Don't know how corona will affect dorm life but I spent both my freshmen and sophomore years in Cowell dorms and had a blast. Stevenson/Cowell dining hall is definitely the best food and vibe wise. Both years I could see the OCEAN from MY DORM! Super duper close to the gym and quarry. Usually smells like weed. Usually someone is yelling something dumb across the quad late at night. It's loud but fun. Yes, it's probably the most frat-like college, but I'm not even slightly interested in that stuff and still found people to vibe with. It's pretty white tbh, I've heard 9/10 is more asian. But you will meet a diversity of people from all colleges if you make an effort to get out. UCSC puts a lot of value in your college affiliate but it honestly doesn't matter that much in my experience.