Sixth College? Bad Rep?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - San Diego
1

<p>Hey there.</p>

<p>I got into sixth college under mech. engineering [though i really want to switch, because i'm not too sure if engineering is my calling.], but everyone i talk to at my school treats sixth college like it's really...well, lame.</p>

<p>one of my friends and i were talking about colleges and he asked me which UG college i got into here at UCSD, and i told him that i got into sixth college. he then gave me this pitiful look and said 'oh, i'm sorry'. but, this is one isolated situation. i get this from almost everyone i talk to. he's going to USC, so don't bother to try and hunt him down.</p>

<p>most of this talk about sixth college was made worse when i visited, and i found the environment to be cool, but the dorms to be well...=. they call it freaking 'camp snoopy' for god sakes. =(.</p>

<p>however, because of this, i'm so freaking apprehensive to even go to college. i really don't want to be in a college that everyone frowns on, and coming from a competitive high school where some kids will almost filter you out if your GPA isn't high enough, i don't know if i'd like being thought of as 'stupid' or whatever, just because of the UG college i'm going to. stupid notion, i know, but plus, i'd like to think that i can handle something a little tougher if the college is considered to be a 'slacker' college.</p>

<p>i'm not saying anything myself about sixth college, but from what it sounds, people don't really like it. why is that? can someone give me some redeeming features about the college, because i have yet to hear any. oh. well, i know about the relaxed GE requirements, but that doesn't really apply if you're wanting to switch into a more difficult major.</p>

<p>also, is there any way to switch colleges? i know, i know. it's impossible, or something. i talked to someone at the admissions office on admit day, but i'd feel more comfortable going to a different UG college. i'm hearing word of people getting offers to switch colleges. i don't know. is there a way i could get in on that? man. =(. i'm happy that i got into UCSD, but at the same time, i'd almost kill to switch UG colleges. </p>

<p>sorry. these questions are stupid and based off of hearsay, but thanks for answering them, or just reading the post, if you do. oh and really help me with that last question. i'd do anything. =). [no, really. anything. just kidding].</p>

<p>have a good one.
-ben</p>

2

<p>kay so with switching colleges, they say you can't do it until the end of your first year and even then it's pretty hard. i think the main reason people frown upon 6th is because it is the smallest and obviously the newest college. it is still relatively young and still doesn't quite have a solid reputation yet. i think it could also be frowned upon because it is considered to be the "artsy/hippy" school. i don't think people see it as a slacker school. at least i don't. but then again, what do i know? i have never lived on campus. but then again, most likely all the people that you talk to haven't either, except for admit day. your friend at usc doesn't know what he is talking about. he is going to usc. that should be reason enough not to listen to him. haha. i kidd. i only say that kuz my sister goes to UCLA, but anyway, i'm sure you'll find something you'll like about it. and if you don't there is an idea going around here, and is being used a lot. you only live in your college for the first two years. after that you move off campus and are no longer a 6th college student, but rather, a UCSD student.</p>

3

<p>this is true, however, i'd like to have those two years where i did dorm to be remotely memorable. and i'm talking about the good kind of reminiscience, not the bad, 'oh i had a *****ty time' sort of reminiscience. </p>

<p>i got this terrible impression of sixth college from admit day. i don't know. it just didn't impress me. everything seemed so new that nothing seemed to be organized enough. i don't know. =(.</p>

<p>i'd really want to switch out though. why couldn't they have picked me in those emails asking sixth college people to switch to other colleges? >=(. </p>

<p>anyone else with their thoughts about sixth? </p>

<p>blah. i feel like i asked a whole series of stupid questions. especially the switching colleges thing, just because i knew the answer. however, if there is a way to do it, can someone tell me? i will freaking ____ whoever decides these intercollege transfers just to switch colleges.</p>

<p>ha. maybe.
-ben</p>

4

<p>the orginization of admit day shouldn't be your only impression. i heard of a student who had the same outlook as you. he didn't like how the dorms were set up all far apart from each other and such. in the end he decided it was best for him because it is nice and quiet for study, yet still somewhat social enough to not be a hermit. i don't know what type of a person you are, but yeah. just have a positive outlook. if you go in thinking you will have a crappy time, you probably will. just try to make the best of it. and if you REALLY hate the surroundings and have friends or make friends at other colleges just chill with them as much as possible. haha. iono. just try n be positive. i guess that's all that you can do at this point.</p>

