<p>from everyone ive talked to who goes there i hear the same thing about UCSD, its boring. They always tell me that everyone is so anti-social and all they do is study. This is really really bad. Does anyone know why the campus is dead. Its surely not beacause everyone is so smart that all they care about is studying, look at UCLA and Berkeley, they both have vibrant social scenes and are way better than SD. I personally have two ideas why this is true. </p>
<li><p>THAT STUPID ASS COLLEGE SYSTEM: there is no point to it. i hate it and i feel it divides the campus and makes no sense. they only other uc that pulls this crap is santa cruz, and thats because they are hippies. They should abolish the system, and in the off chance that i go there i will work so hard to make sure that it gets turned over.</p></li>
<li><p>Try Hard Kids (THKs) are no fun: Lets be honest. UCSD is the backup plan for UCLA and Cal. Going to UCSD is like saying, Yes im smart and did well in school, but im not smart enough for UCLA and Cal. UCSD becomes the place where all UCLA and Cal rejects try to prove they are better than those schools to the north. all the end up doing is studying and thus making UCSD the boring place it is.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>What comes down to is that UCSD has a reputation of being a pretty good school with zero fun. This reputation perpetuates itself as people continue to turn down UCSD for UCSB bc its more fun, even though academically UCSD is superior. UCSD has potential. Its a rather pretty campus in a rather nice location. If it could only change its image as the loser of the top 3 UCs it would attract students of a higher grade and in turn boost its ranking. </p>
<p>My friends and I have talked about going to UCSD and trying to be the people that make it fun, but unless theres a large movement consisting of more people than me and my friends, the job wont get done. So heres to UCSD and another year of scaring kids into going to UCSTD (aka UCSB)</p>
<p>Hey, I live in San Diego and I'd have to say the problem is two-fold.</p>
<p>1) UCSD is generally a school where kids who are not necessarily SMART, but who WORK HARD go. As in the kids who don't quite naturally cut it for LA or Berk, but still work hard, end up going here. That means they're not really procrastinators or slackers (like a large percentage of the kids at berk/LA are), and therefore they're probably more mellow than people at other campuses.</p>
<p>2) San Diego, while being an amazingly beautiful place, and is good for either Kids younger than 14 (I grew up in SD...been here 3 years too many tho and absolutely dying to get out), or adults older than 30. I would say that it is PRETTY damn boring, and although it has a lot of attractions/things to see, they're more like touristy kind of **** (like I said, for little kids or older people) so there's not a lot to do. The gaslamp is chill, but it's not like it rivals the nightlives of LA or bay area.</p>
<p>So that's probably why UCSD is so boring. I love San Diego, but I sure as hell don't want to go to school here--I grew up here, want to go to school in a big city, and then come back here once I finish undergrad/3yearsjob/gradschool and get married. </p>
<p>I don't think a handful of kids could change it, because I think the problems discussed above are inherent in the city and not simply a byproduct of actual boring people. But hey whatever, knock urselves out... I'm going to berk hopefully (and at least LA).</p>
<p>Yup. I live in North County San Diego, and let's face it. Even though it's a beautiful area, it's boring. You go outside when it's 10 pm, and the place is practically dead. Like RohanKonimitsu, I'm hopefully going to CAL or UCLA at the least. No more San Diego for me :P (although I might come back when I'm old and boring).</p>
<p>Although I did have a friend who said that partying at the Gaslamp is fun. But if your under 21 then basically your stuck in your dorm watching TV for fun. Boooo.</p>
<p>Well as far as I know, SDSU just has their own college parties and ****, so like, they create their own social scene? And I still don't think its AS good as it is other places.</p>
<p>I looked at UCSD 30 years ago, and it struck me as pretty boring then. I visited again last year with my son, and it still seems pretty boring. Don't get me wrong, I think it is a great school and I think the college system is a good one and not s****y *ss. I think a lot of it has to do with location and size. Walk off campus at UCLA or CAL and you are in the heart of a city. Walk off campus at UCSD and you are in a primarily residential, upscale town. UCSD is spread out over a lot of land, and the housing is primarily around the perimeter. That adds to isolation. Compare it with UCSB and the student ghetto in Isla Vista - lots of kids in a small space translates to much partying. There is a big surfer culture at UCSD, which seems to be the primary antidote to boredom</p>
<p>(Stolen from my other post on another thread)
I read somewhere that the reason SD has a low social life is because the residents in the area refuse to build new restaurants, movie theaters and the sort.
Also SD doesn't let the Greek System have their own houses. And since rent/housing is so expensive in La Jolla, sororities and fraternities never had a chance to develop.
