<p>I applied as a bio major but was admitted (Marshall if it matters) as an undeclared because my major was impacted. Will it be hard for me to become a bio major or is it something that I can easily switch into?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance</p>
<p>How is the coursework there? Is it manageable to the extent where I can work part-time?</p>
<p>@hky288 Are you going to live in International House? Most people form the closest friendships with those who live around them, so you’ll probably make good friends with other international students. If you want to branch out and meet more Americans I recommend you join an all-campus organization or fraternity. Overall, though, don’t worry too much about making friends. Remember, everyone is new to college, so everyone is going to try to be friends with everyone else in the first few weeks. </p>
<p>The only people who have a little trouble making friends are commuter students. I strongly recommend living on campus your first year if there are no financial problems.</p>
<p>@honorigo I’m sorry, but I don’t personally know any engineering friends with a collegeconfidential account. </p>
<p>@bHo027 A lot of you seem to have this question.</p>
<p>I recommend that you explore this site:
[Enrollment</a> Management Information](<a href=“http://biology.ucsd.edu/undergrad/enrollmentmanagement.html]Enrollment”>http://biology.ucsd.edu/undergrad/enrollmentmanagement.html)</p>
<p>To be completely honest I do not know how many students are allowed to make the switch. The school does not release that information. However, I do know a handful of friends who had GPA’s of 3.6 and above who were allowed to make the switch. If you’re willing to put in the effort you shouldn’t have too much difficulty making it. UCSD isn’t an unfairly difficult school, and what differentiates the A’s from the B’s is usually how much work the A students put into their courses.</p>
<p>Even if you don’t gain admission into that major you can opt for biochem/chem, which has elements of biology. Also, are you pre-med? If so, keep in mind that you don’t even have to be a biology major to be considered for med school. You can major in Cognitive Science, Psychology, even History! You just have to complete all the required coursework and take the MCAT. </p>
<p>@hcogirl411 Yes, plenty of students have internships and part-time jobs. You may have to adjust for the number and type of classes you take if you want a job. For example, it’s not a good idea to maintain a job while taking 4-5 incredibly hard, time-consuming classes. Therefore, you might opt for 3 hard classes and an easier one instead. You’ll learn the reputation of each class if you come here.</p>
<p>Have you taken any honors courses justmyview? Also, do you do (or have you ever done) any research and do you know any math majors?</p>
<p>@dyno0919 I have not taken any so far, but I will be taking one next quarter! Apparently honors gen. chem is pretty math-intensive so you might like it. I heard it was pretty hard, though. It’s better to get an A in a regular class than it is to get a C+ in an honors class.</p>
<p>I’m about to start doing research, but I haven’t done any so far. I know a few people who started doing research their first year, so it’s possible. It REALLY helps if you have some sort of research experience, so if you can find a summer program I encourage you to enroll in it. If you’re a Regents Scholar you don’t need to do any of that. The labs will want you, just enthusiastically describe why you’re interested in that particular lab’s work. Be sure to apply to several labs regardless. </p>
<p>Math is a very difficult major, and most people who pursue it genuinely enjoy it. If you’re up for the challenge go for it!</p>
<p>Thank you! Yes I love math haha everyone thinks I’m crazy. I make up my own math problems and try to solve random things in all my other classes. I also love chemistry too. I just want to make sure that if I choose to go to UCSD that I’ll be challenged sufficiently. I also know that with my AP credits and regents status, I’ll have to take a lot of honors courses. I don’t want easy classes; I want hard classes and I want to learn a lot. Hopefully as a regents scholar I’ll also be able to pick out the best teachers too.</p>
<p>What college had the best dining hall?
And would Biochemistry/chem be easy to declare if your Undeclared?
And how’s muir college?</p>
<p>Also, I’ve been admitted to Muir college. How are the dorms? I heard that one of them doesn’t have WiFi, is that still true? Also, how is the dining? Is Pines a good dining hall?</p>
<p>Ok thank you! And how are the class sizes?</p>
<p>@dyno0919 That’s great! It’s refreshing to see someone who loves what they’re studying and is truly dedicated to it. With that attitude you’ll definitely go far. As a Regents scholar you will have priority enrollment, so you will most likely be able to enroll in whichever classes you desire. Don’t worry, the honors classes will be challenging enough, and SD has many bright and highly motivated students. At the same time UCSD isn’t so overwhelming that you won’t have the opportunity to pursue your other interests. The only elements it lacks are a strong sense of school spirit and a huge party scene. If you feel like you absolutely need those two things you might want to consider your other options. If you feel like you can make your own fun SD will likely be a good fit. </p>
<p>@ Edreed20 Marshall and Muir are known to have pretty good dining halls. Revelle’s food is pretty horrible, and Sixth’s dining hall is small and therefore has very few options. However, many of the colleges have marketplaces that accept dining dollars, so you can always buy better food there.
