I think it’s pretty obvious from my repertoire of articles here on Her Campus that I’m a big fan of UCSB. Heck, I was literally a cheer captain.
During every break, when I’ve been asked how school has been and if I’m enjoying my time here, my answer has been relatively the same: “It’s the most beautiful place on earth, what’s not to love?”
And it’s true. UCSB and Santa Barbara are stunning places to be. But as I sit here in my old age (I’m a graduating senior on a college campus, so it feels that way, okay), I’m realizing the actual reasons I love this school don’t really have to do with its location. In fact, they don’t even have to do with it.
To fully understand how I got here, I need to backtrack to about two weeks ago.
OPEN HOUSE, BUT NOT REALLY ABOUT OPEN HOUSE
Every year, UCSB puts on an Open House where organizations and clubs line the Arbor, standing behind tables, smiling, and talking about what they do and how you can join. It’s geared mostly toward newly admitted students, so lots of excited, slightly overwhelmed freshmen.
I’ve manned the cheer table at Open House for the past two years because I genuinely love talking about cheer and everything it’s given me. But this year felt different.
Somewhere along the way, I stopped just talking about cheer. I found myself talking about… everything.
SELLING UCSB (WITHOUT REALIZING IT)
One student asked about fitness at UCSB, and I launched into a full breakdown, not just of the Recreation Center and its endless workout classes, but of club sports, intramurals, and even the Adventure Programs, where you can explore Santa Barbara with a built-in community.
I spent another 20 minutes talking to a family about dining. They were vegetarians, and thanks to my roommate of three years, I had opinions. I told them how the dining halls don’t just check a box with vegetarian options, they actually make them good.
I even told them about the week I ate entirely vegetarian at Portola just to prove to myself that I could survive it. Spoiler alert, I did, and I found some of my favorite meals in the process.
Beyond the dining halls, I talked about Root Burger and Mony’s Taqueria in the University Center, as well as the options at Courtyard Cafe and Coral Tree Cafe on campus.
At some point, after talking about food for that long, I had to take a lunch break myself. Then it was back to it.
I spoke with a family whose daughter wanted to study Biology. I’m not a Bio major, and I’ve definitely never stepped foot on a research boat here, but I could still tell them about UCSB’s incredible Bio program and how our proximity to the ocean creates opportunities you just don’t get elsewhere. I told her she’d be in a place where what she learns doesn’t just stay in a textbook, it’s right in front of her.
I talked to a soon-to-be physics major who was excited about joining a program with Nobel Prize-winning physicists.
And yes, I talked to plenty of students about our nationally recognized cheer team, the community that has shaped so much of my experience here.
THE MOMENT IT CLICKED
When I showed up to stand outside for nearly an entire Saturday, I expected to be exhausted by the end. But I wasn’t. I left with a kind of energy I didn’t expect, like I had been reminded of something I already knew but hadn’t fully articulated yet.
Because here’s what I realized: I wasn’t just listing off programs or giving directions to dining halls. I was describing a place where people show up for each other. Where someone always seems to know the answer, or is willing to help you find it. Where communities overlap in ways that make a huge campus feel surprisingly small.
IT WAS NEVER ABOUT THE VIEW
That day, I wasn’t just representing UCSB; I was piecing together everything that had made it feel like home. It’s easy to point to the ocean, the sunsets, or the palm trees. Those things are real, and they’re incredible. But they’re also the easiest things to see.
What’s harder to see, and what I didn’t fully appreciate until I had to explain it to someone else, is the culture of this place. The way people invest in it, and in each other.
UCSB isn’t just somewhere you go to school. It’s somewhere you learn how to belong, to a team, to a classroom, to a community you didn’t even know you were building until you look back and realize it’s everywhere.
So yes, it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth. But the reason I love UCSB has a lot less to do with where it is and everything to do with what it is.