I'm a UCSD transfer student living at The Village, any questions?

Transfer Students UC Transfers
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<p>I've been with College Confidential for a few years now and know how nervous the whole process makes you, so if there are any specific questions about UCSD or The Village, I'd be happy to answer them. I transferred in the fall of 2011, but moved to The Village in summer of 2011 so I could take a few summer classes. I'll be moving out in June and then using summer 2012 to finish up my degree (one year graduate, technically, woohoo!) but so far I've lived in two different apartments here. </p>

<p>So any questions about adjusting, campus life, The Village, etc. I'd be happy to answer.</p>

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<p>Thank you for doing this!</p>

<p>If I am going to possibly SIR in early May after all UC decisions come out, where then I’ll officially apply for housing in the village, will these apts be full by then?
How do you like the general atmosphere of the Village with the transfers (dining halls, academic quality, party scene, furnishings…)?
Is there any condescension toward transfers on campus? </p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

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<p>Does it get empty during the weekend? How is it meeting new friends?</p>

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<p>@strive101: You’ll still be able to get an apartment. But I will say, make SURE you answer the phone when they call you to ask you which one you want. If you don’t, they’ll leave a message and you’ll be stuck calling them back, but everyone they call after you then goes ahead of you until they hear back. If you’re adamant on getting a single, keep an eye on that phone religiously until it rings. They’ll email you around selection time to let you know what week they’ll be calling. I’m in a single, but got the VERY last one because they called the wrong number initially. I actually live with the RA, but he’s pretty cool. Also, current Village residents get to select before incoming transfers. I think our selection day is tomorrow or something. </p>

<p>The atmosphere is pretty cool, but definitely NOT a party place. There’s I-House (International House) next to The Village in ERC that’s party central, but it’s pretty mellow at The Village. I’m in Village East, which just opened this year. I’ve definitely seen plenty of parties broken up, one of which involved the UCPD. They don’t mess around and will write you up. They also have some rules I don’t necessarily like (no beer pong, for example, even if you’re not loud and everyone is 21+) but you are allowed to have guests over and alcohol if you’re over 21, so it’s not terrible. I personally prefer it this way since I can get studying done during finals. They also have study rooms down below the apartments, so that’s cool. </p>

<p>As for the furnishings… this is my one MAJOR issue with The Village. The couches are incredibly uncomfortable for one person, much less multiple. They’re super cheap. I brought a giant Love Sac, which everyone loves and envies that sees it. The couches don’t get used for anything other than a clothes/backpack drop. Second, the chairs they give you in your room are worthless. They’re basically cheap, plastic cafeteria chairs. I would HIGHLY recommend bringing your own padded chair. 3/5 in my apartment are currently stacked on top of one another in the bathroom and another one is used as a towel rack. Only one guy actually sits in his. You do get a TV stand. I brought a 60" set and rented a cable DVR from Time Warner for ~$20 a month. The DVR was crucial. Without it, you get like 1/10th the amount of channels and most of them look like crap (even the DVR ones, they’re “fuzzy”) </p>

<p>Definitely no condescension toward transfers on campus. Matter of fact, most the people I’ve met are fellow transfers. But no, never had an issue with a student/prof taking issue with me being a transfer. And hey, I have a 3.97 GPA so anything they say doesn’t hold much weight anyway :slight_smile: I’ve already done research work since I’ve been here (TA offered it to me) and got selected for a “beta” class by the department chair. They love transfers!</p>

<p>@lawlking: The Village doesn’t empty out on weekends, but it does during holiday breaks. I’ve met new friends, but not really from The Village, mostly from classes and events. I hang out with my old roommates from summer and their friends, but overall I wouldn’t say The Village is a social hub.</p>

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<p>Oh and as for the dining halls, The Village has a sit-down restaurant called The Bistro (I think) that’s right below me. It’s actually pretty good. They have a sushi bar and regular entrees you can order, but it’s pretty high priced. An average sushi roll is $10. You can use your dining dollars, which is nice (you get ~$2,200 a year in dining dollars.) There’s also a market that’s like a mini grocery store right next to The Bistro, but their prices are pretty ridiculous. You can use dining dollars their, also. I generally get basic stuff like eggs and milk there, but go to Ralphs for other stuff. The dining halls around campus aren’t terrible. I haven’t gone out to them much since I cook at home, but Pines (at Muir) is pretty decent.</p>

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<p>Did you get homesick your first quarter at SD?</p>

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<p>@lawlking: Not at all. I moved out of the house when I was 18 and didn’t transfer to UCSD until I was 23. Plus, I was living ~25 minutes north so I’m still close to my friends. I have a car and drive back up there to hang out often.</p>

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<p>What is your major?(if you don’t mind me asking) and how would you compare the overall workload there compared to CC?!</p>

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<p>your detailed explanation was very helpful, thanks!</p>

<p>So would you say that as a transfer, you’re more or less “limited” to only meeting/associating/befriending other transfers?</p>

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<p>Any tips for parking pertaining to living in the village? I know the closest parking structure is Pangea, but maybe you know some tips or something only a UCSD student would know haha. Thanks!</p>

