UC Santa Barbara Sophomore Dorms Ranked

Number 5

"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

1 student reviewers said they lived in Santa Catalina during their sophomore year

Number 4

"The location is perfect in my opinion. Not too far from the dining commons, library, UCEN, and classes. Honestly the walk from here to Campbell Hall is ~10 minutes and to the Chem building is 15-20 minutes. Triple rooms are not very big and sharing the bathroom with ~25 people is not that great. Rooms have either an ocean view or a view of campus. Big windows, 2 closets for 3 people with storage up top. Everyone gets their own drawer set. Rooms are cleaned biweekly by housekeeping as well as the bathroom. Honestly, I think the location outweighs the size of the room considering you'll probably be spending more time out of the building. There are lots of common areas and a kitchenette/lounge everyone on the floor shares. Again, sharing with that many people can be messy but you just have to be responsible and hold people accountable. Another important thing: East tower (closest to DLG) had multiple cases of bed bugs when I stayed in West (2019-20); they probably won't mention that but I know I'd like to know if I was staying here. The elevators are nice but get stuck often (is it the ghost or just old age of the building? we'll never know lol). There are about 10 washers and 12 dryers in the building. There is a gym and a rec room where you can "rent" things. Also not far from IV. All in all, I am glad I stayed here as opposed to other dorms. Definitely recommend if you don't mind sharing with many people." - 4 years ago

1 student reviewers said they lived in San Miguel during their sophomore year

Number 3

"The apartments themselves are really good, as they are really new. The kitchen and lounge area is fantastic and modern. The bedrooms are spacious, especially the doubles. The village itself is clean and has a lot of amenities such as basketball courts, a swimming pool, and small rec rooms with ping pong and pool tables. Now that we have talked about the positives let's look at the negatives the bathrooms are some of the worse ones they have no storage and look like a prison restroom. The location is terrible it is far away from campus and ivy and sure it is the closest one to target but that is still a mile away, and worse of it all if you plan on bringing a car there is no parking. In all it is pretty solid" - 2 years ago

1 student reviewers said they lived in San Joaquin Villages during their sophomore year

Number 2

"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 sophomore year

Number 1

"Wonderful location, small but manageable rooms. The RAs take their job a little too seriously, going as far as to knock on my door at midnight and accuse me of smoking weed because they smelled it in our general hallway. But if you don’t break the rules it is convenient as you are near campus and IV." - 1 year ago

5 student reviewers said they lived in San Rafael during their sophomore year