University of California-San Diego Top Questions

people rarely participate in class because there with the quarter system there is so much to cover in each class, those people that ask off topic questions are annoying. some of the general education requirements at this school are ridiculous. i really started to enjoy school once i began upper divison courses that were more specialized to what i wanted to learn. at that point i began to learn for learnings sake, not just to graduate. get rid of so many general ed requirements.

I went to one of my bio professor's office hours once and we talked for a bit and then invited me to visit him over the summer to see his mutant cornfield that he's growing for his research! I see him around campus every now and then and he'll stop to say hi and chat if he has time. One day, my friends and I were having lunch at a dining hall when a random professor just came and sat at our table. He introduced himself and then we talked about just about everything for nearly two hours. It was so fun because he was so interesting.

SOOO hard and competitive, in regards to the science courses.

Some know my name. Favorite: Hard to answer, but I'd probably say Gospel Choir (MUS95G). Worst: Linear Circuits (MAE140) mainly because the professor was BAD! Students study A LOT! I'd probably say we treat studying like a full time job (literally ~8hr/day). Class participation is very common. Yes we have intellectual conversations outside of class, but we also know when to act goofy. YES STUDENTS ARE COMPETITIVE! Humanities 5 - we met two Holocaust survivors. Bioengineering = cool professors, administration could be better. Biology = cool professors and nice administration. GREAT DEPARTMENT. Yes, I spend time with professors outside of class. Well, it depends on the college (you are usually in one of our six colleges). I can speak for REVELLE. REVELLE is a GREAT department. We have a lot of GE'sm but it makes us well rounded and ready for the real world. I think UCSD is geared for both. It's geared so that you can obtain a job in an area you truly choose to grow in. Many people from UCSD continue their education by going to graduate school after receiving a bachelor's degree. It's awesome.

Lecture professors don't know my name. Favorite class - Public speaking! Least - Warren Writing... People are ALWAYS studying...it's UCSD! People are active in class, if they go... Lots of intellectual conversations. VERY competitive. Most unique class - Music & Film class! Major: Communications - I'd tell you but I haven't been able to get into that class yet...

Professors often dont know your name, but if you choose to get to know them, they will get to know you. I love psyc classes. Students study different amounts depending on the class.

Academic life at UCSD is rather difficult, as many of the professors are researchers who expect a lot more from students than memorization. With such a large student body, it’s difficult to get to know professors personally, despite the different departments’ insistence on building professor/student relations. The general education requirements differ from college to college, and if you plan to graduate on time then you should consider which college you choose before applying (switching between colleges is rather difficult). Easiest general education requirements can be found in Muir College; most difficult GEs in either Revelle or Roosevelt. The courses are interesting, and a lot of them require dedication and detail to the learning process itself, let alone the subject matter. However, a degree from UCSD is coupled with research experience—if you can get in with a professor and help with their research, you are almost guaranteed a job opening upon graduation. With that said, it is a very competitive school in biological sciences, mathematics, and engineering, although there are many communication majors and other humanities majors that compete for the top grade. Students therefore study a lot, probably more so than at other schools, for midterms and finals. It’s also difficult given the quarter system: ten weeks to learn the material before moving onto the next class can be both a blessing and a plague, depending on the professor, course, etc.

Professors do not know your name. My favorite class was a mandatory writing class. My least was chemistry. Class participation is not common. In science, UCSD is the MOST competitive, hard-core school.

Many classes are large lecture hall classes with 200 students so professors do not know names. But there are also many small classes where professors will know names. My favorite class was PSYC4 (Intro to Behavioral Psyc) with Dr. Jacob. Students study ALL the time, it's a little scary. There's a lot of competition here. Class participation is only common in small classes or discussion sections, not large lectures. The most unique class I've taken was MUS15 - Techno music. It was odd. The Psychology Department is amazing, but also VERY research based which is to be expected. I have not spent time with professors outside of class, except for the class I TAed for. UCSD's academic requirements vary by college. I think Muir college is amazing for GE's, but others like ERC and Revelle are horrible. The education at UCSD is definitely geared to learning for its own sake with very little real world applicability discussed.

students study a lot because of the quarter system's fast faced nature.

