Is UCSB Your School Soulmate?

Have you just been admitted to UCSB? Are you now wondering: Is this where you should spend the next four years? If so, look no further. 

Welcome to the college choice dating show: Is This Your School Soulmate? 

UCSB, a school climbing through the ranks with a love for the ocean, will join us today. Within two dates, you can decide whether you’ll be swiping right on this SoCal single!

Round One: UCSB’s First Impressions

You’ll go on a simple coffee date with UCSB in the first round. You meet for coffee at Caje, where UCSB gets the blended matcha latte and urges that you try it. After sitting at an outside table, you can’t help but notice how movie-like everything in Isla Vista (IV) seems. Students ride past you on their bikes in beach attire, people walk by on their way to day parties, and others grab a bite with friends. It feels like a little bubble away from the rest of the world. 

After chatting, you learn that UCSB is a worthy contender in your search for college love. They start the conversation by clearing up the reputation you may have heard about them. While UCSB has been labeled a party school, the university is still ranked as the 5th Best Public University in America. It wants you to know that even though parties may be plentiful, the student body proudly exercises a “work hard, play hard” mentality. Most students are found living in the library until the weekend rolls around.  

UCSB proudly shares that the school offers about 200 degrees and credentials. Whether you aim to pursue a future in environmental studies, engineering, the arts, or so forth, UCSB has you covered. You try to ask about enrolling in classes, but UCSB changes the topic. You’ll remember this moment for your next date, there must be something UCSB isn’t telling you. 

They continue to talk about their accomplishments, such as the variety of ways one can get involved in research! UCSB is a globally renowned research university and it is constantly the birthplace of new studies. Professors are more than excited to work with undergraduates seeking research experience and it’s a wonderful way to increase your network and explore interests. 

UCSB knows you’re not just looking for a connection to the university, but the student body as well. With that said, there are over 500 recognized organizations on campus to join! Extracurriculars can look like sports, clubs, greek life, and more. Suddenly, UCSB pulls out its phone. You worry that you’re about to get the dreaded camera roll tour. Instead, they pull up Shoreline. UCSB tells you, “Look! These are all the clubs you could join once you’re a Gaucho!”

Wow… UCSB said once and not if, what a flirt! 

Round Two: Digging Deeper INTO UCSB

After a successful coffee date, UCSB has asked you to meet them at the edge of campus so you two can take a walk through the school. This will be a great chance to get to know them better! 

As you meet by the Student Resource Building (SRB), UCSB tells you that the building consists of many accessible resources, such as the Campus Learning Assistance Services, Disabled Students Program, and Educational Opportunity Program. There are also numerous cultural resource centers, including but not limited to the Office of Black Student Development and the Resource Center for Sexual & Gender Diversity. The SRB is known as a safe space for students seeking a place to study, guidance, or additional support during their time at UCSB. 

The sun is shining and there’s a light breeze going as you walk through campus. UCSB mentions that while the weather is nice year-round, there is an annual storm in the winter. The school doesn’t want to lead you on with its sunny days and hopes you can love it the same through the colder months. The honesty is admirable! Maybe some rain isn’t a deal-breaker. 

In this moment of truthfulness, you revisit a topic from your first date. You ask UCSB what class enrollment looks like. Nervous yet blunt, UCSB tells you that sometimes getting the classes you want can be difficult. Through UCSB GOLD, students are provided with a specific pass time in which they pick their classes. However, each pass time restricts students to a certain amount of units. In your first pass time, you can add 10 units and 15 in your second. By your third, you can add up to 21. 

These limits make it harder to decide the order of the classes you enroll in. There’s the possibility that the classes you decide to have later priority may fill up outside of your pass time. You frown at UCSB, wondering if they have enough time to prioritize you. UCSB reminds you about all the mentioned resources and how it’ll do everything to be by your side. 

“What about guaranteed housing?” You ask. 

UCSB looks away. That’s what you thought. 

But everyone has their flaws, right? You think about the beautiful campus and buzzing student life. It feels like there’s a real community at this school. You don’t know if it’s united by an irreplaceable IV experience or a treacherous journey for class enrollment, but the sense of community is present. As you get to know UCSB more, you realize that the humanity in the school is what makes it so endearing. Eating at the dining halls is less about the food (which isn’t incredible) and more about endlessly talking with friends over the same crinkle-cut fries you love. Classes may be hard to get into yet the students endlessly support one another since academic competition is almost nonexistent. 

This is a campus where people will smile at you as you walk by just because they want to smile at someone. Cashiers at The Arbor will always ask how classes are going and if you want your receipt right as you struggle to shove everything into your bag. It may be stressful but the thought is so considerate. 

Once you’ve made it to Campus Point with UCSB, you’re surrounded by other students overlooking the sunset. It’s almost therapeutic being this close to the ocean. UCSB lets you know that the stunning pink sunset occurs almost daily, yet every Gaucho photographs it as if they’ve never seen it before. You get it. You could never get tired of this view. 

Is this the school for you? You take a deep breath of the ocean air and let yourself trust your instincts. Do you want to be by the beach? Does the welcoming atmosphere of UCSB excite you? Could you find the bright side in this school’s flaws and love it the same? Truthfully, picking the right school looks different for everyone. Hopefully, these dates have helped you get acquainted with this possible match. 

UCSB offers to hold your hand as the sun sets, how romantic! As you take their hand, UCSB whispers, “Careful, the bluffs might erode and you’ll fall.”

Oh… that’s awkward.

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