Hopefully this helps with your college decision making or helps you learn a little more about UCSD! If you forgot an assignment in your room and there's 10 more minutes until your deadline, you're out of luck, unlike Chi-5 dorms that can be biked to from anywhere on campus in under 5 minutes.
The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. Also as an Asian, hey what's that supposed to mean?! And, with the distance from campus, is the distance from the beach. San Cat dorms are also the only ones that are double occupancy, have larger spaces, and private bathrooms. 1 was my dream school -- UPenn -- while the other 2 … It's much easier to build connections with other people who are searching for it and Manzi and San Raf are filled with upperclassmen a.k.a. I gave a list of some pros and cons of UCSD. Good luck!
Their outdoor lounge area is shady most of the time, which is nice for studying. San Miguel is probably similar but twice the size. However, with these pros (or cons, depending on how you see it), comes the problems, like the horrible dining commons, the distance from the main campus, and the noise. Santa Cruz and Anacapa are the shorties. I'm biased, but I really like San Nic because of FSSP and the possibility to get really social with the entire building because it is only one tower. It's also old, probably the dorm that shows the most wear in Chi-5. Why does everyone hate Berkeley housing so much? The school is building new residences in that area and it can get pretty loud. I answered this question about three weeks ago so I'm just gonna copypaste my answer from there.
Anacapa and Santa Cruz are smaller, possibilities for closer socializing.
It has the Portola dining commons which has a bad rep. Manzi is for people who like peace and quiet so it's kinda not social but the nearby commons Carrillo is good and it has a pool, as does FT. How much more of an edge will I have if I do FSSP? It's only two stories, but the halls seemingly go on forever, with lots of corners and halls that branch off.
So far Santa Catalina is #1 but barely. Both have similar views, but Anacapa has a busy road (especially with the construction vehicles). This summer, however, marks my first internship in a lab, and the day to day role of undergrad researcher has presented its own unique set of perks and drawbacks, such as: UCLA currently has the top food ranking out of every school in the US on Niche... Also, the book fair hasn't been at UCLA in years. I lived in Manzanita Village for a little while too. Friends who lived there a year ago complained about being woken up by construction noises and I assume it'll be the same now, as construction is still in the early stages. They are close to two dining commons which are good on some days and bad on others. I've heard the elevators help you meet people too. Runner-up, Santa Barbara. There aren't a significant amount of differences between the housings on campus honestly. However, I've also heard stories about buses being too full during morning commutes and students running late for class being stopped from getting on.
The noise shouldn't be a problem otherwise. Is there completely quiet study places and if yes where are they? With people spending less time going out and habits changing, many have turned to social media trends, creating long chains of “Instagram challenges.” Sucks there's no dorm that has the best of the social life like FT and easy commute like the channel 5s. But college town? It's at USC now. (These several details are true of virtually every dorm) It is also home to the Freshman Summer Start Program (FSSP) which I highly recommend.
Naturally they house smaller numbers of students.
It does have a nice balcony/outdoor area that overlooks the lagoon and beach, which is nice. share. Like the workout room in Santa Rosa, other dorms' residents can use it too, but it's in Santa Cruz. I have been accepted to both schools and would like to know from current or past students the pros and cons of UCSB. There is also a lot of construction going on around San Cat. It'll never stop feeling like summer camp and you'll find some place you belong eventually. I personally found living in Manzanita very asocial but if you like quiet then this is nice for you.
Each floor has a lounge with a small kitchenette. Yeah asked my friends who are moving to San Rafael next year why they aren't staying at FT and they said they got tired of the commute. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Some dorm rooms have balconies, although I don't know who gets those. I thought it was a great place to live! FT is huge, people love it or hate it. Manzi and San Raf are relatively far from campus but closer to DP/IV. TLDR; do one of the 5 in the middle of campus. That being said I'm extremely indecisive on which dorm to live in. Yeah I would say I get lazy alot so I'm scared that I would be tempted to skip classes at time at FT. It is slightly closer to the library and classes though, which can be a plus. Portola, San Cat's dining commons, is definitely the worst one at UCSB. Since most UC decisions are out (Irvine why do you do dis to me), what are some pros and cons for each campus? If you go out a lot, that's a big bonus, but Manzi can also be pretty dead. That said, the RAs there, while very chill, also don't have the best reputation for spending a lot of time guiding their freshmen. I would suggest staying in a freshman dorm your freshman year, so that's every one except Manzanita and San Rafael (Far-side). Portola, San Cat's dining commons, is definitely the worst one at UCSB. Hey guys I'm super super super excited to be attending UCSB in the fall as a freshman and hope to make it the best years of my life. save hide report. I don't know what's being done, for how long, and whether it'll continue into next year or move on to a new dorm, but it's there now. I only applied to 3 schools (don't come at me lol). Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, San Nicolas and San Miguel are known as the "Chi-5" (short for Channel Island 5), and are on the south side of campus, south of the Psychology building and near both the De Le Guerra (aka DLG) and the Ortega dining commons. Press J to jump to the feed. Pros and Cons of UC Hicago? Santa Rosa I assume is just a longer version of those. The RAs there are also very lax on their watch over their freshmen, so if you want to be loud, social, openly do contraband in your rooms with virtually no fear of being disturbed, this might be the place for you. Overall, it seemed like a decent place to live. Best: Davis, Santa Cruz. You'll probably have fun where ever you end up though. Both Anacapa and Santa Cruz have volleyball courts, which can get loud on weekend afternoons, but otherwise shouldn't be too much of a problem. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. There's also a basketball court near Santa Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Rosa, which caused some problems my year as there were residents fond of playing at night. Is there really more bikes at UCD over UCSB?
