UC Santa Barbara Freshman Dorms Ranked

Number 5

"Super antisocial as a freshman dorm. multiple houses in close proximity so you will hear random screams and people singing frozen songs at 2am. i lived in the women in stem house (madulce). no interactions with others. 24/7 quiet hours. far from classes especially stem classes like chem 1171 but close to isla vista. best part was private bathrooms and it was easy to study due to how quiet. and the view was nice if you lived in the top floor. my house had no kitchen but we did have a microwave and drinking station. the idea is that certain houses have some amenities and you are supposed to share with the other houses in your quad so other houses will have kitchens if you don’t for example." - 4 years ago

4 student reviewers said they lived in Manzanita Village during their freshman year

Number 4

"PROS: Location is great; it is located in the middle of the Chi-5 dorms, so visiting friends in other dorms is convenient. It is also located closest to the rest of campus, so commuting to classes is quick. Unlike the other low-rise dorms (Anacapa and Santa Cruz), Santa Rosa is very close to both Ortega and DLG, so you have two close options to eat at. There is also a fitness room with several workout machines; nothing too impressive, but it's great when you want to get a quick exercise without having to go to the Rec Cen at the other side of campus. Staff is very nice. There is also a Pokémon Go gym right at the volleyball court ;).

CONS: The building itself is relatively older compared to Anacapa and Santa Cruz, but this didn't make my living experience any worse. Restrooms were communal, but most dorms have communal restrooms anyway. Toilets got clogged fairly often. Washing machines frequently went out of order.

OTHER NOTES: The rooms themselves were standard; just make sure to not bring too much stuff. I would recommend getting a room with the window on the north or south side, to avoid getting direct sunlight shining into your room. Washer/dryers require credit or debit card; they do not accept cash/coins or your UCSB ID card." - 4 years ago

5 student reviewers said they lived in Santa Rosa during their freshman year

Number 3

"One of the only dorms at UCSB that still have double rooms, as far as I know. The location is significantly further from campus, so I wouldn't recommend living here unless you plan on biking (which I highly recommend in general at UCSB). The bike ride from the edge of campus where you would exit is only about 6 minutes and is an isolated bike lane. There are plenty of buses that will take you from the dorm to campus, but it's not always reliable and you would probably have to leave for class an hour or so in advance which is just not ideal if you have morning classes. One of the best pros about Santa Catalina is having a private bathroom that you share with only your roommate and next-door neighbors, and is cleaned for you once a week. The fact that the dorm is co-ed is also fun. Being isolated from the main campus where the other freshman dorms are is a little tough, but it also forces you to spend most of your time at the dorm with other people who live there, and that will most likely lead to you getting very close. 3 years after graduation, I am still best friends with my floormates from Santa Catalina and we were all bridesmaids for one girl in the group. San Cat also has its own beautiful pool. There is a dining hall attached to it which is super convenient, but if nothing sounds good to you that night it's pretty inconvenient to go to another dining hall on campus. Overall I would definitely recommend living here if you plan to bike, and it will help keep the freshman 15 off!" - 1 year ago

7 student reviewers said they lived in Santa Catalina during their freshman year

Number 2

"Decent room, old building. Elevators had constant breakdowns so getting to your room was sometimes a hike if you lived in the upper part of the 8-floor tower. The building is L-shaped, with each floor having guys on one side and girls on the other. Bathrooms are communal style (1 per gender per floor) with 3 toilets and 4 shower stalls each. Bathroom traffic was manageable, it never got too busy. Laundry is a bit of a headache, there are about 500 people in the people and only a few washing machines, half of which were constantly broken. One machine in particular melted my clothes as well but I believe it was fixed. Rooms are pretty standard compared to the other freshman dorms, but San Nicolas has one of the best views. If you happen to live on one of the upper floors on the ocean-facing side, you’ll be waking up with a massive view of the Pacific every morning. Also, about 90-95% of residents participated in FSSP over the Summer, so I recommend looking elsewhere if you are arriving in the Fall as most people had established socials circles by the time the school year began. Otherwise, if you are doing FSSP then you’ll be stuck with San Nicolas for the year. My experience during FSSP definitely made living in the building worth it however, so don’t let this be the reason you decide to skip out on the program." - 4 years ago

7 student reviewers said they lived in San Nicolas during their freshman year

Number 1

"I'd say definitely one of the best choices of the ChI-5 dorms. Lived there my freshman year, and the reputation of the folks who love there is good (friendly and welcoming but not ridiculously wild most of the time). The rooms are also pretty and bigger than triples in the other ChI-5 dorms too! The only downside (again, as with all the ChI-5 dorms) is that the bathrooms tend to get dirty as they are typically shared between about 30ish residents." - 4 years ago

9 student reviewers said they lived in Santa Cruz during their freshman year