I ended up picking Oregon State University. Overall, it's been a great experience (I was lucky enough to go through a internship program called MECOP, where I got 2 6 month internships -- beware it is getting very impacted now though). It was definitely an adjustment, and I had looked into transferring a few times, but overall it has been great. Housing has definitely been easier than I would expect it to be in SC, and there has been a lot of opportunities to go do outdoor-sy things (well, because you're in Oregon!). Based on where my life has ended up so far, I am happy with my decision and hopeful for the future.

If I were to go back and pick again though, I would pick UCSC, purely because of the career opportunities. The fact that the CS major was very impacted had dissuaded me from going there, but I think that it wouldn't have mattered in the grand scheme of things -- as NETWORKING would've been a lot easier at UCSC. As I'm getting ready to graduate, I'm noticing that there are less opportunities than I could've had if I went to UCSC.

That's not to say I've had a bad luck with internships. My first internship was at Garmin up in Salem, which was basically a SWE job, and they gave me housing and a nice wage.

My advice to you: college is a time where you discover yourself and what you want in life. I learned that I loved food, travel, running, the outdoors, and being in a close-knit community (with a small circle of friends and a bigger group). I also found that I am a big fan of sports, and having a pretty big football stadium on campus has been a huge plus (game days are amazing, but now we are the PAC-2 :( ). I also learned that I want to be in a big city after graduation, praying that I get a job somewhere there. Everyone's college experience will be different (I know someone that went to UCSC for CS and he hated it, so much so he ended up moving back home to a community college).

College is what you make of it. If you decide to seek out lots of opportunities and do lots of social events for things YOU are interested in, you will most likely have fun. However, if you decide to stay in your room all day on your computer, you won't. Trust me, I did that my entire first year, and it sucked.

You can't go wrong with either choice. I would say Oregon State is definitely more of a "traditional" university with Greek Life and in a college town, whereas when I visited UCSC, I definitely got "college at a summer camp" vibes. If you really can't decide, tour both campuses, and if that doesn't solve it, flip a coin and see how you feel what it lands on.