<p>Hey guys, Im OOS (from NJ) and i'm still looking for the university thats right for me. </p>
<p>After looking at the US News rankings, UCSD has pretty good selectivity and size for my taste. Not knowing much about it can you tell me (if your attending) why you like it, why you chose it, and the main difference between this campus and other campus such as Santa Barbara and Davis.</p>
<p>Basicly give the "low down" on UCSD</p>
<p>It’s probably the most similar in vibe to UCSB, although it’s better ranked than both campuses. San Diego is awesome. UCSD isn’t a big party school, and the campus is pretty mellow.</p>
<p>Also, the weather is awesome all year long.</p>
<p>The campus seems very modernized and unique. You may be used to the brick building layouts of the east coast but the UC’s, especially UCSD, have very modernized architecture with different designs.
For example, just check out the Pictures thread made by Astrina:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-san-diego/475176-ucsd-pictures.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-san-diego/475176-ucsd-pictures.html</a></p>
<p>Personally, I like the layout alot more than the generic brick buildings.</p>
<p>Davis is nice but I wasn’t fond of its flatness. It is a completely flat campus with buildings in a very flat area that seems too rural for my taste with the cow farms and all.</p>
<p>UCSB is a nice area and a great college town however, the vibe there is geared towards partying every week, arguably the most in the UC system. </p>
<p>Although alot of pro-Davis and UCSB posters on this site may say otherwise, UCSD is ranked higher in the science departments more directed towards Biology, Bio-engineering, and Neuroscience. It’s just fact. If you are into research, SD is definitely a place to consider. </p>
<p>I’d advise visiting the campuses yourself if you can just to get a feel for each one. That “feel” can completely overcome any other deciding factors. Good Luck.</p>
<p>i was always curious as to why ucsd never made it as a top cc university like ucla and ucb… how upsetting, we’re just as popular.</p>
<p>One of the reasons why we are not as up there as UCLA and UCB is because we lack a football team. A football team brings in networks, alumni, and money.</p>
<p>Thus this increases spirit, and as a result it brings people to the university.</p>
<p>UCSD is a pretty nice university. It may lack spirit, but it is not socially dead as most people say it is. There are parties if you know the right people, or start it yourself. Campus life is good, on weekends, some students go back home or usually party over at the state school (SDSU).</p>
<p>UCSD is a research school. </p>
<p>I will add more later.</p>
<p>It’s not because we don’t have a football team that we are not more “up there”. It’s because we are a very new university- 92 years after the first UC was built, and that alone gives them a head start in terms of alumni donations, published research papers, and distinguished faculty.</p>
<p>Besides, “up there” is such a vaguely stated term. It implies that UCSD is a worse school which I highly disagree with.</p>
<p>I love UCSD! I don’t want to write a novel so basically I’ll just touch on a few things… WEATHER is amazing, beautiful year round. The school is located right next to the beach - 5-10 minute drive, 20-30 minute walk. SOCIAL SCENE is great if you find it - you do have to meet the right people here. I am in a sorority and love it. The people I’ve met are amazing - smart but super chill at the same time. ACADEMICS are challenging but not to the point where the campus has a negative, super competitive vibe. UCSD is in the ‘top tier’ of UC campuses, along with UCLA and Berkeley - which is a huge accomplishment considering it was started in 1960. SAN DIEGO is a major city and has a million things to do on any day - where do I start- downtown La Jolla, incredible shopping everywhere, Gas lamp district, PB bar scene (when you’re 21), beaches/surfing, etc. Campus is gorgeous and well maintained. </p>
<p>I also want to mention that UCSB and Davis are different in that they are located in smaller towns. Both have a “college town” feel. San Diego is a huge city, easily accessible, with tons of different things to do.</p>
<p>Above poster said it very well 
I absolutely love UCSD, and wish I was still there :/</p>
<p>It’s probably the most similar in vibe to UCSB, although it’s better ranked than both campuses.</p>
