University of California-Santa Cruz Top Questions

There are tons of things to do here. Sports, clubs, extra classes..

The activities and party scene vary a little depending on the residential college you are at. At Porter there always seems to be something happening every night of the week. There are certain big yearly events such as First Rain (a naked run the first night of rain) and 4/20. Off campus there are usually concerts happening as well as a couple movie theaters. There is rarely a weekend when there isn't something to do.

Sports activities are not advertised and nobody goes, so if watching sporting events is your sort of thing...I guess there's always cable. There are definitely sports teams though, and I get the feeling that anybody can join. Frats/Sororities are here, but I think they're relatively small. People do join them though.

The dating scene is practically nonexistent here. Most guys are not here to meet girls, and the gay scene is very large. You can never tell who is lesbian, bisexual or otherwise, which makes meeting the opposite sex difficult.

Concerning the social life and activities on campus - it really depends on what you get involved in, and what college you live in. I personally sought out friends with similar interests to mine, which means I sought out people who are big video game and movie nerds. I heard about the stereotype that Crown is a nerd college, and while it wasn't 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} accurate I did meet a lot of people interested in that sort of thing. There is a plethora of activities and different things on can do on-campus, even if it doesn't seem so at first. (Depending on where you live, you might need to go looking for them - it's a big campus!) Dances are held, guest speakers come to visit, and usually your dormmates are up late at night. When I lived in the dorms, everyone on my floor left their doors open and people visited one another whenever they felt like it. (I also noticed that a lot of other floors didn't do that, though - so it might be a situational thing.) If you're the literary type, the Creative Writing department holds a Writer's Lecture Series event once almost every week for two hours in the evening, where guest readers come and read their fiction or poetry. And once every few months or so, a Rocky Horror Show is held somewhere on-campus for those who want to experience that. Drinking is not a big thing here on campus, depending on the friends you make. A lot of the social life on campus does seem to involve drugs of some kind, but they're not necessary. My friends and I play a lot of video games in our spare time together, or we go on walks, or we go downtown to the movies. Traveling off-campus to go to the movies or something can be a drag, though - everyone who lives on-campus (and don't have cars) tries to do that on Friday nights and the buses get horribly crowded and slow.

Unlike other universities, UCSC doesn't have a very large greek system (sororities/fraternaties) at all. The sororities and frats are more like clubs than anything; there are no specific houses that they live in, they meet once or twice a week and put on various events just like any other campus club. Other than those the more popular and large clubs on campus include (but not limited to) the GLBTI organization, the outdoor/hiking club, Slugs in Fishnets (UCSC's Rocky Horror Picture Show club), Rainbow Theater and the Ski and Snowboard Club, which I belong to. UCSC also lacks a few sports that tend to be more popular college sports, such as football and baseball/softball. The major UCSC sports that tend to draw the most crowds are water polo, lacrosse and soccer. Other than school activites, Santa Cruz offers many things for entertainment, including the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk amusement park, downtown Santa Cruz with a vibrant culture and fun stores and restaurants, an extremely large surfing community and many great nearby surfing beaches (though prepare yourself for some COLD water!).

I am part of the santa cruz ski and snowboard club which is the biggest club in santa cruz. it is a statewide organization that has "chapters" in the other uc schools as well. we throw big parties in santa cruz and generally have anywhere from 200-700 members yearly. we are the partiers of the school. ucsc doesn't really get crazy like santa barbara but as a club, we try. almost every student at ucsc smokes a lot of pot. we are not known for hard drugs tho. mostly just acid, shrooms, pot and the all natural substances. ucsc is not known for having extremely attractive students. (a lot of the women are hippies/lesbians and dont shave, but not all of us). id say there is a good ratio of men to women but the people in ucsc dont really care about looks as much as some other schools. it is not like high school. the greek life is stupid.

spring time = spring fever.

If large frat parties are your thing, and you have that "I'm in a frat/sorority and think I'm better than everyone else," complex, don't come here because we don't want you.

There are a lot of social gatherings on and off campus. On campus, there is "4/20" which occurs every year at the Porter Meadow. We have the naked run called "First Rain." And the dorms are known to have parties every once in a while. Santa Cruz is a really fun town. You can go downtown which has a bunch of cute shops and independent and mainstream theaters. The beach is right there, so there are many students that have bonfires on the weekend. Also, there is the boardwalk, which everyone should know about. It is famous for its rides, games, and appearance. You might recognize it from the 1987 film, "The Lost Boys."

