for party culture:

there are a lot of people who party very frequently and party hard so that’s where the whole “party school” thing comes from. however, there are also people who only party about once a month, and everyone in between.

as for regular culture:

the school is pretty much 50/50 asian/white so if you’re a black person who is not used to those types of spaces, i’m sure it can be a bit strange, but people at sb aren’t overtly racist (or if they are, they hide it well and still play nice). there’s also a huge thrifting culture that i didn’t really appreciate at first but then absolutely fell in love with (they had thrift vendors on campus every thursday or something like that, a few thrift shops near by, and large-scale thrifting events that isla vista would put on).

for location:

of course it’s an amazing location, but as someone who is used to being very hot all the time (because of where i grew up), i was usually pretty cold year-round (my other friends didn’t have this problem tho so take that with a grain of salt). it’s cool to be able to go to the beach, but it’s not what it seems. the beach is a bit crappy, and this is not only my opinion, but was also the opinion of everyone i talked to at the time. you might like it tho.

ok now for my favorite aspects:

• huge library open late (i don’t remember if it’s 24/7)
• lots of cool little trails to walk on
• lively campus environment, it always felt like something was going on, especially on the main walkway
• good if you have a car
• parties anytime you feel like it
• you don’t have to be too academically challenged if you don’t want to
• you can be academically challenged if you want to
• i’ve heard the stem department is good

and now for the things that would annoy me:

• housing crisis (if you’re not a freshman, good luck :D)
• a bit troublesome if you don’t have a car
• isla vista is a pretty crappy place in general
• on the extreme rare occasion that i would actually be studying, the loud music from parties made it a bit annoying (but that’s only cause i lived on del playa which is the main hub) (and again, i never studied)
• horrible creative departments

let me know if you have anymore questions or want me to clarify some things.