So I know Cal schools in general don’t except a lot of people OOS so I was wondering if I’m going to be lonely here. Will CA people snub me because I’m from illinois? Also are there any OOS resources? Thanks
426 OOS Freshman enrolled at UCSD so you should not feel alone.
17.5% of the students at UCSD are international, in addition to the 5.5% that come from out of state. And remember, California is a very large, populous state, so it’s not as if the California kids are all in big cliques that already know each other. My son knew only one or two kids from his Northern Californian high school who also attend UC San Diego. So, everyone will be trying to meet new people when they arrive as first year students. And I don’t think you need to worry about people thinking you might be too “different” because you are from Illinois. We Californians have grown up with so many people whose families have moved to California from all over the country and all over the world., so some little differences of backgrounds, cultures or perspectives are totally normal among peers.
That said, it could be helpful to join a club or do a team sport as a way to help you meet other students in smaller group settings. UCSD first year class sizes are typically very large (with smaller discussion sessions), so it might be easier to get to know students while doing things other than just attending classes. The dorms are, of course, one place where students get familiar early on with a good number of other students.
UCSD does have “Outreach Coordinators for International and Out-of-State Students.” You can find out more about the support services they offer by visiting heir web page:
http://thecolleges.ucsd.edu/nonresidentinfo/index.html. The only thing I know about them is that they organized a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for students who live too far away to travel home for the four day weekend. The Thanksgiving meal was just $5 and there was also a service project that students could do together that afternoon. I thought that was a nice event so students who couldn’t travel home wouldn’t be alone on what is traditionally a very family-centered holiday.
I went to UCSD as an OOS student from the midwest many (many) moons ago, so my experience may or may not be relevant. I’ll share a bit of it so you can decide for yourself.
Everything in #2 above is correct. CA is large and students come from all over the state, they don’t know each other and often don’t even know where some of the towns in CA people are from are! My DH was forever clarifying exactly where his hometown was in relation to larger areas in the state. Californians are generally very friendly and open to outsiders. Like was said above, many people come here from elsewhere ( a common “get to know you question” as an adult at parties is “where are you from?”), so they are very interested in and welcoming to new people. With that in mind, as OOS student, expect to be asked “Why UCSD?”, a lot. For the rest of your life, seriously. I still get asked why when I tell people I came to CA from the midwest to go to undergrad there. Understand it’s not a malicious question, just a curious one. My stock answer was (and still is), the weather. The truth was more complex, but the weather is something everyone understands and usually leads to a nice laugh comparing the weather between SD and my home state.
Expect some degree of culture shock. Things will be different than back home, in ways that go beyond just - you’ve gone to college and are on your own - not necessarily bad different, or good different, but different. You need to be sure you are up to the adventure of that. I think it’s a great time of life to experience that, obviously, it was for me. But I also know every person is different. I had a roommate freshman year who was from Northern CA, had many HS friends at UCSD, and yet still felt very homesick and lonely. I did have a good experience at UCSD. I never felt isolated as an OOS student. I loved CA and ended up staying.
I wish you well wherever you decide to go!
We just visited as my daughter has been accepted as an OOS student (Eleanor Roosevelt College). There were a number of other OOS students there. I don’t think being OOS will be much of an issue. The other students seemed to think it was cool that my D was from Manhattan.