A Senior's Guide to UCSD: An Overview

Posted by Dianne on April 06, 2017 in 2017, San Diego, ucsd,

Helloo! I know Triton Day's coming up, and I also know that people like to gloss over beginning text like this. I just wanted to briefly mention that since it's the start of my spring quarter, I would like to gather a bit of all that I've learned here at my university and shove it into one post. Maybe multiple posts. This is more geared towards people heading to Triton Day this Saturday, since they're prospective students.

Left: Four Years ago on Triton Day

Right: This morning's desaturated view

Both are from the view of the 9th floor of Tioga--

it's something else when you actually go up there,

just please mind the people who actually live there!

Tiniest background bio:

• *I'm a History major, a Lit/Writing minor.
• *I'm in Muir College (best college) (I wish I could lie but honestly I'm not going to)
• *Mexican-American roots; more on the introverted side, hence no exuberant social life
• *Lived on-campus for three years, off-campus for one

And now to advice re: the university as a whole, how I spent my four years here, and what I would have changed.

UC San Diego

Fun fact, the school actually called me prior to getting my acceptance letter in the mail. I thought it was a nice touch for them to let me know that I was accepted. They like doing this with underrepresented minorities. When I was enrolled, Mexicans comprised 12% of the ethnic makeup of the school. Nowadays it's at 13%. Asians make up the majority of the population, and you'll get used to this very quickly.

I nearly chose Sixth College as my main college of choice. Then I chose Muir because of its environmentalist stance, and I'm sure as hell glad I did. Muir has a really great vibe, very relaxed, probably full of the greatest people you'll ever meet, and I'm biased saying that, I really am. The History Department's located in Muir College, Pines was my go-to place for my favorite breakfast order (eggs + tater tots + gravy on top), and the temperature was fairly colder and more soothing compared to the other side of campus. Also, there's two Pokemon Go gyms, one at Sun God lawn and one at the green table up the stairs from John's. Muir's GEs are the lightest compared to the others, although I believe they might be changing that in the future; paired with the history major, which had pretty minimal pre-requisites compared to the countless STEM majors, it was easier getting into classes. 

I had the absolute pleasure of being in F House my freshman year in the Tioga dorms, and I haven't regretted that decision. The people I met in F House are people I still talk to to this day. My roommate of four years now was my first roommate--I was really blessed, really, to be matched within F House to someone with a lot of similar interests (crafts, anime, we actually first bonded over Attack on Titan and Free! which is mighty hilarious in retrospect). F House was hella spirited & hella inclusive, and I look back on those days with absolute fondness. Muir College is known for all sorts of things, including its annual pumpkin drop (always great to watch). I'm still creating memories there, that's how much I love it.

Sophomore year we somehow managed to get a second floor apartment in Tamarack, and that was also a swell time. Super convenient for Pines, and sophomore year was defined by 10 o'clock visits to John's during finals week. The quarter system is fast-paced, that's the honest truth, but it's nice to be able to learn so much more in that same time period. And sure, we get out later than semester schools, but if we dislike a teacher, we only have to grin & bear it for ten weeks (although the horror stories of ochem remain). During sophomore year I also had the opportunity to join Tzu Ching, the UCSD branch of Tzu Chi, and from there on I kept volunteering, specifically in tutoring because I bonded with some of the kids at a regular event. I really enjoyed volunteering, and continue to do so, but I'm really going to miss it when I've graduated.

Junior year I lived in the Village, which is on the outskirts of UCSD, by the Torrey Pines Gliderport. And boy, is it far away. I mean, it's a manageable walk (~17 minutes with a brisk walk to get to Warren Lecture Hall), but it basically prepped us for commute life lmao. Also made it super convenient to get the Bistro, which must be nice for people who enjoy sushi (which I wasn't a part of). Last year I delved more into my writing minor, completing it and tutoring here and there as an extension of the writing classes. The Literature Department is really chill, you guys. We have our sardonic jokes here & there and the staff is the best (shoutout to Danny, who is absolutely the friendliest staff member I've ever met and super efficient when I need a last-minute department approval to sign up for a class the day of first pass registration). 

Senior year I am off-campus! In an undisclosed location until I graduate. (I'll update this post & review my apartment complex once I graduate, I promise). The bus commute is A-okay based on my destination, and my route happens to pass through so many Pokemon Go stops lmao. I think ideally, you could wait until junior year to go off-campus. Plenty of people make their core friend groups their freshman year, but I've met a lot of transfers who've all found pals within their departments. I've done a lot more office hours with professors, which has been incredibly daunting but also nice, too. You just have to click with the right professors. :)

The university is! A place, that's for sure. There are various disparities and a general critique that I could include here, re: pots of money and bureaucracies, but it is something you learn as you go--that way, you could reflect on it with your peers in your personal environment, in tune with the activism of your companions. Overall, though, I've been super satisfied with my experience! It's more about what you put in it. Personal investment is a two-way street.

Tidbits about Life in La Jolla/San Diego

Oh, this life. La Jolla sure is fancy, with its expensive downtown areas (and its nice gelato) and incredible disconnect with the larger San Diego area (shoutout to gentrification and high rent typical of San Diego), but the weather is absolutely gorgeous. I was born in San Diego, I lived half my childhood here, so San Diego's beauty isn't really a surprise. That's one incredible perk of getting to go to this school: the weather gives you the flexibility to explore any time you want.

