University of California-San Diego Top Questions

This is definitely not a party school. Fraternities and sororities are not supported by UCSD. If you are looking for a strong education without Greek Life interference, UCSD is the school for you. If students are awake at 2 in the morning they are dilligently working to be the best in their field. Popular events on campus include going to the beach, playing club sports, and other traditional events. The beach is just a short walk or drive away and is plenty spacious for many different activities. Our club sports are there for students to relax and have a little fun with their peers at the end of a long week. One example of a traditional event is the watermelon drop in Revelle college. It is also the oldest tradition on campus and is marked by the watermelon festival each year.

There are many popular religious groups as well as many professional student organizations. In particular, there is an overarching group of engineering organizations ,TESC, (Triton Engineering Student Council) that overseeing a multitude of student clubs that compete in various engineering challenges, such as Formula SAE, an underwater submarine, human-powered bicycles, and many more. There is plenty to do in the city of San Diego/La Jolla: there is always the beach barely 10 miles off campus, plenty of excellent places to eat, and Old Town San Diego, which is a bit far from campus, but has plenty of independent, rustic stores and shops.

DISCLAIMER: This could be a very biased view 'cause I'm sure if you talk to other people they might list something completely different. UCSD is big and has lots of organizations, so this is just amongst my group of friends. CLUBS 1) AS Student Council: They're the equivalent of ASB in high school. They plan all the concerts, design all these banners, and they staff the events on campus. Volunteers are welcomed. 3) Intervarsity: It's a christian club that throws really extravagant events on campus. They are really nice and active, and christian. 4) KP: It's a Filipino club where all the stylish & talented Filipinos are. haha But then there are lots of other races that join too. 5) MACOKE: Where people come to chill, hang out and play video games. 6) Camp Kesem: They raise money for kids with family members that have had cancer. FRATERNITIES/SORORITIES. (I don't know that much about this, so if I've heard of them often, I'm assuming they are good/ or I guess they could be bad too.) - TKE - PIKE - FIJI - KAPPA SIG - DG - CHI O - THETA - Tri Delts - KDPHI - SOPI - AK PSI - PHI D E - APO SPORTS (I also don't know that much about it.) - Water Polo & Crew is apparently really good. - Men's Tennis is pretty good. - And I heard soccer was pretty good? ACTIVITIES 1) SUN GOD: It's a huge concert on campus. Where it's common to get intoxicated, dance, and enjoy music. 2) LGBT dance: It's the Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Transexual/Transgender dance. Everyone is welcome and it's usually the best dance every quarter. 5) The undie run: It's every quarter during finals week. I'm involved in Alpha Phi Omega (APO listed above) and Active Students for Kids (ASK). Alpha Phi Omega is a co-ed community service fraternity. I have had lots of fun ever since I joined it. ASK is a program where you go to a school and you tutor kids english, math, or technology depending on the teacher. When I was in a dorm, I always left my doors unlocked for my friends to come in whenever. I was just really lucky 'cause no one ever come to our place to steal anything. But then again I think that's because I was always living on the second floor. I think it'd be more safe for you to keep your doors locked if you were on the first floor, because there has been some robberies. My friend got his xbox stolen freshman year. And then the whole building (of 55ish people) chipped in to buy him one 'cause we were all really close and used his xbox basically everyday. I met my housemates right now completely randomly! haha I met my roommate while standing in line for free tacos at UCSD. I met my other housemate at a free Lupe Fiasco concert at UCSD. I met my other housemate 'cause she was randomly placed as my roommate sophomore year, because my original roommate got kicked out of UCSD for her bad grades. All my other close friends I met freshman year in the dorms. haha ooh, those days were craaaazy. If I was awake at 2 am on a Tuesday I was either studying, or messing around with my friends. We were most likely dancing, playing games, procrastinating, or trying to cram for something. haha On a Saturday night, if you don't drink, there might be events on campus like dances, or concerts. You can even go to the movies near Ralphs, or go eat at Convoy. (Lots of asian food) We also go eat at rigobertos a lot cause it's 24/7. Mcdonalds it 24/7 now too!

The most popular students activity would definitely be the fraternity/sorority scene along with the school athletes. As someone not in either of those, I can't necessarily say it's because they're "cooler" than everyone else, but they do tend to host a lot of pretty fun parties. :) When you first come to UCSD, everyone is just like you - new and open to trying new things. I didn't come to UCSD knowing anyone, but I left my door open like everyone else and I was able to make new friends who were fun and inviting. The best times everyone shares on campus is definitely SUN GOD it is thee most epic campus event of ALL the UC's definitely and probably any other California campus. It's an awesome concert that holds a ton of fun events. And being on a college campus, obviously tons of drinking is involved. I got tired of that whole thing, but I found there are a million other things to do like dancing, going to the beach, going to this beautiful museum downtown. Meeting people is so much fun - that's how I met my boyfriend! We're always going out and doing something new.

