<p>@diablonecros - most freshmen start out taking GEs and lower division courses to satisfy their major. If I were you, I’d probably take the lower div requirements for both EE and bio and see if either of them appeal to you more. It’s not a sure method of figuring out what you’re into but it’s worth a shot. And Bio majors are impacted, so you’ll need to get great grades in the first year or two and then attempt to transfer in.</p>
<p>I would like to hear from a current student about that whole Compton cookout situation and their view on the situtation…I’m an African-American student that is considering going to UC San Diego but I’m hesitant now after hearing from constant people about the students mocking black history month and ignorant actions made by some students there.</p>
<p>Everyone I know just rolls their eyes about it now. It was a tiny incident that was blown highly out of proportion by the media. A minority student hung the noose in the library to exacerbate the situation and of course the media ate it up. It was simply a poor decision made by a few people but by no means represents the underlying attitude across campus. I see no lasting problems.</p>
<p>I glad to hear that but it would nice to see UC San Diego add some more diversity, it could really use it.</p>
<p>Do you guys see it as something offensive or just good fun?</p>
<p>I dont know my heart wants it to be good fun but then when you see that UC San Diego has the lowest percentage of African American students out of the whole UC system with 2% it makes you wonder…</p>
<p>Here’s the issue… I did a lot of research on it. While there are ~47,000 people applying to UCSD, only like 2,000 of them (roughly) are African American. And only ~800 of those 2,000 are accepted. If they want more diversity, IMO they need to address the root of the problem and find some way to make more African American students to apply in the first place. These numbers are not exact but there was a huge document released that details this inconsistency.</p>
<p>Well, “lowest” in itself isn’t really that dramatic. Some school’s got to occupy that slot, right?</p>
<p>And according to wikipedia, UCI’s 2009 freshman class was also at 2%. UCLA is only marginally better, at 3.3%.</p>
<p>The lack of affirmative action makes the percentage go down in all UC’s.</p>
<p>im talking about entire school population and in that case UCLA is at 4.5% and UCI around 3%…while UCSD is at or below 2%…plus wikipedia is not really a good source either cause cant anyone write on it? for all we know it could be false information</p>
<p>I don’t think its anything to worry about.</p>
<p>wikipedia is just as reliable as CC … just saying.</p>
<p>^Very true.</p>
<p>^Actually there was a study that compared the reliability of wikipedia favorably to that of encyclopedia britannica. I really hate it when people say that “anybody can edit wikipedia” since they essentially disregard the numerous precautions that wikipedia takes to prevent people from providing false information. A friend of mine got IP banned about 30 minutes after screwing around with wikipedia, which shows how seriously they take their accuracy. </p>
<p>As far as race goes, if you’re prepared to make a lot of asian or white friends, then you shouldn’t really have anything to worry about. One of my TAs mentioned though that a lot of black students elect to transfer to schools that have a higher percentage of African Americans. The only racial incident that I know about was this compton cookout fiasco, and I don’t remember anybody getting physically hurt. I remember thinking it was really stupid too, because people throw white-trash parties all the time without anybody complaining. That noose thing was a bit much though. </p>
<p>Btw, the law in California against affirmative action is so blatantly unconstitutional it’s hilarious.</p>
<p>^Plus when you go on the UCSD page on Wikipedia and see the racial demographics, it’s linked to a document from UCSD saying the same thing, so yes, it is reliable if the information you are given is linked to something and you can check that it’s true.</p>
<p>Here’s the thing with the Compton cookout. It was a small group of students being stupid. Why don’t people note the huge number of students who came out to stand up against it? I don’t even think the kids who did the Compton cookout were trying to be racist either, but it was really stupid, I will admit that. If they did a stupid rednecks from Sacramento party, I’d be mad at that too.</p>
<p>maiken1993, </p>
<p>First off, I encourage you to apply, especially if UCSD sounds like a fit in other respects (academic, geographic, cost). Keep your options open.</p>
<p>Now, if you’re looking for a hospitable environment where people share your experiences… then you might be disappointed. When I visited UCSD, one thing that struck me was how privileged and homogeneous the population was. It’s UCSD, not U Miami or Berkeley. You’re not going to find much alternative culture or any substantial diversity in La Jolla.</p>
<p>Some will argue that UCSD has “all kinds of people” and that you shouldn’t go around expecting racism at every corner. While it’s true that you shouldn’t let the occasional bad incident get you sour, I must warn you that you will meet kids who think you’re an AA charity case, who will not even make the effort to relate to you, and who regularly express views that offend you because their life experiences really are that limited and their perspectives really are that narrow. It’s not flat-out “All black people _____” so much as “I think welfare robs us (“well-to-do” a.k.a. affluent Asians and Whites) of our hard-earned money,” which is a charged statement that makes insinuations about African-Americans, who are “over-represented” as welfare recipients, whether or not the speaker acknowledges those implications. I can tell you that to alot of kids at UCSD, black people = school-dance freaking anthems, drive-by shootings in the “ghetto” (a word that is sorely misused), and the NFL.</p>
<p>UCSD is one of those places where there is a particular perspective that most people take, and that perspective is not necessarily inclusive or friendly to someone like you, especially if you are poor, dark-skinned, etc. I can see a “White-washed,” light-skinned, good-looking and affluent Black kid getting by at UCSD, but if that’s not you… then the SD/LJ scene might be a dud. The kids come affluent, Asian/White/Hispanic and California-bred, and they come with the views too.</p>
<p>Acts of racism/violence are not the issue so much as the beliefs lurking in people’s minds (that can manifest in acts of racism/violence, yes, as in the case of the Cookout). It all goes back to what people believe. If you’re willing to deal with people’s discomfort around you, surprise at your intelligence (I hate this one), inability to grasp your perspective that leads to frequently having to explain yourself, etc. then I commend you. But man, if I were you, I’d really be looking somewhere else. I’m sorry to say that.</p>
<p>That all said and done, don’t hate UCSD. There are good people there, of course. 
As much as the lack of diversity disappointed me when I visited, lots of people were genuinely nice and I could see myself getting on with them. Most people you meet will be nice and you’ll make friends.</p>
<p>If you have further concerns, I welcome you to PM me. I assumed you’re a rising senior, but if you’re also class of 2010, I can help you meet people and get acclimated. I’ll be there this fall myself as a freshman. Best of luck in all your decisions!</p>
<p>^Wait a minute. How do you know how the kids at UCSD are if you don’t go there yet?</p>
<p>yeah I think it’s unfair to judge people at UCSD when you’re an incoming freshman.</p>
<p>^^ what.t.f hormones, i completely disagree with what you say. thats just pure ignorance</p>
<p>Hormones, how much contact have you even had with the UCSD population? Simply strolling around and looking at some faces hardly counts for being able to generalize like that. I was there for five years and wouldn’t even think of trying to describe the student population as a whole. </p>
<p>If your thoughts are opinions you hold, fine. But please don’t label the majority of the student body as naive, narrow-minded closet racists. While we’re not perfect, we’re hardly what you think we are.</p>