Guest speakers= sensational. Go to them, take advantage of what they talk about. Education is a priveledge. Dating scene= depends on your taste. Most people I date I don't meet on campus. Frats/ sororities= kinda looked down on/ asking for drama/ go do it if you want, but if you're going to college to join a frat, don't go here because the SC environment isn't particularly conducive to it. Off campus= beach, run, church, volunteer, eat, and go to concerts. Saturday night= movie night/ cooking frenze. 2am on Tues.= homework/ socializing. I'm involved with the pro peace movement, the International Living Center (where the foreign exchange people live) and have been involved with the Education for Sustainable Living Program (ESLP). All are great. Take advantage of it while you can. They will change your life.

Campus is always crazy with activities and people, either in the quad or on the fields all showing school spirit and making new friends or having a great time with old friends; there is never a dull moment. Plus people are always open to new things, so usually events are always taking place.

While UCSC may not be your typical greek-oriented college campus, it certainly doesn't lack any social life. There are ALWAYS events (dances, beach clean-up, movie-nights, dining hall theme nights, etc.) going on on campus, so chances are you will never be bored. Going downtown is an amazing and ecclectic experience everytime with the popular Pacific Avenue and many beaches just a bus ride away. There is something for everyone to do every night, guaranteed. UCSC is not a crazy party school, but if you're looking for a party you will almost always find one. This campus comes with it's crazy traditions, from the Naked Run (running naked around campus on the night of the first big rain of the school year) to the notorious 420 meadow migration, you should come prepared and open to new things.

The people that I lived with in the dorms freshmen year are my closest friends still. We became close and formed a tight-knit group. You always here people say, "the friends you make in college, you'll be friends with the rest of your life". I can definently see that. Santa Cruz has some good bars and what not, not a lot of dancing, but a lot of parties. April 20th and Halloween are the biggest hollidays in Santa Cruz.

There are a lot of fun activities. Social life is good, people are friendly. The RAs aren't crazy narcs.

Don't bother with the greek system. Frats and sororities do exist but they are by no means the main way to socialize: most people avoid them. If you are a freshman planning on living in the dorms, make an effort to put yourself out there in your first few days. After the first 3 days or so, cliques begin to be formed, and it becomes much harder to meet new friends. I brought a box of chocolates and literally walked down my hall the first night, knocking on doors and offering a couple to each room on my hall as an excuse to meet my hallmates. It worked really well. As for parties and whatnot: they are always around, and usually get crazy with a theme, at least at Porter.

A life? LOL besides school I guess its just pretty normal. I usually go to watch plays during my spare time or head down to the beach or play tennis.

Frat's aren't very proular, parties are fun but get broken up early as a result of how students live all over the town. Girls, on average, not that cute...

In terms of stuff to do: there's tons of outdoor activities, but most of it you have to plan ahead for. You can go down into town (which is small, but really nice) which can take you 20-40 minutes by bus. Over the weekend the campus can really shut down - dining halls open at 10, close at 7. Cafes aren't open and most people go home. UCSC tries to pretend we don't have fraternities/sororities, but they're there. They're pretty quiet, but if you want to join it isn't hard to find them at the fall and spring rushes. The campus is pretty safe. A girl can walk around and feel pretty safe, though it's more comfortable to be with a friend after dark since some parts of campus are dimly lit. A lot of people leave their doors open when they're in their rooms, but it's common sense to lock up when you leave - most thefts are simply crimes of opportunity.

Most groups are student run. The university supports it's groups and teams, everything from sports to academics, financially but the responsibility falls on the student coordinators. It makes it harder to keep teams together and healthy, but when they do work well, they become the best team imaginable because they know themselves like other schools can only dream. Also it's great for a resume to be able to be part of something that wins that you helped make.

Some of the popular groups on campus are the sororities Gamma Phi Beta and Alpha Kappa Delta Phi, and the fraternity Lambda Epsilon Phi Kappa. I am involved in University Economics Association and Student Union Assembly. I am planning to rush for Gamma Phi Beta next quarter. When I lived at Oakes, students left their dorms open, but here at College Eight, the doors are mostly closed. The athletic events are not popular at all, I never hear news about them unless my friends are involved in a sport. I met my closest friends through friends that I either met at orientation or my roommate. If I am awake at 2am on Tuesday, I would be online (facebook or aim) or watching a movie. On weekends most people look for parties on campus or off campus. I can tell greek life is very small here, but I know people trying to get more involved. I wish Santa Cruz would not ban the frat houses. Last weekend I partied everyday except for Sunday. On a Saturday, people can watch movies downtown, go out to eat, play video games or watch tv and attend campus activities. I rarely go off campus because there is nothing special to do.

