<p>When I applied to UCSD, I never really expected to get in. But since I got my acceptance letter by some miracle, I'm struggling with my decision to stay on the east coast (I live in Massachusetts) or attend UCSD. Funny thing is that I've never even heard of UC San Diego until I looked up the top 50 ranked universities in the U.S. But since it IS the best school I've been accepted to, UCSD has become a big factor. Also, I've been accepted to Boston University, wait listed at NYU, and accepted into UCSD @ Muir. This is a really tough decision for me, because moving across the country (and likely staying there) rests all on this decision.</p>
<p>Can anyone share their opinion/answer a few of these questions? </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Is UCSD only really good for pre-med/engineering/biology/chemistry (or things along that vein?). I know that is one of the best universities for that type of thing, but my intention is to go for a double major of Economics and English Lit, but if UCSD treats it as a second fiddle, I don't know how if i would still consider going.</p></li>
<li><p>Is UCSD famous/considered a good school on the west coast? Where I'm from no one has even heard of any UC schools except UCLA and UC Berkely. Selfish as this may sound, I don't want to be stuck graduating from a school of ill-repute with a crappy major. I'm scared that I might come back to the east coast and get ('the hell is UC San Diego?' looks from any employers too :( </p></li>
<li><p>I saw in my tome of college guidebook that UCSD students have around 50% graduation rate within 4 years. Whats up with that?</p></li>
<li><p>Is finding a job after graduation (in the area) do-able for my major?</p></li>
<li><p>What is San Diego like? From what I've heard La Jolla, is basically an old-folks home, but San Diego is probably where I would be working. Is it anything like Boston or New York City (lol).</p></li>
<li><p>How is UCSD compared to Boston University or NYU?</p></li>
<li><p>Would it be possible for me to stay in the on-campus housing during the summer break?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I know its a lot of questions, but it'd really save me if you folks from California could help me out here. Thanks, and if I see you guys in UCSD I'll buy you dinner or something.</p>
<h1>2) UCSD is not as good as berkeley, but it is def. a great school, especially if you want to go into grad school. very serious atmosphere and pretty highly ranked. fortunately for all californians, all the UC’s rank pretty high. we are spoiled.</h1>
<h1>3) four year graduation rates are always going to be low, a majority of people do a fifth year or just a few extra quarters (most places) due to scheduling and or course load. it just makes sense.</h1>
<p>to #5) UCSD is in la jolla, but i wouldnt call the area an old folks home. its just a really nice area so a lot of the surrounding areas are upper class residences. The weather will be unlike anything you are used to, it does not come close to snowing, and it rains only a handful of weeks in the year. san diego is a big city; not sure if SD is anything like NYU or boston because ive been to neither. its a cool school, some negatives would be not a whole lot of athletics participation, no football team, and not a big greek scene. but it def has its perks… including big, free concerts for students.</p>
<h1>6) you can stay on campus during summer, but it does get expensive. do a search really quick on this site and you will find a link</h1>
<p>As a California resident I must concede that the most popular schools in CA are Stanford, Berkeley and UCLA.
