University of California-San Diego Top Questions

It is apparent just from taking a look at the school website that UC San Diego employs some of the most noteworthy faculty. Many professors are highly qualified and well-known in their fields of study with degrees from ivy league schools. However, the class sizes are quite large, so getting to know the professor on a personal level takes a little more initiative on the student's part. Most professors hold office hours for students who just want to drop in to say hi or to ask questions, and they are generally very flexible about scheduling appointments. UC San Diego offers a wide variety of courses to take in each department with many choices in core and elective classes. The general education requirements give students an opportunity to explore classes outside their majors, which makes them more well-rounded upon graduation.

The academics at UCSD are extremely rewarding. I'm a psychology major (one of the best undergrad psych programs in the nation) and have always been very satisfied with the coursework. In my free time I also enjoy taking courses in philosophy, which also happens to be a top program in the nation. I've found that many of my professors know me by name, including in lectures of 400 students and more. Of course I sit in the front row and always engage with the professors both in class and out. They are all very friendly and find subject-relevant and non-relevant conversation to be easy to carry out with them all. I have not met a professor that I have not genuinely liked and thought fair. My favorite course has been the psychology of Happiness with Dr. Christenfeld. The class was basically an examination of the leading research and philosophies regarding what it is and what it takes to be happy in life. The class was highly discussion based, and it seems there was always room to learn from each others ideas. Even if you aren't a psychology major, take this class! You won't regret it. As a matter of fact, take anything with Dr. Christenfeld. I also found my class on Hellenistic Philosophies, taught by Dr. Monte Johnson, to be fascinating and insightful, another I would highly recommend so long as you enjoy some hardy debate! In order to maintain my GPA I've found that I generally will study about 4-8 hours at minimum for a given exam for a given course. This is probably less than most people will tell you they spend, and in all truth I will often study more simply for my interest in the class. Also if you're a hard sciences major, expect to study more! Education at this school is geared towards learning for its own sake. You'll find that courses are chalk full of interesting theory that will really have you thinking critically, but don't expect them to be workshops. These are offered on campus, but the classroom is not used for this purpose.

Lecture based classes are usually 100-300 students per class. Generally, most of the first and second year courses (general education) are comprised of large lecture halls. As you become an upper division student (by earning more units through classes), your class size seems to shrink (depending on your major as well). However, professors will know your name if you make the effort and give your professor an opportunity to know your name. If you go to office hours, ask questions in class, email professors with questions, or even have lunch with your professor through the "Dine with a Professor" program, then the professor will know your name. One of my favorite class is BIMM 121-Medical Microbiology. The professor for BIMM 121 was simply passionate for his expertise. I think that having passion as a professor is something that really inspires their students. BIMM 121 was a tough and demanding class, but the professor made it enjoyable. My least favorite class would have to be the entire general chemistry series. The professors that I had for these courses were horrible and lifeless, which made the course dull. Again, if there is passion, there will be interested students. Your selection of your courses will determine how much you study. I studied more for biology and science classes than I did for psychology courses. On average, I study for about 2 hours for my science classes per day. For psychology courses, I generally study a few days before the midterms. Class participation is common in certain courses, but it really depends on how professors like to structure their courses. Some courses are heavily based on participation and some are not at all based on participation. I am taking a psychology course right now that incorporates a lot of participation in class- for example, we present articles in class, discuss articles in class, etc. Students do have intellectual conversations outside of class, especially after a midterm. I would say that students are competitive at UCSD because the majority are biology majors and the majority wants to become some sort of doctor (but that later changes after their first 2 years at UCSD).

It really takes effort to know your professors, requiring you to go into office hours to ask questions and be proactive, especially if you're more shy in large lectures to talk or ask questions. But it's not impossible! All the professors are very nice, and are more than happy that people actually go to office hours. There are some weird Visual Arts classes, and I personally don't like the art department here, but social science professors are all quite similar.

