University of California-San Diego Top Questions

I think the size of UCSD is totally fine. It is large, but that is what I was looking for. Since research is the focus of many of the professors, the classes can be quite difficult at times especially when the professor can't teach their way out of a paper bag. The location is beautiful, but La Jolla is a crappy place for a college. There is absolutely no campus community off the campus, which is unfortunate but bearable. There is no school spirit I think mostly because the students are there for their education and don't have the fabrication of school spirit on their agendas. UCSD has many experiences or programs that are diamonds in the rough. I am part of a very small major (Earth Sciences) that is taught by world class researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. I love my classes and most of the professors in my department. The greek community at UCSD is small but I have found it to be one of the most positive experiences of my college career if not my life. There are so many opportunities at UCSD that are just waiting for students to take them. It is the student that does not take it upon themselves to find their interests or niche that ends up absolutely hating UCSD.

Fun, great town, great fun people if you get involved.

i can't say ucsd is the best school or has the greatest teachers, but i must admit there are great things about the school that i've come to like and i've had excellent teachers. for one, there are three beaches right next to campus and another one if you care to take the extended trip. another, la jolla is obviously a college town. most of the eateries on campus are also relatively good in comparison to other campus (despite the obvious gauge in prices). and if you're feeling like paying with your own money, there's always the price center (subway, panda express, rubios, jamba juice, etc). the more excited teachers are here, the better instructors they make. i've sat in class and just been amazed by the amount of information given to me by professors, or by how much they knew. that's devotion. there are things that suck about ucsd too. there's a lack of individualism here. everything seems to be part of a franchise and sometimes you get tired of subway everyday. to do anything exciting, other than the beach, you need a car. and in addition to great teachers, i've met some pretty awful ones as well. construction here goes on forever. something new is always being built. and raccoons. they frighten the crap out of you at night. they're about the size of cats. also, being a revelle student, i can say our college is the worse in terms of ges. people rarely graduate within four years, and the majority of the students here have taken a fair amount of ap classes (and passed).

UC San Diego caters to both the students looking for a large research institution and those looking for a small liberal arts feel. There are a multitude of opportunities to get involved on either the large, campus-wide level or within the smaller six-college system level. It's the best of all possible scenarios.

I came from a really small high school in Southern California. I came to UCSD because of the large student population. We have somewhere around 30,000 students on campus, split into six colleges. If that break down isn't enough to give you a familial feeling, then turn to one of the many student organizations or Greek life. I'll be honest, when I was in high school, I was the last person you would have pegged to be in a sorority, but now I don't know where I would be or what I would be without that family here on campus. Students here can be as active as they want to be. The sky is the limit, but you have to be able to go out there and find your niche, or you will feel like one little speck in a huge universe. I guess that the best part about UCSD is that you can do anything you want to, literally. The options are out there, just waiting for you to find them.

The best thing about UCSD is its comfort and feeling like you are at home. It is so relaxing with the beautiful weather and nice beaches that are just walking distance. Having your friends near you and plenty of campus activities, it feels like you are at home and have a great community. I especially love the 6 college system because it makes it feel like a family in a much larger community. The only thing I would change about UCSD is the school spirit. If there is one thing that UCSD lacks its sports and school spirit. Being a huge sports fan, its kind of disappointing, but I still am able to cheer on my team and have the spirit. Its just kind of lame when no one else has the same spirit and asks why I wear UCSD gear.

UCSD is a best kept secret. The environment feels so humble compared to UCLA and UC Berkeley. I can honestly say that I felt like I was destined to go to UC San Diego...that I belong there...this was where I was meant to be. It is a huge campus with a huge population. Meeting people is not hard. You meet people through classes, orgs, and events. Because the population is so wide and diverse, there are many ways to find your place. If you feel like UCSD sucks, then you're probably still stuck in high school mode and can't let go. It's college...the best years of your life! Make the most of it!

UCSD is a good school. When people find out that you graduated from UCSD they are generally impressed. Many people who attend this school do not have a problem moving on after they graduate from the University. There is a lot to do at the school and many places to visit near the campus. The beach is only a mile or two away, so even if you don't have a car you are able to hang out there. One thing I would say is that the public transportation system in San Diego is not too impressive.

The best and worst thing about UCSD is their college system. We are a university broken up into 6 colleges that have nothing to do with major, what you're studying, etc. Each incoming student is a assigned to a college and based on their assignment determines where they live on campus and the general education programs they follow. It's like how Disneyland is broken up into different 'Lands' but all together they make up the Magic Kingdom. The college system is the best thing that could have happened to my college experience. It broke up our huge university into a small community where you really do recognize people that are part of your community. Each college offers specific leadership, service, and extra curricular activities to its students as well as a wide range of academic services. To me, this worked out as a great way to feel connected to such a big university. If UCSD didn't have the college system, I know my time in college wouldn't be half as good. The one drawback I can see to the college system is that I feel like it takes aways a little bit from the pride we all share for our university. It isn't uncommon for people to have more pride for their college than for our university as a whole.

There isn't a lot of school pride, and since our school is new, we kind of take the shadow of UCLA and UC Berkeley, but our school is really fun and full of very smart people. They push us a little bit harder than other schools because they want to climb higher in the rankings, so our school keeps getting better and better. I think the school is a good size, people wise, but there is a lot of walking. I wish there was more information available on the six colleges, because I think, which one you pick greatly effects how much fun you have. The type of people are different in each one. Muir, people are really laid back and have a great location on campus. Revelle, everyone complains about how difficult the GE's are, but if you are a Science major they aren't that bad. Normally the most academic people are in Revelle. Marshall, seems pretty laid back and people are nice. Warren, people recomend this if you are an Engineering major, because the GE's fit the best. Roosevelt, also has a lot of GE's, but is good for non science majors, there are a lot of girls in this college. Sixth, is the newest, and unnamed at the moment- and it's writing program is a little silly and has a weird location on campus, but it has decent GE's. But if you are a transfer student none of that matters. It's all for the first part of your undergrad.