<p>I'm totally looking forward to going to attending UCSD this fall, but I was a bit uncertain about some topics and decided to scout around for answers. Believe me, I've tried, but its just impossible to find my answer in those hugeeeeee number of (helpful) posts in this forum. So I figure I might as well shoot question here.</p>
<p>I have heard that the shuttle/bus service in SD isn't very up the par to the needs of most students. AND I'm a freshman. So I was just wondering exactly how much does one need a bike to survive there. I mean, I know its not like UC Davis where its a literal bike city but when I toured there I didn't see too many bikes. (OAO)!?</p>
<p>Another question, I know that getting job experience is a good thing, but would you recommend me doing so in my freshman year? It seems a bit early, seeing how the first year will have lots of units to cover (bio major) and I'm probably not going to spend alot.</p>
<p>Third question, what is the average amount of money I should prepare for textbooks and the like? I know the school bookstore sells everything at a reasonable price, but I wonder if there's a cheaper place or something near by?</p>
<p>Lastly (hopefully last), I want to know how the professors think about bring a laptop to class. I have heard that people do computer notes and even recordings during lectures, but it is all just a mystery to me. It'd be nice if someone can clarify that for me.</p>
<p>Hm, I think this is it so far... I'm sooooo excited for college! (ovo)b</p>
<ol>
<li><p>You don’t need a bike to survive here. I don’t know where you heard that about the shuttle/bus system because I think it works fine. It’s not perfect, but you’ll get where you need to go. That being said, I would still recommend a bike for getting around campus. The campus is pretty big so I find it useful but even, then most people still walk. It’s up to you.</p></li>
<li><p>I don’t think you need a job freshman year.</p></li>
<li><p>THE BOOKSTORE DOES NOT SELL ANYTHING AT A REASONABLE PRICE! You really probably won’t be spending TOO much on book. Some classes you really won’t need the books for and others you can just check them out at the library when you need them. But, when you have to buy them, don’t buy them at the bookstore if you don’t have to. Look for you books on Amazon.com and Half.com. They will almost always been significantly cheaper, even up to 50% off (I’m serious).</p></li>
<li><p>For your large classes, it’s (usually) perfectly fine to bring your laptop to class. I personally like writing my notes out on paper, but whatever works for you.</p></li>
<li><p>I’m glad you’re excited because you should be!!!</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>Walking keeps the freshman 15 away :D</li>
<li>You don’t NEED one, but if you want one, go for it. </li>
<li>You’ll be spending the most money on books in the fall. Say you buy a chem book, the book is good for the entire 6 series so you won’t have to buy a book for winter and spring (for that class).</li>
<li>Science classes + laptop = no bueno.</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>Bus system sucks IMO. It takes an hour to get somewhere that would take 20 minutes to drive to. The UCSD shuttles are good, but often crowded. You don’t need a bike, it’s up to you - but for going off campus, just know it’s a huuuge pain in the ass to take public transport.</p></li>
<li><p>Don’t get a job unless you absolutely need one.</p></li>
<li><p>Go to half.com to buy books. The bookstore is a huuuuge ripoff.</p></li>
<li><p>You can try both writing notes on your laptop and on paper and see what works best for you. I prefer my laptop but some people get too distracted with the wi-fi. For math and science classes, notebooks are better.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>So if the Bookstore is a hugggeeeee ripoff, does that mean I shouldn’t apply for that textbook reservation done by the bookstore? I mean, there is an even option of preferring recommended books and this one thing called ‘Quick Study Bar Charts’ for you. Supposedly they would get your books that are needed for your classes by tracking your classes.</p>
<p>Is that of no use?
And how would I know what books I would need for my classes?</p>
<p>^Don’t do textbook reservation service… literally only unknowledgeable freshmen do it because upperclassmen have learned how expensive the bookstore is. </p>
<p>You find what books you need on Tritonlink. You click on Classes/waitlists once you’re enrolled and a little red book icon appears next to each class. You click on that and it gives you the ISBN’s of every book you need.</p>
<p>The bookstore is NOT YOUR FRIEND . Trust me.</p>
<p>You can sell your books back to the bookstore, they just scan the barcode and offer you a certain amount of money for them. As long as they’ll be use again in the next year/quarter, the bookstore will usually buy the books back from you. </p>
<p>Different editions of the book differ. Sometimes the problems and whatnot are unchanged but the information in the chapters change. They can range from drastic changes to little changes. (Difference in naming new compounds or new names given to certain stuff, etc). Personally, I always go for the one the class requires because it’s a lot less hassle to compare the previous version to the newer one. </p>
<p>You should ship it to your home. You won’t get your mailing address for UCSD until a few days after you move in.</p>
<p>^Well, you can wait to buy them if you really want. You might not have them for the first week of class but that shouldn’t be a problem anyway.</p>
<p>In regards to the “Textbook Reservation” done by the bookstore: I believe it should be considered a felony for how much money they scam out of you. You will LITERALLY pay hundreds of dollars more for your books that way. If you like handing out hundreds of dollars to people for no reason, go for it.</p>
<p>Seems like everyone’s opinion of bookstore is low… I’ll just have to figure out how to get the books to school then. I just hope they won’t weight my luggage down too much.</p>
<p>Speaking of luggage, I’m flying to school so I can only really carry around 4 suitcases of things. I want to know how quickly does the weather cool down in SD, as in: Do I have time to wait until thanksgiving break before lugging my winter blankets/coats from home?</p>
<p>It’s not so much that our opinion of the bookstore is low, it’s just that the bookstore charges the standard price for textbooks while websites such as amazon.com and half.com offer the same books at much cheaper rates. On your book list for classes, it’ll also list the bookstore prices. So if the amount of $ isn’t that much different (remember, the internet = shipping charges), you could just purchase the book at the bookstore which would lessen the load of your luggage. </p>
<p>As far as the weather goes, I remember it being really cold even before Thanksgiving hit… :|. But I’m a socal girl so I’m used to 80 degree winters…</p>
<p>Another option is to wait until you move in and scan bulliten boards or areas near the elevator (if your in muir) for upperclassmen selling their books.</p>
<p>I bought some books last year that were pretty much brand new for only 90 bucks (text book and solution manual). In the bookstore, it would have cost me about 250 to 300 for both new and used would have been 180 for both</p>
<p>But I would only count on doing this for very common classes for your first quarter (ie- Chem 6 series, Math 10 or 20, BILD, etc) For the other stuff, go online like everyone else said</p>
<p>I enjoy using Chegg (textbook rental) and have never had a problem with their service. I don’t want to save most of my textbooks anyway. My summer class textbook (at a CC) was $190 new, sold by the CC bookstore used for $150. I found it on Amazon for like $90-$100. I rented it on Chegg for 8 weeks for $34.99, plus free shipping. The books are usually in pretty good condition, minor highlighting at times. One time I ended up getting a brand new book (for an engineering class) for less than $20!</p>