Ah, it’s that time of year when thousands of students from across the country submit their SIRs and finally commit to joining the UCSB fam. Current students begin to get swarmed with a ton of questions from upcoming freshmeat freshmen and said freshmen start to get excited and/or nervous. To all the future Gauchos or current Gauchos looking to reflect upon their first years, here is a list of fun yet helpful things to expect when the 2016-2017 school year begins:
1. Pedestrians yield to bikers.
If you learn anything from this post, let it be this. It ain’t that hard to look L-R-L before you walk! But don’t worry if you screw up, we’ve all been there.
2. We have amazing weather most of the time, but be prepared for the cold.
It’s true, the weather here is sunny and fantastic pretty much all the time. When it does cool down, though, be prepared. It can get really, really windy and wet. Yeah, the wind has bent my umbrella before.
3. The food is good – but choose your meal plan carefully.
SB dining commons serve decent food and there’s a pretty good variety, but pretty soon you might get tired of the same selection. Suggestion: start with a lower meal plan because you can always upgrade. If you want to downgrade, you have to wait until the next quarter begins.
4. LOTS of beautiful people.
It’s true. It’s not a rare occurrence to see a bunch of really good looking students who look like they just stepped out of an Abercrombie ad on an everyday basis. It’s chill, even though you never really get used to it.
5. Really cool events to take advantage of.
UCSB hosts some amazing events, many exclusive to Gauchos and really cheap! The school also collaborates with venues Downtown to offer performances at great student discounts. Examples of cool programs this year? Snoop Dogg, Fitz and the Tantrums, Jai Wolf, and Vince Staples.
6. It’s lit.
Like, all the time. Like, sometimes as early as Wednesday evening.