Vanessa
The academics here are really great! They classes are really challenging and require full attention. You cannot take a class and only give it 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}. Even the "easy" classes take effort. The professors are nice enough but some of the classes are so big that its really hard to get to know them. My favorite classes are my communication classes because thats my major and I'm really interested in the subject. I think that UCSB is geared more to learning for learnings sake. The school is a research university, which means that it's all about doing experiments, and while this is helpful for writing books and teaching classes it doesn't necessarily apply to real life.
Katie
The classes are big, but there are many opportunities for individual help.
Parker
The academics at UCSB are far more challenging than those than i experienced in High School but I like them. Many of my TAs and professors are completely helpful and avaible to me.
Mary
I love the communication major! It is so exciting to write a research paper citing your professor! Many professors are published in the communication world and have extensive knowledge on their specific topic. The academics are challenging, forcing students to think outside of the norm and come up with their own thoughts and ideas.
Casey
No joke, went to one lecture, and got a 98{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} in dance 45. No joke, studied 28 hours, attended every lecture, as well as tutoring sessions and got a 33{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} on a chemistry midterm. It varies!! I'd say more on the challenging side.
Jessica
Academics depend on your major. i am a soc and history double major and i love it because alot of the courses overlap. UCSB students i feel do have intellectual conversations outside of class, esp when it comes to politics but they all know when to stop and just have fun. The education at UCSB is awesome, i have learned so much, and i feel the education will help me in the future.
Kelsey
Classes are pretty big in the lower division. TA's are usually pretty good. Professors are always available to meet with no matter the size of the class. There are always job fairs and people recruiting on campus. Students aren't really competitive and cut throat with one another. The atmosphere is really laid back and people are always trying to help each other out.
Dale
UCSB has a quite a bit of intellectual people. I used to think there weren't because around Isla Vista there aren't a lot of intellectual people, then i remember a lot of SBCC kids live in our neighborhood. But i usually run into some really intellectual UCSB students where we have social commentaries or whatever is happening in our classes. I'd say we are a group of smart, hard working individuals who enjoy having people around to relate or just communicate with. We joke about our professors, the weird ones, the funny ones, the boring ones, etc. I've had some pretty chill professors and usually they remember my name, i don't really expect for some classes, but the professors who i like the most are the ones who have really opened my mind.
Meghan
I feel like the English department is a little neglected compared to the science buildings and newer buildings. It's cold in the winter! Bring on some heating!
I often found the required large lecture classes were very draining, whereas the smaller classes that involve student discussion, more than lecture by the professor, have been much more interesting and inspiring.
Casey
As a biology major, all of my classes are really difficult and competitive but I also know people who are different majors that don't have to study nearly as much as I.