University of California, San Diego

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Human Biology – on the pre-med track
Minor: Law and Society
Student Self Identifies as: South Asian Heterosexual Female

Summary

I am in a sorority and I volunteer at UCSD Health.

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: South Asian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

High School Experience: Public high school in Anaheim Hills, CA with a graduating class of about 640 people. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Human Biology – on the pre-med track
Minor: Law and Society

Extracurricular Activities: I am in a sorority and I volunteer at UCSD Health.
Have any of your extracurricular activities had a particularly big impact on your experience?
I think the sorority already has because I’ve gotten a lot out of it by meeting people around campus. UCSD is a very big campus and it’s really nice to see familiar faces walking around.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
For a lot of my classes, I have online homework or book work that I have to turn in once a week. If I’m taking a lab in a particular quarter, then I have pre-labs and post-labs due every week as well. The major graded assignments are mostly exams. My minor in Law and Society lets me take classes outside of the STEM field like classes in philosophy and psychology, which I wasn’t able to do with my major. I really enjoy that because it’s a broader coursework I can take.
Is there anything you feel that your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
They do a great job of sending out announcements and information that students need. We get an email every week about events our department holds and announcements that we should pay attention to, so that’s really helpful.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think there’s a good mixture of both. There’s always collaborative work going on and you can get help anywhere you go. But, it is competitive and you see students wanting to do better. People will talk about grades too. So, there’s both.
How accessible are your professors?
My professors are mostly accessible. They have office hours every week that you can attend and they rarely cancel them. You can also email professors and they’ll most likely respond.
What has been your favorite part about UCSD academically?
I’ve really enjoyed the labs that I’ve taken. I’ve taken one lab where I really liked the way the TA teaches. The coursework is also very hands-on and you can follow through the experiment by yourself and learn.
Do you feel people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
Yes. In our humanities courses, we are taught to approach both sides of subjects and rarely are we told to choose one side over the other. We are supposed to give arguments for both sides, so I think both sides of arguments are accessible.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I chose my major because I’m pre-med and I really enjoy biology. I’m really happy with it because I can take classes that are more generalized to the biology field rather than just General Biology.
How do you like the quarter system? How has that impacted your experience?
The quarter system is kind of stressful because I feel like I’m always studying. We have midterms week three and week nine, so there’s always something to study for. But, because of that, I think I’ve learned to stay on top of my game and be studying more and getting help when I need it.

Reasons to Attend

1) There are a ton of opportunities here if you are a STEM major.
2) It’s really easy to get to know people.
3) The professors are pretty good about being available to you. So, if you’re worried about being at a big college, you can still get the help that you need to thrive in your studies.
4) The academic environment. Even though it’s a little bit competitive, people are supportive of what you want to do.

Reasons Not to Attend

Student did not respond to this question.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Stewart Hall with nine other girls in the suite.
Sophomore: On-campus apartment in Brennan with four other girls. I’m in a triple bedroom.
How was transitioning from your hometown in Anaheim to San Diego, CA?
I don’t think it was difficult at all. They hold events where you can get to know people in the living communities. Back home in Anaheim I knew a lot of people, so having those events that brought everyone together in the living communities really helped me.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
UCSD has safe rides with Lyft or you can call an escort to walk you somewhere and I’ve used that frequently. We also have the blue light system.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
My friends and I will go out to Greek life parties on Friday or Saturday night or we’ll go to Convoy Street to get good Asian food.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
Most of the parties that I go to are Greek life parties. Before I joined Greek life, I didn’t have much of a nightlife. Because I joined Greek life, now I have connections to people who are in Greek life who host the parties. It’s not that people who aren’t in Greek life can’t get in, it’s just that people in Greek life tend to know about them. [About 8% of students are involved in Greek life.]
What’s an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
There are a ton of karaoke places around that my friends and I like to go to. We also like to go to Convoy Street or go to other areas to get food.
How happy are you with the weekend options at UCSD? Is there anything you would change about them if you could?
I don’t think there’s anything I would change. If I wanted to go to the beach, that’s so close to us. There are also a ton of other opportunities available to us.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
I lived with them last year through random living assignments.
How would you describe the overall social scene at UCSD?
I think the social scene is if you want to get out and meet people, you can. If not, then there’s no pressure to do so. If you don’t want to go out, you’ll find a lot of other people like you who are happy to just hang out.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I don’t think there’s a separation at all. I think everyone’s pretty mixed. If you wanted to go find a place where you find people of just one ethnic background, you can, and there are also clubs on campus where you can meet other types of people. You can pretty much meet anyone anywhere and there are lots of diverse friend groups. [The undergraduate student population is about 20% Hispanic, 3% Black, 19% White, and 53% Asian.]
How would you describe the South Asian community? How strong is it?
The South Asian community on this campus is really strong. There are a ton of clubs that all come together under one branch of South Asian. There are dance teams, singing teams, and all kinds of stuff. There are a lot of people involved in those and they hold events throughout the year.
How would you describe the student body?
I would describe the student body as being very motivated people. Everybody does extra things for their major and if they need to get something done, they’ll just do it. Like, if somebody wants a lab position or an internship, they will go online and email professors or go to the career office. People have a go-getter mentality.
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
Greek life only mixes with Greek life unless you have a friend who will invite other non-Greek people out and introduce you to other people. Like, I met a lot of my friends in Greek life by joining Greek life. Usually, they don’t really interact.
Do you think people are generally happy with their choice of UCSD by senior year? Do you think people leave loving UCSD?
Yeah, I think people really do enjoy UCSB. I think that’s because you meet so many people who are like you and also because there are so many things to do around La Jolla and the San Diego campus, so I think people enjoy the campus and what it offers to the students.
How do you like the size of UCSD in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has it impacted your experience? [There are about 30,000 undergraduates.]
I think the size is good. I think it does impact my experience because when I’m trying to register for classes there are a lot of waitlists, so it can get frustrating trying to get into a class that you want for your major. And, if you need to take it in a certain quarter, it can get stressful. But, the school does sometimes manage it by adding extra professors to some classes, but the class sizes then will be a little big.
If at all, how has the quarter system impacted your social experience?
I don’t think it has impacted my social experience just because everybody on campus is going through it, so we all understand what we each need to do. If we all have work, then we’ll all together.

Careers

Have you learned any computer languages or software that will be helpful to you professionally?
Not yet, but I’m planning to enroll in a computer programming class.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how easy is the office to work with?
I do use financial aid and the office isn’t the best. They don’t always answer phone calls, so it’s much better to go to the office, make an appointment, and sit down with someone because that way something will get done.