Students in my hall did not leave their doors open, but it was a transfer/re-entry hall, which means they're used to going to a home that is off campus. Athletic events are not popular. The parties here suck: everyone just stands around. BBQs and beach bonfires are better than any party. I met my closest friends in class and at STARS functions. People party often. Frats/Sororities struggle here. Since UCSC prevents such organizations from advertising their affiliation with the campus publicly, you hardly know where they exist. Saturday nights can be spent downtown on Pacific Avenue but most just go to drink. If you're not doing that, you're at a friends house... drinking. I camp, hike, and travel when I'm off campus.

There are several dance clubs on campus that give free lessons and dances, which is awesome. There are lots of hiking/outdoors-y clubs. Lots of martial arts clubs. I don't know what the most popular clubs or teams are, but we have pretty much whatever you could want, from basketball to Balboa. A group I'm involved with is SPS--Society of Physics students, which hosts meetings once a week for an hour, includes food and drink and usually a really interesting speaker. Great for physics students, all though ironically a lot of my classmates don't show. Some are shy, some just aren't interested, some are busy. Students do NOT leave their dorm rooms open. Stuff get's stolen a lot, though it also gets recovered a lot. Athletic events don't seem to be the most popular, though they certainly happen. Lots of guest speakers, on everything from masculinity in hip-hop to gender roles in Peru to the newest information on supernova. We have a great selection in that regard. The dating scene...I don't really know. I met my current boyfriend here, through an activity, and people do seem to pair off, so I'd say it's reasonable. If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday, I'm probably studying. There are a couple of cool traditions every year. One is 4/20, called "four twenty" which is on April 20th when a whole bunch of people get together on the Porter meadow to smoke pot. I didn't even hear about it until I came here, probably because the administration is really embarrassed by it. It's the only event I know of where it's really obvious that people smoke pot on campus. Otherwise people keep that sort of thing mostly to themselves. There is drinking and such, but I've never heard of a lot of hard drugs being done on campus. It's a very "let's drink healthy organic drinks and eat vegetarian and smoke pot and save the world." By the way, you can find pretty much any vegan or vegetarian food, either around the campus or on it, since Santa Cruz is so hippie. Another tradition would be the Vagina Monologues, put on by students at Porter college every year for Women's Day. They do a very excellent job. People who party on campus are mostly freshman and sophomores. The major partying goes on off-campus for juniors and seniors. The partying is not evenly distributed. At Crown there's hardly ever any, at Porter and Kresge there's a lot. It depends on where you live. I don't think fraternities/sororities are super important, but they're around. Rush week just happened, so all the Greeks came out to try and recruit people. I'm not really interested, and people didn't seem to be breaking down the doors to sign up, but they definitely exist. Last weekend I went out downtown for pizza with friends, saw a movie, and studied, and slept. On a Saturday night you can go downtown, see a movie, eat good food (my one complaint is there really isn't any great Indian food around...at least not like in San Francisco), go shopping, visit the Boardwalk, or hop on a bus and go to Capitola and hit the mall, or just stay in with some friends and play some board games. If you like dance, there are some local social dance venues, too. Off campus I do all of the above, go to the beach, hike in the trails, go dancing at local venues, etc.

If you want to party you can, but you don't have to to fit in.

the most popular groups that i know of are the 5 big organizations in the reedwood building. Most students do leave their dorms opened. I meet some good friends here at UCSC from all backgrounds. I do stay up pass 2am mostly on weekends. I party 2-3 times a month. What i do mostly do off campus is hang out with friends. This last saturday i partied.

No athletic events, really. Dating scene - who knows?! My closest friends are my roommates and select classmates. People can be found partying every day, but mostly weekends, not surprisingly. First Rain / Naked Run every year! Lots of fun. Greek life is relatively low-key, which suits me fine. Lots of things can be done rather than drink (hiking, art shows, concerts, guest speakers/plays, etc.), but most people don't try very hard not to drink.