Professors rarely know my name because all the lower division classes have 200 or more students. Class participation is not especially common, students are not that competitive. Students study a lot. I feel like the gen. ed requirements are way too intense, especially considering you don't even really get to choose which college you're in.

the events and classes that bring in the top achievers in their fields are the most interesting because it is living proof that the major goes somewhere. Especially great if the speakers are people we all can relate to because it makes the academics feel not so impossible. It is amazingly competitive and scary but i hope to make close contacts with future professors because i like the upper division courses better than any of the professors i have had so far.

i think the education is about learning for its own sake. if you work in a lab, you can start to know professors. i think that is one of the best things i did at ucsd. it was real hands on experience.

Professors don't know my name, it's really hard to get to know them. My favorite class was Asian American literature because I'm Asian American and I learned a lot about my culture and people. My least favorite was Muir 40 and 50. I think students study a lot. Class participation is not commmon, it's always the same people talking. Rarely do students have conversations outside of class. Students can be competitive. The most unique class I've taken is VisArt: Performance Art. I like my Comm. department, but there's always waitlist problems, and the frequency of each class being offered each quarter. I do feel like education here is geared toward learning.

Some professors know my name. I dont have a favoirte. every is too hard and consumes my life.

Classes here are pretty tough. Usually in most of the lower division courses I have taken, there are a least a couple hundred students in class and the only way a professor would know your name is if you made an effort to see them after or outside of lecture. I don't think I spend more time studying than my friends that go to SDSU, but there are students here who study a lot. I would say that each class requires about one to two hours of indirect homework per lecture. (What I mean by indirect is that it isn't graded so like readings etc...). I am a human development major and I am definitely thinking about applying to medical school. I love my major and the classes I have taken here have all taught me a lot and have been really interesting. I am an ERC student, and unfortunately for me, that college is more geared towards international studies and history majors, so for me the general education requirements have been annoying to fulfill; however, I do feel like I am getting a very well rounded education.

Some professors know my name. My favorite class has been the MMW series. I hated Calculus. Students are very competitive here.

Professors don't know your name if you're in one of the larger majors (like history or poli sci) but other majors, like writing and some engineering, contain more workshop style courses and they will get to know your name.

Yes, professors know my name. But that takes effort! Go to office hours, answer question in class, shoot an email. I'm a psychology and linguistics double major and I have nothing but the best things to say about the program. I hate that people think psychology is an "easy major" but if you challenge yourself and take rigorous classes you will be pleasantly surprised by how much you can achieve. I guess students study a lot? But I doubt that's all they ever do, maybe some, but aren't there bookworms everywhere? Class participation happens, and is encouraged. At least in the classes I have taken. I don't know about Science and Math majors, I hear interesting stories about the classes and professors... Intellectual conversations happen, but again you have to surround yourself with the right people. You will figure out who is like you and what they have to offer to your personal development. Plenty of newspapers, magazines and reading material to enhance your mind. The requirements here at UCSD vary on the colleges. I know about Revelle College, and I can honestly say that the wide breathe of requirements bolsters your resume for graduate school or professional careers. Many students opt out of the Humanities Program, which is a mistake. Humanities is a 5 quarter writing series that will influence the way you think of the Wester World, from Greek Civilization to modern day philosophy and arts. Just take it!

Only a few professors know my name. My favorite classes have been with a specific professor, Nitin Govil. He's an amazing guy and he pushes his students to excel. Even though his class is very challenging, he makes it possible for students to do well, guiding them with his lectures and offering help in and out of class. Studying rates vary at UCSD. Some study more than you could ever believe and some just don't study at all. I think it depends on the major and how you feel about academics. Class participation is the same way. In large classes, you're always going to have the kid who won't shut up with the occasional random student raising his or her hand. In smaller classes, it is more common for students to participate. Depending on the major, students can be EXTREMELY competitive. As a Communication major, it's only competitive to get into certain classes, not necessarily in the classes themselves. The most unique class I've taken is one on Science Fiction. I'm definitely not into all that stuff, but I found myself actually enjoying and learning a lot from and about the genre of film. The Communication department is very interesting, being that it is CommunicatioN, not CommunicationS. Our department is very theory based and doesn't offer the same type of practical experience that others do. Thus, the education from this department is definitely geared toward learning for its own sake, as opposed to getting a job.