I went to UCSB back in the day. It was great. UCSB for AGES has had a reputation as a huge party school. The major parties will be along Del Playa (the street next to the ocean in Isla Vista) but it’s not a weekend long rager all throughout IV every single weekend.
UCSB is NOT a commuter school. This makes it EASY to make friends.
If you are a partier, there’s plenty to choose from.
If you’re not into that, there are plenty of non-partiers, too. My roommate was a non-partier. She had plenty of fun. She just didn’t drink nor did she do drugs. There’s a large enough community of students there that there’s a tribe for every type of student.
When I was attending UCSB, the school most definitely was primarily a Caucasian student body. However, there is a special interest group for just about every racial & ethnic group you can imagine. More than 1 Asian student club or association. If you practice a particular religion? There’s a group for that, too. You’re Jewish? There’s a Hillel group on campus that does seder dinners on Friday evenings. Christian? There are a bunch of Christian student groups of various denominations. My next door neighbor in the dorms would attend Gaucho Christian Fellowship every Friday evening instead of partying in IV and she had a great time. Muslim? They have student groups for that, too. Buddhist? We’ve got you covered.
Etc., etc.
I would bet you $50 that UCD has the same thing.
Both schools are very bike friendly.
The weather in SB can’t be beat. You can study on the beach. Anacapa dorm has ocean views (well, part of it does). The weather in October in SB is pretty darn fabulous. In June and July, it’s often overcast the first part of the day and then it burns off (June gloom).
If financially both schools are about equal for you and both are affordable, then you need to decide based on a couple of things:
- Your major - UCD has it. UCSB does not. If you decide to go to UCSB, are you satisfied with Earth Sciences? Only you can decide that.
- Could you envision yourself living there for 4 years? Don't just tour the UCSB campus. Walk into IV and get some pizza from Woodstock's.
- Housing - how hard it is as a freshman, sophomore, etc. to get on campus housing? Is on campus housing guaranteed for all freshmen or are you going to end up in a housing lottery? Frankly, it would kind of suck to end up having to rent a room from somebody as a freshman vs living in a freshman dorm on campus.
If you’re a fan of Hamburger Habit, you should go to the original one that’s in Goleta on Hollister Ave.
re: UCD being far away from home - Only you can decide if this works for you.
re: UCSB being closer to home - If you do decide to go to UCSB, I’d recommend that you arrange an understanding with your parents such that they’ll treat it as if you are farther away from home.