Biochem/chem isn’t impacted, so you can switch into it with the click of a button.</p>
<p>@both
I love Muir! Its dorms are set up so that it’s very easy to make friends. You will essentially have the opportunity to be in close contact with and form connections with 120 people in your “house.” Realistically you probably won’t make friends with all of them, but you’ll probably get close to a dozen or so. Muir has the fewest GE’s and is close to the center of campus. Also, Muir is arguably the most “social” college. If you really want to live in a spirited environment with a strong sense of community I recommend you apply for “G House” in Tioga. You’ll get more information about that at orientation. </p>
<p>Tioga Hall currently doesn’t have Wifi. I have heard that’s going to change this summer, but I’m sure if that’s just a rumor. Either way, it’s not a huge deal. You can always get an ethernet cord. </p>
<p>Pines, Muir’s dining hall, is pretty decent. It has a decent variety of options, and the sandwiches are pretty good. Its breakfast options get a bit repetitive. Overall, though, Pines won’t leave you with the urge to tell horror stories.</p>
<p>Thanks a ton! I got accepted to Muir as Undeclared so I was just wondering how it would be.
It definitely sounds like I will enjoy Muir :)</p>
<p>Thanks so much justmyview! If only I could find someone on Berkeley’s forums to ask all of these questions. The only responses I’ve seen on their “x vs Cal” threads are “Go to Cal because we’re better.” I’m almost certain I’ll be attending UCSD, it’s just so hard for me to give up on Berkeley. I could care less about partying and school pride honestly, so those aren’t big factors. </p>
<p>A final question because I can’t think of any others: Have you been to the gyms, in particular the Rimac? Are the facilities pretty run down or is it easy to get yourself to go work out every once in a while?</p>
<p>Thanks again for all of your help. Every answer you make is making me more and more excited to go to SD :)</p>
<p>How is the regents scholars program at ucsd or at Muir college ,biology Major.</p>
<p>@Edreed Great, I’m glad to hear it!</p>
<p>@dyno Ah, well I’m glad to help! That being said, Berkeley’s really nice, too! It definitely has many more shops and cool little restaurants to explore. It also has the “prestige” factor. If you enjoy the Berkeley environment more than SD’s I urge you to seriously consider it! If you’re motivated you’ll do well wherever you go. </p>
<p>Rimac is a pretty nice gym! The machines and facilities are maintained very well. Also, it’s usually not too hard to find a spot on a machine that you want to use. Something cool you might want to check out are recreation classes.</p>
<p>If you live the Muir or Revelle area you can also go to Main Gym, which is a lot closer. It’s a lot smaller, but it has the basics.</p>
<p>Hey, so I’m in a bit of a rut in terms of choosing an undergrad college, would you be able to help? I’m in between Cognitive at UCSD and Biomedical Engineering at UCD. I read that Cog at UCSD is about top 10 while UCD’s BME is about top 30. I originally applied to UCSD for BME as primary major, but I got into my second choice major. I understand that in theory I could just go from UCSD’s Cog major and enter into the BME/neuro field. In your opinion do you think there is an easy way to compare the two, or are we just talking apples and oranges? Thanks!
-IVP</p>
<p>I still have to visit Berkeley, but the general stereotypes are pretty daunting. Hobos, crime, liberals. Not my most favorite things in the world.</p>
<p>The prestige factor being said, how easy is it to land jobs and internships at UCSD? Does SD have a lot of “hook-ups” as far as graduating and finding a job goes? The more and more I read up on it, Berkeley has a lot of nice internship possibilities with SF so close, but its degree won’t really land you a job easier than any other UC degree. Although I don’t exactly plan on finding a job after graduating, I definitely plan on attending grad school.</p>
<p>@linisan I’m not a Regents Scholars, but I am friends with quite a few. </p>
<p>From my observations, there are a few major perks to being a Regents Scholar. It basically boils down to privileges and networking.</p>
<p>Priority enrollment is great because it basically guarantees that you will get all the classes and teachers that you want. Also, if you’re a Regents Scholars people tend to automatically identify you as intelligent and call you in for any research positions you’re interested in. All the biology Regents Scholars I know started doing research during their first year at UCSD. </p>
<p>Also, you’ll probably become pretty good friends with the other Regents Scholars at Muir. The ones I know associate with each other on a regular basis. Some of them even live together.</p>
<p>@IvoryPhoenix I don’t know too much about that, so I don’t want to mislead you by presenting you with wrong information. Sorry! </p>
<p>However, I can tell you that you can petition to transfer into BME if your GPA is high enough.</p>
<p>@dyno0919 Haha, in that case, SD sounds like a good fit for you!</p>
<p>Are you interested in biotech? SD is BIG for biotech, and you’ll find many internship opportunities in that field. In general a few big companies come to SD to recruit students. However, there aren’t as many recruiters as there are in Berkeley.
Networking plays a huge role, so I recommend you make friends with a professor and ask him/her what options you have available to you. I know a few students who have landed good internships this way.
If you’re sure you want to go to grad school I wouldn’t worry too much about the job aspect. SD is a good school, but employers will likely care about where you went for grad school more than where you went for undergrad.</p>
<p>Thanks justmyview. I guess I’ll go make a board about it or find one to ask in. (:</p>
<p>Do you have any friends that go to Revelle? If so, what do they think of it? Do they like it? or is it how everybody describes it to be?</p>