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<p>@SH2mathecon: I’m a poli sci major with an international relations focus. Honestly, the workload isn’t bad. I’ve always been a strong writer and all we do are papers and essays. In the 11 classes I’ve taken so far, I have 8 As, 2 A+s and one A- (which I’m still fighting.) I didn’t write a single paper until ~48 hours (max) before it was due, didn’t do any assigned readings until I started my paper and for one class didn’t go entirely except for the midterm and final. I’m not advocating this, but UCSD to me is easier than CC was. Maybe I’ve gotten smarter or something, but I struggled way more in CC (I was a 3.03 student.) </p>

<p>@strive101: Not at all! I can’t stress enough that nobody - faculty or students - cares whether you transferred or came in through HS. It’s probably skewed for me because I hang out most frequently with my Village roommates/ex-roommates, and we’re all transfers, but I definitely hang out with kids who have been here since freshman year. </p>

<p>@jaybron: Pangea is terrible during the school year. It’s fine during the summer, but during the year it’s always full and takes forever to get down to the bottom where the S (student) spots are since you have to enter at the top. You’ll want to park at Hopkins which is about the same distance and right next to Rimac field. The trick is to park in the roof spots. There are S spots on the roof and at the bottom floor, but if you get a roof spot you avoid elevators/stairs assuming you live at the The Village. If you’re commuting, Hopkins is closer to the hear of campus anyway.</p>

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<p>I have a question, I am transferring there for fall 2012, and I am planning to live on campus, but the problem is I own a car, and I can’t sell it. Is there any place that I can park my car in campus for a long time?</p>

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<p>@farshadi23: If you purchase a parking permit, sure. It’s around $700 a year, though.</p>

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<p>Hi! I want to also thank you for doing this! So, I know you don’t live in iHouse but since you are near there and probably have some idea about it would you say it would be a good place to live? I find everything about it super enticing, I think it would be so cool living with people from around the world, plus I’ve heard it is very social and they throw some crazy parties all the time. Also, do you by any chance know how hard it is to get a double there? It’s around the same price as the village and I just think it would be a cool experience.</p>

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<p>Hey Grimes, I assume you share a room with another person. How is that like? Does it annoy you in any way?</p>

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<p>@AB12345: I’ve been to iHouse a few times. Their parties are definitely kinda crazy. One I went to was packed and the RSOs/RAs never showed up. If you’re big into parties, iHouse is definitely the place to be. But yeah, it’s definitely the “social” place. Not sure about how difficult it is to get a double there, though. I never looked into it.</p>

<p>@Acoustickitty123: I have a single at The Village, but there are five us total in this apartment (3 single rooms, one double.) It’s fine for me, but my one roommate who is pretty social and got stuck in the double hates having a roommate. I told myself that if I didn’t get a single, I was going to move off campus, but some people don’t have issues with doubles. Guess it really depends on your personality.</p>

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<p>Have you met any transfer students that live off-campus? If so, how would you say the living arrangements compare to the village? I’m transferring in the fall and initially I looked into off campus apartments but after reading reviews and seeing the prices I’m leaning more towards the village. Also, I’m worried that by living and going to school in the same proximity I will feel “confined” to the campus. Would you say this is true or is it relatively easy to find fun things to do off-campus (that aren’t too far way or expensive)?</p>

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<p>@lacalulady: I’ve met a few transfer students who live off campus and a few freshmen-enrollees. The thing about living off campus is that yeah, it might be cheaper, but you’re either going to take the shuttle or have a nice walk. The reason I chose The Village was because I’m a five minute walk to the middle of campus and about a minute shuttle ride. </p>

<p>As for how the living arrangements are off campus, it really depends on how much you want to spend. La Jolla is certainly not cheap and UCSD is just about on the water, so if you want something cheaper you pretty much have to go inland a bit. I went through tons of apartment complexes and only one really struck me as a place I’d want to live (it was next to Vons.) In the end, I realized I was only gonna be here for a year anyway so I opted for the convenience of living on campus. </p>

<p>I don’t think you’ll feel “confined” living on campus. To be completely honest, there isn’t much at all to do directly in the area surrounding UCSD. There’s the beach… and that’s about it. downtown La Jolla is 10-15 minute away and not exactly “hoppin’” for younger people. It’s an older downtown place. Downtown San Diego is a 15 minute drive and certainly nice, but not really any further away if you live on campus. I’m in a somewhat unique situation since I grew up in Escondido/San Marcos just 25 minutes north of campus, so I go up there often to hang with friends still.</p>

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<p>Thanks Grimes for offering your time to answer questions. Do you have or know anyone there that has dealt with unit caps or double majoring as a transfer? I’m pretty interested in double majoring, but I noticed it would be impossible to do without reaching the 240 Unit cap, including the 105 maximum units coming from my CC. </p>

<p>Also, how is the shuttle system at UCSD. Is it usually always crowded, and how often do shuttles stop by the village?</p>

<p>Thanks again in advance for any advice.</p>

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<p>@jaybyron: Not sure about the unit cap deal once you get here, but I was well over the transferable unit cap when I got here. They only took 105, but I had something like 126 semester units at my CC. </p>

<p>The shuttle system is pretty solid. I rarely use it since everything is so close to walk anyways and I hate waiting. They come every 15-20 minutes around The Village.</p>