UCSD isn’t too far behind, though. It’s definitely considered a very good university. It’s also well-known for its sciences.</p>
<p>Everyone I know who was an English major in any college is now an English teacher. However, I’m just one person. To the best of my knowledge econ majors do better.</p>
<p>Around here Boston University is considered okay. NYU is considered prestigious but much too expensive. For someone out of state, UCSD might be considered just as expensive, though. Yes, a lot of UC’s are overcrowded so it often takes students 5 years to graduate. This is especially true of people majoring in engineering. However, since you have been admitted to Muir and thus are required to complete fewer GE’s you might not have that problem.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that I’m not currently a UCSD student so I don’t know much about how the school actually operates. I’m just providing a CA resident’s perspective of the school.</p>
<p>San Diego is absolutely nothing like Boston or NYC. If you love the east coast and don’t want any different culture or whatever, don’t come here - I would even go so far as to say you’ll be culture shocked. It’s not a bad thing but east coast and west coast are soooo different in so many ways.</p>
<p>Thanks for the fast replies ajdavidson, ingrid, and ucsandiego!</p>
<p>Heh, it looks like everyone agrees UCSD is right behind the big three eh (UCLA, Stanford, Berkeley)! Not a big deal though, I don’t think I’m bright enough for those elite schools anyway haha. </p>
<p>@ajdavidson
Ah so I’m glad to know people arent just failing classes. If its for scheduling problems, that seems logical. I hope, I can get out in 4 years though (tuition is high for out of state). I guess I’ll trade my snowboard for a surfboard and see if it works out :P</p>
<p>@ingrid
Thanks a ton. It means a lot to get a normal californian’s opinion. I know just what you mean about being all the English majors becoming teachers! Its a tough world for us, but thats why I’m going to tough it out and major in Economy as well. Does UCSD hold the same kind of prestige as NYU in California? The most important thing for me is to get a job straight out of college. I WILL be in debt hahaha.</p>
<p>@ucsandiego
Doing something different is alright with me. One’s mind can rot away if he decides to stay in the same place all his life!</p>
<p>1- UCSD is very well known in Cali for its sciences, yah. But they dont treat any major as a second fiddle or anything.</p>
<p>2-UCSD is definitely considered one of the better schools on the west coast and grad schools look at it with high regard. Its one of the younger UCs and is also the fastest growing. I’d say the reason you probably havent heard about it (like you have of LA and Cal) is because its a primarily academic school so we dont have too much emphasis on sports.</p>
<p>3- Like someone said, scheduling stuff, people take a quarter or two off, people switch majors, etc etc.</p>
<p>4-Finding a job anywhere is do-able. Just make sure you get to know the faculty wherever you are so you can get letters of recs.</p>
<p>5- La Jolla is beautiful. You have nice homes, amazing beaches (especially Black’s beach) and everything. However, by technicality, it isnt in San Diego, its a suburb of the city and is part of San Diego County. But the actual city is like 5 minutes away and its amazing. I’ve had family live in both Boston and NY though so I can easily say that La Jolla or San Diego in general is nothing like them. Yeah, San Diego is large, but you dont have the very high paced action filled life with traffic left and right and things to do at all hours of the day. It is more relaxed and laid back. At least, this is my opinion on the matter.</p>
<p>6-It really depends on what you’re doing at each school, so its hard to compare. If I had to give an answer though for your later question, I’d say that UCSD may have more prestige in California than NYU does but NYU will possibly have more prestige than UCSD in other states. Once again, it depends on your major and a bunch of other different factors.</p>
<p>7-If you’re talking about staying there this summer to take courses, you better get a move on because all that stuff starts happening this week and things fill up fast. But if you’re talking about after this summer when you’re a student… yeah you can as long as you’re taking classes (which someone pointed out is going to be pretty expensive).</p>
<p>^ i dont think you have to take classes, from what ive read and understood. </p>
<p>ps you dont necessarily have to trade in that snowboard. the mountains are like an hour or two away. but yeah a lot of people learn to surf while they are here. i dont know how to surf, but i live in sacramento, CA so i havent really had the opportunity.</p>
