University of California-San Diego Top Questions

In biological sciences the school stresses the importance of participating in research in a faculty lab, but so many students need research that it is very difficult to get a position. Applying for positions is also very difficult because professors often don't respond to emails inquiring about available positions. The professors are also often hard to reach because they are busy with research and only set aside one office hours a week and often this conflicts with other classes so you get the feeling that your educational experience as an undergraduate isn't of importance to them.

The campus is too big! I understand that there are means of transportations but wow, I'm guessing I'm going to get a lot of exercise from traveling class to class.

This school is serious and rigorous so it does not offer a wide variety of sororities/fraternities and parties. This can a drawback for some students who would like to experience this type of university life.

The quarters go by so fast but what else did I expect from a university that follows the quarter system. There really isn't anything bad about UCSD unless you hate the beach and nice sunny weather. If you hate those two things, then you're not going to have a good experience. The one thing that is bad is parking and the parking permits. But as a first year, it is good to take the bus to the mall, the grocery stores, and the plus is that transportation is free on the bus!

The social life is severely lacking. In science classes especially, students seem to have very little interest in engaging others in a social manner. Students don't show an interest in pushing themselves to participate in new things. Many students seem to be ignorant of the world around them.

Worst thing for me would be the size of the school, which is really big, so it's hard to get from one end to another without a bicycle or some other mode of transportation. And this also contributes to the whole school being "socially dead" thing.

Too much competition. I am asian, but I have to say it is annoying when you get those kiss-asses always sucking up to the professors to get a better grade. Also, don't forget the douchebags.

The worst thing about my school is probably the way classes are structured around TAs. It's not that TAs are bad, but rather that it would be more beneficial to learn with a professor. It's also much easier to get to know a professor and be able to get a recommendation letter that way. Because TAs are the ones who do all the grading, however, the student ends up getting to know the TA rather than the professor; many classes end without the student getting to know the professor at all.

The worst thing about UCSD is a lack of guidence on professional development. I do not think I ever had a professor talk to me about obtaining and internship or research position which I now realize is very important. The counselors do not offer much guidance in this issue either.

The tuition has increased by 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} since I graduated in 2009. Though it's reputation is highly regarded, it is still pretty pricey for a public university. Also, due to state budget cuts a lot of our campus resources (6 libraries, professor office hours, small class sizes) have been tremendously affected. Parking is horrible, student parking spots are continually decreasing, yet parking permit prices increase every year! Also, a lot of students complain that the social scene is lacking. However, I had plenty of social events to attend- you have to find the fun, it won't come to you.