<p>@TheFoothiller Sixth college does not (and never did) take only students with specific majors. You do not have to be “some technology type or science based major” to get into Sixth. That’d be a silly rule to have, as students can change their major at any time. Sixth is no more or less selective than any other college. I’m not saying that you don’t know what you’re saying, but I certainly don’t know what you’re referring to.</p>
<p>@JD1327 If you want to switch into an impacted major, you need to take certain courses (usually prerequisites in that major), get good grades, and then apply. As I’m sure you know based on what you’ve read, whether or not you get in depends on your grades in those courses and the number of available spaces. If you want to declare a non-impacted major, then all you have to do is change your major online.</p>
<p>@krickadoodle You need a minimum number of units to graduate, and a certain number of upper-division courses within those units. For Muir, it’s 180 units (<a href=“http://www.ucsd.edu/catalog/front/ChooGrRe.html”>http://www.ucsd.edu/catalog/front/ChooGrRe.html</a>). All the units you take may apply to your major and GE requirements, or you may need to take a couple of extra “electives” to fill in those gaps. For instance, if you have completed all of your major and GE requirements have you only have a total of 172 units, you’ll need to take another 8 units (which would be ~2 classes) in order to meet the 180 unit minimum to graduate. When it says that AP classes count for “elective credit,” it usually means that it gives you credit towards that unit minimum to graduate, but it doesn’t fulfill any specific GE requirement.</p>
<p>@baktrax Ohh I see! Thanks so much for clarifying and for the quick response!
I have another quick question: I visited UCSD a few months ago and the campus was pretty big. Do many students have bikes or is walking a sufficient way to get to class/stores/etc?</p>
<p>In addition, could you talk about housing-- like how our room mates are chosen, if we’ll get a single/double/triple, what the dorms are like, etc?</p>
<p>The campus is a decent size and hilly. But speed-walking across campus usually only takes 10-15 minutes. I have a bike just for the peace of mind of getting to class early, but the long distances to be traveled are easily compensated for just scheduling classes right. There are plenty of people with bikes, skateboards, scooters…I saw rollerblades a couple of times too. </p>
<p>Assuming they haven’t changed the room selection process: This summer they’ll send u basic survey on your preferences (do you mind guests over? clean or messy? night owl vs early riser? sharing stuff?) and they’ll match u up with a person with fairly similar interests. Room availability and sizes depend on what college you are in as that is where you’ll live. My understanding is that UCSD is having an overload of people living on campus so you may be more likely to get doubles/triples. </p>
<p>@krickadoodle There are a lot of bikes and skateboards, but I always walked everywhere and a majority of students did. Sometimes, it’s easier to walk too because there are shortcuts or stairs, and the hills can be steep for skateboarders and such. Also, it’s harder to bike during the times that classes get out since there are so many students are walking around. But it’s definitely pretty common.</p>
<p>The campus is pretty big, but it’s really set up with walking in mind. It’s hard to explain, but it’s set up so that you never have to walk very far into any of the colleges. The lecture halls are all more towards the center of the school, while the res halls are more towards the outside, so it makes the distance you have to walk shorter. I remember that my farthest class was actually closer than my friend at UCLA’s closest class, just because of the way the campuses were set up (and UCLA is a much smaller campus than UCSD). Muir’s more centrally located, as well, which helps. There is a fair amount of walking around campus, don’t get me wrong, but you get used to it really fast. And if you’re lazy, you can always catch the shuttle.</p>
<p>Roommates are based on the little preference sheet you fill out, but are generally pretty random, unless you specify a specific person. I think they try to match your preferences to your roommate’s but you never really know. I believe housing is first come, first serve, so you may get your first preference for single/double/triple or you may not. I was in a triple freshman year, and it really wasn’t a big deal. You’re all on different schedules so you’re usually only all there at night. The triples in Muir Res Halls are bigger than some of the other triples I’ve seen in other colleges, so it should be fine if you get a triple. I think there are pictures of the dorms on Muir’s websites. I liked the Muir Res Halls, but I don’t have that much experience with the other colleges’ Res Halls to compare. Muir is a good location, and the rooms are a good size. They have you in a suite with ~10 other same-gender freshmen/sophomores and you all share a bathroom, which was fine as well since everyone’s on different schedules. There’s 3 lounges on each floor, and balconies with good views of the ocean if you get Tioga. Did you have any specific questions? I don’t really know what to say about them =D From what I saw of other colleges’ dorms, they were pretty good.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure everyone is in a triple if they are a freshman. For transfers you are allowed to pick your roommates and your rooms and transfers only live in the village. </p>
