Hey guys,
I’m currently doing my college research and am very interested in attending a UC as an out-of-state applicant. I look at many review sites like Niche and Cappex to see what current students have to say about their schools.
I’ve recently seen and heard a lot of things about UCSD students being very, very studious to the point where it’s become part of the school culture and made the school cutthroat competitive. It seems that the typical UCSD is all about books and studying. It’s just that I really want to have a great balance of work and play in college, not studying so much to the point of letting it take over my college career.
I’m definitely not trying to attack or demean any UCSD students at all, I just want to know how accurate these reviews are because, as I mentioned, I /am/ looking for a certain environment in college.
Thank you!
I think there’s a difference between studious and cutthroat. Is UCSD a very academically focused school? Without a doubt. Will you be spending long nights in Geisel Library? Guaranteed. Is there an unusually high concentration of bright kids without social skills? Yes. I’d say these three factors account for a lot of UCSD’s negative image.
However, I think that image should overall be much more positive than you’ve read. For one, while classes are competitive and everyone’s very driven, I wouldn’t call it cutthroat. It’s a pretty collaborative atmosphere–most people end up working together because at the end of the day we’re all equally screwed. Furthermore, while studying will take up a lot of your time, it’s ridiculous that anyone is left without time to enjoy themselves. If you want to hole yourself up and read all day, you can, but I’ve found that most people spend a few hours each day studying and generally have free time on some weekdays and most weekends. There are parties and sporting events all the time, and the vast majority of people I’ve met are social and exciting kids. We find time to explore La Jolla and San Diego, rave, club, visit TJ, surf, and game just like everyone else. In the end, it’s what you make of it–whatever you hear, it’s still college B)