UCSB is more than just a party school

Since the moment we committed to UCSB as high school seniors, we have all answered to the same, unnecessary follow-up phrase a hundred times over.

You’ve heard it before – “Wait, you go to UCSB?!” (Said in a hesitant tone and followed by some comment on UCSB’s party reputation)

Yeah, that one.

And let’s be honest, we can’t deny the fact that our party scene is an aspect that some people focus on more than others.

Not with me just yet? Let me give you some perspective.

Imagine you’ve just finished your finals for Fall Quarter – it’s finally break. Another quarter in the UC system down.

On the drive home, you realize how exhausted you are. Finals week was rough, but you made it.

After countless google docs, energy drinks, and group study sessions – you’re pretty sure you didn’t fail any of your classes, and if you did – you’ve accepted the fact that you have the capability of figuring it out sometime the following quarter.

At some point during your break, you find yourself deep in conversation with an unfamiliar name (an extended family’s friend-of-a-friend or something like that).

In your initial conversation with this person (as it sometimes does), your education comes up. At this point, the phrase seems less like a possibility, and more like an inevitability.

“I’m sure they love it there…and what about at UCSB?” you hear right on cue.

Here it goes. Let me hear it.

“Wait, you go to UCSB?!”  the new name responds. Followed by yet another comment on UCSB’s party reputation.

Just as expected.

With a slight pause, and an uncertain inflection, the question is hurled at you near 100 mph. Rather than the question itself, you’re startled by the manner in which it’s asked.

Why was there a hesitant pause after “wait,” and what was with the questioning undertone in the delivery itself? Was there some reason your enrollment at UCSB should be considered “undesirable?”

And the answer is no – it shouldn’t. Not at all.

I’ve come to realize that the reason for this follow-up phrase lies in the rich history of UCSB’s historic party culture. Since the first IV party goers took to the streets in the mid 1950s, a reputation began to form which would quickly send UCSB to the top of the college party scene.

As the years went on, Deltopia got bigger and Halloween became a yearly party tradition.

A few decades later, UCSB would be regarded as one of the top party schools in the country. It even cemented itself a spot on Time’s “Top 10 Ranked Party Schools in America” for 2016. Clearly, the party reputation is still there.

That last part – the party reputation is still there – that’s what people misinterpret. That’s what they seem to over exaggerate, and that’s the reason for their apparent UCSB skepticism.

You see, people who haven’t spent time in Isla Vista or attended UCSB have failed to recognize an important difference – that is, the difference between having a solidified party reputation and being purely a “party school.”

To them, and from the rest of society’s perspective, the two are one in the same.

But they’re not.

Your average “party school” doesn’t typically have one of the top ten graduate programs in the nation, nor does it cater to its 20,000 plus students with amazing opportunities in research, leadership, and career advancement. It also doesn’t get ranked the eighth public national university, or the greenest.

This isn’t said to insinuate some type of “superiority” among other schools by UCSB, but rather to illustrate a point – academics and workforce preparedness are the first priority here at our university. Students here are self-driven and self-motivated. They have acquired great time management skills, and they are gaining the skills and perspectives necessary to be the leaders of tomorrow.

There’s no denying UCSB’s “party reputation.” It is an aspect of our culture, and it is something to be embraced.

But it is not our culture.

We are more than just our party scene – we have a unique voice, fresh ideas, and the opportunity to do great things – and its our job as students to make that known to all of the skeptics out there.

So the next time someone suggests UCSB is only a party school, take the opportunity and show them it’s not.

Take pride in our accomplishments as a university and rep your blue and yellow letters.

Do we party occasionally…maybe…but work hard play hard, right?