<p>Hi guys! Congrats if you were admitted to UCSD :)
I don't know about you guys, but I'm def having trouble deciding on which UC to attend... so I thought it would be helpful if there was a thread were current (or past) UCSD students could just comment on their experience at the school.</p>
<p>I don't have any specific questions, but it would be nice to hear why you guys chose UCSD, what you think makes UCSD better (or worse) than other colleges, why we should (or shouldn't) pick SD, tips, advice, warnings, etc.
Any kind of insight/opinion helps really :)</p>
<p>One thing I'd really like to ask though: Does the "UC Socially Dead" nickname hold any truth? </p>
<p>I have a question for current students or anyone who has information regarding the demographics of the 6 colleges. My son applied and was accepted to Warren as a social science major. Now friends who are current students say Warren is the college for engineering majors and he should have picked Roosevelt, I think it was. Is it true that each college has heavy concentrations of different majors?</p>
<p>As a Regents he would have gotten his first choice but didn’t research this enough when applying I guess, and now it’s too late to change???</p>
<p>@kelvyftw Well, It’s a UC school. and I know you’ll get this from like 15,000 people, but it really does depend on what you desire to major in. I’ve taken a tour of UCSD and BELIEVE me please when I say it is not this “Socially Dead” (Haha UCSD= UC Socially Dead… I got the joke xD) It really isn’t. It’s very lively and I desire to go there in the far future. What you need to wonder is what you’re going to make of your experience if you do decide to go to UCSD. If you got accepted, you’re one lucky guy. I would kill to get accepted there.
Hope this shows how special the school is. You should go there. It’s nice. </p>
<p>@yoamogatos Well, Warren is an engineering major, but it isn’t implying you MUST be a specific major to get to Warren, or Roosevelt, etc. The only college that will be selective to enter is Sixth College. If your son got accepted there then we have a problem. But considering I’ve recently taken a tour of UCSD and have been explained how the Colleges worked.
I mean, consider it like Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, there’s Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Griffindor, and Ravenclaw, but none of them are really different from eachother. (I haope you get the reference >.<)
As for uh… the not researching part… bad move…
and no. It is not TOO late to change. You must explain in the office the mistake and they will assign you to a new college, but I don’t believe many people have actually shifted colleges. RARELY does anyone shift colleges at UCSD. not saying you won’t because I believe your situation is in your favor since mistakes are usually taken into account.
Hope this helps ^.^</p>
<p>My son is a current freshman in Neuroscience and Physiology major in ERC. The difference among the 6 colleges is that each incorporates a different set of GE requirements into their curriculum. The GE requirements for Warren are geared more towards Engineering students while those for ERC are geared more towards Social Sciences. Students in ERC are required to take a 5 quarter sequence called Making of the Modern World (MMW) that explores cultures around the world. Warren uses a different series of classes to satisfy history and Language components for their curriculum. That being said, there is a very large amount of cross-over between the colleges in terms of majors. Within ERC there are engineering, biology, theater, social science etc. majors, just as there are within Warren. It will absolutely not be an issue for your son to be part of Warren; he will have the same opportunities for travel, exchange programs, etc. </p>
<p>I disagree with other posters that it is easy to switch colleges. It is actually difficult to switch colleges and I believe can only be done if you can show that your graduation may be delayed if you were to stay in your assigned college. It is possible that as a Regents he may have more options to switch since it is still early in the game. I would call admissions to find out his options. My son actually enjoys being with students of all various majors instead of being limited to just bio or pre-med. Your son will be fine in Warren and will not be the only non-standard there. And as an aside, my son LOVES UCSD! Good luck!</p>
<p>kelvyftw- as far as the “socially dead” label , all I can tell you is that my very outgoing son is loving it there. He is very busy, both socially and academically, and has so far been way to busy to come home (or call for that matter) Everyone on his floor gets along very well and there is always something going on. They can walk to the beach in about 15 minutes and there are enough cars that they can go into downtown SD if they want to (buses are also available). Most people stick around on the weekends. He went to a concert on campus last week. He plays several intramural sports. He surfs. There are a lot of dorm activities going on and parties do happen despite rumors that they don’t. He is having way too much fun but is fortunately doing well academically so it’s OK! </p>
