The college road trip had its ups and downs but overall I had a great time. We went to four colleges, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Clara University, UC Santa Cruz, and Cal Poly SLO. To kick it off, Santa Barbara was our first stop and in my opinion, the liveliest of the colleges. Our tour guide was really enthusiastic and cool, answering every question even stupid ones like how he learned to walk backwards so well. One thing that he said that stood out to me was that he chose this school over UC Berkeley, which is my dream school. Their adamancy about student happiness and plethora of support programs really drew me to this school but it just fell short of where I would want to go geographically.
Moving north, Santa Clara was next, and our bus was already not so happy about getting up at 5:55 am, plus not being with the rest of the grade. The school was pretty, but I think what drew students away was that it was a Jesuit college, leading assumptions about religion. Really, you didn’t need to be involved religiously at all if you didn’t want to, it just means there are churches on campus and a religious class of your choice is required. We were given a little introductory speech where she mostly just described how expensive tuition is and how much money they have, and maybe a little here and there about sports. Our tour guide was okay, but everyone was very tired and I don't think really wanted to be there. During the tour a student came out of a lecture hall on the phone sounding very distressed and unhappy about her class which I thought was a very telling moment. The food court was kind of a nightmare because we were given little cards that were supposed to have a 10 dollar balance but they all ended up with somewhere between 15-28 dollars so we had to swap and share if people ran out. The food was good, despite the odd ordering kiosks hidden in random places around the place. At least you didn’t have to talk to someone to order. My chicken sandwich was amazing, and when my balance was declined on my card when I tried to buy a muffin, the cashier gave it to me for free.
Two hours later we arrived at Santa Cruz. My bus was super excited because we’ve all heard great things, how our friends’ siblings go there and that it was going to be really pretty. However, we were exhausted already from a less than sub par trip to Santa Clara and only awaited more walking at the second college in one day. To top it off, our anxious bus filled with people who missed their friends frantically waited for the rest of the group only to be told that we will be going on separate tours, eating in separate halls, and arriving back at the hotel at 9 pm and have to go straight to our rooms and to bed. Needless to say I was very upset. Mr. Stovall snapped a quick quirky pic of me and my friends when we arrived and I was on the verge of a breakdown. Aside from the sadness and fatigue, the tour was amazing. We had a really knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide and the campus truly was beautiful. The abundance of greenery with a view of hills and the ocean made this college so lovely to explore. I thought their modes of transportation were really interesting and how they have a safety officer on call if you need rides at night, or how you can rent a car for under 20 bucks and don't have to be 25 to do so. The only thing keeping me from putting this college on my list was that their art and music colleges are very competitive and the only way to get in is to be declared as that major when applying, and I don’t want to go in to college declared. The fun really kicked in when we got to the dining hall and me and my two roomies consecutively broke down while our concerned friends offered us ice cream. The bus ride back to the hotel was sad, but still gorgeous.
The next morning we prepared for Cal Poly SLO. Conveniently, only 30 minutes away. The first thing I noticed was their cool little cards that unfolded into a pamphlet with all the information about the school. Though I soon learned that to apply you have to be declared. I asked about switching your major, which is possible, but he said he would suggest doing it within a major similar so it’s an easier transition. They also advised doing a masters program instead of double majoring which I thought was interesting. Our tour guide was really nice and talked a lot about their amazing engineering program. The campus was cool, not nearly as green as Santa Cruz but their food courts were good, not to mention they have their own little arcade and a bowling alley. I had some expensive sushi from the food court and soon it was time to make the 6 hour trek back.
I already knew going in that I want to live in San Francisco or northern when going to college, and these schools just barely fell short of it. Though I still think it was valuable to see these other colleges in California so I can narrow down my likes and dislikes some more. If I can find a college in the right place that combines Santa Barbara’s culture with Santa Cruz’s environment, I think that’s the perfect fit for me.