Hey guys, I’ve narrowed down my college options to either UC San Diego (Revelle college) or UC Irvine with honors(CHP).
Does anyone have any input on either of these schools?
Furthermore, if I were to go to UCI, is the CHP program worth the extra workload and more competitive classes?
Any input is appreciated! Thank you!
@iamthe1batman what are you studying, and what are you looking for from your undergraduate experience? I’m a current freshman in Revelle and can try to answer any questions you might have.
Actually, CHP is not more competitive classes and extra workload. It’s just a way to recognize that your academic accomplishment are better thant he average UCI admit, and to place you in a community of your peers, roughly the 200 most driven freshmen on campus. You’ll have at least one of your classes that’ll be more interactive and personalized each semester of your first two years, which will be a relief after huge lecture halls. The CHP has lots of other benefits: guaranteed on-campus housing and in the best dorms on campus (you can move into a “house” for sophomore year!), special conferences and field trips, help to get scholarships and fellowship, guaranteed space in a special lounge in the library (no trying to find a chair during finals!) and, best of all, priority enrollment (which means you will NEVER have to take an 8 am class again or a class with a bad professor, unless you want to! And these “cool” classes everyone wants to take? Well, they’re yours, guaranteed, because that’s what “priority” means).
Now, UCSD is clearly more selective academically, but I think you’d get benefits through UCI CHP that you wouldn’t get at UCSD and those benefits would outweight the “prestige” difference by creating a much better academic experience and learning environment. The big difference would be “fit” - the two campuses and universities have very different vibes. Have you visited, done an overnight?
What would major be?
Thanks so much for your responses guys. I’m going in as a general biology major, I’ve visited both campuses, I personally liked UCI as a school, I really liked the circular flow of the campus and how everything feels close. At the same time I liked UCSD’s variety of science specialization majors and student-faculty connection.
@MYOS1634 the only thing I don’t feel comfortable with the CHP about is the honors chemistry. I really have no background in chem, and I don’t feel confident going into an entirely new experience starting off with a harder class.
@groverrohan realistically, I’m looking to become a more involved student. In high school I was somewhat disconnected from the school and my resume suffered as a result of that. I really just want to get involved while maintaining a high GPA to improve my chances of getting into med school.
So overall I think that my question to you would be, do you feel like you have a lot of opportunities to excel at UCSD, whether that is doing research or getting involved in a school organization, or do you feel that the revelle GEs and hard classes really take away a large chunk of your time and limit your commitments?
Can you take chemistry through coursera and OCW scholars, over the summer, and to get a better introduction start now with Khan academy?
I wouldn’t be here over the summer, but the khan academy is a good idea! Thank you!
@iamthe1batman There are hundreds of opportunities to get involved here, and while classes are challenging, they’re definitely not all-consuming! A lot of people are on the same pre-med track as you, and everyone’s more or less able to maintain the balance between school, extracurriculars, and fun. To answer each part of your question:
Opportunities to excel: You can definitely take the initiative to stand out. For example, even outside the classroom, it’s not difficult to establish a relationship with a professor. Notably, they’re very accessible during office hours and many students are able to develop relationships with them early on. Also, if your GPA and SAT score qualify you for the Revelle Honors Program (3.8 and above a 700 on each section), you can enroll in the Revelle Honors Seminar, where you get to interact closely with Provost Yu and his selected guest speaker in an intimate discussion environment (around 20 people). There are also Revelle 50 Mondays, where you can get coffee in the commuter lounge on Monday mornings with the provost and some professors. Finally, Revelle and most colleges offer the Dine-with-a-Prof program, which pays for a meal with a professor of your choosing at the Faculty Club or Zanzibar Café.
You can also excel academically, of course. In addition to a variety of peer tutoring options and support services that you can find at https://students.ucsd.edu/academics/advising/academic-success/index.html, there are also several academically oriented organizations on campus where you can socialize with equally driven classmates.
Doing research: research budget over $1 billion (fifth in the nation), and a lot of that trickles down to undergraduates. A lot of my friends have already secured long-term lab assistantships, and with a medical school right on campus and one of the nation’s most active biology programs, research options abound for general biology majors. Professors are always looking for new undergraduates, and there are multiple lab expos throughout the year where researchers introduce themselves and their work to the student body. If you do decide to attend, the only thing stopping you from researching would be you.
Getting involved in an organization: There are hundreds of student organizations on campus, and at least some of those students have to be from Revelle! Classes are hard and the GEs are abundant, but that doesn’t stop anyone from pursuing their interests. I’m a board member on one organization and involved in a couple of others, but there are Revelle students who juggle even six orgs without their grades suffering. Again, you can be as involved as you want!
That might have been too long without telling you very much. tl;dr yes you can get involved all you have to do is want to
PS four hospitals walking distance from campus, seven exclusive teaching hospitals in the area, hella volunteering opportunities
Thats really reassuring to hear, I’m going to go visit the campus again and possibly drop into a couple classes. Thank you so much for taking the time to help me out! I greatly appreciate it!