<p>@yoamogatos You can find any major in any college. Some colleges have certain reputations (like Warren tends to have more engineering students), but it really doesn’t matter. The only differences between the colleges are the GE requirements, so just have him take a look. A lot of students make a really big deal about what colleges are “better” for whichever type of student, but it really doesn’t matter that much. Some GE requirements may be considered easier than others, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t make a difference. If the GE requirements are so ridiculous that it’s going to make you graduate later, UCSD will let you switch, but that’s rarely the case.</p>
<p>@kelvyftw What UCs are you choosing between and what are your concerns? I picked UCSD over UCI, UCB, and UCLA, for what it’s worth. I liked the campus, the weather, and it had a good biology program (which was my intended major). But really, all of the UCs are very good schools. Choose whichever one you feel most comfortable at, and will give you to ability to get involved in things outside of the classroom. They’re all going to give you a good education, but you want to be in an environment where you can really excel in. Is there anything in particular that might make you steer away from UCSD that you’d like people to comment on?</p>
<p>@TheFoothiller @takeitallin Thank you both for your input Seriously, both of your comments were very insightful. </p>
<p>@baktrax I’m choosing between UCI (I got into the Nursing program, its close to home), UCSD, and UCSB. I plan on going into the Physiology and Neuroscience major, so yeah I really like biology! I visited both UCSD and UCI and really loved the campus of both and got a good vibe from both schools. Can you comment on the amount of activities and events that there are on campus at UCSD? I would really like a school that would give me the opportunity to have tons of fun outside of class (Doesn’t necessarily have to be partying though) </p>
<p>@TheFoothiller “The only college that will be selective to enter is Sixth College. If your son got accepted there then we have a problem.” Wait a minute, what’s bad about Sixth? I got accepted there for Cognitive Science major and it’s my 3rd choice college. Did I make a huge mistake or what?</p>
<p>@kelvyftw There are a lot of activities and events on campus, but I’m sure it’s that way at most campuses. It all kind of depends on what you’re interested in, as well. UCSD’s known for Sun God, which is fun (and free for students), and there are other concerts or carnival events put on by the university or the different colleges throughout the year (for instance, I know Muir does a concert every year, and Marshall does some carnival thing–but there’s other stuff as well). There’s lots of outdoor activities too–I know groups that go kayaking or skiing, and there’s opportunities to try out different water sports since we’re right on the beach. If you live on campus, the dorms always have a lot of events going on (my dorm did things like laser tag, ice blocking, assassins, etc), and there are tons of intramurals you can join (in my dorms, they also did intramurals pitting the different houses against each other). They do Bear Gardens every quarter I think, which is mainly known for the free beer =D but they also have games and prizes. There’s a farmers market every Tuesday, which is a great place to get lunch if you’re interested in that =D, and there’s lots of clubs to join that have different activities. There are lots of other fun, random things going on throughout the school year, which is nice. I already graduated, and now that it’s around finals week I’m already missing my free pancake breakfast, massage, and the therapy dogs =D But I’m sure every college is going to have a bunch of fun stuff to do.</p>
<p>UCSD has a reputation for being “socially dead,” but really, it’s just that parties won’t necessarily come banging on your door. If you want to do something fun, you might have to go outside and actually do something fun, which is hard for some people to grasp =D There’s always things going on, and you just have to go out and get involved in things you like. If you’re interested in parties, there’s always one going on–you just kind of have to know where to go (or throw one yourself =D). I kind of like that you get both worlds–if you want to go out and do a lot of things, there’s always stuff to do, and if you need to stay home and study, you’re able to get away from everything and get work done.</p>
<p>@batsheep No, there’s nothing wrong with Sixth college. No, you did not make a huge mistake. Every college is fine.</p>
