Open House
We cordially invite prospective students to join us for our annual Open House, to be held at Bren Hall on Friday, October 24th, 2008.
Open House is the perfect opportunity to experience the Bren community, UCSB, and beautiful Santa Barbara.
Bren faculty, staff, and current students will be available to answer your questions regarding admissions, academics, student life, financial support, housing, etc.
For more information about Open House, please email admissions@bren.ucsb.edu.
We look forward to meeting you!
Information Day
We cordially invite all admitted students to join us for our annual Information Day on Monday, April 13th, 2009.
Information Day is designed to introduce prospective admitted students to the Bren community, UCSB, and the Santa Barbara area.
In an effort to support accepted students in their decision-making process, Bren faculty, staff, and current students will be available to discuss academics, student life, financial support, housing, etc.
Following notification of admission in early March, all admitted students should RSVP via email to admissions@bren.ucsb.edu by Monday, March 31st, 2008.
We look forward to meeting you!
Individual Visits
We strongly encourage prospective students to schedule a visit that coincides with one of our Open House events. If that is not possible, you may arrange to make a formal visit to the School Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. during the academic year.* Please contact us at least two weeks in advance of your visit, and follow up with a confirmation about five days before your arrival. Depending on your preferences and the length of your stay, you may have the opportunity to do the following:
*The Bren School does not offer summer courses, and students and faculty are rarely on campus during summer quarter; however, the admissions staff is available for visits during summer.
For more information about scheduling a visit to the Bren School, please contact the admissions staff by sending e-mail to: admissions@bren.ucsb.edu.
Visiting UCSB and Santa Barbara
For detailed information regarding travel to Santa Barbara and UCSB, including lodging, maps, parking instructions, etc., please go to the UCSB Visitor’s Center page at:
www.admissions.ucsb.edu/VisitUCSB.asp?section=visitucsb
Other great resources for visitors to Santa Barbara are the Chamber of Commerce websites: www.sbchamber.org/visitors and www.santabarbara.com.
Getting To and From Santa Barbara:
For those traveling to by air, the three closest airports to Santa Barbara are:
Santa Barbara Airport (SBA):
601 Firestone Rd.
Santa Barbara, CA 93117
(805) 967-7111
http://www.flysba.com/?pageID=52
Burbank (BUR):
Burbank Bob Hope Airport
2627 N. Hollywood Way
Burbank, CA 91505
(818) 840-8840
http://www.burbankairport.com/
Los Angeles (LAX):
Los Angeles International Airport
1 World Way
Los Angeles, CA 90045
(310) 646-5252
http://www.lawa.org/lax/welcomeLAX.cfm#
Santa Barbara Airport (SBA)
(about 5 minute bus ride to campus)
Santa Barbara is the most convenient, but generally expensive. However, it is worthwhile to compare prices at all three airports, taking into account the cost of the Airbus or Amtrak. Often the additional cost of getting to Santa Barbara from one of the airports listed below decreases the difference of the extra cost of the ticket from flying into SBA directly (see bus service information below).
Burbank (BUR)
(about 13/4-hour drive from Santa Barbara)
Burbank offers easy access to the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner, which stops one block from Burbank airport. The train stops twice in this area; the first stop is near downtown Santa Barbara, and the second is closer to campus in Goleta. Please check the Amtrak website for listings and details: www/amtrak.com.
Los Angeles (LAX)
(about a 2-hour drive to Santa Barbara, depending on traffic)
The Santa Barbara Airbus shuttles passengers to and from LAX several times a day (www.santabarbaraairbus.com).
Once in Santa Barbara
Transportation via the local MTD bus is a great way to travel to and from UCSB (www.sbmtd.gov). An MTD express bus (Line 24X) to UCSB departs several times a day from the downtown station. The schedule is available at: www.sbmtd.gov/Lines/Line%2024x.htm.
The 11 bus runs from Santa Barbara Airport to UCSB North Hall. The schedule is available at: www.sbmtd.gov/Lines/Line%2011.htm.
Getting to and from UCSB via bus is most convenient if you are lodging is close to a bus stop. (For example, the campgrounds are not near any bus lines). Taxis do run between downtown and UCSB, and the airport and UCSB but the downtown run can be pricey. Local taxi companies include the following:
Blue Dolphin Cab
321 W Carrillo St
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Phone: (805) 962-6886
Crown Cab Co
215 Castillo St # 1
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 689-0234
Some visitors find it most convenient to have personal transportation. Renting a car is a good option, especially if you plan to spend some additional time exploring the area. For more information about transportation choices within Santa Barbara, see www.santabarbara.com/community/transportation.
Parking on Campus
UCSB parking can be confusing, so please read the information carefully.
Parking for visitors is $8.oo for the day. The best place to park is either in the Mesa parking structure (Lot 18) or in Lot 16, both of which are located across Ocean Road from the Recreation Center.
Directions to the parking structure are as follows:
1) Enter the campus via Hwy 217
2) Turn right at the roundabout at the entrance to campus onto Mesa Road
3) Follow this around until you reach Ocean Road (the third signal) and turn left
4) Turn left again at the first signal- this will put you between Lot 16 and Lot 18.
Park in either of these lots and purchase an all-day permit at one of the permit dispensers. Make sure not to park in a space marked “S” or “A” only. For a map of the UCSB campus and parking locations, go to
www.aw.id.ucsb.edu/maps/ucsbmap.html. Please keep in mind that it takes about 15-20 minutes to walk from the parking lot to Bren Hall.
Lodging in Santa Barbara
There are many options for lodging in Santa Barbara and Goleta. A list of local hotels can be found at: www.admissions.ucsb.edu/LocalLodging.asp?section=visitucsb. Additionally, Hot Spots reservation service (800-793-7666) can also help you find some good lodging deals in town. The City of Goleta is closer to campus, but downtown Santa Barbara is noted for its scenic charm and rich possibilities for entertainment.
Also available is the Santa Barbara Hostel in downtown Santa Barbara; www.sbhostel.com.
The least expensive option is camping, which is available 20 minutes west of UCSB at El Capitan State Beach (www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=601), 25 minutes west at El Refugio State Beach (www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=603), and 25 minutes east at Carpinteria State Beach (www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=599.
Also refer to www.santabarbara.com and www.sbchamber.org/visitors/ for information regarding area lodging.
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