Gotta say as a Santa Cruz native I wouldn't call it a college town in the slightest. People will always vouch that __ has the best party life or whatever, but in the end they are all really great. However, I also heard the elevators (in the Chi-5 towers and San Cat) can be unreliable, with them breaking down on a pretty regular basis. And a large lounge which is a good study space. I've heard plenty of Portola horror stories about gross experimental dishes, un-fresh produce, and (seriously) finding the occasional insect in their bowl. It has big kitchens, big lounges, a big rec room, and its own workout room! San Nicolas is a single tower, 8 story building with co-ed floors, shaped like an L (men on one side, women on the other). A majority of the residents don't like UCSC students and the amount of actual stuff to do around Santa Cruz is limited if you aren't smoking pot and doing all that. people who are not searching for it.
Anacapa and Santa Cruz are similarly social. That might be a pro or con for you. It's too easy to not want to make the commute to campus if you're too tired or too sick. Any advice is appreciated. Nah. You start school during Session B of summer and get a nice little head start. I want to say maybe 150-200 students. It also has a rec room with a couple pool tables, ping pong, TV etc. I don't know much about it, except it has the standard lounge/study area and a rec room, like all dorms in Chi-5. The front desk is in the De Anza building near the dining commons. FT (santa catalina) is far as fuck and surrounded by construction right now. Santa Cruz is closer to the staircase to the beach and lagoon. If you don't bike, boarding is an option. San Miguel is similar to San Nicolas except it is two towers, and I believe that the floors are not co-ed but rather they alternate between male and female. I lived in San Nicolas as a freshman and worked as a DA there for a year.
Noticed it was left out for some reason... Pros: academics Cons: the goddamn academics. San Nicolas is an FSSP dorm, so unless you sign up for it, you most likely won't get a room there. They're great places, but freshman dorms are very social the first month or two when everyone is thirsty for friendship. You might get absolutely sick of traveling to class from San Cat though....I'm in San Clemente which is far down the street and closer to campus, and even skating from here gets to be a trek.. And thanks I think my whole block heard me yelling after I got my admission haha. Pros: There are some things that are good, New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the UCSantaBarbara community. BUT I heard the social life at FT was nice, New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the UCSantaBarbara community.
San Miguel is the same, and it's right by Ortega, which is tied with Carillo, in my opinion, for the best dining commons on campus. Pros and Cons of Working as an Undergrad Researcher In summers past, I’ve spent my time working more “traditional” teenage jobs, such as a camp counselor or fast food employee. Other than Geisel the place is built like a prison. Isla Vista at UCSB is a great college town though!! Parts of UCLA, UCB, Best on-campus fair: UCLA for the LA book fest [EDIT: now at USC apparently :/ ], Most likely to appear in a post-apocalyptic zombie flick: UCI, Most likely to have been built by elves: UCSC. Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. Don't get me wrong, great beach, amazing hiking and such. About 50 people on each floor IIRC. San Cat dorms are also the only ones that are double occupancy, have larger spaces, and private bathrooms. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the ApplyingToCollege community. San Cat/FT: It's notoriously loud.
Of course, they're also fixed fairly quickly. It along with Anacapa (to which it is practically identical) and Santa Rosa are called the "shorties" because they are only two stories tall.
They are similar in layout, but have a few significant differences. Cookies help us deliver our Services.
News, questions, and discussions for the people of UCSB and IV. Best: San Diego, hands down. Santa Cruz also has it's own theater, with a flat screen, an X-Box, a sound system, couches, and pretty extensive DVD collection. shorties (2 stories): anacapa, santa cruz, santa rosa, towers (8 stories): san nic & san miguel (I recommend san nic but I lived there freshman year so some bias). By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies.