<p>My oldest daughter attends UCSC - it was her “safety” and she was concerned about the reputation, etc. She’s been pleasantly surprised by the people she’s met and loves her classes. A word of caution - have your student choose their college affiliation carefully. My daughter was originally placed in the “party” college (which we didn’t realize, obviously) and was very unhappy there. After a quarter she moved to a different college and all has been well. </p>
<p>She didn’t participate in the FYHP - I think it was only in its second year when she started. Now my second daughter is going through the application process and received the email to apply, so she did. Their gpas were similar, and both are full IB diploma, but D2 had a higher sat - maybe that’s what made the difference? Also they seem to be expanding the program. There is something to be said for being a big fish in a small pond…</p>