University of California-Santa Barbara Top Questions

They are, for the most part, fabulous.

The students are very laid back but are hard working.

Classmates seem smart, outgoing, and friendly.

All classmates are different.

I haven't officially started my term at UC Santa Barbara, but from what I've seen of my classmates during orientation is that they are relaxed and friendly people, many of whom would make great study buddies.

My classmates are all driven and competitive.

My classmates are extremely intelligent, hardworking, and thoughtful.

My classmates at UCSB know how to balance the rigorous workload of a top ranked university, with the social atmosphere that is notoriously known for it's party scene.

My classmates were like-minded, friendly, and eager to learn!

They are kind, intelligent, and determined.

My classmates at UCSB are hardworking, determined, and competitive .

My classmates are all extremely welcoming and friendly.

Eager to learn in the classroom and eager to drink outside of the classroom.

Smart, happy and balanced.

My classmates are an ecclectic group of young health professionals who have come together to learn and inspire each other.

Students here are academically focused on their studies but also party very, very hard, in all senses of the term.

My classmates are diverse, interesting, and have alot of learning to do.

The students are extremely friendly and easy to get along with. Although this school is competitive I find many times when fellow students are willing to help others out even though the class is curved.

The student body at UCSB is a diverse one. With so many students, organizations and clubs, sports teams and extracurricular activities, there is literally a place for everyone here on this campus. There are students from a range of socio-economic backgrounds and cultures, and in my experience friend groups have included students from all different types of backgrounds. If a student wants to get involved in politics, the LGBT community, religious groups or Greek life, they are not only provided the information and encouragement from the proper source, but they can feel free to join more than one -- lots of individuals are involved in a range of activities here and do not limit themselves to just Greek life, or just student government, they are often involved in way more than just one facet of UCSB life. Now of course there are people who party, and what's great about UCSB is that it's never difficult to find a party. UCSB is a very open and friendly community, and for those who choose to party there are plenty of opportunities to have fun and meet lots of cool people. And for those who choose not to party -- and contrary to popular belief, there is a good percentage who do not -- there are awesome opportunities to hang out with friends in Isla Vista by attending Magic Lantern films, improv performances or just hang out at the gorgeous beach or the ever popular Freebirds. There is no shortage of opportunities in meeting people here. What's more, if you meet someone you don't really get along with, the student population is so large that it's pretty easy to find some other people to hang out with, but you have to be willing to say hi and smile! The students here are ambitious, but the atmosphere is not a cut-throat one. In all of my classes, the students have been very driven all with goals of attending graduate school or getting a job following graduation, but we are more about team effort than anything else. Studying in my mind had always been a solo project, but after enrolling in a couple of very difficult classes, I found myself needing help from fellow students who were seeking the same kind of support. Group study sessions have become a prevalent phenomenon in my house, and it's great to have a group of individuals who want to do well and who want to help others do well in the process. Plus, bring some snacks and the study session can turn into a free food swap!

The majority of UCSB students are from California, so it is mostly locals who take up this school. Although this may sound not very diverse, in my experience it is great because the people you become close to are easier to stay in contact with over breaks and after you graduate because they live relatively close to you. Also, it makes non Californians stand out, in a good way, and makes them more original and special. I have recently found that there are many foreign exchange students who come here to study for a year. There are many multicultural programs, clubs, and groups on campus and I have never had any feeling of one race being overwhelmingly prominent at this university. There are many ways to get involved in multicultural groups and get associated with students of other ethnicities, religions, and backgrounds.

All the students are friendly and helpful. I think a non-social student may feel out of place because everyone is so social. but then again because everyone is so social the student might feel more included with everyone. students wear anything they want. board shorts, tank tops. sweats anything goes.

Being here for over a year, I have seen a surprisingly large variety of students. I've seen the standard beach bum with the surfboard in hand, but I've also seen the organic student who doesn't wear shoes, and the Armenian student who started her own non-profit. While there is a huge variety of demographics, the overall flavor seems to be Southern California. The warm, beachy environment attracts the tan surfers and swimmers from all over California. But the students from Southern California tend to bring their love of Dubstep and Mexican food. It can be sometimes difficult for someone from Northern California like me, who didn't expect much of anything to change, to adjust to the lack of fall-colored leaves and air you can see your breath in, but it's definitely doable. Fact is, students are students. They all have different personalities, interests, and beliefs. Chances are, if you go out of your way to meet people, you will meet A LOT of different people, in every way of the word.

Although I see and meet a wide variety of students at UCSB in terms of religion, ethnicity, social background, economic status, or sexual identity, I can't help but realize that it is truly the least diverse UC campus. The student body is over 55{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} white, and I notice it. However, the Student-Resource Building provides organizations for minorities who feel marginalized or underrepresented.

For being a UC, our campus has a large percentage of Caucasion students unlike most UC's with a majority of Asian students. There is still a variety of ethnicites on campus. Religion does not seem to be as big on campus, but there is a group called high life that you can attend for youth group. I go to a local church and am picked up by an older couple every Sunday morning, so if you are religious and want to go to church, you can find a way. There is a diverse group of people so I don't think that any kind of student will feel out of place. We have the beach bums, the party people, the nerds playing video games, etc so everyone has a place at UCSB. Most of the students are from the Bay Area or the San Diego area. There are some people from out of state and some from out of the country. Most people at this school receive financial aid. The people that don't receive financial aid (like me) come from a middle class background. Unfortunately, this school is expensive and it basically takes all the money away from our parents, but the education is worth the expense. There are many politically active students. I am not one of them, but there are protestors around campus frequently and people trying to get petitions signed.