Places I've Adored & Will Still Adore

• Balboa Park (a classic, both in history and the amount of walking you can do)
• San Diego Zoo (better if you're local and can visit with your family, which my family was more prone to do seeing that I'm from Temecula and had better access to family trips)
• Convoy (absolute great time for food, for Daiso, for hanging out with your friends in general; friend with a car is great for spontaneous boba trips, and even if I can't drink milk tea because I swore off most sugary drinks for Lent, it's still great for eating)
• Clairemont Mesa (Personally I head to Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf most Thursdays with Anna, and occasionally I'd take the 41 all the way to Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, then walk for about 15 minutes to get to Michaels & justify craft store purchases; friend with a car is also great for Krispy Kreme purchases, since it's right next to Michaels, but personally I've done the walk alone several times)
• UTC (how could I forget UTC! It's our mall! We have LUSH and Godiva and F21 and macaronsss, and recently we've had an Amazon Bookstore introduced)
• The ocean is there! It's right there. Whether you're at La Jolla Cove or Scripps Coastal Reserve (which is completely accessible from Muir College by the way), you'll enjoy that sea breeze and also the slight tan you'll probably get. Not too intense of a tan, because of that sea fog, but super great.

My experience was more limited due to the fact that I didn't have access to friends with cars until my later years (mostly this year), but I enjoyed how relaxed the environment was. Even during finals week I still saw the occasional T-Rex running around. Yeah, this university does not kid around when it comes to finals week (Geisel is a scary place around midterms & finals but pretty great with Audrey's & the seventh floor, home of sci-fi and fairytales). Still, people have humor. 

It was more convenient from me to see family more frequently due to proximity, and I largely made the decision to go to UCSD based on that. My financial aid worked out great in here, but that's due to my personal circumstances. Scholarships & financial aid & the loving, determined effort of my parents kept me here, and I'm proud to keep going for them. I'm happy that they've supported me through all this.

Advice??

I've had an amazing time at UCSD, and it's been made with reckless abandon and intense strategy, all at the same time! I'm glad I joined a volunteering organization, specifically Tzu Ching, as they've treated me like a family and introduced me to so many comforts that life can offer. I would absolutely join this organization again, earlier if I could have. You don't have to be Chinese to join, you don't have to be Buddhist--all you need to have is a willingness to lend a hand.

My social life largely veered on a closer group of companions, largely scattered and separated save for TC, which was one whole pile of close connections, but I don't really regret that. I liked having intimacy with a handful of history majors, and I adored the way my writing friends were super dedicated to their fondness for the eccentric and critiques against capitalism. Heck, critiques against capitalism basically defined my college experience, and it's been a joy seeing the various ways in which race, class, gender, sexuality, and overall history intersect to showcase how we're born into a society that has decided so much of us through a myriad of factors alone.

Holy chipotle though, I 110% ask that if you go here, please go beyond the La Jolla area. Downtown San Diego is a wild place. Hillcrest is beautiful. Ocean Beach has some great antique shops. There are so many bourgeois places that you will no doubt visit in your lifetime at UCSD, but it's great to visit the lesser-known spots, too! Go hiking. Find a panaderia and get some hella delicious pan dulce. Don't be afraid to explore. Grab some random people in your suite and take an uber and get lost (but I'd recommend having a loose itinerary, just in case you don't want to spend $$ for an uber/lyft and want to take the long-ass route heading all the way back to UCSD via public transportation). 

If you're a history major, classes/professors I would recommend:

• Professor Matsumura (really friendly, great for exploring activism with); HIEA 112 & 115 were great with her
• Professor Henry (super into research & super great); HIEA 153 was A+++
• Professor Kayali (kind & knowledgeable and I just really enjoyed all my Middle Eastern classes with him)
• Professor Prestholdt is a must for anything on Africa
• If you have a chance to take a class with Professor Pickowicz, please do so. There is a ton of reading but you learn so much in his classes, it's really valuable.
• Professor Hanna is also incredibly dedicated to his topic and just great in general; the Pirates class with him is great
• All my professors were outstanding, tbh, I just loved learning about a vast array of topics

If you're a writing major/minor, classes/professors I would recommend:

• Professor Freilicher's really great for character-driven dynamics; alas, he is retiring this year but at least I got the chance to have a great time with him; I took the novella course with him, and would recommend the novella course in general because it really challenges your idea of pacing if you, like me, have trouble writing short stories
• Professor Springer's super chill, take experimental writing with her to have a quirky fun time and explore your personal identity; her 8A class also had a ton of interesting writing

For the most part, I would 100% recommend going to a professor's office hours. Please visit them! They're super nice and have incredible stories and want to help you succeed. I had a lot of luck with the history department, as they've all been amiable in my experience and were just so welcoming in general. I wish I had done it more, but I think my senior year's made up for it. Visit at least once & get to know their offices and their stories--if you don't have anything to talk about, try looking at their research or even just ask a question about a random tidbit you thought interesting in class and try opening up conversation with that. Once you get the initial hurdle it's easier.

Remember, your college decision is based on so many factors. Pay attention to cost, but pay attention to the atmosphere, too. If you don't click with the flow of the campus, you'll have a rough time adjusting once you're there as a student. Do lots of exploring--it's only week one for us, head into the library, visit the countless artifacts in the Stuart Collection, battle the Pokemon gym at Sun God lawn--this is Triton Day, it's a day all about you and the kind of person you want to be.

Good luck! This one's for you. <3

Yours Sincerely,

Dianne