University of California-San Diego Top Questions

In biological sciences the school stresses the importance of participating in research in a faculty lab, but so many students need research that it is very difficult to get a position. Applying for positions is also very difficult because professors often don't respond to emails inquiring about available positions. The professors are also often hard to reach because they are busy with research and only set aside one office hours a week and often this conflicts with other classes so you get the feeling that your educational experience as an undergraduate isn't of importance to them.

The campus is too big! I understand that there are means of transportations but wow, I'm guessing I'm going to get a lot of exercise from traveling class to class.

This school is serious and rigorous so it does not offer a wide variety of sororities/fraternities and parties. This can a drawback for some students who would like to experience this type of university life.

The quarters go by so fast but what else did I expect from a university that follows the quarter system. There really isn't anything bad about UCSD unless you hate the beach and nice sunny weather. If you hate those two things, then you're not going to have a good experience. The one thing that is bad is parking and the parking permits. But as a first year, it is good to take the bus to the mall, the grocery stores, and the plus is that transportation is free on the bus!

The social life is severely lacking. In science classes especially, students seem to have very little interest in engaging others in a social manner. Students don't show an interest in pushing themselves to participate in new things. Many students seem to be ignorant of the world around them.

Worst thing for me would be the size of the school, which is really big, so it's hard to get from one end to another without a bicycle or some other mode of transportation. And this also contributes to the whole school being "socially dead" thing.

Too much competition. I am asian, but I have to say it is annoying when you get those kiss-asses always sucking up to the professors to get a better grade. Also, don't forget the douchebags.

The worst thing about my school is probably the way classes are structured around TAs. It's not that TAs are bad, but rather that it would be more beneficial to learn with a professor. It's also much easier to get to know a professor and be able to get a recommendation letter that way. Because TAs are the ones who do all the grading, however, the student ends up getting to know the TA rather than the professor; many classes end without the student getting to know the professor at all.

The worst thing about UCSD is a lack of guidence on professional development. I do not think I ever had a professor talk to me about obtaining and internship or research position which I now realize is very important. The counselors do not offer much guidance in this issue either.

The tuition has increased by 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} since I graduated in 2009. Though it's reputation is highly regarded, it is still pretty pricey for a public university. Also, due to state budget cuts a lot of our campus resources (6 libraries, professor office hours, small class sizes) have been tremendously affected. Parking is horrible, student parking spots are continually decreasing, yet parking permit prices increase every year! Also, a lot of students complain that the social scene is lacking. However, I had plenty of social events to attend- you have to find the fun, it won't come to you.

The worst thing about Santa Clara University, by far, is the expensive tuition and fees.

Parking is the worst every day. Parking is full from 8:00AM to 4:00PM. Most students have to park off campus and take the shuttle to campus.

The worst thing about this school is that it lacks school spirit and school unity. The campus is created to have six different colleges but it creates an atmosphere of college rivalry. It restricts students into believing that they should have college pride rather than pride for the entire university. It seems that because there are so many pre-medical students, everyone is tense and can never loosen up. These students treat college as if it were a competition to be the best but rather the reality is that people just want to get through college.

The worst thing would have to be the price to to go to college. My tuition just recently went up.

Scial aspects, trying to make friends and meet peopl.

The school is very big which can be daunty at times and inconvienient to get from one end to the other especially when living on the far reaches of the campus.

The drugs

The school is very competitive and teachers/counselors do not really help. You can seek your own help, but still school can be challenging for those who are not serious in their studies. Also, social life is kind of hard to aquire here.

The horrendous lack of financial aid; financial aid for UC's in general are terrible. Someone needs to fix it pretty soon.

The social life is pretty bad and there is no mixing between students. You dont get to meet many people unless you really go out of your way and then you would start rub others the wrong way because most are anti-social. I hardly know anybody in my apartment building and I rarely talked to others in my freshman dorm outside my floor. I feel this really is depressing and you really need to take the initiative to get involved because it is unlikely that you will create a strong network with just friends you meet on campus.

The only thing bad about UCSD is that it is not fully recognized by some as being a highly competitive, top-tier public school.

It is very obvious what races/ethnicities are not on campus. For example there's around 2{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} african american students compared to over 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} Asian and white students.

The worst thing about my school is its lack of social opportunities on campus. On the weekends, the campus is pretty much dead and it doesn't attract a lot of students to the school.

The school dorms could REALLY stand for an upgrade in some areas.

