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 Undergrad (139) 
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 Life at UCSD (Comments) 
 Life after UCSD (25) 
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Total Grad Surveys 10
Females 3
Males 7
Avg years at University 3.2
Research Quality C+ (5.4)
Research Availability C+ (5.3)
Research Funding C- (3.7)
Graduate Politics C (4.8)
Errand Runners C (4.7)
Degree Completion C- (4.2)
Alternative pay [ta/gsi] B- (6.4)
Sufficient Pay C- (4.2)
Competitiveness C+ (5.6)
Education Quality C (4.3)
Faculty Accessibility C- (3.5)
Useful Research C+ (5.3)
"Individual" treatment D (2.6)
Friendliness C- (3.9)
Safety B (7.0)
Campus Beauty C+ (5.7)
Campus Maintenance B (6.7)
University Resource/spending C (4.7)
Extracurriculars C- (4.1)
Success-Understanding C- (3.9)
Surrounding City B- (6.3)
Social Life/Environment C- (3.5)

Cons:
Asian students Galore! Not sure who's running the show in admissions but lack of diversity isn't helping anyone.

Professors who can't speak English (probably associated with the first con...)

All the architectural wonders they've built to attract students.

Parking is a mess ...

No hot chicks

Chicks are nerds to toss in some hygiene problems as well.

Pros: Great City, beach, PB....

Personally I wish I had went elsewhere. Peel back the onion and you'll quickly see the flaws. Yes I'm white so if you're Asian you might dig this place.
Feb 07 2012
Business - Management and Administration

This is my school, and I chose this school because it is the best!

The quality of education is great. Every class that I have taken at this university has been extremely helpful and powerful for my ongoing growth, whether it be a research methods class, a group dynamics seminar, or an investigation into non-profit organizations in Guatemala.

The professors are here because they do care and love teaching. All of my professors provide readings that open my perspective and present information in class in a way that is interesting and useful. Sometimes there are interpersonal learning activities, films, and field trips that supplement my personal learning. My academic advisor is an amazing person who has studied leadership, theology, and education and has been a great resource in helping me to plan for my future.

The campus is one of the most beautiful campuses in the country....Spanish Renaissance style buildings on top of a hill overlooking the city amidst palm trees. The buildings and grounds are very clean and well cared for.

Established in 1949, USD has not been around for as long as other major, well-known universities and is only beginning to acquire a really strong academic reputation. Lately, it has been getting very competitive and seems to be harder and harder to be accepted into year after year. Their law school and business school rival larger schools with bigger reputations in terms of test scores and selectivity numbers alone, for example. I could totally understand. Who wouldn't want a first-rate education on a beautiful campus in one of America's most awesome cities with access to lots of beaches and fun places to go?
Feb 09 2010
Other

Everything depends on you at UCSD.

I did my undergraduate degree here, and (in hindsight) only came here for grad because undergrad didn't prepare me well enough to know what I wanted to do with my life (!!!). I was lucky to find a researcher with funding (which ran out) and the will to support me for a PhD, however once I realized what I wanted to do with my life I applied elsewhere (getting m.s.).

If you know exactly what you want to research and who to do it with, or you are a professional triathlete/swimmer/surfer, or you already live in SD and treat Grad school like a job, UCSD is for you. These are the people that succeed here more often.

Social life is entirely self-generated--there's a lot of people doing stuff but you have to put effort into meeting people. Everything is spread out in all of San Diego, UCSD is no exception--the physical separation makes social life more difficult. You NEED a car (or friend with one) if you plan on having a life on the weekends. La Jolla itself is an overpriced summer home location--i.e. nothing to do. Hillcrest/downtown are cool, but 30 min drive. Miramar One apartments have a more social atmosphere, but the only social scene there is a small coffee house. Don't take apt's that face the sun or upper floors--no air conditioning. Oh and you can hear rush hour on the 5 freeway. Coast apts and Mesa apts are ideal but in limited supply (2 year wait list).

As has been mentioned, UCSD has bad weather, just not AS bad as other places. June is overcast the whole month; summer can get pretty hot; Fall/Winter it rains (not usually heavy).

Housing is a pain in the butt. You might move around several times before finding a place you can call home--demand housing on arrival if you can, if not I don't recommend moving into a place off-campus until you visit the apt and meet the roommates.

The plasma program in engineering is simply not suited to someone coming from an engineering background. Only study this if you have a strong physics background, as the courses weren't designed for engineers (I learned this the hard way...). Of course, if you studied engineering and graduated in 4 years with 3 majors, go right ahead...and just because a course is listed doesn't mean anybody actually teaches it...

I'll repeat that if you are a TA, expect little guidance, little pay, lots of work, and clueless undergrads. Some profs are great, some not-so great. There's a TA Union for a reason...join it.

Alcohol policy on campus makes department gatherings a pain to organize. There's no central social place for TGIF's and the offices in EBU 2 are small and packed. Most buildings on campus look really cool, but weren't designed for human's convenience. While you're getting underpaid and overworked, you'll wonder how the university can afford to build masterpiece works of architecture.
Jun 25 2008
Mechanical Engineering

this place sucks. They exploit graduate students as Ta's.
One cannot trust that the deadlines they give you to finish the Phd are for real and most of the time the university will not kkep their word regarding the terms and conditions under which one is accepted as a graduate student there.
go somewhere else. I do not recommend this schoolf or graduate studies at all. I have seen professors to destroy careers of graduate students just to feed their own ego.
Graduate life in the humanitites is full of politics and faculty members hate each other what makes very difficult for grad students to work with different professors
this place suck and I cannto wait to get out of here!
Nov 14 2006
English

UCSD is a quality school for Chemistry. There are a few department hassles, but generally speaking the admin are above average from what I've read. Havnig a boss with tenure and good funding helps a lot.
Apr 18 2005
Chemistry

I'm 27, and I had been out of grad school for a few years. UCSD, much to my surprise (when I finished undergrad things were just starting to be computer dominated) is TERRIBLY organized. This campus is the worst...there's no parking EVER, the electronic system is horrible, and so far my professor doesn't seem to have time for anyone who isn't holding a financial commitment to him to do more research. This is a sad school in my opinion, and I was hoping for more from this California high-tech school. I did my undergrad at Michigan, and UCSD has a long way to go if it hopes to be compared to the top schools.
Nov 07 2004
Engineering Department

UCSD is not a place to select lightly. It is a great place if you want to focus 120% of your time on research, and do not want to have a significant family/social life. Great rewards go to those who can achieve in that environment; I was not one of them. I like a little balance in my life.

The professors are either golden (the Best I have known) or totally useless. Network well to pick the best to meet your needs. The students are kind; you will trauma-bond with a few of them.

Though I am happy attending UCSD brought me to San Diego, I do not think I would select it again for graduate school. The most successful grad students were those who were married; their spouses were able to bring in enough to take care of life's basic needs. La Jolla is a premium community; it is tough living on a grad student salary.
Jan 28 2003
Chemistry

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