HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR EXPERIENCE AT UCSC
We hope you enjoy this list of handy suggestions, which we compiled in consultation with a group of smart and savvy UC Santa Cruz students.
1. Explore your horizons academically
This is the time to have fun and take risks. Expand your mind, and try out different divisions. You just might find something you love, unexpectedly. Just remember to declare your major by the end of sophomore year!
2. Make sure to tell the folks back home that you share the campus with wild deer
Never mind that those deer are quite tame and can act a little weird sometimes. The campus is also home to some wilder critters that require more caution, including bats, raccoons, golden eagles, foxes, and, on rare occasions, mountain lions.
3. Take advantage of social groups, hobbies, and extraordinary activities
The campus offers an incredible array of extracurricular activities, and many of them are student run. For instance, did you know that UCSC is home to award-winning a cappella music groups and a fantastic tango dance collective called Tangroupe? You might even launch your own business at UCSC, with help from the campus’s very own Center for Entrepreneurship.
4. Learn the history of your famous mascot, who turns 25 years old this year
Go Slugs! Read more right here.
5. Remember that dining halls are all-you-can-eat
While some students may be leery of the dreaded "Freshman 15," they should never worry about going hungry. And if you’re veg, take advantage of Meatless Mondays offered on campus.
6. Four years pass quickly: explore the Bay Area (and Santa Cruz environs)
Campus is beautiful and full of activity, but adventure awaits you beyond UCSC lines, as well. For example, there's nearby Wilder Ranch State Park, a highly hike-able and bike-able hot spot that’s not too far from campus. Nisene Marks State Park, in nearby Aptos, is just waiting to be explored--and you may even see some banana slugs there, so watch your step! Or take public transportation to San Francisco, where world-class art museums often give steep discounts to students.
7. Summarize your lecture notes!
This will force you to write legibly, too.
8. Get involved with "going green"
UCSC students are justifiably proud of their efforts, which include a groundbreaking and student-administered Carbon Fund that backs worthy green-friendly projects. Reuse and recycle--but that’s just the starting point. Why not start up your own carbon-reducing project?
9. Figure out your favorite spots to contemplate life and nature
With its gorges, bridges, fern groves, and redwood glens, this campus is undeniably inspiring.
10. Figure out the shuttle system (and the Santa Cruz municipal bus system), use the newly updated interactive campus map, and take advantage of UCSC’s very own way-finding app.
The new campus online map uses a Google interface, but has a variety of custom search fields, letting one easily find dining locations, different parking options (including the ones that are free on evenings and weekends), and transit stops. Students can also search for class locations by the abbreviations used in the class catalog – a feature that students have been requesting for years. Meanwhile, explore the campus and get to know the UCSC environs.
(First years aren't allowed to bring a car, anyhow.) You're liable to see many wonderful and curious sights, from grass-munching cows to historic buildings to student artwork. Besides, to make it all easier, the streets on campus finally have names--believe it or not, many campus streets hadn't been named since UCSC's founding in 1965.