<p>if you want sun, and want a completely different experience than the east coast, go to UCSD. ive been to tournaments with east coast kids and the culture is WAY different, it would def be a change</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The Economics department at UCSD is actually really good. According to NRC’s rankings of undergraduate economics programs, UCSD is ranked 16. And in other rankings, UCSD is even placed in the top 10. Sure, UCSD is known for its sciences, but the other majors are NOT treated as second fiddle.</p></li>
<li><p>UCSD is pretty well known on the west coast. Most people who know of the UC system will know at least UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UCSD. UCSD has a pretty good reputation. Sure, it’s not as good as Berkeley or LA, but the gap is definitely closing and UCSD is not too far behind right now.</p></li>
<li><p>It’s hard for certain majors to graduate in 4 years, such as engineering. But since you are in Muir, the college with the least GE requirements, I don’t think that will be much of a problem.</p></li>
<li><p>You should be able to find a job with an Econ degree.</p></li>
<li><p>La Jolla is a pretty well-off area, definitely a lot of old white people. I’ve been to New York before, and San Diego is almost nothing like it. But I’m sure you’ll come to love it. Everyone loves San Diego. The weather is PERFECT. Sunshine and 70 degree weather YEAR ROUND. It is really rare for it to rain here. This entire school year so far, it’s probably rained like 15 days, and for most of those days, the rain was fairly light. People think LA’s weather is nice? Please. I lived in LA for 18 years before coming to UCSD for college, and UCSD’s weather DESTROYS LA’s weather. It’ll often rain in LA while it is bright and sunny here. SD has cooler summers and warmer winters than LA.</p></li>
<li><p>UCSD is probably a little better than BU and NYU.</p></li>
<li><p>Not sure.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Oh, and there are some mountains east of LA where you can snowboard. The snow quality isn’t that great because it is Southern California, but you have to take what you can get. There are 3 decent resorts: Mtn High, Bear Mtn, and Snow Summit, all of which are around 2-3 hours from SD. If you are willing to drive a little further, you can go to Mammoth, which is a pretty bomb-a$$ resort. It can rival any resort in this country, the snow quality is better than the SoCal resorts, its really big, and the park there is one of the best in the country. It’s around 6-8 hours drive, depending in traffic/weather/speed you drive at.</p>
<p>SoCal is the only place you can snowboard, skateboard, and surf, all in the same day.</p>
<p>I’m 100% sure that you have to be taking some sort of course or be enrolled in some kind of program (COSMOS and other such things). My source… academic counselors</p>
<p>Oh I also have one more thing to clarify - it is COMPLETELY possible to graduate in 4 years, I think that 50% figure must be a stretch. THe only people I know taking 5 years are transfer students and double majors. I’m graduating in 3 years. You’ll be fine :)</p>
<p>I’m going to be super nitpicky here because it’s late and I’m tired and I want to be. La Jolla is in San Diego because it’s contained in the San Diego city limits. La Jolla is really nothing more than a neighborhood. That was my contribution to society for the day.</p>
<p>"When I applied to UCSD, I never really expected to get in. But since I got my acceptance letter by some miracle, I’m struggling with my decision to stay on the east coast (I live in Massachusetts) or attend UCSD. Funny thing is that I’ve never even heard of UC San Diego until I looked up the top 50 ranked universities in the U.S. But since it IS the best school I’ve been accepted to, UCSD has become a big factor. Also, I’ve been accepted to Boston University, wait listed at NYU, and accepted into UCSD @ Muir. This is a really tough decision for me, because moving across the country (and likely staying there) rests all on this decision.</p>
<p>Can anyone share their opinion/answer a few of these questions?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Is UCSD only really good for pre-med/engineering/biology/chemistry (or things along that vein?). I know that is one of the best universities for that type of thing, but my intention is to go for a double major of Economics and English Lit, but if UCSD treats it as a second fiddle, I don’t know how if i would still consider going.</p></li>
<li><p>Is UCSD famous/considered a good school on the west coast? Where I’m from no one has even heard of any UC schools except UCLA and UC Berkely. Selfish as this may sound, I don’t want to be stuck graduating from a school of ill-repute with a crappy major. I’m scared that I might come back to the east coast and get (‘the hell is UC San Diego?’ looks from any employers too</p></li>
