no idea what to expect

I understand you wanting to attend UVI, but as I read through that list, you'll be leaving most of it behind in the OC. A truly different world than NB.

Ok - here goes -

Bars
Two
Too much
Seasonal
Gorgeous

Yeah, I had a feeling it may be different. I got accepted to UVI, but not sure if I'm going to make the move. Do you think a guy from CA would like it there?

Jane,

Only 2 single women? That is discouraging to say the least.

there might be three, depending on what you count.

Nick there are so many posts on all the questions you have asked. It is hard to answer so many broad opened questions. Have you lived in newport all your life? I lived there for about 4 years and if you are a native there its going to be a BIG adjustment to live here. Newport is a great town, I loved living there but it was crowded to say the least and there was always a ton of things to do. This is not the case with any of the islands. You will have seen it all in about 3 months. Atleast in stt you will be able to island hop a little more affordably (ferrys to stj and bvis) but it will be to even smaller islands. There will not be any where the number of single girls about that you are used to. This is small town living in alot of ways, local girls tend to get married earlier and theres just not that many single girls in the islands. There are definitely some but its not the safest place in the world for single girls. There are plenty of bars on stt but again not even a tenth of newport's. Crime in my opinion is worse the newport. Most of newport is a pretty affluent rich area, I dont even want to know what rent is there now. Jobs? What do you do? Of coarse there are beaches and ones you can swim in without a wet suit. People even surf on them but I think its pretty silly, the waves are nothing like Newport or Hunington or San Clemente which I really miss.

Hi Nick,

It is rather tough to answer your questions as so much depends on your individual tastes and preferences, but I will make just a few comments. As compared to CA, STT will feel:

Very rough around the edges
Very small
Very retro

I live on STT and absolutely love its quirky charm, but I am not so sure that I would have appreciated STT when I was a college student. That said, I would strongly encourage you to come here for a visit and check it out before making a final decision.

Hope this helps a little!

Best,
🙂 Mell

Beachbum, ha ha!! That was such a broad statement, that it left so much to the imagination. 🙂

"Do you think a guy from CA would like it there?"

You might like it if you're from Bakersfield/San Berdooooo or even Fresno. If you're from Newport Beach and like to hang around the So OC area and No SD area, my guess is NO!!!

No disrespect meant to those from those other parts of Cal

Thanks for all the responses, but I'm still on the fence on this. I can live with all the changes except the 2 possible 3 single women. I think I might be leaning towards California State University at this point. No, I'm not picking schools for the amount of women they have. I want a life style change, but not to the point of solitude. girl to guy ratio is that bad?

Hi Nick,

I am a married female and not willing to disclose the year I graduated from college (suffice it to say it was a little while back), so I do not feel qualified to comment on this in any way.

HOWEVER, my husband has a nice young friend from one of the upscale So Cal beach communities, who by all accounts, does exceedingly well with the ladies around here, so I will try to get some feedback for you. Give me a little time though, because I am not sure when my husband will be talking to him next.

Best,
🙂 Mell

BTW, how does UVI compare to Cal State as far as academic rankings, etc.?

Mell, you cannot compare UVI to most Cal State schools. Most Cal State schools would rate much higher than UVI and the comparison is probably more unfair to the UVI, unless you're talking about very specific courses.

I also get the impression you know nothing about the area that Nick is wanting to move from. It is a very desireable area of So Cal, and I'm not talking only about the ladies. If you're a young college he/she the preference would be to go to a good So Cal university or college. I can't imagine otherwise.

No smileys available.

Goodness gracious Promoguy!!!

Such an intense response to a little lightness and levity!

The question I asked about academics, is what is called a rhetorical question, but I was still somewhat curious as to how the two schools compare.

No offense intended Promoguy -- and worry not, I am not about to lead any young men astray!!!!

Have a wonderful day you sweetie you -- Muah!

🙂 🙂 🙂

promoguy,

Most popular U.S. rankings treat UVI as "international" and thus unworthy of U.S. ranking. Many CSUs are fourth tier schools (out of four tiers) so there may not be much quality differential between UVI and CSUs. There is, however, a marked difference in availability of majors, as UVI is small with a full and part-time, undergraduate and graduate student body of about 2,000 +/- students on two islands. The Marine Sciences program is stellar and the Computer Science program is decent but if one intends to go to a competitive U.S. graduate school one may be challenged to prove a UVI degree meets their entrance standards. In short, I think it depends on what Nick is studying and what he expects to do upon graduation, neither of which seems like a priority for him given his concerns in his queries. If all he aspires to do is be a bartender with a college degree, he would certainly find himself in good company here.

I will agree that if Nick is looking as you suggest, it makes no difference where you go. As long as he's not spending his parents money on his college. :):)

You're right about the fourth tier when ranked nationally. Within the system there are highly rated schools. One of the good parts of education in California is that the opportunities are wide open if you can get out of high school. Quite a good JC system.

I think also that is why so many leave the island for education and never come back. The job market also has a lot to do with that. From what I've read and heard, confirms what you've said about the Marine Sciences program.

I on the other consider myself blessed to be a USC Trojan.......and with that I'll wish you all a FIGHT ON.

What do you plan to study? As dnt stated, the Marine Science program is excellent. Because it is small, the students and faculty kind of live in each other's hip pockets. If you are a serious student, you can get a good education (true anywhere) and if you enjoy illegal, and even legal, substances, you can fall off the end of the earth. The student and youth subculture is a pace apart from the rest of us who want to be left alone in peace and quiet! 😉