<p>@mistybeach When I was a first year, there were first years who lived in doubles and singles. It depends on the college, and things may have changed since then. It just depends on the amount of space and number of students. You can get on the waitlist, if you want. I know people who changed rooms because they got off the waitlist for a single. One of my roommates did that my first year, so for a while, it was only two people in our triple room. And first years could request roommates as well, as long as they worked it out with each other ahead of time. I knew a bunch of people who chose their roommates their first year.</p>
<p>It appears that each Warren suite has ten students, with four of them in single rooms. Assuming that Warren is mostly freshmen, it would seem that quite a few freshmen have singles.</p>
<p>ILoveUC’s- my son is in a triple in ERC, and there are 17 people on his floor. There is a girl’s floor directly across the stairwell. His whole floor gets along really well and it seems like there is always something going on. The beach is very close and they walk over there on weekends. The dorm also sponsors a lot of activities so there are a lot of opportunities to meet people. My son checked out some frats but opted not to rush. He is in a sport and felt like he wouldn’t have enough time. One of his roommates did join one and keeps very busy. Even though my son didn’t join he still participates in some of the activities. My son is pretty outgoing and loves UCSD. He says there is always something to do. He is kind of outdoorsy and has played 2 intramural sports, and belongs to a couple of clubs, and is able to surf when he has time. There are clubs for any interest and it is a good way to meet people. As far as academics, it sounds like he spends the most time on the MMW series. There is a lot of reading and papers. That area is definitely his weakness so I think it is harder for him. He doesn’t spend as much time on his math and science as I think it comes a little easier for him. I’ll ask how much time he spends studying, but I know it is significant. He says everyone there is smart so you really have to work hard to be competitive. </p>
<p>I know UCSD has the reputation of being a little dead socially but I know my son is not finding that to be true. He says there is always something going on. I know he is having a great time as he does not come home and we barely hear from him!</p>
<p>I have a question for current students currently attending ERC as a biochemistry and cell biology major (hopefully pursuing pre-med):
How would you say the work load is? I’m kind of concerned about the MMW series as history is not my forte. Also I feel like I will have a lot of science course I will need to take along with all the GEs at ERC. Any advice would be helpful even if you aren’t a biochem major.</p>
<p>Thanks guys for answering my questions! UCSD is one of my top choices right now so I definitely want to know a lot about it before I make my decision. :)</p>
<ol>
<li>Do a lot of people leave the campus on weekends to go home? (Are there a lot of commuters?)</li>
<li>Is the general ‘vibe’ of the school pretty competitive? I know it’s a tier 1 UC so academics are strong and all that. But I don’t want to go to a school where it’s super competitive and cutthroat. </li>
<li>Hows the food and the dining halls? And how does it work? I know at UCLA, you swipe once and get to eat unlimited amount of food for your meals.</li>
</ol>
<p>@NgoStahpIt the MMW series tends to be a favorite of ERC students once they take it. The courses aren’t really history as much as humanities. Many students opt to take these courses abroad, which has a million perks of its own. College-specific GEs may seem like a pain at first because they aren’t directly related to your major. These courses not only allow you to diversify, but also to meet people in your college. The work load at UCSD is difficult, as with any top UC. ERC specializes in scheduling their students in order to have them graduate on time with their GEs and most students manage to do this. However, some students don’t take time to talk to their counselor (get used to how often you’ll hear this) and fall behind. Take it easy your first quarter with the science courses and get your GEs out of the way! </p>
<p>@krickadoodle I am a recent grad from Muir college at UCSD. All of your questions are opinion-based so I’ll give my two cents, but others may disagree. Going home on weekends and commuters are a little different. 95% of freshman live on campus and 45% of all undergraduates live on campus. That’s a lot. Honestly, I’d say more people go to the beach/other adventures on the weekends than go home. The campus itself is a bit quiet on the weekends, except in certain parts of campus. </p>
