<p>I don’t attend UCSC (yet haha) but the campus is like a second home to me. Drugs/alcohol/parties all depend on the crowd you hang out with. ALL colleges are the same when it comes to drugs, there is no such thing as “a party school” because… all schools have lots of parties. UCSC doesn’t have a lot of wild parties, but a number of people smoke weed there. You’ll find that a large majority do not smoke weed though, and some people don’t go near party scenes period. It’s like any other school, it just depends on your crowd.
UCSC is within reasonable distance of SF if you have a car. If not, it is a difficult commute. Of course SC has an amazing beach, lots of nature, cool shops and movie theaters and really nice people. It’s a fun city and if you put yourself out there you can make the best of it.</p>