University of California--San Diego | Student Reviews | Best College

Student Profile

Erin

Class: Freshman
Major: Biology
Gender: F

High School: San Marcos High School
Transfer Student: N

Big Picture

The best thing about UCSD is the campus. You have to see it to believe it. The area is INCREDIBLE. I live in Revelle, which I think is the prettiest part of the massive campus. There are so many trees and old buildings, it feels like an Ivy League school, but with the amazing California weather year-round and great beaches within walking distance. If I could change one thing about the school, it would be the quality of the TAs. Most of the professors I've had so far have been good, but I've yet to have a good TA which helps a LOT when it comes to your grade. For me personally, the campus is just the right size. The way it's divided into six colleges rocks, it really helps keep everything organized. There's really no college town since UCSD is located in La Jolla... which is full of rich old people. But all the basics are within bussing distance. There's a great outdoor mall with good prices, and a more upscale mall just a little further away. One thing I REALLY wish UCSD had was a football team and the school pride that would come with it. Too many people at UCSD are here JUST to study and don't seem involved enough in our fabulous school. UCSD gets a reputation for being socially dead, but your experience is what you make of it. If you WANT to spend all day and night studying in CLICS, then by all means do so. But I've found that most of the people who do that drive themselves crazy and aren't the well-rounded people that will get them anywhere in life.

Academic Life

If you make the effort to get to know your professors by going to office hours, they WILL know your name and they will do everything they can to help you out. The math professors at UCSD all SUCK, which is extremely disappointing. My chemistry professor (Hoeger) however has been amazing, and I plan on following him through the chem series. Students here study A LOT, and a lot of the times it IS necessary, but depending on your major you usually don't have to make yourself crazy studying all night. Class participation usually happens in discussions rather than lecture, but then again there are some professors that like parcipation. UCSD students are WICKED smart, prepare to finally have an intelligent conversation with that guy you've been eying across the class. Students at UCSD are extremely competitive. I can't tell you how many people ask me what grade I got on a test to gloat about how much better they did than me. A lot of the education at UCSD is based on which of the six colleges you go to. At Revelle where I go, the education is very much based on learning for its own sake. If you really want to prepare for the working world, there are plenty of internships and research opportunities for the taking though.

Student Body

So far I haven't really be involved in a lot of campus groups, but they're definitely out there if you want to join. I think any UC school would be like this, but sometimes just being a blonde white female I feel out of place at UCSD. Whenever I walk into a room with my friend (also a blonde white female), people always comment on it, because of how rarely two blonde girls are seen in the same building, let alone the same room. Some guy asked me to dance at a party once because I was "the first white girl he'd seen all night". It's definitely not a problem unless you run into a cliquey group of some race, which seldom ever happens. UCSD is definitely a skate/surfer friendly school, no matter what race. If you haven't already, you're going to want to invest in a pair of Rainbows. They're super cheap at the Muir surf/skate shop, and trust me - once you break them in you'll be wearing them EVERYWHERE. Because it's so close to the beach the mornings and nights can get a little nippy and the weather's a bit unpredictable at times, but you shouldn't ever need more than a light coat or a sweatshirt. Most UCSD students are from the bay area, and all of us socal kids get really annoyed by the whole "hella" thing. I mean really, "hella" is NOT a word, don't even start with me. Like any college, most of the students here are left, but it's probably slightly more centered than most schools considering the fact San Diego is a little more on the conservative side than most of California. Still though, it's definitely a democrat-dominated school. Students don't really talk about how much they'll earn, because it's kind of assumed by their major.