Opinions on UCSC?

[hapoo]

Anyone have any opinions on ucsc? Has anyone gone there?
I an acceptance letter 2 weeks ago and i'm visiting the place tomorrow to see what its like. Just keeping my options open.

BTW, i'll be majoring in Computer Science.

[tweeteresa]

i believe UCI has a pretty good comp sci prgm. maybe even better than UCLA and Cal (considering the UC's that is). but nope...i know nada bout UCSC. i don't even know anyone taht goes there. good luck and have fun!

[speedracer120]

Nice school campus. Maybe I should've went there when I that was the only UC that accepted me among those that I wanted to go. Although I haven't heard much about anything at that school except its "liberal" tendencies it shouldn't be bad, hey it's a UC. Anyways, being so close to Silicon Valley can't make matters worse for their CS department.

[glagic]

im at UCI and it has a really good comp sci program. as said above, UCSC is a liberal arts school. i heard its improving, but its not as good as the others. it's towards the bottom of all the UC's i think.

[psycho-]

Dude, it's all about UCSD

[Dave_7]

Is Santa Cruz the UC that gives Pass/Fail rather than real grades?

Or is that Davis?


I forget.





Dave.

[NuTs62]

don't mean to knock ya down hapoo, but from what i've heard, UCSC is the last resort kind of thing of the UC system, as is I think Santa Barbara..? :shrug: saw it in an article in the SJ Mercury News, or SF Chronicle, not too long ago too! as for the school itself, i don't know a thing about it.. but dangit, its hot 'round there!

[kimchicowboy]

Originally posted by tweeteresa
i believe UCI has a pretty good comp sci prgm. maybe even better than UCLA and Cal (considering the UC's that is).
are you sure about this tweeteresa? Cal has a top-notch CS program. at least if it's part of the EECS program. it's so competitive to get in, and you're required to graduate in 4. my sis applied for the EECS program, got denied, but did get accepted to MIT and harvey mudd, two other very competitive schools. madness. but about UCSC, i dunno much besides that it's liberal and has a nice campus. :)

[Jihforce]

Originally posted by NuTs62
don't mean to knock ya down hapoo, but from what i've heard, UCSC is the last resort kind of thing of the UC system, as is I think Santa Barbara..? :shrug: saw it in an article in the SJ Mercury News, or SF Chronicle, not too long ago too! as for the school itself, i don't know a thing about it.. but dangit, its hot 'round there!

Maybe for those in the Bay Area. But in So Cal, its UCR.

[jujubees]

Originally posted by NuTs62
don't mean to knock ya down hapoo, but from what i've heard, UCSC is the last resort kind of thing of the UC system, as is I think Santa Barbara..? :shrug: saw it in an article in the SJ Mercury News, or SF Chronicle, not too long ago too! as for the school itself, i don't know a thing about it.. but dangit, its hot 'round there! Does it really matter if it's a "last resort" UC? U.S. News & World Report named it one of the top 20 public universities in the country:

http://www.ucsc.edu/oncampus/currents/98-99/08-24/usnews.htm

Go, banana slugs! :P

[psycho-]

The unofficial UC Ranking list (overall)

Top Tier
1- cal
2-la
3-sd

2nd tier
4-uci
5/6-sb
5/6-davis

3rd tier
7/8-ucr
7/8-sc
9-ucm

Remember that even the lowest school is still within the top 10% of students in the state.

[Thunder]

I heard UCSC doesn't give out letter grades. They have their own kind of grading system...so if you are looking to get into graduate school, or plan on applying to a job where GPA might be important, that would be something to consider. It's difficult to "explain" why the university you went to didn't give out grades...

and yeah...like someone said earlier...it IS all about USCD...GO...Tritons...is that what we were?...

[Pinkgirl36]

My friends older brother went there, and he really enjoyed it, but I don't know what he was majoring in.

His younger sister ( my friend ) is now in her second year there, I can ask her questions for you if you want, or try to put you two in touch, just lemme know.

[Pinkgirl36]

Originally posted by Pinkgirl36
My friends older brother went there, and he really enjoyed it, but I don't know what he was majoring in.

His younger sister ( my friend ) is now in her second year there, I can ask her questions for you if you want, or try to put you two in touch, just lemme know.

