some dining halls close earlier than others and are not open on weekends, so sometimes you may need to walk a bit farther to go to an open dining hall. The housing situation varies depending on which residential college you reside in. Most floors are co-ed, while few are single-gender. The walls are very thin, so sound tends to travel a lot. But despite these complaints, I think it’s all a part of college living, so you get used to it. I reside in Merrill College, where it’s a bit quieter compared to the other residential colleges, but I enjoy it here. We also have a market right next to Merrill so it’s very convenient if I want to grab a quick snack.
UC SANTA CRUZ SOCIAL LIFE: Share more about the social scene - how did you make friends? Do most people join Greek life or are there ways to make friends outside of Greek life? What is there to do for fun both inside and outside of the college? What do you and your friends do outside of your academic life? Does the college host any free events that you look forward to every year?
I think most people make connections here by meeting people through other people, or through classes. I met my current friends in a similar way. You also tend to interact more with people living in the same residential college as you since you see them more often. There isn’t much of a Greek life at UCSC, which I don’t mind because I am not into Greek life. There are definitely a few fraternities and sororities that advertise themselves near the beginning of the school year, but they’re not very prevalent otherwise. Both the college and the residential college hosts a good amount of events for students. A lot of these events are usually found through social media like Instagram or sometimes people will put posters up around campus. Since the campus is pretty isolated though, a majority of the time I either spend time with friends on campus or take the bus to downtown Santa Cruz. The beach is also a nice place to visit when weather permits.
MATRICULATE: How did Matriculate help you get to UC Santa Cruz?
As a High School Fellow, Matriculate has helped me narrow down my college list, edit and revise my essays, and aided me throughout the entire application process. Without my Advising Fellow, I would’ve been very lost. She helped me stay grounded and reassured me even after applications were sent in. As a first-gen college student, I found the process to be very complicated and confusing. It was nice to be able to have someone knowledgeable I could lean on and ask questions whenever I was unsure about something. Moreover, Matriculate supported me even further once I got accepted at UCSC by connecting me with a current student there. I got to ask all the questions I had about campus life, academics, etc to ensure I had a smoother transition.
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MEET THE AUTHOR
Cayenne Feng
Cayenne Feng is a Matriculate Ambassador and current student at the University of California, Santa Cruz studying Cognitive Science with a focus in HCI/AI. With goals of going into UI/UX design, she constantly seeks opportunities to expand her experiences.
In high school, she sought the help of Matriculate’s High School Fellowship Program to apply to her dream colleges. Now, as a Matriculate alumni, she is passionate about supporting other first-gen and low-income students in their pathways to higher education.