Avoid Late Registration. If you register late, the fine is $50!! Check the schedule of classes for deadlines.

Use the Photocopier in the Department. As a graduate student, you will receive 1000 free copies each year. If you need more copies, they can be purchased for 4 cents each from Kristin in the Psych Office. She takes checks. This price reflects a substantial savings over the library (10 cents a copy with cash, or 7 cents a copy with a copy card).

Take Advantage of your Access Account. The department gives you $60 at the bookstore to buy supplies for the school year. Be sure to use it up before June, otherwise the money left in your account will be deleted from your card. Some restrictions apply on purchases. You can also split the $60 up (e.g., $30 UCSB bookstore and $30 Staples) if you let Patricia or Jana know by Spring quarter for the following year's allotment.

Don't forget about financial aid. If you get in a financial pinch, remember that as a graduate student you are eligible for up to $8,500 per year in subsidized student loans. Subsidized loans have their interest paid while you are in school, and you do not have to start paying them back until six months after you graduate. You are also eligible for $10,000 per year in unsubsidized student loans. These loans do begin accruing interest while you are in school. You must pay the interest on unsubsidized loans while you are in school unless you get a deferment wherein the interest will accrue on the compounding balance of the loan. Bottom line: if you need a loan, subsidized is the best type to get.

Don’t Hesitate to Call CSO (the Campus Security Office) at x2000. If you would like an escort to walk you to your car; if you feel a bit concerned about your safety for any reason, don’t take chances – call CSO. That is what they are here for. They are also the ones to call if you lock your keys in a campus building after hours.

Parking Can be a Pain. If you park illegally, the fines start at $30. Between 6:30 am and 5:00 PM, you must have a parking permit to park anywhere on campus, except in front of meters. The parking meters in the lot between the psychology building and the library cost 25 cents for each 15 minutes. You can only insert 75 cents at a time.

Alternatives to Parking
Bus services run all over the Santa Barbara and Goleta areas, and riding the bus is free during the school year if you have your registration card with current enrollment sticker. There is a convenient express bus (#24) that gets from UCSB to downtown Santa Barbara in 20 minutes. Check out other bus lines and schedules at www.sbmtd.gov. If you decide to leave your car at home, sign up with UCSB’s alternative transportation program (also known as TAP – not to be confused with TAAP). You’ll get six free parking days per quarter, and some other goodies. Check out www.park.ucsb.edu for more info.

Take advantage of Santa Barbara's Farmer's Markets. At the Farmer's Market, you'll find an astounding variety of locally grown flowers and produce. Prices are often lower than supermarket prices, and the quality is usually much higher.

Take advantage of Santa Barbara's Restaurant Culture. Although you are living on a graduate student salary, you can eat out in Santa Barbara and still keep to your budget. Try:

Esau's Coffee Shop (403 State St., Santa Barbara): Don't let the orange vinyl booths and tropical art fool you--spectacular breakfasts abound at this Santa Barbara greasy spoon. Get there early on weekends to avoid long lines, and be sure to try their house specialty potatoes.

The Natural Cafe (508 State St., Santa Barbara; 5892 Hollister Ave., Goleta): Delicious healthy food--protein and veggie-packed entrees, non-iceberg lettuce salads--and a wide variety of healthy drinks--smoothies and shakes make with honey and ice milk--at just slightly higher than fast food prices.

Café Orleans (700 Block of State St., Paseo Nuevo Mall, Santa Barbara): Cajun and Creole cuisine at budget prices. Café Orleans is the bargain brother of the pricier Palace Grill Restaurant (8 E. Cota, Santa Barbara). Enjoy live Zydeco music on Friday and Saturday nights, and don't miss their Crawfish Pasta Lafayette.

Pallazio (1026 State St., Santa Barbara): A large variety of well-priced, good-tasting pasta dishes. Tremendously good (and free!) garlic rolls. Serve yourself wine and bring guests to this trendy restaurant with a New York pace. If you get the half serving of any pasta, you’ll leave there stuffed with enough leftovers for two more meals. Try anything with gorgonzola or red pepper sauce.

Your Place Thai Restaurant (22 A N. Milpas, Santa Barbara): Voted best Thai food in town by Santa Barbara denizens for the last 15 years, Your Place is a little bit of Bangkok on the central coast. Beware of copy cats, such as Your Choice Restaurant, and stick to the original. Try their yellow curry (with vegetables, chicken, or shrimp) over rice for a unique taste sensation.

Santa Barbara is a Great Place to Live! Take Advantage!

Peruse the Independent. This free newspaper is the pulse of Santa Barbara. Find out what is happening downtown, what performers are coming to the Santa Barbara Bowl, the latest on community politics, as well as current movie reviews, all in one place. Released every Thursday, the Independent can be found on campus in front of the library and at the newspaper stack at the bus loop. Grab your copy quickly--most disappear by Friday or Saturday.

Pick up a Santa Barbara Trails book at Borders. The trails here are beautiful and you don’t need to hike all day and all night to get some relaxation in. This book will show you how to get to all the trails. It will also show you how to get to Camino Cielo Road (stop along this road for incredible sunsets and viewing the stars).

Hit the beach! East beach is a great place to swim in the ocean (at the bottom of state street, turn left, go a couple miles and park). Butterfly beach in Montecito is a great place to walk along the beach. Try to pick-up bodyboarding or surfing if you have the time—the ocean is a great re-energizer.

Hit the bars! To avoid the undergrads, never go anywhere on State Street. If you must go downtown, Dargan’s is far and away the best place to go (pool tables, table soccer, darts, many tv’s, great music, great bartenders, and trivia night!), between Cota and Ortega, next to the Ortega Street parking structure. A much more chilled out bar “The Mercury Lounge” is located on Hollister near Fairview—they only accept cash, though.

Go on a road trip! Las Vegas and San Francisco are 6 hours away. Lake Tahoe is 8 hours away. Mammoth Mountain is a great ski resort 5 hours away. Catch a Dodgers, Clippers or Lakers game (2 hours) or go to Disneyland (2.5 hours). Hurricane Harbor is a very fun waterpark (next door to Six Flags), about an hour and a half away.

Use other Graduate Students as Resources. Hang onto the graduate student phone list that Cindy and Lorna distribute. Below are the phone numbers for the TA advisory panel. Don't hesitate to call.

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