<p>Batsheep- Sixth is fine and you will have no problems there. In reading TheFoothiller’s 1st post here, it looks like he/she has never attended UCSD but only taken a tour. </p>
<p>I was accepted into Muir. Mainly, I’m worried that UCSD will be too big for me, student wise, so how many students are at Muir? Also, does it still feel like there’s 28,000+ students or, like the websites says, a “smaller liberal arts college” in each of the different colleges?</p>
<p>Yes the university is very large, but the purpose of breaking into smaller colleges is to make the whole system more manageable. Each college has it’s own academic advisors, counselors, etc and acts as a separate college. As a lower division freshman you will interact mostly with others in your college with some exceptions. You will meet a lot of people in your dorm and will see some of them in your classes. You will have lectures which will have several hundred students in them, but each will have a discussion section that is much smaller. I’m not sure how many are in each college- maybe around 600 freshmen??? As long as you are willing to join activities you will be fine. </p>
<p>@travisl I don’t know how many students total are in Muir but the website says that the incoming freshman class has 800 students. It seems like a lot of students and you certainly won’t know everyone in your class or in the school, but in general, students sort of carve out their own space in the school. You’ll have your own group of friends, be in clubs and orgs that are smaller groups of people, and participate in activities outside of school that feel smaller. If you’re living in the Res Halls in Muir, they do a lot to help the school feel smaller. You’ll be in a suite with around 10 other students (mostly first years but there may be some second years as well) of the same gender. Every two floors in the Res Halls are grouped together into “Houses” that are sort of your home-base in the beginning. Each house has separate HAs, who are responsible for dealing with problems and for coordinating activities for their house to do. In my first year, we did thinks like finding classrooms, eating at the different dining halls, play laser tag, go ice blocking, do intramural sports against the other houses, etc. There’s lots of stuff to get involved in to help you get on your feet, but I think the most important thing about any school where you may not know anyone is that you have to be proactive about getting involved. No one’s going to do it for you.</p>
<p>I always thought I would like to go to a small school when I was in high school, but I ended up going to UCSD and I was actually really grateful that I went to a bigger school, when I compared the experience to friends that went to smaller schools. It seems intimidating, but going to a bigger school often means that there may be more opportunities in both academics and extracurriculars just because there’s a bigger student population and wider range of interest to support those things. There’s more variety, and there are different types of people with different experiences. You may not know everyone, but I think that’s kind of a good thing because you have the chance to be anonymous when you want and stick out of the crowd when you want.</p>
<p>I got accepted as a biochemistry and molecular cell biology major. I was wondering if it would be possible for me to transfer to the impacted bioengineering program.</p>
<p>@batsheep @takeitallin I don’t think I put my sentence with an explanation.
Sixth College is “supposedly” (I don’t know if they changed it, but that’s from what I heard) only taking people with very specific majors. Nothing’s wrong with it. I think you need to be in some technology type or science based major to get in Sixth. I said it was selective. No need to make me feel like I don’t know what I’m saying @takeitallin ._. That was all.</p>
<p>@takeitallin I also got accepted to ERC as a Neuroscience and Physiology major. Would you mind asking your son how the atmosphere is like at ERC in terms of social life? Also, how much time does he spend studying on a daily basis?</p>
<p>I recently was accepted to the university but not to my intended major. Additionally, I was a bit overconfident in choosing two impacted majors (CSE & ECE Alternate). Since I am now an undeclared major, I need some input on whether I should still consider UCSD. I did a bit of research on what I need to do to work towards CSE/ECE, but again, transferring to impacted majors are never guaranteed. Does anyone know classmates who were undeclared? If so, what has the process been like for declaring a major?</p>
<p>P.S. - I got my first choice college, Sixth College.</p>
<p>To graduate, do we have to complete our GEs and our major requirements, in addition to a set number of units of elective credits? I’m a little confused.</p>
<p>Basically, can someone elaborate on elective credits? Sorry if this seems like such a basic/dumb question.</p>
Seriously, both of your comments were very insightful. </p>