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<p>yeah. i don't know. many people from my school opted out of UCSD for other colleges. it's weird, but USC is the hot topic this year, as some kids went to USC over dartmouth, berkeley, and JHU. i wasn't one of those kids, but yeah, you get the idea.</p>

<p>i tend to overthink things, and well, i'm not basing my judgement off of the organization alone. i sat through the presentation, took a tour of the dorms and the apartments, factored in the distance away from everything. i don't know. =(. once i move in, odds are i'll be more positive, especially if my roommate is cool. my planned roommate instead changed his mind and went to USC. blegh. </p>

<p>but i don't know. changing is an option i'd like to consider, just for peace of mind. i'm just bizarre and stubborn. </p>

<p>i tend to be on the shy side, so i'd like a more social atmosphere, and while the Sixth college atmosphere is so conducive to studying. that's a good thing, but i didn't see anyone actually talking. i'm gonna walk the campus again later this month, and think about it, but i really want to get ahold of an admissions person and ask them. is that the person who could actually help me? who should i talk to? </p>

<p>any sixth college kids on these forums right now? tell me what you think! [of the college] =). i'm persistent. sorry. =(. </p>

<p>-ben</p>

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<p>which college would you prefer to be in? where would you want to transfer to.</p>

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<p>I think you are worrying way too much about this. I talked to people who attend sixth college at admit day, and they say they love it there. In fact, any current student at UCSD i talked to didnt think sixth was that bad. Instead they usually said its one of the more richer colleges and has pretty friendly people.
People who form these ideas about a college they have not even attended should not be listened to. To get the real picture of sixth college, talk to sixth college students who currently attend UCSD.
Even though you stay at sixth college, you attend classes at all the other colleges and the college has no effect on your major.</p>

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<p>blah. i feel that this topic is retarded. </p>

<p>i know ERC has the nicest dorms and toughest GE. i'd like to give that a shot. either that, warren, or revelle. just personal preference. i like the warren dorms. </p>

<p>and i know those things about sixth college, but it's all about who you talk to. i have talked to a few sixth college students, but odds are you wouldn't find someone who is so dissatisfied with the college that they'd try to discourage you from liking it. i really don't know. haha. it's really subjective, isn't it? you try to get a general consensus about the college, so your responses are going to be varied, but from what i've heard, it's a very undesirable college. if anything, thanks to them for discouraging me, but each person's experience is different. that was one of the reasons i posted this: i wanted to hear of the people that enjoy staying at the college. </p>

<p>nonetheless, as a backup, the option for change is something i want to look into, too. and i read about the other colleges and have heard much less negatives about the colleges than i have about sixth. most books and sites fail to mention sixth because it's too new, making it hard to do college research.</p>

<p>and yes. i'm worrying like a mofo. that's the best i can do: worry. UCSD was my dream school of sorts, so i wouldn't want to really compromise my experience, so of course i'm going to be very cautious and worrisome. i know it can get annoying, and i'm sorry. =(</p>

<p>-ben</p>

9

<p>Hi! I WILL be a sixth college student come fall and I am really excited to be going! :) </p>

<p>True, I thought about how I won't have the whole residence hall experience since I'll be living in Camp Snoopy but in a way I think it's sort of neat BECAUSE it's different. A good story to tell to people later in life. :P </p>

<p>College is what you make of it and I hear good things about Sixth. People don't know what they're talking about when they talk smack. :P Don't worry, be happy. :)</p>

<p>But if you really hate it, you can always change out (with a good reason and GPA). </p>

<p>So...it's all good!</p>

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<p>ilikedonuts, who cares if most likely you will be living in apartments near campus after 9 months and the only way you'll associate with the 6th is by having to fulfill their requirements and visit their academic advising? -- as long as you're satisfied with their requirements and majors, other things should be fine, and housing is only temporary</p>