Groups, clubs, and teams aren't that large and prevalent on campus. Sports isn't given the prestige that it is at other universities. This is something a lot of students like about UCSC. I agree, however, it would be nice if campus clubs were more visible. The campus kind of shuts down on weekdays (with occasional exceptions, including Cafe Revolucion). But there is always something to do in town.

Practical Activism Conference is a one day conference where speakers, musicians, and workshops are a common sight. Coordinators and volunteers work trying to get student organizations to table, speakers to come talk, and facilitators for workshops to come. I've been a part of this conference for three years and I've seen so much potential flow from this conference whether some learned something new or arrived the following spring that year to help plan for the next conference. Working with these different individuals who have so many different perspectives on what activism is and how to make it practical is at first difficult and frustrating. But like the muscle develops through conditioning, I find that it is where we disagree and put aside our hindrances and begin to start that dialogue; it is there that Practical Activism becomes not a word but a state of mind and a way to look at our world and the issues that need to be addressed.

I feel campus is a safe place. I've heard Porter gets a lot of break-ins. So some parts of campus aren't safe. My friends wallet and Ipod was stolen at teh dining hall and bikes are often stolen. But, no one gets mugged or jumped really. I usually meet friends through other friends. I also meet people at parties. People party all week, but parties are mellow until the weekend. 4/20 at porter field is a huge smoke-out. the first rain is also popular. Students run naked at the first rain. It starts at night during the first rain of teh year.

UCSC isn't big on groups/organizationd/clubs/teams frats are pretty lame and widely ridiculed by people everywhere, teams are getting more and more traction on campus but are still not too popular and the only real clubs or organizations tend to be small radical ones. The only group i'm involved with is a small unofficial drinking club. Yeah for the most people in the dorms leave their doors open and are very open to meetng new people. Athletic events are almost never attended by anyone. Guest speaks are always coming through and group of people go to see them a lot but i never have, theater eh, it kinda sucks. The dating scence is hit or miss, i mean i guess it all depends, i've heard people badmouth it and people say how great they were, i've always thought it was pretty good here, plenty of easy girls really. all my closest friends i got to know by going to parties, they drinking with them before parties and eventually just hanging out with them all the time. I'm hanging out with some friends, either drinking or watch a movie, or i'm at my apartment alone with my girlfriend and apartment mate watching tv and talking, sometime writing a paper or studying, depending on what time during the quarter is. 420 is a huge smoking event every year, everyone celebrate is it and of course the first rain run is a huge tradition where hundred of people run naked through campus on the first night of rain every year, there are drum circles in forests during full moon, a very pagan atmosphere really. Some people never party some do it every night. frats and sororities are non-existant almost. i drank with my friends went to a couple parties and such. umm, i don't know to much about not drinking on weekend, i've rarily done it, i guess you could go to the movies or something. I mean i know there's a lot to do if you don't drink i just don't know. Off campus, pretty much anything you would at any other college town on the beach, there's concert, lot's of concerts, the beach and stuff.

student govs are very popular as well as orgs that give people the opportunity to identify with specific things, religious views, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc. I am the co president of college ten governement and i love being a memeber of student gov and making decisions that can help others. some students leave their doors open but it depends on the floor the students live on. athletics aren't that popular. i met my closest friends on my floor, i now live with someone who was my nextdoor neighbor in the dorms. naked-run happens every year. some people party more than others, it depends on the person. on a saturday night i could go bowling or go out to dinner or go out to a movie with friends.

I don't know, I don't follow them. Classics happy hour, we go to the pub in town every Friday night and hang out with the classics professors and students and drink. Yes. Not so much. I don't know. Somewhat. Normal? In my dorm. Procrastinating. First rain and 4:20, look them up on wikipedia. Frequently. Not so much. I'm actually studying abroad right now in the UK. Get stoned, hang out, go into town and watch movies. Hang out, coffee, movies, drink, go swimming, etc.

