<p>I’m a parent who went to UCSC in the Dark Ages. Crown has historically been the quietest. . .I think the 9/10 dining hall has the longest hours, esp. on weekends. I like walking more than most people, but it can be quite a hike to another college just for food. I think (but please double check this!) the Psych classes are most likely to be in the building near 9/10. So if you live nearby, this is nice. I don’t know how much snail mail is sent out these days, but your mailbox will be at your college, and it is a real PITA to pick up if you are never in the area. (Crown isn’t all that far from 9/10 BTW.) Be sure read the various colleges’ Core Course descriptions to see if any appeal to you or completely leave you cold.</p>
<p>I read Choose UCSC College thread last year. I was amazed at how the various colleges have retained their images. I started at Stevenson, lived on campus for two years, then transferred to Merrill. By that time, I had friends from all the different colleges and pretty much everyone lived off campus so college affiliation didn’t matter a whole lot. However, graduation took place at each college, so if most of your friends were from a different college, you did not get to walk together.</p>