<p>sixth college is new, and there is somewhat of a small competition between colleges so sixth will be looked down upon as a newbie (also the fact that it does not have a real name isn't helping) -- other colleges have more of a history and traditions -- sixth hasn't proved itself at anything -- people from the sixth are a minority you can pick upon in a circle of friends knowing that most likely none of them are in sixth -- but by the start of your 2nd year you generally stop associating with a college -- the whole college thing is done specifically for freshmen so that they would be less intimidated coming to study at UCSD</p>

<p>the fact that you belong to one college or another says nothing about you -- there are thousands of people in each college, all different, some smart, some stupid, and at UCSD you don't associate people's character with college they entered (like 'slacker' or 'overachiever') -- people associate more with each other through their major after the 1st year -- when you move off-campus and get done with your GEs you might as well forget you're in 6th -- there is not that much bonding to a particular college -- they do various games and competitions for freshmen to entertain them the 1st year and help people find friends -- but once you're done being a freshman, you start to associate with UCSD overall</p>

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<p>i guess that is a true point. i don't know. i did a lot of thinking on this. well, i've been thinking about it ever since i got in. nonetheless, i'd want to have a good time in college. i don't want to pass off a year of it as a bad time, and just forget about it. i really don't want to be approaching college as : 'oh, i'll only have to deal with this for 9 months, then i'm gone', because that isn't the right mindset. i've realized that this is going to be the case, however, i'd like to pretty much help myself out in attempting to enjoy my senior year. and based upon what you said in your second paragraph, kihyle, you've given a ton of reasons why it wouldn't be a good idea to just tolerate sixth college. =) . whatever, it's all good.</p>

<p>now that i got that out of the way, i did do thinking about it, and the more i think about it, it doesn't bother me as much. i'm going to try to switch out, regardless, but i won't be devastated if my plans don't happen to follow through. i just hope the sixth college people are friendly. </p>

<p>i'm calling the res life person at sixth tomorrow regarding a change. don't think it'll happen, but i've become apathetic. i've realized that i got into UCSD, which was something i wanted to get into over any of the other UC's or privates. [just preference]. i'm sure i'll make the best out of whatever's given to me.</p>

<p>the one thing that perturbs me, still, is that sixth college has about 8% of the undergrads, and because the colleges are so separate, interaction between the six colleges are probably troublesome, just because the colleges add an extra barrier in terms of finding friends, i'd guess. i probably sound like a loser, but i worry too much. </p>

<p>yeah. i think it's all good.
-ben</p>

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<p>donuts - </p>

<p>The primary thing to keep in mind concerning the various colleges are the GE requirements of each one. If you're going into mech engineering, then you probably ideally want a college with flexible GE requirements so you can fit them in with what will be a packed schedule for a major that will require a lot of work. </p>

<p>Regarding being looked down upon due to being at sixth, as you know by now, UCSD needs to place people where they can best fit them meaning that all different types of people go to each of the colleges. There's a mix at each of them so if someone thinks a particular college's residents are 'better' than another, it's completely unfounded.</p>

<p>Note some previous posts from lots of people wh wanted to go to Sixth but got requested to move to another of the colleges due to lack of room. This would imply that Sixth was actually a more popular choice than some of the others. </p>

<p>Regardless of the college, socialization just due to the college is somehwat hit or miss depending on who else happens to be in your area (room, floor, building) and whether you happen to get along with them and have similar interests or not. Joining clubs and joing others with similar interests to yours is another way to socialize. You'll also meet people in classes. Remember that you can also eat at any dining room so if you have friends in another college, go over there to eat or invite them to your area. Go meet them somewhere to study or invite them over to your place. The college system doen't segregate as much as many think.</p>

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<p>ilikedonuts--</p>

<p>I understand your concerns. I know it sounds kinda awkward and shallow when you try to talk about it, but deep down inside you want to be associated with the more elite students. But I can assure you, any student that goes to UCSD will NOT be stupid. It doesn't matter what college you are in, it doesn't matter what major you are, pretty much all UCSD students have worked hard enough to get into this university. I'm not in UCSD yet (GO Warren '10), but my guess about Sixth's reputation is that since it is a relatively new college, it hasn't established itself yet and hasn't been around long enough to give proof that its students have gone on to do great things (for example, it can't show yet that X% of its students become physicians, X% become engineers, etc.). This is similar to why UCSD's reputation as a university is not as great as schools like UCLA, UCB, and USC, even though UCSD is definitely at that level. When UCSD gets a little older, it should be among the most prestigious universities in the country.</p>

