The University of California - Santa Barbara

Date: Apr 29 2009
Major: PreLaw and Legal (This Major's Salary over time)
UCSB, has always been a special school, and for the longest time it was a closely guarded SoCal secret. Even when I attended, it compared academically quite favorably to Cal and UCLA, both of which I considered, and could have attended.

Basic lower division classes were decent, and not taught by TA's in huge halls, such as at UCLA. Basically, if you've had your hand held all of your life, and been spoon-fed, any UC is not your environment. You've probably been in private schools since daycare, so pay for Reed or Pomona. If you're at all awake and self-motivated, the campus provides great faculty and a challenging academic environment. Perform here, and you can literally go anywhere to grad school.

Beauty can be distracting, whether it be your largely SoCal peers, the beach, the mountains, SB or the perfect weather. If you need to suffer, go back East, where the weather sucks and people are perpetually pissed and arrogant. Must be the horsehair underwear.

The party scene, which today is nothing compared to the 70's when UCSB's rep became widely and famously established, has always been there. Compared to 35 years ago, the scene is mild and tame, believe me. My daughter is now a junior at UCSB in Global Studies and Drama, and loves the diversity of the overall experience. Show a little restraint, and you can balance fun with academics. Good luck Grasshoppers!