University of California-Santa Barbara Top Questions

I wish i had better understood the financial aid process entering freshman year, though it became easy and understandble in time. Also, I wish I had been more aware of the scholarships available.

I wish that I had been able to prepare myself for the different environment in Santa Barbara compared to growing up in a city like San Francisco. I was use to lots of traffic and commotion, coming here the atmosphere is so laid back which is not a bad thing. The environment definately affects how people behave, there seems to be a sense of a stronger community because it is much smaller than a larger city. I just was not use to being around people who were more focused.

How far it really is from any big cities. Also the type of community it is located in.

I wish I would have known how much more demanding college courses are than highschool courses. It takes a significant amount of extra time and energy for classes than it did in highschool. You need to learn time management to do well and have fun at this school.

Rent is so expensive.

That the transition into college isn't really as scary as it seems.

I wish I knew more about financial aid, because this place is VERY expensive. I wish I knew more about the campus itself, where everything was located, and how it all worked, but that was my fault for not exploring more when I arrived. I didn't go to the orientation, which I'm sure would have been extremely beneficial.

nothing.

The school is much stronger academically than I knew.

People are nicer than you'd think theyd be.

I wish I had known the amount of prerequisites required for my major were so many and the price of books required for my major were so expensive.

how to party and study at the same time

I wish i knew that the living situations would be very expensive and that i wouldn't keep in as good of contact with my highschool friends as i thought i would.

I would have started surfing before I came here, so I would have been able to take advantage of the beach from the beginning. I would have explored different majors rather than sticking with poli sci exclusively. Don't live on the honors dorm floor, but the honors program is nice. As awesome as the social life is, make sure not to neglect classes, as they are serious. Living in a frat is terrible for your GPA, as is study abroad, especially if youre not self-disciplined.

I wish I knew more about the social scene. The social scene is very much involved around drinking

How expensive off-campus housing was.

I believe I was well prepared for college and had a smoothe adjustment.

That the people were so friendly, and that there is so much more to UCSB than the party school reputation that the students happily uphold. The students are very laid-back, but driven to succeed. The outfit of choice is jeans, t-shirts, and flip-flops, but still fairly stylish. You need to go out and get what you want though, because it's not going to be brought to you.

More about what classes I really needed...orientation was a confusing mess.

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how non-religious it is.

That there was so much drinking and people who don't really care about anything besides themselves

How many straight white rich snobs go here.

I wish I knew how much off campus housing would cost. I wish I knew that it rains pretty heavily during some seasons. I wish I knew how to surf. I

I wish I had known that many students at this school lack scholastic enthusiasm and the falculty has catered to the student's weak educational drive causing the academic standard to fall subpar. Additionally, I wish I had known that the school is compacted with students forcing them to substitute favorable classes with undersired ones to successfully graduate on schedule. I am positive that this contributes to the aforementioned lack of student entusiasm which creates a viscious cycle leading to the ever weakening educational system.

There was not to much that i wish i had know. I was pretty informed from my sister who was a senior when i was a freshman. She was a great resouce and helped me out alot.

I wish i had known about networking with professors. A guidance towards how, when, and somewhat of an ultimate purpose. For graduate school, the interaction in key for letters of reccomendation, as well as during the quarter. Each professor has a different background and area of research, so it's important to know what you're gettin into and how to make the most of talking with a professor.

I wish I had known more about some of the groups on campus. I didn't find some groups that I wished I had joined until the end of my first year. I also wish I had known how to get into classes that fill up fast better.