The UCSB campus is very diverse. There are many environmentally conscious students that enjoy surfing, hikes, and outdoor activities. There are all sorts of ethnic clubs to join as well as a strong LGBTQ community. For the most part, people are friendly and welcoming. Gauchos work hard so they can play harder!

Overall, I hear this campus has one of the wider varieties of ethnic, social, and financial backgrounds of most of the school's my friends attend. It's a fact that we do have the widest range of financial backgrounds, but as far as ethnic and social backgrounds the most visible student population appears to be upper-white middle class. We do however have many racial, religious, and social groups on campus ranging from an active LGBT association to Hermanos Unidos. The student attitude tends to be very laid back, many students surf, and when the weather perks up in spring and summer many students like to study outside either on the beach while they work on their tans. I don't think there are really any types of students that wouldn't fit it at UCSB unless they are highly introverted and prefer to keep to themselves. This isn't a criticism, but rather a comment on the fact that UCSB is a highly social community (and can often get quite loud and crazy on the weekends). I myself was relatively quiet when I arrived at this school, but learned quickly in the first weeks of freshman year that everyone is in the same position and just trying to meet new people, and I met many of my current closest friends by simply walking up to the table they were eating at and introducing myself. While we do have more than our fair share of drunken inconsiderate bro's, the greater majority of the students I've encountered here are friendly, laid back, and easy to get along with.

Diversity of the student body at UCSB is what makes it great. They all have mutual respect for one another and are accepting. I have met people that identify with the LGBT movement, Environmentalists, Feminists, as well as other causes. They have enriched and broadened my understanding about the different types of people that exist. I am grateful to them, because without exposure to diversity it would have been harder for me to grow to see beyond myself and my preconceived worldview. Politically speaking, the campus is definitely more on the Left but there are student organizations like the College Republicans. There are so many student organizations that have different, worthy causes that it is impossible to list them all, but for the eager student, there are many opportunities to get involved.

My classmates are unique and totally different from each other, yet they come together in an interesting mix that makes the school just come alive.

At UCSB, 55{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student population is Caucasian. It is also 55{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} female and 45{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} male. Most students at this university came from families on the wealthier side of the scale. Although the campus administration is committed to diversity, I noticed that many different races tended to interact mostly within their own groups. For example, black people hung out with black people, LGBT hung out with LGBT, etc. But the great thing about UCSB is that there's a club for pretty much anything, so there are groups that students of a minority can join if it better serves their needs. With that, I don't think there's any student who wouldn't feel welcome on this campus. The students are friendly and inviting, and a prospective student can sift through the over 300 organizations to find something that suits their needs and interests.

My classmates, at first glance, all seem vapid and shallow, only wanting to go out and party; but the reality is that underneath this party attitude are very capable students who, in general, are following their dreams and aspirations to accomplish great things in the world.

People who are sometimes motivated. not very diverse.

Any conservative student would feel out of place at UCSB, as well as any students who want their college newspaper to be worth more than the paper it's printed on. News (as well as most of the students on campus) leans left. Ethnic diversity is also big and is in fact a course requirement for all majors. Anybody who wants to go to college just to have fun would sadly be well served by attending UCSB.

fun free-willed & open-minded

They all seem to know what they are doing in class.

Blood, sweat, glory, victory, tortillas.

My classmates are motivated to learn, diverse, hardworking and smart, but also know how to have fun; they form life-long frienships and are generally very friendly.

My classmates are all very diverse, it's very interesting when you walk on campus and hear where everyone came from some places you'll recognize and other you will be glad to have learned about.

Classmates? Hard to say because we're in lecture halls of 100 to 800 students. Our discussion sections are only about 18 students so that's nice but it's hard to get to know any of your classmates really well because you only go to your section once a week and we run by quarters so you only go to that section ten times per quarter. If you're lucky to get to know your classmates, they are very intelligent. Everyone is almost equally smart or smarter so it's hard to distinguish.

Due to the huge size that UC classes are, every student in your lecture/discussion class is just another person, a mystery. Unlike in High School, in College, you are not familiar with every person in your 700 person class. The ones that stand out are the ones that bother standing out, and not only have an opinion, but announce it as well. The familiar faces of my classmates belong to those who made themselves noticeable through participation, curiousity, and friendliness. Some classmates are almost invisible, others are solely statues, and the best have brains and charisma.

My classmates are an extremely social bunch that are accepting of everyone and that love to hang out in the dorm lounges and go on off campus adventures such as getting 30 people to go to a California Pizza Kitchen restaurant.

They are academically competitive, goal oriented, and confident people.

Everyone wore pajamas to school and were really casual outside of school.

There multicultural and belong to different social classes.

My classmates are hard to just put into one sentence because this campus has a really diverse student population made up of all different personalities, religions, ethnicities, ideologies, and interests.

My classmates are fun-loving, sociable, yet hard-working students.

Classmates that are strangers usually keep to themselves; everyone tends to minds their own business.

Very attentive, resourceful and helpful to one another.

They are very supportive in your endeavors, always willing to have study parties and form study groups if you are struggling or just want to. But they also know how to have fun! They know how to study at the beach, take classes you enjoy, and when you have studdied enough and can just go to Downtown Santa Barbara to go shopping for the afternoon:)

Entertaining, helpful, and diverse groups of individuals who are competitive but at the same time laid back.

Students are dedicated, spirited, enthusiastic, friendly and adamant about making a difference.