The worst thing about my school is the sepeaation of the colleges. This separation causes a decrease in school spirit. Especially without a football team, UCSD has very little opportunities where the students can gather for a spirit event. Although the school tries very hard to encourage students to participate in in school events, the separation of the colleges really affect the efficiency for students to gather together. Sports department is in the B division and that does affect the amount of all campus school spirit in UCSD.

Well, I was advised before I went there that UCSD was boring and no fun, which is partly true if one does not know where to look for all the commotion. In reality one must get involved with organizations, sports, events, etc. to acutally have fun. But there is always the option of joining sororities and fraternities. (I was surprised though that on the weekends there is hardly anyone on campus; it's pretty scary.)

The lack of racial diversity does not adequately prepare students for interactions that they will certainly have in the future. Ethnic minorities are virtually non-existant on campus, and this absence fosters an attitude of resentment towards people of color among the student population. UCSD should diversify its student body in order to provide insight into the cultures of different people.

I think worst thing about UCSD is how there is little focus on forming relationships with other students. Most of the students here are completely anti-social, making it hard to form friendships, study groups, even just talking to people. The level academic prestige of UCSD attracts students that are hermits (staying in their room with little social interaction) and students that do not take time out to have fun or meet new people.

Students are so academically focused they don't get to enjoy la jolla and UCSD to the fullest. We have a rock climbing and archery course on campus and i never took advantage of it! Take some time to visit the surrounding areas.

Because it's in La Jolla after you run out of your two years of on-campus housing you're going to struggle to find a place to live. There is little to none affordable housing nearby, which means that all of the upperclassmen live elsewhere. This makes the school a bit dead on the weekends and tends to make students who were really close to their college when they were underclassmen start to stop caring.

Too academically focused, which makes them not very friendly or helpful because they are too competitive.

Most of the dining halls have some meal items that are repulsive. More choices to choose from would be a great improvement.

There isn't much to do on campus. During the weekends it is quite dead. To be able to do things off campus one would need a car or know someone with a car otherwise you are stuck in your dorm/apartment. Because UCSD does not have a football team or any other team worthy of praise school spirit is quite low and results in a lower state of excitement or pride in our school.

The lack of even diversity. There are lot of one race of peaopl, and few other races.

Cramped, old housing, at least in my college. Difficult getting far off-campus without a car. Expensive.

most students go home during the weekend becasure theres nothing to do

the social aspect is very difficult. It requires a lot of work from the individual in order to be plugged into a community.

greek system. no alpha phi.

It would have to be a tie between student social life and school pride. Students tend to be loners or part of small groups. There is little, if any school pride as well, which is demonstrated by our lack of fans during games.

the social life is not great. i have fun because i have a group of friends that wants to go out and look for things to do. but a lot of students would rather stay in and study on a friday night than actually have a night that resembles a typical college life.

There's so much focus on "chasing the grade" that learning often gets overlooked.

Its so conservative. Students are treated like kids to be monitored. Way too conservative. Seems like most staff are no enthusiastic and simply here for business. UCSD charges for everything you mess up on. For instance parking ticket 45 and doubled within nonpayment for 14 days. Ask students. we are fined for everything! Parking is the most horrific thing on campus. They built new parking but what they don't say is that they got rid of a lot too. UCSD is the definition of conservative money hungry america. No wonder UCSD is one of the richest UC's.

Of the top 3 UC campus', most would rate UCSD number 3. There is a feeling of Berkeley and LA rejects, so school spirit is low. No division 1 sports doesnt help the situation either.

The worst thing about my school is that it lacks college spirit and does not have enough activities for students. The administrators are very unhelpful, the cannot direct you to the right direction if you have a career question. Not just that but the campus itself isolates students from many social activities. The way each college is designed, it cacoons the students.

Lack of the 'typical college' social events.

It somewhat lacked school spirit. But the best thing to do is to join clubs and organizations. Here, it is more about finding your own core group of people.

The fact that the distance between classes is very long sometimes.

there's nothing really bad about UCSD, but i would have to complain about the finacial problems with students, like myself, in not having enough money to make ends meet sometimes because of all the expenses college requires. this is mainly for the students off campus, rent is very expensive near the campus, but if you decide to live a little further you definately need a car.

UCSD is a research oriented school and therefore focuses on training scientists and engineers. Even in the social sciences and the arts there is a strong emphasis on theory and intellectual development. Though this is great for some work areas and further training in an area, there is a need for more classes that focus on training people with practical skills that they will need when employed. Or, even classes provided for certain career paths so that people can learn about them before they venture into the job market.

class sizes, not the best learning environment. most lectures are useless, you have to teach yourself