Anyway, I think that was from Princeton Review's complete book of colleges.</p>
<p>You've never heard that before? It was the original University of California. It's the same thing with schools like Wisconsin-Madison and UNC-Chapel Hill.</p>
<p>i mean i am from the suburbs of maryland and we have a mall, a movie theater, and basements with booze. haha so compared to where i live, san diego seems like a pretty amazing place. </p>
<p>san diego may not be as crazy as los angeles, but any place with 23,000+ kids is sure to be exciting right? </p>
<p>i'm still waiting to see whether i get into berkeley though.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The six-college system is based on that of Oxford and Cambridge, in England. Must be a pretty good system if two colleges of that kind of calibur came up with it and still use it to this day.</p></li>
<li><p>A lot of people reject UCLA and UCB to goto UCSD. True, it's stereotypically seen as a school that smart people apply to as a backup, but it's definitely gotten a lot better in the past several years. I think that the reason it seems so boring is because:</p></li>
</ol>
<p>a) People don't know how to take advantage of everything around them. Just because it's not a PARTY PARTY school, since they have like a zero-tolerance booze policy and people there are generally hard working and studious, it doesn't mean they have nothing going on. If you have passions, chances are that you can find an activity to match that passion. If you just want to party, well, maybe you need to get your priorities straightened out and check out CSU Chico.</p>
<p>b) The atmosphere at UCSD is very chill, very relaxed. It's a beachy, breezy, low-key campus with beautiful scenery and comfortable dorms, and as a result, can just seem dead and inactive. In actuality, I've talked to many people about UCSD and almost all of them have expressed their love for it. It's not overly competitive, but academically motivating enough that you don't completely slack off, and the atmosphere is just comfortable and I think they have good standards of living.</p>
<p>Its all about the location. La Jolla isn't exactly conducive to a college party scene. I think the location really adds to the campus, though. I really enjoyed the laid back feel of UCSD over the ultracompetetive vibes that I got from UCLA and Berkeley. And I don't get why UCSD has such a bad rep for the social setting. I doubt its much better at Irvine or Riverside. Sure, it doesn't compare to UCLA, but UCLA is in the middle of freaking westwood. What else would you expect? And considering that UCSD is only like 45 years old, they've done pretty good for themselves. I can't imagine what the school will be like in another 50 years when they've had more time to build up a school tradition/history.</p>
<p>I put the "THK" theory past my D and she totally agreed. She also said that UCSB is for the kids who are just as smart as the UCLA and CAL kids, but slacked off, and still want to slack off in college. So to sum it up:
try really hard/not quite as bright = UCSD
don't try too hard/smart = UCSB
try hard/smart = CAL and UCLA</p>
<p>She also agrees with:
Strong sports = fun campus
Weak sports = dull campus </p>
<p>therefore:
sports enthusiasts not admitted into CAL or UCLA = UCD</p>
<p>i completely disagree that UCSD students are "not quite as bright." UCSD has a highly respected Bio program and many, like me, may turn down LA for SD because of the respectability of the program.</p>
<p>What can you guys think of UCSD --- Muir? Social scene ?</p>
<p>I know that schools can be social without partying like UCLA . But for a city like San Diego, this is unreasonable. How can a city like San Diego have two different schools ranked differently in the social scene? </p>
<p>A school like San Diego State made the top10 PLAYBOY'S party schools but not UCSD ? How can this be logical here? They are both located in San Diego right? San Diego is a beautiful place and I have been there. They have Legoland, Sea World, & Tijuana in Mexico ? </p>
<p>On PLAYBOY TOP15 party schools and I saw UCSB and San Diego State on that list. </p>
<p>Here is that list again.....</p>
<p>The 2002 list read as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li> Arizona State</li>
<li> California State University, Chico</li>
<li> Rollins</li>
<li> Louisiana State</li>
<li> West Virginia</li>
<li> Colorado</li>
<li> Wisconsin</li>
<li> Connecticut</li>
<li> Kansas</li>
<li> ** San Diego State*</li>
<li> Georgia</li>
<li> Ohio State</li>
<li> Iowa State</li>
<li> Florida State</li>
<li> Colorado State</li>
<li> Florida</li>
<li> Tulane</li>
<li> Washington State</li>
<li> East Carolina</li>
<li> Michigan State</li>
<li> Mississippi</li>
<li> University of **California, Santa Barbara*</li>
<li> Lehigh</li>
<li> Vanderbilt</li>
<li> James Madison</li>
</ol>
<p>Honorable Mentions: Miami of Ohio, Ohio University, Colgate, Penn State, Pitt, Southern Illinois, Slippery Rock, Tennessee, Texas, and Dayton.
**
It is hard to believe that 2 schools rank so differently in the same city/location.**</p>
<p>Why is that so hard to believe? Look at who goes to SDSU, and then look at who goes to UCSD. Just because two colleges are in the same area doesn't mean they have the same demographic. Social scenes that happen ON CAMPUS don't have as much to do with the city as much as people like to think.</p>