The popular organizations on campus are religious and fraternities/sororities and sports teams. I am not involved in any, so I do not know too much about them other than seeing the excessive amount of t-shirts they have to represent such. Frats/sororities do not have arrow, so their houses are spread throughout the area which makes them less concentrated, and less focused on partying. Though plenty still goes on. I am involved at KSDT the student radio station, where I have been a DJ and hosted an one hour radio show with a friend for over a year now. It has been highly enjoyable and a place I feel comfortable and relaxed on campus. Student in the dorms are excited about college and open to new friendships, so they try to be welcoming and leave doors open at least initially. I met some of my closest friends in the dorms, as well as in my major courses. The dating scene can be weak, but I know many couples who have met at school or at college parties. At 2 am on a Tuesday I am chatting with my roommates over our school schedules and winding down for the day. On the weekend I enjoy going to one of the several small venues around town and catching a concert. A lot of great bands come through the area, and many come to our campus itself. Its also great fun to explore some of the amazingly delicious restaurants around town--Ethiopian, Indian Korean, Italian, French, everything you can think of.

Students at UCSD seem to be largely not involved, again due to an unhealthy emphasis on studying and lack of sociability. Popular organizations are mostly those that are pre-professional or academic in nature. Personally, I am involved in Greek life (I am a TKE) and the Greek system is truly the school's only real social outlet. The NCAA athletes are also known as the other socialites of UCSD, however that is not to say sports are popular at UCSD. In fact, there is very little to no school spirit and athletic events are more or less unattended by students. Like the party and general social scene, the dating scene at UCSD is also shot due to the school's lack of social students, and as such the larger portion of students are sadly foreveralone. I managed to meet my close friends by finding the other people who were down to be social and party in the first weeks of our college time, and then rushing TKE and joining the Greek system further opened the door that such initial networking had opened. Outside Greek life and Athletics, people rarely party and will most likely be found studying, playing videogames, or some other general nerdy activity. This bleak college context is largely due to the fact that UCSD lacks a Greek row, and as such any and all real partying to forced to happen off campus (mostly outside of La Jolla).

There isn't a huge partying scene on campus, unless you go to fraternity or sorority events, and the parties that do happen tend to be smaller, especially on campus. There are a few festivals and events throughout the year with dances, rides, and/or concerts and performances. Probably the largest and most well-known one is the Sun God Fesitval spring quarter, but there are a few smaller ones throughout the year. Students in the dorms are pretty open to socializing, though this probably depends on the people and the the set up of the dorms. In the dorms, usually the RAs and HAs hold events for their residents. In the Muir ResHalls, for instance, every two floors were a "house" with two HAs who would hold events throughout the year, like ice blocking and assassins. I think most people meet others through their ResHalls freshmen year (I shared an on-campus apartment with four people from my house the next year), though I've certainly met people randomly in classes, in dining halls, or in price center. If you don't have a car, there isn't a huge amount you can do off campus, besides going to the mall, the movies, or the beach. If you have a car, you can pretty much do whatever you like off campus, such as going to San Diego or TJ.

Associated Students, the Student Foundation, and intervarsity are popular on campus. Our sports are not popular at all. AT ALL. Our theater department and plays are great.

The suite-style dorms at UCSD allow closer interaction and bonding for suitemates. This is especially important for freshmen who may not know as many students and want to get to know others at a more personal level. One organization I found out about in my freshman year that was especially interesting was the "Barefoot Club," which is comprised of students who promote walking around barefeet everywhere as a normal way of living. On-campus art/music-related performances are common, and lots of student discounts are offered for movies and shows. There is an annual event called the Sungod Festival, which is popular not among UCSD students but draws the attention of guests outside of UCSD as well. Last year, performers were Jimmy Eat World, Crystal Castle, Mike Posner, Wiz Khalifa, etc. There are many religious fellowships and student organizations, where students can bond with others who have common interests or beliefs. There are also pre-professional organizations that guide students who have trouble deciding which career path to choose: (i.e. Pre-Med students, Pre-Vet students, Pre-Pharm, Business, etc.)

Intervarsity, a Christian organization, is one of the most popular clubs on campus. I am involved in an honors society, and I did play club rugby freshman year. Students do not leave their dorms open; it's a public campus, so that wouldn't be safe. However, most students that live off campus can be seen hanging out at the dining halls or other places around campus. I can't say that athletic or any other events are that popular. Fraternities and sororities have most of their events off-campus, so you don't see them much except for rush week. People do party, but it's mostly small kickbacks or going to bars in Pacific Beach or clubs downtown.