If you do not want to hang out in the dorms and drink your entire freshman year, you have to put forth the effort to get involved in some sort of activity or sport, of which there are many. The Greek system here is essentially nonexistent, so do not look for that as your social outlet. But there are many ways to meet people and get involved with whatever you are interested in at the same time. There are tons of activities going on all the time- concerts, lectures, movies, plays... so you will only be bored if you are not creative or lazy, which unfortunately happens to some people. Off campus one will either go to house parties, which more often than not get rolled by the police by midnight, or hang out in town. The Catalyst nightclub is a good venue to see live music at- lots of reggae artists, East Bay rappers, and something for everybody else.

wide range of groups. SAM- art for the students by the students. Some do leave doors open, some don't. Athletic events are NOT very popular. Guest speakers can be good, theater is not popular. Dating is not that good here. My cloest friends do not go to UCSC. 2AM tuesday = Studying/ painting. Traditions/events = 4:20 (thousands gather to smoke weed at 4:20 on April 20th), First Rain (Naked run throughout campus at night of the first rain of the season) People party too much for their own good. Frats are frowned upon. I broke up with my girlfriend last weekend. I read on a Saturday night. Off campus = beach, shopping, movies, dining, bowling, surfing, mountain biking, etc.

Organizations are very specialized. The "most popular" organization on campus would have to be one that requires little effort and not much focus. Of course it is always intelligent to involved oneself with campus publications: either CHP or FRL!. The dorms have a strange sense of security. Many people "card" their doors, meaning they are left open at all times. Meanwhile there is a huge graffiti problem in the dorms. The result is ease in entry into the dorms and a constant uneasiness watching it happen. If I am awake at 2 am, I am almost certainly working on something due in the next week. I am only up so late due to bad planning. Traditions that I remember off hand: St Patrick's Day April 20 (4/20) there is a news-worthy gathering in the meadow Christmas: That thing we all leave for

I'm not really sure what is the most popular group on campus. I am a student leader for college ten. some students leave their doors open but not that many. athelitics are not very popular. The dating scence is pretty slow. you usually meet people in your classes or at the bars. if i am awake at 2am on tuesday i am usually hanging out with friends or doing homework. One tradition that happens every year is The first rain naked run, 4/20. People party as often at ucsc at as other schools. fraternities and sororities are only important to a small perfect of students. Last weekend i attended a dance, a play and did homework. you can go to a local cafe or go downtown and see a movie. off campus i go shopping and hang out with friends.

On a weekend, there are NO parties. Don't come here if you are looking for one.

I don't know what groups are the most popular on campus. I'm involved with Matchbox Magazine, the only UC-wide literary/art magazine. Students generally leave their dorm doors open. Athletic events are semi-popular. Guest speakers vary on a wide scale from extremely, overflowing-ly popular to empty. I am usually surprised at the number of attendees at guest lectures that I attend. Theater is fairly popular. I am unaware of the dating scene at UCSC. I met my closest friends in the dorms freshman year and through the Wilderness Orientation program. If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday I'm probably by myself in my room reading, doing work, or on the computer. The most important traditions to UCSC students are running naked in the first rain and drum circles on nights when there's a full moon. People party just about every night of the week. Greek life is extremely unimportant. Last weekend I threw a party at my house and did homework. Saturday nights on campus seem fairly busy with non-drinking related activities. Off-campus, I go to bars, stay at home, go to restaurants, go for bike rides, and go shopping.

All of the ethnic centered groups (asian american/pacific islander, Mexican/Chicano American, Black/African-American) are quite popular. College Democrats is pretty popular too. most people don't get too involved with clubs and organizations, often because they don't care or they don't have enough information TO get involved. The tennis team is supposed to be pretty good; students like the volleyball and water polo teams as well. women's basketball was pretty popular until the basketball gym went under construction. most students leave their doors closed but a lot of them usually at least leave it cracked when they are home. athletic events aren't too popular because the school isn't big on athletics. guest speakers usually come to specific lectures and are sometimes advertised to the campus community but they're not too prevalent. Theater is pretty popular. there's at least one production a week. the dating scene is pretty hard. most freshman end up dating someone on their floor. people are flaky here. most kids that aren't involved aren't looking for a relationship either. a lot of kids would rather hook up than be tied down to someone. nearly everyone met their closest friends on the floor/hall they lived on freshman year. i don't really have close friends here; all of mine are at home. people are always partying! well they try to party. there is an ordinance in the city of Santa Cruz cuz the old people weren't having it. the dorms are pretty strict about partying as well. when people have off campus parties, they usually last around 3 hours until the cops come and break it up. at 2am, if i'm awake, i'm studying or doing homework i procrastinated on! a lot of people go home for the weekends because there's not much to do here. except for during finals. everyone stays. a lot of people go to san jose and the city because there's more to do there. but then you need a car for that. people go downtown to the bars and to eat at the restaurants or to hang out a cafe. when the weather is nice the beach is a BIG hit. the world famous boardwalk is also pretty popular during the spring and right when school starts in the fall. there isn't a mall in the city; closest one is about 20 minutes away. the biggest business in santa cruz is costco.

There are tons of groups on campus, I'm not actually sure which are the most popular. I am in a group called WATER-Working Advocates to End Racism. We are a small group of about 8 members who meet weekly to discuss racism and white privilege, as well as plan events like open mic nights or art shows. Students here leave their doors open a lot in the dorms. Athletics is very unpopular here, and there aren't many people who are involved in them. If they are involved, not many people attend their games. I know in my three years of going here, I have never been to a sporting event or even been asked to attend one. Guest speakers are all over the place here, and it seems like there are speakers for something interesting at least several times a week. Theater is pretty popular, but not necessarily a stellar program. As for the dating scene, I would say it's about average. I met my boyfriend here. I met most of my friends by becoming a Resident Advisor and meeting other student leaders. However, most people meet their friends by who they lived near in the dorms. IF I am awake at 2am on a Tuesday, I am most definitely studying. As for traditions, there are a few dances at the beginning of the year, Take Back the Night march, AIDS walk, protests, Practical Activism conference. People party a lot as first years but it dies down after that. I would say the average first year parties at least once a week while the average upperclassman parties at least one or two times a month. Fraternities and Sororities exist at UCSC, but they are not university-sponsored and only like 1{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student population is is one. Last weekend I went to an offcampus birthday party for a friend of mine and did a lot of homework. A Saturday night that does not include drinking can be going out to dinner with some friends, attending theater performances, catching a show downtown, going to the movies, or doing homework.

Some students leave their dorm doors open, not really in the apartments though. Athletic events aren't really popular but the gym and the p.e. classes are. Lots of different theater stuff goes on. The dating scene is creepy, there are a lot of creepy guys in Santa Cruz. I met my closest friends in my classes. I'm not awake 2am on a Tuesday... First rain is fun, opers festival, halloween stuff, and the different residential colleges have a lot of events. People party on the weekend and sometimes the weekdays too. There aren't that many fraternities/sororities and they aren't that important but there are some for those that are interested. It's finals week so last weekend I studied, and then went to Saturn Cafe and the beach. On Saturday night there are midnight movies at the Del Mar. Bowling. Cruise the Boardwalk. Hang out with your friends. Play boardgames. Go for a night hike. Eat. Off campus you can hike, go to the beach, the boardwalk, shop, visit people, take mini-road trips to San Francisco or Monterey.

Many students engage in intermural sports. I am particularly involved with the activitied at my college (9 and 10) There are always speakers and special events around campus, its almost impossible to keep track of all of them. You can always catch a free play or show at the Barn on any given week-end. Most of the friends I have are affiliated with the same college as me, many of them i met through my involvement with my college. The people that party tend to do so every week-end yet there are people who don't party frequently or at all. Off campus offers shopping, restaurants, movies, bowling, the beach, concerts, etc

tradition: the first rain. everyone runs around naked during the first rain in the fall quarter. people party a lot. the parties often get raided by CSOs though. i don't really enjoy them because of that. the off campus parties are a hassle to get to because no one drives here and the bus are always packed. frats are NOT important here.. off campus: beaches, "downtown"(1 strip of stores)

There are a lot of multi-cultural orgs on campus. I'm involved with Gamma Phi Beta International Sorority. Some students leave their doors open. Athletic events are not popular. Guest speakers are pretty popular. Theater is pretty popular. Very sad dating scene. I met my closest friends through the freshman dorms, other people, and the sorority. I hopefully would be sleeping at 2am on a Tuesday because I have an 8am class the next day. Oh the traditions... there is "The First Rain," Greek Week, Multicultural Festival, and the little gathering on April 20th. People are always partying. This school hates frats and sororities. Last weekend I hung out with my mom who came to visit and showed her around Santa Cruz. You can go see a movie. I hang out, go shopping, and go on adventures off campus.

it might not seem like there are a lot of parties, and I mean sometimes there arent, but more often than not there is a big party @ least on the weekends. The bars are big Tuesdays and Thursdays. Im in a sorority and it really helps make a big campus seem smaller, but

I like the social life, I like to go to partys and have fun. I wish our school was better at sports and had more team pride, as well as more frats, etc.

The ultimate frisbee, swim and water polo teams seem to be the most popular on campus however attendance at these games is seriously lacking. I volunteer at the condom co-op which is part of the health center on campus and we sell safer sex supplies at cost for the students on campus. It's also a resource for any questions they might have about sex and safer sex practices. Most residents leave their doors open at the beginning of the year but as they find their group of friends the doors tend to remain shut. Athletics events like i said are not very popular. There are many guest speakers that come to UCSC. The theater department puts on many shows and is known for Shakespeare Santa Cruz. The dating scene can be difficult because the university is divided into 10 different colleges. My closest friend was my roommate, and i work with my other closest friends. If i'm awake at 2am on a tuesday i am most likely doing homework. Each year UCSC has the naked run on the night of the first rain of the year. People party every weekend. Greek life is only about 2{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the population at UCSC. Last weekend I went to a few parties off campus. On a saturday without drinking one can go downtown to the movies, go bowling at the boardwalk, just hang out with friends, go to the many programs that may be happening that night on campus, or just stay in. When i go off campus i usually go to friends' houses and hang out with them and go to parties.

I'm involved with nothing.

Organizations? Bah! Actually there's a few fraternities and Calpirg and some other things around here, but I, like many of my friends, don't really get into that stuff. I used to be really involved in extracurriculars in high school, but at UCSC there's a lot going on whether you sign up for stuff or not, so it's not a big deal. Students are very open at the dorms, depending on what part of campus you're at. I know people that would rig their doors to never lock, and you could knock on their door whenever you felt like it and they'd hang out with you. Athletic events are not popular, really. Guest speakers, especially poets and famous people, do tend to frequent the campus and draw large numbers, and the theater program has free shows that get big numbers as well. Andre Nickatina comes here pretty often and has really popular shows which a lot of people like. The dating scene itself is just like any other place, but it's a really cool place to go on fun dates if you're involved with someone. There's this awesome restaurant called Chocolate downtown that is a really cute romantic place to go on a date. My closest friends are from Porter college, and I met them by living near them over the course of my freshman year. If I'm up on Tuesday at 2am, I'm either playing videogames with my boyfriend and his housemates or finishing some homework or playing on my computer when I should be sleeping. Every year there is the First Rain and 4/20. These events are legend. People party pretty often, but it's not a daily thing. Frats and sororities are really not important at all: you can find plenty to do outside the greeks. Last weekend I went on campus for a guy's 21st birthday and my friends had a wine and cheese party at their apartment. If you don't want to drink on a Saturday night you can go out to eat, go to a show at the Catalyst or the Attic or otherwise, go bowling, if the weather is good you can go to the beach and have a bonfire, or you can hang out with friends at each other's houses which is what most people seem to do. Off campus is basically the same as on, except it's less of a community vibe, there's no CSO or RA people, and the food is usually better because dining halls are not exactly gourmet cuisine most of the time.

There are a lot of organized groups and clubs on campus, but none of them have major popularity. I am a part of one of 2 international sororities on campus, and we have a lot of events and its a lot of fun, but greeks have a pretty bad reputation on our campus and we aren't allowed to have houses so that limits us. On a scale of 1 to 10 the popularity of athletic events is about a 1.5...people generally only know we have sports teams at all because of the parties they throw. In terms of dating, I read on a website once that the girls at santa cruz were graded as "A" and the boys as "C-" and I think that pretty much sums it up. There aren't as many people out on the dating scene because there aren't as many people worth dating. But there are so many other things to do that it usually doesn't matter. I met most of my closes friends here during the first week in my college, Cowell. We all lived in one of two adjacent buildings and met at one of the get-to-know-each-other socials that seem lame, but are really handy. Santa Cruz does an amazing job of placing roommates together, and my freshman roommate is still my housemate and one of my best friends. While living on campus, there is always something going on and always someone awake, there is never a dead moment (except sunday mornings). People party pretty often here, but it has been restricted by the party ordinance which will slap a house with huge fines if the cops show up, but there are ways to avoid it. I spend most weekends partying friday, saturday and sometimes thursday night and spend my days studying or enjoying the campus by hiking or picnicing. If I need a night away from drinking, I can generally find a friend who feels the same way and we cook ourselves dinner and watch a movie or go out to a cafe downtown. There are plenty of low key things to do downtown and its a common place to find students.