University of California--Santa Barbara
Hallmarks and Quirks
Things I'm Good At:
- Basketball? I mean, I am Division I. I'll get out of the first round one day.
- Don't sleep on me academically. I have great programs in marine biology, mathematics, business, sociology, literature, Latin American studies, Native American studies, and engineering.
- Gettin' down and gettin' funky. I know how to throw a party.
My Top 5 Must-Haves:
- Flip-flops. It's a beach town.
- Ear plugs, for if you want to sleep on the weekend.
- Tortillas. You'll need them to throw on the soccer field during games since they banned us from throwing them at basketball games…
- Gym membership. There are many places to eat around town. All of them are good, but not in the beach body sense.
- Discipline. Temptations abound; don't get thrown out.
Why You Might Have Heard of Me:
- You might have read about me in a national top party schools list.
- Maybe you're a math nerd and you have posters of Alexei Filippenko and John R. Kirtley hanging in your room.
- My marine biologists played a key role in developing the ocean content for Google Earth. You can use your computer to dive under the sea thanks to me. (Note: Please do not attempt to scuba dive with nothing but a laptop.)
On a regular Saturday night, you can find me...
I'm probably walking around Isla Vista, checking out some sweet parties, and maybe stopping to listen to whatever live bands are jamming out on people's front lawns.
As the night winds down, I may stop by Freebirds to get one of those super fine burritos they're so famous for.
If I'm on campus, I'm hitting Late Night at the DLG dining commons. for some monster pizza slices and shakes so thick you can flip 'em over without spilling.
Favorite Hangouts:
- The UCEN during the day to play pool, eat fast food, and study.
- Isla Vista at night—you can't beat Woodstock's Pizza.
- Late night Freebirds burritos, but enjoy them while you can; when you get older, those 2:00AM bean and cheese burritos won't sit so well with you.
- Gino's is another pizza place you definitely shouldn't miss.
Quirks:
- I'm not actually in Santa Barbara. I'm about ten minutes north in Goleta.
- Undergrad lectures can get quite large, like 800 students. If you want one-on-one attention from the professor in those classes, you'll have to go to office hours. However, the TAs usually do a great job in your sections. You might do better pretending they're your professor; they'll probably be grading your papers anyway.
- In the dorms, you can hear the sound of the ocean waves every night as you fall asleep. Psh, forget white noise machines.
- Books are expensive. However, we have a reserve book library that holds textbooks from every class. Also, there's no law against sitting down on the floor of the bookstore and studying there…yet.
Famous Alumni:
- Gwyneth Paltrow
- Jack Johnson
- Michael Douglas
- Eric Roth
- Brian Shaw