[jujubees]

From http://admissions.ucsc.edu/faq/faq.cfm?action=multi&category=Academics :

Q: What is UCSC's grading policy?
A: Starting with the freshman class beginning fall 2001, UCSC gives letter grades in all classes, and in addition, faculty members write detailed comments on each student's performance in each class. These comments used to be referred to as "narrative evaluations" but are now called "performance evaluations." Students also have the option to take no more than 25 percent of their courses on a pass/no pass basis.

Many graduate schools and employers appreciate written comments because they provide detail and reveal qualities about the student in addition to academic strengths.

Departments may require that some or all of the courses taken to satisfy major requirements must be taken for a letter grade. Therefore, students should consult departmental requirements before requesting pass/no pass grading in a course.

Requests for pass/no pass grading are only granted for students who are in good academic standing.

[Pinkgirl36]

Originally posted by Pinkgirl36
ok I really need to pay attention when I post things...

ooops

[hapoo]

Thanks guys. I just really didn't know much about the place and thought i'd ask you guys since you’re so knowledgeable :D

I also applied to UCI and UCLA. I should get a response from UCLA this afternoon. I wish i could have also applied to SB and SD but they wouldn't accept my major in the winter.


Also, almost everyone i've talked to tells me that it doesn't really matter where i get my BS since i'm going to get my masters afterward (and probably doctorate too). They say that the last institution is the one that counts. What do you guys think?

[brainsmile]

you can always transfer

[NuTs62]

Originally posted by hapoo
Also, almost everyone i've talked to tells me that it doesn't really matter where i get my BS since i'm going to get my masters afterward (and probably doctorate too). They say that the last institution is the one that counts. What do you guys think?

yup, thats true :) i have no experience in that area, so i'll leave that to someone who has...

[creampuff]

Originally posted by hapoo
Thanks guys. I just really didn't know much about the place and thought i'd ask you guys since you’re so knowledgeable :D

I also applied to UCI and UCLA. I should get a response from UCLA this afternoon. I wish i could have also applied to SB and SD but they wouldn't accept my major in the winter.


Also, almost everyone i've talked to tells me that it doesn't really matter where i get my BS since i'm going to get my masters afterward (and probably doctorate too). They say that the last institution is the one that counts. What do you guys think?


yup ucla admissions come out this afternoon...i work in the admission office. 4pm. well, some of them, at least.


i think if you're pursuing a higher degree, all that matters is where you got that degree... but overall a degree is a degree. a master's is a master's. on some company's payscale, a master's from one university isn't going to earn more money than a master's from another.

[whitak24]

Originally posted by creampuff
i think if you're pursuing a higher degree, all that matters is where you got that degree... but overall a degree is a degree. a master's is a master's. on some company's payscale, a master's from one university isn't going to earn more money than a master's from another.
ahhh...yes. but depending on the job, you may not get the job in the first place if you don't have an advanced degree from the "right" school ;)

[InfiniteNothing]

Not to mention bragging points.

PS: Go Tritons!

[leemaj]

Originally posted by kimchicowboy

are you sure about this tweeteresa? Cal has a top-notch CS program. at least if it's part of the EECS program. it's so competitive to get in, and you're required to graduate in 4. my sis applied for the EECS program, got denied, but did get accepted to MIT and harvey mudd, two other very competitive schools. madness. but about UCSC, i dunno much besides that it's liberal and has a nice campus. :)

first off, Cal's CS program is among the top in the nation. second, i have some friends at santa cruz...yes, according to things like usnews and world report, its down there. definitely check out the place, see if you like it. btw, how did you get an acceptance letter 2 weeks ago? are you a transfer app? i applied for colleges last fall, so i still have all that research stuff fresh in my head...

ok, lastly, kimchicowboy....which school did your sister decide on? MIT and harvey mudd are good schools..MIT is so much better though..:)

[leemaj]

Originally posted by hapoo
Thanks guys. I just really didn't know much about the place and thought i'd ask you guys since you’re so knowledgeable :D

I also applied to UCI and UCLA. I should get a response from UCLA this afternoon. I wish i could have also applied to SB and SD but they wouldn't accept my major in the winter.


Also, almost everyone i've talked to tells me that it doesn't really matter where i get my BS since i'm going to get my masters afterward (and probably doctorate too). They say that the last institution is the one that counts. What do you guys think?

in order to get into a good grad school, they look at undergrad...and so you are right..the lsat one counts, but after you get your BS, then that is the last school you went to...so thats what counts when you are trying to get into grad school

[irwin]

Originally posted by creampuff



yup ucla admissions come out this afternoon...i work in the admission office. 4pm. well, some of them, at least.


