<p>Hey guys. I was never really interested in attending UCSD, but I applied because it was just another check on the application and I just wanted to see If I got in. Well, I just got my letter saying I was accepted into the sixth college for chemistry/biochem and after reading a bit more about UCSD online, it does seem like a good school to attend.
I’m not really sure if I can ask such a question, but what are your reasons for considering this school over your other schools? Should I go tour it? I want to go tour it over my spring break but flights and hotels will cost me about a thousand dollars (I live in the east coast). I’m pretty much assuming I’ll get rejected from UCLA and my other choices so far include University of Florida and Boston University</p>
<p>Personally I like the school and am definitely considering it over LA and Cal because the college system is really cool. Tiny schools really bother me, but I think a person could get lost in a giant UC, so the six colleges really are for me a nice mix between big and small. The campus also felt pretty homey, idk. And it’s supposed to be very good for engineering. Regents also helps :D</p>
<p>@EllaVirginia Thanks! Did you happen to tour there?</p>
<p>@tryingforcollege fortunately, money isn’t a problem. I just want to get the most out of my next four years. I can pretty much go to my state school at almost no cost, but my parents would rather have me go out of state.</p>
<p>I think you should visit before the final commitment. If your only other choices are boston U and Univ of Florida, I would lean towards UCSD for your major.</p>
<p>if money is no problem, why not tour the campus for once? you don’y want to end up in a campus you hate or regret not choosing the better one cause you do not know much about it.also, UCSD has a great Biochem program , if you are really into the subject, do give it a try.</p>
<p>if that is the major you want then UCSD is the place for you. We recently placed 1st for best all round university in the US. Also I think we are second in biochem or i think it might be bio eng in the US. UCSD has a wonderful science program. I really love it, and how can you say no to the Beautiful beaches and weather?</p>
<p>If you like nature and trees, this is the place to be. The beach is close. </p>
<p>If you want to do research, this is the place to be. Research isn’t an absolute prerequisite for professional/graduate school but it helps quite a bit. There are 5 major institutions nearby where you can do world class research, including UCSD proper.</p>
<p>The Washington Monthly rankings is a joke and doesn’t reflect what educators nor employers think about relative rankings between schools.</p>
<p>And yeah–what astrina said. Unless you’re going for a professional degree, lacking research experience will get your application dumped at all but the worst schools.</p>
<p>If you’re applying for biochem, I’ve heard San Diego has a crapload of opportunities and companies. I think the ASBMB convention is there this year.</p>
<p>No, I’m definitely not kidding. I said it’s not an ABSOLUTE preq. I was trying to be broad and inclusive with my post, not account for every type of post baccalaureate degree. </p>
<p>Look. You’re really missing the point of my post. I was making the point that there are alot of research opportunities around UCSD and that he should come here.</p>
<p>U Florida and BU actually have pretty decent biochemistry research programs. There are several grad students and postdocs in my department coming from those schools. BU has a similar advantage to UCSD, in that the surrounding area is rich in biotechs and startups and you can work for pretty much anyone, including some of the bigwigs at Harvard/MIT/Broad.</p>
<p>I’m obviously pro-UCSD, but you should really make an effort to visit before committing yourself to 4 years in a new place. Airfare’s like $400 roundtrip from NYC (dunno where on the east coast you’re from), and by going through airbnb and public transit, your visit really shouldn’t cost that much.</p>
<p>Thanks everybody. Its a little late I’m pretty sure I’m leaning towards UCSD now @astrina I was at first leaning towards BU because of the research opportunities they offered, but the campus wasn’t that great when I took a tour there. Now that I know that there are plenty of research opportunities here, I’m hoping UCSD would be more of a fit for me. Thanks for the info! I’m gonna try to visit sometime this month.</p>
<p>I’m pro-UCSD, too, but the campus is definitely one of my least favorite things about the school. Location is awesome–the layout/architecture of the campus? Not so much.</p>