From NYU to UCSB (Santa Barbara, Vista: rent, credit, dorm)

[SurfinGatNYU]

hello all im a 23 male who is planning on moving to Santa Barbara for UCSB. I love NYC basically because i was born and raised here and i also love NYU. But i want something different already. I cant stand the winters here, i wake up sick every day in the winter time. My biggest passion is surfing but theres not much of it going on here and taking the long train ride with a huge surfboard in NYC is gettign kind of old.
Everything i've heard about Santa Barbara has been great but now i come to this site and see the words gangs, dangerous and santa barbara in the same sentence lol i was kind of surprised. i mean i live in kind of bad neighborhood myself but i was born and raised here so im familiar with the guys in the corners here lol u just dont want to show up at a new unfamiliar place where these gang members will automatically know imnot from there. maybe i shouldnt be worried about this.

[katenik]

i would certainly never call santa barbara "dangerous," but there is a lot of agricultural activity taking place right outside the city limits, which brings in a lot of migrant farm labor to the area. hence, the local schools aren't as good as they should be, and there are gang-like elements on the streets after sundown. quite a shame in such an otherwise lovely town.

i left NYU after freshman year, and eventually landed at UCSC. i know nothing about surfing, but i do remember lots of sand in the co-ed dorm bathrooms from the wetsuits left there to dry, so there must have been surfing opportunities...probably up the coast a bit. if you're not wedded to santa barbara, perhaps you should consider it (as long as you don't mind the socialist indoctrination you will doubtless experience there).

[SurfinGatNYU]

Thanks for the reply Kate i was wondering what kind of grades did you have? i know UCSB is different from your school but i wamt to know how to prepare if i want to leave after 2 semesters. Some ppl tell me that i should goto a community college in cali instead of NYU but i dont have the money to go and rent an aparment at the moment.

[katenik]

Originally Posted by SurfinGatNYU

Thanks for the reply Kate i was wondering what kind of grades did you have? i know UCSB is different from your school but i wamt to know how to prepare if i want to leave after 2 semesters. Some ppl tell me that i should goto a community college in cali instead of NYU but i dont have the money to go and rent an aparment at the moment.

my grades are irrelevant...and UCSC didn't give grades when i was a student there, anyhow. as far as i'm aware, UCSC is no more or no less competitive than UCSB from an academic standpoint, so if you can get into one, you should be able to get into the other...and if you are transferring from NYU, neither should be a problem. maybe you have omitted some relevant detail, but if you are already attending a university, i see no reason to go backward and enroll in a community college when you arrive. why would you want to do that?

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by katenik

i would certainly never call santa barbara "dangerous," but there is a lot of agricultural activity taking place right outside the city limits, which brings in a lot of migrant farm labor to the area. hence, the local schools aren't as good as they should be, and there are gang-like elements on the streets after sundown. quite a shame in such an otherwise lovely town.

Migrant farm labor is not responsible for gang activity in Santa Barbara. Economic circumstances, social issues and a city that turned a blind eye to the growth of gangs in a "it can't happen here" mentality are the main causes.

Most UCSB students live in Isla Vista directly adjacent to the university. It's a generally safe area, though raucous and noisy. Students also live in Goleta and downtown Santa Barbara. Generally speaking, the areas most plagued by gangs in SB are the "lower east side" (Milpas/Haley Streets) and "west side" (San Andres/Carrillo/San Pasqual). These areas are only a few miles apart, but rivals in gangland.

The gang issues in Santa Barbara are generally not a concern for university students, as such. Families with kids should take the problem to heart.

[SurfinGatNYU]

hahah im not sure why some ppl gave me that advice. Does being 23 matter at all to UC's? also the fact that at this age im just starting? Hopefully they wont check much of my high school history and take me in according to grades and credits. I think the fact that i got into NYU and Colombia was pure luck lol
Westmont College wich is near SB or right there said that they will take me after 24 units wich is great except im going for UCSB. thanks again!

[missionhome]

Originally Posted by katenik

my grades are irrelevant...and UCSC didn't give grades when i was a student there, anyhow. as far as i'm aware, UCSC is no more or no less competitive than UCSB from an academic standpoint, so if you can get into one, you should be able to get into the other...and if you are transferring from NYU, neither should be a problem. maybe you have omitted some relevant detail, but if you are already attending a university, i see no reason to go backward and enroll in a community college when you arrive. why would you want to do that?

I don't want to be offensive, but I think UCSB is a little bit of a better school than UCSC and it a bit more competitive. I hear some more positive things about SB as a school too. UCSB is ranked 44 and UCSC is ranked 96 for undergraduate schools. Acceptance rate is 50% for UCSB from high school (I realize you are transfer though) and 72% for UCSC so the student body at UCSB is generally a little bit more academically advanced. Average GPA at UCSB was 3.94 and UCSC was 3.7.
-Again, not trying to be confrontational, but I think UCSB is a bit of a more respected school than Santa Cruz.

[katenik]

Originally Posted by missionhome

I don't want to be offensive, but I think UCSB is a little bit of a better school than UCSC and it a bit more competitive. I hear some more positive things about SB as a school too. UCSB is ranked 44 and UCSC is ranked 96 for undergraduate schools. Acceptance rate is 50% for UCSB from high school (I realize you are transfer though) and 72% for UCSC so the student body at UCSB is generally a little bit more academically advanced. Average GPA at UCSB was 3.94 and UCSC was 3.7.
-Again, not trying to be confrontational, but I think UCSB is a bit of a more respected school than Santa Cruz.

i went there over 20 years ago, when it was more difficult to get into UCSB, because the location was more desirable and it had a reputation as a party school. UCSC was the newest UC campus, and suffered under the shadow of cal. perhaps, that is still the case; i don't know, because i'm long out of college, but i do recall that UCSC prided itself on the caliber of its faculty, which was third only to cal and UCLA among the UC campuses. i had some great teachers there...even the unabashed socialists.

[TheRealAngelion]

Originally Posted by SurfinGatNYU

Everything i've heard about Santa Barbara has been great but now i come to this site and see the words gangs, dangerous and santa barbara in the same sentence lol i was kind of surprised.

More than 50 percent of what is said on City Data is either pure hyperbole or complete falsehood. The truth is always somewhere in between.

There's a greater chance of getting run over by a drunken student in Isla Vista where most UCSB students party and live than getting shot by any street gang member. Coming from NYC, living in Santa Barbara will be like one long, extended vacation by comparison. You will be fine, and more than likely very happy. Everyone I know who went to school there loved it and had a great experience.

[Chatteress]

Originally Posted by SurfinGatNYU

hello all im a 23 male who is planning on moving to Santa Barbara for UCSB. I love NYC basically because i was born and raised here and i also love NYU. But i want something different already. I cant stand the winters here, i wake up sick every day in the winter time. My biggest passion is surfing but theres not much of it going on here and taking the long train ride with a huge surfboard in NYC is gettign kind of old.
Everything i've heard about Santa Barbara has been great but now i come to this site and see the words gangs, dangerous and santa barbara in the same sentence lol i was kind of surprised. i mean i live in kind of bad neighborhood myself but i was born and raised here so im familiar with the guys in the corners here lol u just dont want to show up at a new unfamiliar place where these gang members will automatically know imnot from there. maybe i shouldnt be worried about this.

You are going to face stiff competition in terms of transferring to any UC campus from an out-of-state university. The UC system in California is highly selective in terms of transfer admissions since they have limited spots. When making decisions on transfer admissions, the priorities are:
1. California community college students
2. Students from other UC campuses
3. Other 4-yr colleges in California
4. Out of state transfer applicants