Applying to colleges next month. Can ya give me a hookup? I'll make it worth your while. :naughty:

[Cheesypuff]

Originally posted by Dave_7
Is Santa Cruz the UC that gives Pass/Fail rather than real grades?



UCSC used to be on the pass/fail system. but now...I think they are going to the letter grade system. From what I hear...UCSC is a good school. But sort of ghetto. Anywho...if you go there...we should hang out sometime...I live in that area!

[Merlin]

Originally posted by jujubees
Go, banana slugs! :P

:stupid: :hihi:

[avlena]

Originally posted by kimchicowboy

are you sure about this tweeteresa? Cal has a top-notch CS program. at least if it's part of the EECS program. it's so competitive to get in, and you're required to graduate in 4. my sis applied for the EECS program, got denied, but did get accepted to MIT and harvey mudd, two other very competitive schools. madness. but about UCSC, i dunno much besides that it's liberal and has a nice campus. :)

I've heard various recruiters for companies say that sometimes, UCI is actually preferred against Cal and UCLA. *shrug* They just have different programs in terms of what's emphasized. It probably depends on what area of CS you want to go into. I know that one of the major differences between UCLA and UCI is that UCI has a strong empahasis on software. Don't know too much about the Cal program, but i do know that my freshman year was more accelerated then my friend's at Cal in terms of technology learned.

Interesting facts on the UCI program...it's the largest CS department in all the UC's, and while it is currently a self-standing department (all the others are part of the engineering schooL), it is soon to become the first School of Computer Science in all the UC's. (info gleaned from listening to the counselors and chair speak at recruiting events) Personally, i'm damn proud of my UCI education! :-p

[hapoo]

Ok, just got back from visiting the Santa Cruz area. Also stopped by SanFran (I swear think i saw passwird stickin' his tounge out at me :P), ran through china town quickly, just a glance before my flight back.

As far as the town itself is concerned. Very green, lots of trees and very fresh air/water, stuff i liked. As for the people, well as several people put it... the place is stuck in the 60's, lots of hippies, first person we stopped to ask for directions was totally stoned, kinda weird.

I dunno, its only 2 years, I guess i could see myself going up there. I'm still waiting on UCI, but i'm not sure if i'd want to go there either.

Quick question, just to clear things up... After i transfer, does my GPA start over again? Thanks for the input guys :)

[NuTs62]

Originally posted by hapoo
Ok, just got back from visiting the Santa Cruz area. Also stopped by SanFran (I swear think i saw passwird stickin' his tounge out at me :P), ran through china town quickly, just a glance before my flight back.

As far as the town itself is concerned. Very green, lots of trees and very fresh air/water, stuff i liked. As for the people, well as several people put it... the place is stuck in the 60's, lots of hippies, first person we stopped to ask for directions was totally stoned, kinda weird.

I dunno, its only 2 years, I guess i could see myself going up there. I'm still waiting on UCI, but i'm not sure if i'd want to go there either.

Quick question, just to clear things up... After i transfer, does my GPA start over again? Thanks for the input guys :)

are you transferring from another college, or is this your first college? excuse my ignorance, i don't know ur history :P hehe.. universities usually keep two records.. one with your prior GPA from other colleges, added to your GPA there... and also keep a seperate one for just that univ. at least thats the way it is here at SJSU.

And hippie? Was that in SF or SC? In SF, if you go around Haight Ashbury, you're bound to see those around. Around SC, you'll certainly see lots of trees. If you like the night life, you'd be better off going to UCI or somewhere in SoCal. The Bay Area has a few clubs, but night life isn't too big here. You don't see many restaurants open 24-7, as you would down in LA. But of course, you're goin for the edumacation.. so that shouldn't matter :P

[psycho-]

Originally posted by leemaj


in order to get into a good grad school, they look at undergrad...and so you are right..the lsat one counts, but after you get your BS, then that is the last school you went to...so thats what counts when you are trying to get into grad school

They more look at your scores than what institution you went to. I can say that becuase I'm in grad school now

[hapoo]

Originally posted by NuTs62


are you transferring from another college, or is this your first college? excuse my ignorance, i don't know ur history :P hehe.. universities usually keep two records.. one with your prior GPA from other colleges, added to your GPA there... and also keep a seperate one for just that univ. at least thats the way it is here at SJSU.


Transfering from another college