Berkeley Parents Network: Going to the UCs

Berkeley Parents Network

Going to the UCs

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Questions

UC Santa Cruz colleges, dorm housing
Son nervous about UC Santa Cruz - wants to wait
Experience with UC Merced?

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UC Santa Cruz colleges, dorm housing

May 2009

TO: Wise parents of current or former UCSC students. We're a little befuddled by the ''college'' choices and the affordable dorm housing choices, ie quad? small double? small triple?. Daughter has been accepted into College Eight. She's a homebody, neatnik and a bit obsessive with cleanliness, bordering on OCD. More interested in environmental issues than social justice. She'd like to meet people and make new friends, though not the type to drink to excess. Her drink of choice is chai. Any suggestions on a suitable college and which dorm accommodation would be ideal for her? Or, does it make a difference... how good is UCSC with matching roommates? UCSC Newbie Parent

''She's a homebody, neatnik and a bit obsessive with cleanliness, bordering on OCD.''

Fill out the housing application with clear details, get it in early, and be willing to pay more money if it provides better choices. Read the Housing website multiple times and discuss the details and options with your student.

There are drug and substance free floors, single gender floors, and these fill up fast. If enough requests are made early enough they will consider converting floors to accommodate demand, but if you are last minute you get what is left.

If your daughter is really OCD you need a professionally documented diagnosis. And if you think so you may wish to follow up since it can be a lifetime issue. UCSC provides services for disabilities.

For the last few years UCSC has had record numbers of admissions so housing is scarce. They have been ''converting'' singles to doubles, and doubles to triples. ''Converting'' means putting in bunkbeds, the rooms are the same size as they were constructed. However the housing staff for each school is very professional and does their best to match up compatible people. They also will rematch later on but this takes time and may be disruptive. It is very isolating for freshman to live in a single room, and UCSC has a lot of experience with what works so contact Housing as soon as possible with your questions.

Reminder - this is college now. So staff is much less interested in what parents have to say and much more interested in what students have to say. Your student will get a much stronger response to a well worded request than you will. This is one of the biggest changes from HS to college. A student may actually get less than what they need if the requests are all coming from mom and/or dad. At some point your student will need to deal with people who are different than they are, it's a huge part of going off to school. After 18 years, all contact must come from the student and you are only privy to what is going on if your student provides written permission. UCSC parent

Son nervous about UC Santa Cruz - wants to wait

May 2009

I could really use some advice. My son is a senior, graduating in a month. He is extremely creative but by our high school standards, a pretty average student (3.5, 1860 on SAT). He is extremely creative especially in video production and theater type of work, however, he is also really analytical (i.e. he doesn't relate to really artsy people).

He applied to two U.C.s and got into Santa Cruz, didn't get into Santa Barbara. To, me Santa Cruz is a perfect fit for him. We went to the campus visit and afterwards, he said he just didn't like Santa Cruz. Now he wants to do community college. He says he wants to go to a better school ... whatever that means. Honestly, I think he is stalling.

I think he is afraid to go. I am really torn on whether to push him out of the nest and make him go or to let him stay home for two years with this community college. Most of my friends say let him do community college, some kids just take longer. My gut says make him go to Santa Cruz. I already told him he could make the decision, but now I'm regretting that thinking I should have said ''You're going''.

This is a nice kid with good friends but he's never had a job or any great responsibility - even though I keep telling him he has to get a job. Short of me applying for him, he just won't. I'm pretty fed up. Shelly

I would say that you should let him go to community college first, and in the meantime, have him think of other options. Santa Cruz is a special kind of place, with a particular flavor that may not appeal to your son, though it appeals to you. When he says ''better'' school, he may mean less non-traditional. I would have him look over literature from schools across the country to see if he can put his finger on what would be a good fit. Though private schools can be very expensive, perhaps he can win a scholarship if he does really well at the community college. Or he can try to get into a different UC. In any case, for a student feeling unsure of himself, the community college is a good start. The course material for the foundation courses is basically the same, but the classes are smaller and there is not the social piece to contend with in the same way. As someone who teaches college-aged kids (and who has seen kids crash and burn), I would say that parents should start to bow out of the decision process as much as is feasible at this point. He has a preference that makes sense, and I would go with that. Linda

I have a student at UCSC who loves it. Furthermore as a parent I think the school knocks itself out to provide very quality service to all of its students. We looked at 10 private schools and were accepted at 5 out 6 applied to. None of them were as proactive as UCSC in making sure our student was taken care of. Really encourage a visit and tour, talk to students on campus.

There is all kinds of common talk about UCSC as ''low priority'' UC, a party school, ungraded environment. It's nonsense. Most of the UCSC grads I have met whether recent or from the 70's loved their experience. It is a well known center to launch science careers.

First of all they have had grades for many years, the academics are structured, more structured than most private schools costing 3 times as much. Requirements for graduation are not as easy as other UCs, that may surprise you, The student body is friendly, accepting, and really very normal. It's a beautiful campus, and the city of Santa Cruz has lots of opportunities for movies, beach, boardwalk, groceries and eateries.

The pressure and competition to get into any UC right now is tremendous. If he prefers another UC, he can gain priority to transfer for second or third year if his grades are good. It is much easier to transfer from one UC to another, than to get in as a freshman. I have talked to several people who graduated from UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UCSB by first going to UCSC, Riverside or Irvine.

I suspect his friends are giving him crap. My student's friends dished crap and half of them wish they picked UCSC now. The beer boozing on most of the campuses is way out of control. A bit more discreet at UCSC. Not the nerdiest school, but many very serious and responsible students. Amazing lecturers. I am very pleased with my student's roommates. World class programs in many, many areas. In the end right now your son's peers opinions are very valuable to him, in another year, he may only be talking to one or two of the HS friends. So try to sort out the source of this.

A day listening in on lectures really made the difference for my student. If he has been to the campus several times I would agree that maybe a Community College would be better. You might also look at the University of Texas, University of Oregon, University of Vermont, and SUNY systems, little late, but for folks out there who can't afford private, these out of state tuitions are not awful. UCSC positive, goodluck making a good choice

My understanding is that it is only possible to transfer from a UC to another UC in the junior year and that UC doesn't take transfers from other colleges at the sophomore level. Does anyone have a different experience with this. My son did not get into a UC of his choice. He was surprised that he didn't get into UCSC but we heard of students with GPAs of 3.8 who didn't get in. We were told that his best chance would involving going to junior college for two years, and then transferring to a UC. He did get into SFSU but it sounds like there is almost no chance of transfering from a CSU to a UC as the system feels you are already taken care of. Any ideas? Money is an issue, so we will be staying instate. another parent

In response to the question about your son not getting into a UC of choice and the problem of not being able to transfer until the junior year...you might look into Evergreen College in Olympia, Washington. it's a state school, and its liberal political, green ambiance appeals to some kids who are also interested in UCSC. The out-of-state tuition there is nearly comparable to the UC system. My son and several other graduates of Berkeley High went to Evergreen and loved it. Cathy

Experience with UC Merced?

April 2009

Does anyone have personal experience with UC Merced? My daughter received an acceptance letter from them, although she hadn't applied there. She was rejected by all the other UC's, so is seriously considering it. We're wondering specifically if it feels isolating, and if it will feel very different from the more diverse community she is used to in the Bay Area. anon

Here is response from my son who is going to UC Merced currently: Currently a sophomore at UC Merced. I was also rejected from all the UCs and chose UC Merced over San Francisco State. The size of classes makes it feel like a small private school at a UC price. Most professors are well educated from respectable universities. There is some diversity on campus (majority of students are from Bay Area, Sacramento, and Los Angeles). The campus itself is about 4-5 miles from the city of Merced. There is a shuttle that goes between campus and town. The city of Merced is a very conservative place. It is missing the diversity that we are used to (and love) in the Bay Area. There is also no Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, or anything resembling Berkeley Bowl or Monterey Market. Merced feels like it's stuck in the 90s. I would not highly recommend UC Merced if your daughter is looking for a big city school like UCLA or UC Berkeley. Instead, her best bet would be to attend community college for two years and then transfer to a UC. Hope that helps, and best of luck. Anon

My son (Berkeley High Graduate) is now a 3rd year student and has thrived well. The Campus itself is isolated, it is about 10-15 minutes away from downtown Merced via car, but the student body population is very diverse. Many of my son's friends are from San Jose, San Francisco, Sacramento, Alameda, Berkeley as well as Los Angeles and San Diego. Staff is also a diverse bunch!

He's been an RA for two years now. He just learned that he's been accepted to be a SR RA for the 09/10 school year. I'm sure he'd be happy to answer any of your daughter's questions regarding the school. E-mail me and I can send you his e-mail. js

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