<p>The fact that Sixth is new in no way implies that its attendees are stupid. Like "i am NIECK i am" said, as long as you have a positive outlook, you will make your situation work to your advantage. However, from what I'm reading in your posts, you seem really unhappy with the atmosphere of Sixth College. Yes, they do say it is really difficult to change colleges, but they don't say it's impossible. Try it out for a year, and if it's really THAT bad, then by all means, do what makes you happy. Good luck!</p>

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<p>yeah, this is true, COLLEGE. [ha, i like your name. =)]. i don't necessary want to be elite but i'd like to think that i'm a contender, even if right now, i'm probably not. i don't know. i'm having anxiety in part because of just numbers. 8% undergrads attend, that's about 300 something kids. i'd want that feeling that i'm swarmed with students, because it is college. 300-something is a bit smaller than my current graduation class. i know that interaction might exist between classes, but i'm probably not as outgoing as i think i am.</p>

<p>agh. i feel like an attention whore. i'm done talking. thanks for your help guys. if i do switch colleges, i'll tell you. =P. [i'm a stubborn b.astard, so a simple no won't stop me]</p>

<p>i think this would have been a little easier if i knew someone going to sixth college [preferrably someone from my school. potential roomate?] but the one person that did get into sixth ended up switching to USC. darn USC. =P.</p>

<p>it's probably unfair for me to judge sixth college before even attending, but from my viewpoint, i'd find it better to try and switch out before i have to find out the hard way as to whether it lives up to its reputation or not. i wanna be in warren or muir. ha. oh well. if all else fails, go sixth '10. =). </p>

<p>-ben</p>

15

<p>Honestly, before I was switched into Roosevelt I was pretty happy with Sixth. Sure, the dining hall was a bit of a walk, but really I liked the GE, the isolated atmosphere--and a reason I DID choose UCSD was the undergraduate college system. I had wanted a small, elite liberal arts college back east but I was waitlisted at Bowdoin College (in ME) and there's no way I could afford sticker price at such a school, especially with a twin brother going to college next year. So UCSD's college system seemed to be more fitting backup.</p>

<p>But enough digressing, I feel for the undergraduate experience the college system at UCSD is a good one. It fosters intimacy and individual attention but the large research university opportunities (research, social events, organizations, etc.) are there if need be...and other undergrad. colleges are there, too...</p>

<p>And when I visited Sixth and walked around, some students were playing homerun derby on the quad and stopped to ask me if I was an incoming freshman, (I was with my parents, it probably seemed obvious) and they essentially explained to me that Sixth is the BEST college at UCSD. They really raved about it.</p>

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<p>wow. well, they're biased, but it's good to hear a positive response. i mellowed out in part, because i'm pretty sure i WILL like UCSD, regardless of the college, and this is all just pre-college jitters. however, i will try to change just to see if i can. if i can, then i will, however, i'll be fine with sixth college. </p>

<p>-ben</p>

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<p>haha. im glad you are coming to.</p>

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<p>Yay! </p>

<p>The only thing I am NOT liking at all about sixth college is how our orientation is so late. I wanna meet my fellow sixthers NOW!</p>

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<p>when is oreientation at sixth? i'm a sixther too... but i still don't get anything about orientation... do you know "hlloelscorcho"??</p>

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<p><a href="http://sixth.ucsd.edu/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://sixth.ucsd.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>On the sixth college site is says:
New Orientation Information</p>

<p>Move-in Day: Thursday, Sept 14, 2006
Freshmen Orientation: Friday & Sat, Sept 15 & 16, 2006
Parent Orientation: Friday, Sept 15, 2006 </p>

<p>Transfer Orientation: Friday, Sept 8, 2006 </p>

<p>We will be mailing details of the orientation soon, including information on enrollment from home during August. </p>

<p>And my name is Annie! :) The site was updated a week or two ago. Most of the orientations are in late June. :(</p>