Ask Questions About College Life @ UCSD!

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - San Diego
1

Hi all! I don’t want to do my homework (whoops, bad influence…) but since quite a few people are already getting their acceptances and many others are waiting, I’d like to answer any questions you guys might have about life (dorming, social, picking classes, etc.) at UCSD from the perspective of a freshman who was accepted not too long ago. If you have academic questions, I’ll try my best, but I might not be able to answer them out of fear of misinformation. I can also answer questions about Revelle College/our GE’s as well! Best of luck to you all.

MODERATOR’S NOTE: Anyone is free to ask or answer questions in this thread.

2

How often do you go to parties?

3

@angiepie I’ve been invited to a few but I mostly attend kickbacks, since the party scene is mostly kickbacks on campus. Many people go to SDSU (which is relatively nearby) for the big parties.

4

Can you describe Revelle? (Dorms, environment, etc). I was accepted into Revelle but I’ve only hear negative things about it. It would be nice if you could talk about the GEs as well. Thanks!

5

@anxiousenior1 congratulations on your acceptance!

I’ll be honest with you – in terms of academics, Revelle isn’t the best of the colleges, but it probably isn’t as bad as people make it out to be. A large portion of this viewpoint depends on your major, because our GE’s are relatively numerous and are tuned towards STEM majors such as bio and chem. Thus, taking GE’s knocks out many of the lower division classes for those majors as well. If you are an engineering or non-STEM major, it may be a little more difficult to brace past your GE’s, since there are so many. Conversely, ERC has more non-STEM GE’s that don’t benefit STEM majors as much. HOWEVER, this should not discourage you. I am currently an Bus/Econ major and my roommate is an engineer and both of us are dealing with it pretty well. AP’s will knock out quite a few requirements, and you can definitely take summer classes. Our humanities course has a reputation for being formidable but after taking HUM 1, I can assure you that it’s definitely doable.

The environment is comfortable and the dorms are pretty damn nice. As a freshman, you will be able to live in either Argo Hall, Blake Hall, or the Fleets. Each are structured differently but everything is suite styled, meaning that you share a bathroom between one or two suites. Living here is very comfortable and also highly convenient because one of the best dining halls on campus, 64 Degrees, the market, and York/Galbraith Hall (where classes may be) are within 2-3 minutes walking distance.

6

Thank you so much!

I am a Global Health major, so I assume there is some overlap (not as much as a core science major though I would assume). The non-academic aspects of Revelle sound great! We’ll see if I decide to commit to UCSD :stuck_out_tongue: Thank you for your time.

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@anxiousenior1 There may or may not be – check to make sure, but that’s good news! I would highly recommend coming to visit on Triton Day if you can, just to check out Revelle and the rest of campus. I know it helped me solidify my decision as well.
Best of luck on the rest of your admissions! I hope you decide to come here :slight_smile:

8

What are your thoughts on Marshall?

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@remi1117 Marshall is situated nicely – not too far away from Muir, Revelle, and ERC. It’s also right next to RIMAC, our huge gym, so that’s a huge plus for people who like to work out. I can’t tell you too much about Marshall GE’s, but since nobody’s complained about them, I think it’s safe to say that they’re okay. The dorms are, like every other college, suite styled. I’ve been inside some of them and they’re decent.

10

Since people seem to be asking about colleges, here’s a rundown:

Revelle:
Pros - freshman dorms are very nice (it’s been going under renovations) and the Keeling Apartments (for sophomores and above) are SUPER SUPER nice. 64 Degrees, the dining hall, has pretty good food. Accessible to other parts of campus.
Cons - Lots of GE’s that are tuned towards STEM majors. And if you’re a STEM major, Humanities (our five-part writing and reading course) may be tough.

Muir:
Pros - like everything. Not a lot of GE’s with flexibility because they let you pick which ones you want to do. Nice dorms, good location. The dining hall is Pines, which has a large variety of food.
Cons - in my opinion this is probably one of the best colleges you could’ve ended up in.

Sixth:
Pros - Decent GE’s, no huge majority of one type of major. Dorming communities are more tightly knit because each unit houses less people (in comparison with Argo in Revelle, which is huge). The dining hall-thing, Foodworx, is apparently pretty good?
Cons - a little far from all parts of campus. The dorms look like cabins so if you’re not into that, oops.

Marshall:
Pros - Decent GE’s, again not a huge majority of one type of major. Dorms are pretty comfortable, decent distance from everywhere else. Near RIMAC, the big gym. There is no dining hall, but Goody’s (the market) does some decent burritos.
Cons - tbh don’t know too much about Marshall so yeah. I don’t generally hear people complaining about it.

Warren:
Pros - if you’re an engineer, you’re probably going to be surrounded with a lot of engineers. GE’s are really compatible with majors that require a lot of units (aka engineers, which is why most people apply for Warren). I personally like the layout of the dorms. The dining hall is Canyon Vista, which is decent.
Cons - a little far, but near Sixth.

ERC:
Pros - THE DORMS ARE REALLY REALLY REALLY NICE. Also you’re near RIMAC, the Rady School of Business (which is good for you business/management science majors because a lot of your classes will be there!!) The dining hall, Cafe V, is decent.
Cons - Again, lots of GE’s. These focus more on non-STEM, so STEM majors may find them irrelevant. (Completely the opposite of Revelle).

Commonly Asked Questions:
Can you apply for a change of college? Basically no. You have to have a to-die-for reason in order for you to switch.
Didn’t get your first choice? It happens to more people than you’d think, which is unfortunate.
Should this be a huge factor in your decision? Maybe, but either way, you will survive.
Does this affect the social structure of the school? I’ve heard people complaining that it’s divisive but honestly if you try hard enough you can make friends from all over. But generally your friends will come from your college.

11

Is Muir good for Econ?

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@jonkahn Yes. Unless you’re like an engineer in Revelle or a non-engineer in Warren, most of the colleges are going to be equally good for every major

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@jonkahn yes. I’m an bus/econ major in Revelle and it’s not exactly the most fun time because of the STEM GE’s

14

Just got accepted to Revelle as Bioinformatics major and tbh the HUM course seems to scare the fuck out of me. I’ve never been a good writer or a writer at all in high school. Should have done a little but more research, but happy that I got in anyway.

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@knguyen1297 on the bright side, you’ll be a better writer once you finish HUM

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@DoctorP I hope it won’t drag my GPA down by a lot.

17

I feel like I should have paid more attention to my UCSD college choices. Still, 6th sounds cool!

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@knguyen1297 ha haha ha hah

19

Does Revelle have a mix of majors? My daughter is a STEM major accepted to Revelle, but she has a lot of interests, and is hoping there are a mix of students at Revelle. Thanks for your help!

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@LionsMum there are students from almost every major in each of the colleges. Revelle has a lot of STEM and non-STEM majors.