Engineering students at UCSD - what are they like?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - San Diego
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<p>Any current engineering students at UCSD here on this forum? As the June 1st SIR deadline approaches, I'm trying to collect all the info I can. I wanted to see what the academic atmosphere among the engineering department at UCSD is like. Do students try to help each other out, or are they of the mindset that every man (or woman) is for himself? I'm the type of learner that enjoys getting together to share information on difficult material in order to help all grasp the material to perform well. I can understand the competition aspect among engineering students because most classes are curved, and this is such a difficult discipline. </p>

<p>For an example of the type of environment that I'm trying to avoid is like what my friend at Berkeley is experiencing. She is a biomedical engineering major, and she tells me that the competition there is very cutthroat. Here is her email to me recently.</p>

<p>*Hey Nate, </p>

<p>You don't need to worry much about my time...since I do not need to study hard for next midterm on Tuesday because it will involve thinking more than lectures. </p>

<p>Well, Berkeley has killed my ambition for grad school...I am too tired of school. I can't wait to finish up school and look for a job. Competition is a fact at UCB, it is hard to ask anyone for help if they think that they won't get anything from you. Some students looked down upon me as they know I speak English not as fluently as they do. One Vietnamese girl, her major is Chemistry and last semester, as i worked in the lab with her...man, she acted like she was my boss...then it turned out that I did better than she in Ochem. That's why this semester she thinks about me differently and I am glad as she actually asked for my help in Ochem sometimes when she ran into me in the library. </p>

<p>My friends and I help each other survive in school. Without these friends, it is hard for me to deal with Berkeley students. They are really protective, they do not want to share any ideas or want to help other students. If you can make friends, you can discuss together, you may learn something from them, otherwise, no way...Since the grades are on a curve, it turns out students do not want to share anything with other students. Of course, if you ask a quick question, they help you quicky but do not ask a second question because they will say sorry I am busy and I need to go.... even those questions they that got answers from TA's...they do not want to share. Lecture notes...if you are not really friends, they do not want to lend you. </p>

<p>I have friends who lent me lectures if i missed class but I also lent them a couple times...it is mutual...otherwise..once my friend complained about another friend...she said:" I dont know how to refuse to lend my lecture notes anymore...Man,,,it's not fair since I have to go to class early in the morning, she never goes to class and can still have notes?".</p>

<p>Well, I will tell you more about Berkeley later...I need to study...I'll have a review in an hour.*</p>

<p>The above is exactly the type of atmosphere and study environment that I want to avoid. I know UCSD contains many bright science and engineering students, but is it anything like in my friend's experience at Berkeley? Do engineering students there mind giving each other a hand and helping each other out? Any current UCSD science or engineering student care to shed some light on this issue?</p>

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<p>SIR was due on May 1st .......</p>

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<p>transfer student?</p>

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<p>yup, i'll be an entering junior transfer going into upper division classes. our SIR deadline is June 1st.</p>

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<p>I'd tell you what engineering students are like, but most of them are camped out in the library and I've never met one. I heard that an engineering student was spotted on campus the other day, but I think it's a rumor.</p>

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<p>We're a cutthroat crowd.</p>

<p>At UCSD, you get all As for the quarter if your roomate/suitemate dies. Three months ago, I got an A- on one of my midterms. Just to play it safe, I murdered my roomate, planted evidence to indicate suicide, and UCSD gave me straight As for the quarter. Then I STILL studied for my finals, just to shift the curve down.</p>

<p>Honestly, I haven't seen any cutthroatness at all. I suspect that it's overexaggerated everywhere, but I can really only speak for UCSD. I'll give some examples. There's a big group of students in some of my engineering classes that often work and study together. My suitemates often study with friends. Today I did some homework with a friend and we compared our work to find mistakes. People are usually very congenial. In fact, I think people work together too much. People sometimes cheat on homework and quizzes with their friends, copying each other's answers.</p>

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<p>Sounds cool</p>

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<p>im in engineering @ ucsd and i help out my friends whenever possible.</p>

<p>some will help you and some will not help you. can't really generalize here.</p>

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<p>How do you guys or ladies like studying engineering at UCSD so far? Do you have any complaints about the program?</p>

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<p>i love engineering @ ucsd. its awesome. no complaints at all. except sometimes you will get professors/TAs who write very bad or can't understand what they are saying. or maybe both.</p>