Classes are made up of about 100-300 students on average so it is best to befriend your TA. Professors don't know your name right from the start but if you attend their office hours, they will get to know you better and identify you from the pack. We have a quarter system established here at UCSD; we have three quarters in each school year and each quarter is 10 weeks long plus a week of finals. Because the quarter system goes by so fast, students study a lot to keep up with their classes (average class load are 3-4 classes per quarter) but it is manageable. Every college in UCSD has different GE requirements. The most demanding GE's are Revelle's and Eleanor Roosevelt while the least is John Muir College (best college if you want to double major or graduate early). Students have plenty of intellectual discussions outside of class. It depends on who you hang out with but there are plenty of places where you can talk about your interests in student organizations. There are plenty of organizations (like high school clubs) where you can talk politics, literature, music, philosophy, architecture, and engineering.

The 6 college system can be great or horrible depending upon your selection and your major. Revelle is the most traditionally and balanced of the colleges. Warren caters to engineering students, ERC to sociology students, etc. If you're in a major which the college you're in doesn't specifically emphasize, it's probably a good idea to change colleges within UCSD otherwise you might find yourself taking GE classes which you hate and spending an extra couple of quarters trying to graduate.

students are really competative and like to study

Classes are very good at UCSD and often challenges. The only bad thing is classes are large-especially intro classes. For those, you usually have TAs, but they are not always on the same page as your professor, and this can lead to confusion, especially when it comes to tests. As you start to take upper division classes, class size gets smaller, and it is less intimidating to speak up in class or get the courage to go to office hours

Classes are largely anonymous and suppress independent thought. Science classes are extremely difficult and people study ALL THE TIME. Some professors in the social sciences are amazing but by and large the lower division science professors suck big nuts. I took math for science and engineers and it boned me sideways! I study Economics and Biology, both departments oscillate in and out of the top 10 nationally. They're both extremely focused on research and theory but the advisers say UCSD students have a good acceptance rate into graduate school. UCSD is a superior school for academics; come here if you want access to overwhelming resources.

Class participation is not too common (at least in the science classes), and professors will only know your name if you go to office hours occasionally. Classes are hard but tend to be fair and the studying is managable if you stay on top of it.

Just because UCSD is a large school absolutely doesn't mean that you can't get to know your professors. Some classes are super small, and some are huge. Most if not all of the social science professors are friendly and helpful to students. We have some really fun classes, like psychology of human sexuality and history of piracy and I loved my class on sociology of globalization and developing nations.

Professors do not know your name unless you visit them in office hours or talk to them outside of class or consistently doing VERY well on tests/projects/essays. My favorite classes have been my Spanish Literature classes taught by Jorge Mariscal (Chicano Culture in the 1980s) and Sara Johnson(Literature of Cuba, History of the Spanish-speaking countries of the Carribean, Spanish Literature of the Caribbean) -- both professors are musts if you want to take any type of Spanish class. If you are a Cognitive Science student, you must take at least one class from Jaime Pineda, because that will be the most you will ever learn EVER. I am a Revelle student and our academic requirements are ridiculous, but it has proven to put me above other candidates for jobs. An education from Revelle is really geared toward creating a well-rounded individual who will contribute to society.

Professors will take the time to know you. If you go into their office hours, they will go out of their way to help you. I have had some really cool TA's. Studying outside of class is a must!!! Read your texts! I love that General Ed revolves around your major. So you don't need a bunch of senseless classes. I have had some really awesome classes like Poli Sci 13: Power & Justice with professor Houston. There was a lot of room for discussion in and out of class. I highly recommend you take advantage of all the help that is offered. People are there to help. DON'T PROCRASTINATE. because procrastination is like masturbation... haha you do the math.

-while i really like the bigger lectures because if i miss a class, no one notices, smaller classes are really nice getting to know professors. - my favorite class was ukelele class. that was amazing and fun! take it!! :D - i hate having smart conversations outside class. i don't like talking about school, and it's kinda annoying when people bring up subjects that you learned in class and want to discuss. - there's two wayy different opposite sides of the spectrum. there's those kids who all they do is study and then there's the kids who only study when necessary.. like right before a test. - students are so competitive, it's ridiculous.

