UC Santa Cruz Sophomore Dorms Ranked

Number 5

"You do not get much space for the amount you pay in these dorm rooms. I was in a triple so I had two other roommates I knew previously, making living with them more manageable. The bathrooms for the place while modern looking had messes all over the place. I don't want to blame the cleaning staff as these messes came from the college students that lived in other dorm rooms. For example hair in the drains and on the walls. Toilet seats were covered with messes that the previous user did not want to clean up. The dorms had no saving graces except for maybe the elevator and the easy-to-use washing machines. Getting to and from the dorm was also a hassle as it is in the back of campus and not really near any classes except for Merril and crown college classes. If you wanted to go to any other class you would be walking up and down a massive hill each day or scaling one of the longest staircases at UCSC. I can not really recommend the dorms but if it's your only choice then I guess this dorm building that I was in is one of the better ones at UCSC. Take that as you will. " - 1 year ago

1 student reviewers said they lived in Merrill Dorm B during their sophomore year

Number 4

"Kresge is a beautiful part of campus tucked away on the top left corner of campus. Majority of apartments are 2 triples that share a kitchen, living room and bathroom. Some apartments maybe be larger with 8-9 people living in them, these usually have a larger kitchen and 2 bathrooms with multiple showers. I lived on the top floor as a freshman which had really tall celling and had tons of light coming in through the windows (Kresge is the only college where freshman can live in apartments, though it may change as they are building 2-3 new buildings that will consist of dorms). Best way I can describe Kresge is that it feels like you are at summer camp, the buildings are fun colors and the porter meadow is a few steps away and you are essentially surrounded by woods. Because it is so separated you get a lot of privacy and often can do whatever you want without being bothered (CSOs don't have a high opinion of Kresge so best to stay clear but they usually have no issues). Kresge is relatively small so if you like a small community space this is for you, additionally Kresge + Porter is also very LGBTQ+ friendly!

Cons: All the apartments are outdate from the bathroom and kitchen to the vacuum they give you from the 80s. I personally didn't find it that bad but it definitely was inconvenient at times, our shower got clogged a lot and our fridge was often leaking. Location is ok, better than RCC and Oaks, there is a bridge up north of Kresge that will spit you out at the science and engineering buildings. But it is pretty far from east side of campus so it will be a little extra walking." - 2 years ago

1 student reviewers said they lived in Kresge JK Apartments during their sophomore year

Number 3

"I lived in Building 5 on the second floor and loved it! Laundry room is really close, buildings are at edge of the forest (quieter but not isolated + more relaxed area), and even tho you're at the top of the C9 hill it's still a lively community if you reach out to your neighbors. The walk can be annoying cause it takes roughly 4-5 min to get to the bus stop depending on how fast you walk but for where you are on campus it's really nice. However, I will acknowledge I had really friendly flat mates and we had a very harmonious school year so my answers may be biased.

I shared a triple and I think it was the best option for apartment housing. The room is so spacious compared to the other apartments that had two doubles and two singles which may seem more private but realistically can be claustrophobic. The walls in the apartments are thin so you can pretty much hear what's going on in the other rooms but that's how it is for most residences on campus.

The C9/JRLC apartments have so much kitchen space including a pantry, kitchen shelves, and a fridge. There is also a storage closet and the bathrooms have below sink storage, a column of pull out drawers, and a medicine cabinet. There are two possible arrangements for bathrooms: shower and toilet in one private room or shower and toilet in seperate closed door rooms. There is no ventilation in the latter for the toilet so I recommend getting poo-pouri in that case. Also the toilet pressure is not good so expect a quarterly toilet overflow.

When it rained our apartment did get hella ants which I was fine with because I'm used to them but understandably feels itchy. If you call the Fix-It maitenance team they help with the problem though so keep in mind even with these maintenance issues there are still resources on campus to help fix them.

Overall I think the ILC is one of the best places to live on campus because it's close location to all the major amenities on campus, the bus loop always passes by, it's closer to the forest (where people enter to go to the buddha shrine), and the apartments have a lot of space. Also you can see banana slugs behind the aparment!" - 2 years ago

1 student reviewers said they lived in International Living Center (C9/JRLC Apartments 4 & 5) during their sophomore year

Number 2

"Although it’s a hike to Crown, it is much safer and quieter. Upper quad is renovated with private bathrooms. Gave me strong legs." - 4 years ago

1 student reviewers said they lived in Crown College Leonardo House during their sophomore year

Number 1

"I lived in the Cowell apartments my sophmore year and they were amazing! I think theyre some of the best apartments on campus and some of the most sought after. Mostly cuz of the location its great. The rooms themselves are kind of cramped if youre living in a triple - but I loved having a 2 story apartment. That way people can be doing whatever and hanging out downstairs and it doesnt affect all the rooms downstairs." - 2 years ago

2 student reviewers said they lived in Cowell College during their sophomore year