<p>I would say UCSD is much more like Davis. I’ve lived in Isla Vista and Davis and visited the UCSD campus a few times. UCSD and Davis are similar in that most of the students hanging out during the day do so on campus, while at UCSB most hang out in the adjacent Isla Vista. UCSD is surrounded by a very wealthy neighborhood, which is one of the reasons student life is more lacking and those residents do not like student activity. Davis has about a even mix between permanent residents, while Isla Vista is 75% students, so students run that town. </p>
<p>In my own anecdotal evidence, almost no one left for the weekends in Isla Vista, and the town is active every weekend. In Davis, a few people go home back to the Bay Area and Sac and Russel and downtown Davis bars are the hot spots. At UCSD, a fair amount of people left campus for the weekend and the surrounding areas were generally very quiet. My friend was a CSO on campus and I followed him around one weekend night and it seemed a lot more tame than UCSB.</p>
<p>I’d say most of the differences in atmospheres are caused by the locations of where the universities are located. Santa Barbara is small and fairly isolated but since it is a wealthy tourist town, there is a disproportionate amount of things to do for a town it’s size. UCSB is unique in that it’s the only school out of the 3 where off campus students have a pretty defined exclusive area all for themselves where things like noise laws are relaxed. Davis is a small, vibrant town with a students mixed throughout the permanent residents but there’s lots to do and trips to Sac can solve the feelings of smallness in Davis. At UCSD, the university is set among a rich area which tend to look down on any kind of student activity (similar to Irvine), and most students live farther from campus and commute by shuttle rather than by bikes like in Davis and UCSB. However, you have the great city of San Diego just a stone’s throw away.</p>
<p>^I would have to agree with that as far as Davis goes. I’m an incoming freshman to UCSD, but I’ve been to Davis many many times. I really like the place (obviously I like UCSD more). Honestly, the campus and the town are one and the same. The campus just sort of turns into the town. It’s a college town for sure, but only 20 minutes from Sacramento. Sort of a “best of both worlds” thing going on, like UCSD. Everybody in Davis bikes. EVERYBODY IN DAVIS BIKES. But Davis is a really nice place and if I wasn’t going to UCSD I would be going there.</p>
<p>Yep, biking is pretty big in Davis. I’d still say there’s more at UCSB though Many of my friends from South Davis took Unitrans to get to campus since it’s about a mile and half and you have to go over the overpass. In Isla Vista, literally everyone bikes to class since the huge majority of undergrads (probably over 85%) live within about a mile or so from campus. At UCSD, it seems to be a bit more spread out, and the housing is definitely much more upscale, and people take the shuttle to get to class. One of my friends there lived in a high rise on Lebon Drive, it was pretty nice…</p>
<p>jersey, eh? i’m just across the river =)</p>
<p>most of the other posters have already addressed what’s on my mind. i miss UCSD a lot. for being a young(ish) school, it’s got an impressive resume. there are some things that i wish my 200+ year old current university could learn to do properly …</p>
<p>The OP says:“UCSD has pretty good selectivity and size for my taste”. Are you sure? </p>
<p>I chose to go to UCSD over some highly selective schools back east even though its incoming class consists of nearly 4000 freshman. That is a large size school by any standards.</p>
<p>But apart from size, UCSD has excellent engineering and science faculties, including all fields connected with biology. At the same time, its Econ and Poli Sci depts. are consistently ranked among the top ten or top dozen. So, if you don’t need hand-holding and want a great location (La Jolla is one of the top ten richest coastal communities in the US), come to UCSD.</p>
<p>Alpine, NJ is the most expensive city (median home price)</p>
<p>Tangents aside, UCSD is pretty cool</p>
<p>Radiance: why did you transfer to USC?</p>
<p>prlly for their really good buisness administration program</p>
<p>Hi, so I chose UCSD because it has a great engineering program. It is ranked 12 in the nation for engineering, which is even higher than UCLA. I also love the nice weather and location. I just love the combination of good academics, nice campus and chill people!!</p>