The Vis Arts program at UCSD is incredibly focused on the intellectual aspect of art, which is fine, but it can be overly suffocating at times. My favorite professors thus far are Hock and JP Gorin- both share a passion for their craft and for teaching (actual teaching) the students. I would like to see more VIS classes offered in the daytime, as having class nearly every weeknight is a huge pain.

You can tell that some of the professors here are here to teach because they show that they care for their students. They make an effort to try to help the students understand the course material. However, I do hear a lot of complaints about professors that are just here to do research, not to teach (so this screws a lot of people over). I think UCSD has really pushed me academically, though. It's a tough school. I really enjoy psychology and ethnic studies courses. I really did not like VIS3, it was way too demanding of a class for a GE.. and ART class too. I got my lowest grade here in VIS3... all over an ART class. come on. I also don't like PHIL/POLI 27 as a GE. Some of my friends really tried hard in that class and ended up with C's... for another GE class... which really hurts the GPA... which brings me to my next point: the GPA system. I HATE IT. it sucks that minuses can bring your grade down so much. It's really tough...

They are what you make of them. Study something you are interested in and you are likely to enjoy. Professors are available if you make an effort. General Ed's are pretty ridiculous: how does a student from Roosevelt get the same degree as a Muir student?

GE's depend on your college and they vary in strictness and difficulty. Lowed division classes are usually fairly large but there are many smaller seminars that you can take as well (they are only 1 unit and graded on a pass/fail scale). In the seminars you can meet a lot of people easily who are interested in the same things you're interested in. As far as professors go if you go to office hours they will know you. Also we have a dine with a professor program where you can have a meal with the professor of our choice.

Syudents are competitive. But everything is pretty good. In the time I've been here, and the 12 classes or so I have taken, I have only had one professor who didn't care and was being forced to teach my class. And if you express an interest in the class - the professors will notice. For istance, I was taking linguistics with Professor Kluender and it was the third or so class, and I answered a review question from a previous lecture and the professor asked my name. The next class a week later I went to answer another question, and the professor remmebrer who I was, and even though I was averaging a B- on the tests, I got a B+ in the class (probably because of that particiaption - the professor knew my name and bumped my grade up). In the large classes people have to study to do well. For instance, in my gen chem classes, there are 600 people (in 2 different classes) taking the same final. Someone is going to get a 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}, and in order to be competitive, and get a decent grade in teh calss, you have to study, but even then just because you study doesn't mean you are going to do well. My first quarter I relied on what I learned in high school. I got a C (and I took AP - got a 3 on teh test - and Honrs chem) but college is hard, and competitive, so you have to study. The next quarter I studied my ass off, and I still got a C, probably because evryone else was doing the same thing. My biggest suggestion. Take a foreign lanugage your first year of college. Save the rest of your GE for later, when you need easy classes amidst your intense workload of major classes, but take a foreign lanugage because they are small calsses of (I've had one as few as 6 to as many as 35). And you get to know people. I'm partial to ASL if you want to know an interesting "foregin" language where you don't have to conjuagte verbs. But HELL YEAH ITS HARD!

Classes are large, no doubt. I am only a second year, but it is seldom that I enroll in classes of fewer than 100 or 150. There are opportunities to enroll in smaller classes, such as freshmen/undergraduate seminars of 15-20 people, but these opportunities are sparse. Luckily professors and T.A.'s are very approachable and have office hours through the week. The academic rigor here at UCSD nis intense, and easily comparable to any top university in the nation. Some come to UCSD expecting to skate by like they did in High School, and these people do often get shot down by the competition in many classes. Competition does not take the form of antagonism in the classroom (surprizing), even though most classes have some sort of a curve instuted. What I have found is that the difficulties students face bring them together, normally intheir angst against specific classes or professors (who tend to by unusually difficult). If you want to be in the top 5{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of your graduating class here, you better get a 3.85 or higher, and that is not due to any grade inflation, as I have spoken to many outside grad schools who mention that UCSD students grades tend to recieve inflation from admission committees when being compared to students from other universities (such as USC or NYU).