<p>For question 2, I wouldn’t describe it as cut-throat. A majority of students study together and help each other out. However, saying it isn’t competitive would be untrue. If you want a coveted research position or extra opportunity, you better bring your A-game (why wouldn’t you though?). No one is going to tell you the wrong time for an exam or purposefully sabotage your group project. There are strong personalities, but use these to network and grow. </p>
<p>Number 3 is much easier to chat about. There are a ton of options for food and they keep getting better. You have two choices for on campus money: Triton Cash (like a debit card with real money) and dining dollars (used at selected places, mostly for dining halls. More like points). Dining dollars come along with your on campus living, and you have the option to buy more along the way. Each college has a regular dining hall with different themes. Some are better than others, but there are so many delicious ones! Did anyone know there is a food truck that accepts dining dollars? How about a sit-down restaurant with a wait-staff that serves seriously delicious sushi, also dining dollars? Starbucks? Dining dollars. UCSD was also ranked as most vegan-friendly by PETA. There was an all you care to eat option, but it was unpopular, and thus discontinued.</p>
<p>One comment about dining dollars- you are required to buy dining dollars if you live on campus. It is a set amount depending on where you live. It is not an all-you-can-eat type deal: you are charged for each item you eat just like in a restaurant, and that amount is deducted from your account when you swipe you card. During the summer, you will have the option to buy additional dining dollars at a reduced rate. You are only offered this option once for the whole year and that option ends prior to school starting in Sept. We chose not to do this but I am regretting it now. My son eats a LOT and has already used his dining allowance for the year. This is even after supplementing with Costco and grocery stores. A lot of people on his floor have done the same including both roommates. You can always purchase more dining dollars at full price at any time, but instead, we are purchasing Triton $, which can also be used in the dining halls and elsewhere around campus and which give you a slight discount. Looking back, we should have purchased the additional discounted dining dollars back in Sept as that was the best deal. I have a feeling that my daughter’s would have been Ok as they eat much less food, but if you are a big eater, you might consider purchasing the extra. </p>
<p>Are the dining halls at the dorms not an all-you-can-eat for an individual meal then? Like if you want a piece of pizza, a small salad, and a coke, they charge each item separately?</p>
<p>@TritonAlum thank you for the useful information. i talked to a couple of friends attending UCSD right now and they said the exact same thing. I will definitely take your advice to try and get my GEs out of the way.</p>
<p>My daughter took a campus tour yesterday and loved this University. The only thing holding her back, is that they don’t seem to offer Korean Language unless you are a heritage student. She really wants to learn this language. Who would she call to inquire about it? She is accepted to Warren.
Thank you for the info on the dining dollars/Triton Cash. She was also worried that this school would be too competitive. The people we met on campus were friendly. It’s finals week, and there were still people out and about.
She really liked it! </p>
<p>@yoamogatos They charge each item separately, like you would at a restaurant. One of the dining halls switched to all-you-can-eat briefly, but they change back to a la carte before the school year ended. They say it’s by “popular demand” but I heard from people working in the dining halls that it was because they were losing too much money. If you stay on campus during the summers though, I believe the dining halls are all you can eat just during the summer, unless they’ve changed something.</p>
<p>To be honest, I prefer the a la carte style, rather than all you can eat. I don’t eat that much in one sitting, and I like having the flexibility to take my food wherever I want. There were all sorts of rules about not being able to take food out of the dining hall when it was all-you-can-eat, and I tend to grab snacks on the go or stop by to grab something to eat in class or at work or in my apartment. I also liked that I could eat in the dining hall with people who weren’t necessarily going to be eating there–with friends who had brought food form elsewhere (or even a different dining hall) or friends who were just hanging out and not eating. Also, it annoyed me when the all you can eat dining hall had times when they were closed because they were switching over from breakfast to lunch or lunch to dinner. The dining halls are normally open all day without any down-time between meals. I prefer the flexibility of being able to come and go, as opposed to the pressure of needing to eat as much as you can to get your money’s worth, but I know many other students feel the opposite. But the way they priced the meals with the all you can eat option, I spent more dining dollars on meals than I would have if I just bought what I want.</p>
<p>Also, you can use your dining dollars at the markets, in addition to the dining halls, so you can get snacks, toiletries, and other groceries with your dining dollars as well.</p>