University of California-San Diego Top Questions

I'd have to say that there are lots of different types of people at our school, and it may take awhile to find your niche because the school is so big, but if you put yourself out there, you'll find someone. As long as your friendly and good hearted, it's not difficult to find someone you can click with. Overall, I think UCSD is full of pretty chill people. The lifestyle differs from the type that likes to relax and smoke to the type that is constantly biking from class to class because walking is too slow. I've never really encountered racism here, but maybe it's because I'm part of the majority as an asian. haha. I've also never really had any religious problems here either. However, on library walk, there's this guy that holds a sign telling us to convert to Christianity, and if you're lucky, sometimes there's someone debating with him. I really like it when that happens, and I like to sit in on the conversation between classes. Lots of point of views being thrown around, and it's enlightening to see both sides of the situation. Sometimes on the shuttle, you hear people talking about the crazy party, the one night stand, boy issues, midterms, exams, and sometimes actual intelligent conversations. I remember one time I was on the shuttle and I heard someone talk about the probability of making a mistake even after practicing a lot. They started talking about the amount of keys on a piano, and then the average amount of keys in a song.... and then the rest kinda just went over my head. I was jealous of their IQ. haha The school dances on campus are ok, but when it comes to the LGBT dance, almost everyone comes out. It's one of the most popular dance every quarter. Most students here just wear a sweater, jeans, and sandals. There are also a handful of people that dress really nice. Generally, it's nothing out of the ordinary. What I did notice was that compared to Cal Poly Pomona, we are less alternative, and compared to UCI, we are less urban. I guess I'm a floater, so I generally hang out with different groups of people all the time. I hang out with super religious people and go to church with them, even though I'm buddhist. I hang out with my bros from my co ed fraternity. I hang out with my tennis friends. I hang out with my nerdy gamer friends. I hang out with basketball friends. I hang out with hip hop dancers. I hang out with people from my dorm freshman year. I hang out with people I meet in my classes. I hang out with people I meet from lab. I hang out with almost everyone! haha The people at my school are from all walks of life, and I can't say which one is better. I guess it depends on what type of people you like to associate yourself with.

I'd have to say that there are lots of different types of people at our school, and it may take awhile to find your niche because the school is so big, but if you put yourself out there, you'll find someone. As long as your friendly and good hearted, it's not difficult to find someone you can click with. Overall, I think UCSD is full of pretty chill people. The lifestyle differs from the type that likes to relax and smoke to the type that is constantly biking from class to class because walking is too slow. I've never really encountered racism here, but maybe it's because I'm part of the majority as an asian. haha. I've also never really had any religious problems here either. However, on library walk, there's this guy that holds a sign telling us to convert to Christianity, and if you're lucky, sometimes there's someone debating with him. I really like it when that happens, and I like to sit in on the conversation between classes. Lots of point of views being thrown around, and it's enlightening to see both sides of the situation. Sometimes on the shuttle, you hear people talking about the crazy party, the one night stand, boy issues, midterms, exams, and sometimes actual intelligent conversations. I remember one time I was on the shuttle and I heard someone talk about the probability of making a mistake even after practicing a lot. They started talking about the amount of keys on a piano, and then the average amount of keys in a song.... and then the rest kinda just went over my head. I was jealous of their IQ. haha The school dances on campus are ok, but when it comes to the LGBT dance, almost everyone comes out. It's one of the most popular dance every quarter. Most students here just wear a sweater, jeans, and sandals. There are also a handful of people that dress really nice. Generally, it's nothing out of the ordinary. What I did notice was that compared to Cal Poly Pomona, we are less alternative, and compared to UCI, we are less urban. I guess I'm a floater, so I generally hang out with different groups of people all the time. I hang out with super religious people and go to church with them, even though I'm buddhist. I hang out with my bros from my co ed fraternity. I hang out with my tennis friends. I hang out with my nerdy gamer friends. I hang out with basketball friends. I hang out with hip hop dancers. I hang out with people from my dorm freshman year. I hang out with people I meet in my classes. I hang out with people I meet from lab. I hang out with almost everyone! haha The people at my school are from all walks of life, and I can't say which one is better. I guess it depends on what type of people you like to associate yourself with.

The students at my school are diverse and come from many background. There are often international student in my courses, with I enjoy due to their unique perspective. There are many clubs for different racial, religious, LGBT, and other groups so everyone can find their niche. Ethnically, I would say the largest majority is asian americans, followed by caucasians. There are not that many african americans which makes me sad. But they're around. Student dress extremely casually, though I like to dress is colorful dresses and sweaters personally. I generally feel I fit in. Many different types of student interact. I come from a lower socio-economic background and know there are many in my exact situation at the university, however many receive more financial support from their parents than I do ($0 aka love and emotional support). Students are politically aware, though not highly active. There is a long history of activism nonetheless though it may not be a huge majority of student participating. We enjoy a good religious/political/social/academic debate and those topics of conversations can regularly be overheard at the library or at a party.