<li><p>I saw in my tome of college guidebook that UCSD students have around 50% graduation rate within 4 years. Whats up with that?</p></li>
<li><p>Is finding a job after graduation (in the area) do-able for my major?</p></li>
<li><p>What is San Diego like? From what I’ve heard La Jolla, is basically an old-folks home, but San Diego is probably where I would be working. Is it anything like Boston or New York City (lol).</p></li>
<li><p>How is UCSD compared to Boston University or NYU?</p></li>
<li><p>Would it be possible for me to stay in the on-campus housing during the summer break?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I know its a lot of questions, but it’d really save me if you folks from California could help me out here. Thanks, and if I see you guys in UCSD I’ll buy you dinner or something."</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I know a doctor who sat on UCLA medical schools admissions panel and they accepted UCLA and UCSD students at around the same rate. He recommended to take UCSD or UCLA over UCB, so it’s definitely not a bad school. 46% of medical applicants from SD get into at least one school. UCLA is at 48%, so you’re going to have a near identical shot at getting into medical school with a degree from SD. Remember, MCAT’s make a huge difference. UCLA reqiures 10’s across the board, so you need to study hard if you want to be competitive. Let’s hope we both leave SD for a good medical school in 2014.</p></li>
<li><p>Yes, it’s very well known here. It’s highly respected here in SoCal and is comparable to UCLA.</p></li>
<li><p>I theorize that it’s because 50% of students at SD are pre-med. Since a pre-med mjaor doesn’t exist and not all doctors major in the biological sciences, a lot of people are taking med school prerequisites in addition to the courses required for their major.</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>UCSD is ranked 14 in Economics (same as LA). So its pretty reputable not to mention San Diego is quickly catching up to the first 2 UCs and still improving.</p></li>
<li><p>Yes, UCSD is very well known on the west coast. The only reason it is not as well known as UCLA or UCB is because it is one of the youngest UCs, and its barely starting to make a name for itself. That and ofcourse its not as involved in sports, but im its name will become stronger over the years :)</p></li>
<li><p>Many students change majors etc etc other people gave you the reasons XD</p></li>
<li><p>Very much so, San Diego is an enormous city with plenty of opportunities. And ofcourse if it is not good enough for you, the LA region is within reach </p></li>
<li><p>La Jolla is beautiful, rich, upper class region. Enormous expensive houses left and right that will leave you feeling very poor XD Not to mention the beaches are amazing over here! And within biking distance And the weather, oh my goodness absolute perfection. itll be extremely different from the east coast but you wont regret it at all!</p></li>
<li><p>I think it may be better than both of those academically (you can check us and news) but NYU have a better known name because of its city and the fact that its been around longer</p></li>
<li><p>Hmmm that might be a toughy, i believe there MIGHT be summer housing but i think thats only if youre taking classes over the summer. So im not sure, your best bet may be to get a place off campus during the summer or in general. Sorry x.x youll have to snoop around a bit and see what you find</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>Contrary to popular belief, UCSD has a vast repertoire of fiddles. When it tires of fiddling with BioChem, Bio, etc., UCSD can still elicit standing ovations by fiddling with departments including Economics and Social Sciences. But to answer your question, yes, UCSD is not a one fiddle wonder.</li>
</ol>
<p>UCSD is well known in the west coast, personally though I have never seen it in the light of it being an amazing school, since it is in the “2nd tier” of the UC system (but then again, our state system is one of the best in the country). will it be morerecognized than UCLA, Cal tech, Cal, USC or Stanford? No. As many people have said, it is a young school but it is only getting better. Recognition/prestige wise it is better than BU but not of NYU</p>
<p>UCSD and BU are very different (same as NYU). BU and NYU do not have that “campus” feel, where with UCSD you will. Personally, I would say put your name on the waitlist for NYU and choose to go to UCSD and if you get accepted to NYU decide from there. Weather, location, academics are better at UCSD than BU</p>
maybe just a super hard worker</p>
And the weather, oh my goodness absolute perfection. itll be extremely different from the east coast but you wont regret it at all!</p></li>