Ethnically, culturally, and socioeconomically UCSD is an incredibly diverse campus. This initially came as a shock having come from a nearly all-white high school, but after several years here I have come to really appreciate the opportunity to experience such diversity that UCSD has provided me. However, one should be aware that the large majority of students here are your stereotypical nerdy Asian, and in all honesty being surrounded by so many has come to be more than annoying during my time here. They tend to isolate themselves and seem to make no effort at assimilation at all. However, that is not to say other groups are any better off in terms of sociability; the vast majority of students here (regardless of race, gender, or ethnicity) are largely anti-social, which can prove to be incredibly frustrating. In terms of economic and geographic background, students are largely your average middle-class Californians. For those with strong political beliefs, it is worth noting that UCSD is a very liberal campus, both in terms of the institution's curriculum/academia as well as its student population. However, kids here seem to be too caught up with studying or not being social to be politically active, and thus political ideology rarely serves to be a divisive issue in the student population. Students here seem to be too caught up in their studies and future incomes.

There are groups for all sorts of backgrounds on campus. However, the sizes and opportunities offered by these groups will probably vary. For instance, there is a large Asian population on campus, and as such, there are many groups targeted towards Asian ethnicities (although others are welcome to join). I've seen various Christian organizations, but in all honesty, I haven't seen very many for other religions, though I know a fair number of students who practice different faiths. I would say that UCSD is fairly LGBT friendly, with LGBT offered housing, a LGBT center, and LGBT events. There is some activism on campus (especially about fee hikes), but there isn't a huge amount, especially compared to some of the other UC campuses like Berkeley.

Of course, there is competition at UCSD like anywhere else in the world, and there are a few students who are ruthlessly competitive to the point they refuse to lend pencils to other students. However, UCSD students are generally very friendly and willing to work with other students and "run the race" together. UCSD racial diversity is somewhat low when observed through statistics (high Asian and Caucasian population and especially low Native American and African American population), but it wasn't as intense when qualitatively observed as the statistics seem to say it is. There are always political messages going around (Library Walk) and campaigns that call forth environmental consciousness, that allows students to not just focus on academics but once in a while turn our attention to more severe issues in the world.

Although UCSD is not as racially diverse (predominantly Asians and whites), there is a huge diversity of beliefs. Christianity is really pervasive on this campus as seen by numerous massive Christian organizations, but I'm not a Christian, and I've never felt left out. There is an LGBT community, and there is significant socio-economic diversity. Most students wear jeans and a tshirt to class. There is a group of politically active students, and there are various groups for Democrats and Republicans. Out of the hundreds of student organizations, it is definitely not hard to find one that fits you.

Students at UCSD tend to be very unique. There are many different sub-groups of people and UCSD has entire centers devoted to them, such as the LGBTQ center, Cross Cultural Center and Student Sustainability Collective just to name a few. It's true that my experience has revealed most students to hold liberal beliefs, but this is relative. It's hard to pinpoint a particular socio-economic status because there is so much diversity! As a public school it turns out that there is a fairly representative proportion to that of California at large. My experience has also been that students are very politically aware, and in my conversations care more about making a difference in their career than they do in bringing home a big paycheck. In class, most students are open to interaction if you give them the opportunity to do so. UCSD students are willing to voice their opinion if they have a strong one, but also are open to new ideas. I've found that attire is very diverse among students. Go into a philosophy class and you'll find blazers and slacks. Go into a psychology class and you'll find t-shirts and sweat pants. Go into a math class and...well you get the idea.

There are simply a plethora amount of student organizations on campus. There is an LGBT center, Muslim student union, Vietnamese student association, Black student union, etc. I feel that with UCSD's low enrollment numbers of African American students, these students would feel the most out of place just because they don't see their people represented on campus as much compared to other races. Students generally wear whatever they are comfortable in. When I use to live on campus and had 8 am class, I wore my PJs or simply sweat pants to class. It really doesn't matter what you wear to campus as long as its not interfering or distracting to anyone's learning. College sweatshirts are a big deal and are very comfortable! Different types of students do interact. For example, the students from Black Student Union work very closely with other organizations that are apart of the SAAC (Student Affirmative Action Committee such as Muslim Student Union, Asian Pacific Islander Student Alliance, etc.). If you see a group of students eating in a dining hall together, they are probably first or second years because they tend to eat and go everywhere in groups. In addition, they're probably good friends from back home or currently live together. Most of the students that I know of are from Los Angeles county. There are also students from all over the world that live in the International Housing on campus. Students are politically aware at UCSD. There has been many teach ins, rallies, and conferences held at UCSD regarding different issues such as education equity.