University of California-San Diego Reviews

  • 132 Reviews
  • La Jolla (CA)
  • Annual Tuition: $44,978
93% of 132 students said this degree improved their career prospects
93% of 132 students said they would recommend this school to others
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Student & Graduate Reviews

Brandon Phung
  • Reviewed: 8/10/2015
  • Degree: Biomedical Engineering
"As expected of UCSD's fame for Biomedical Engineering, the graduate program is top notch in terms of the faculty and academic content. I'm always very impressed with the teachers who come from different backgrounds, but are extremely dedicated to the growing field. The research and knowledge is definitely at the forefront of bioengineering. The social life and student diversity is a bit lacking, but all of the career opportunities and connections you receive as a whole to network into large biotech companies definitely makes up for that fact. Overall, great graduate program and I couldn't be much happier with my first choice Bioengineering university."
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 8/10/2015
  • Degree: Biology
"Beautiful campus, many good teachers though most had strong accents that could be tricky to understand at first, great sports opportunities for non-college athletes, poor college advising but advising within a specific department (such as biology) was hit-or-miss (sometimes good), difficult to get housing on-campus, many students that are not very social"
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 7/27/2015
  • Degree: Psychology
"It was a great school to attend - can't beat the location and quality of education, especially if you are a California resident!"
Julian Ramirez
  • Reviewed: 7/2/2015
  • Degree: Chemical Engineering
"The UCSD Chemical Engineering program is excellent. The classes are quite demanding, but their structure facilitates learning and critical thinking. The professors are always open to elaborate further on topics ranging from Fluid Dynamics, Heat and Mass Transfer, as well as their research areas, which range from wearable soft electronics, to drug nanoparticle delivery. I am glad I picked this school because for the price, you are getting a world class education, doing research in cutting edge fields, as well as networking in an area where there are many established companies as well as start-ups. There are also many funding opportunities for graduate school, as well as for startups, given that UCSD is an R1 research Institute, so there is also a rich intellectual community with many cutting-edge ideas.The Chemical Engineering department is also unique in that it is only three years old, so there is a lot of room for the department to grow, and collaborations between neighboring labs or departments is always frequent, which is good for any grad student who wishes to pursue a thesis topic that is different from their PI's line of research. Due to the size of their department, the Graduate Student community is also close knit, and help amongst students in classes is always encouraged. As for the location and social life, La Jolla as well as the greater San Diego Area has a lot to offer, there are many beautiful beaches to go to, as well as areas for hiking, such as Potato Chip Rock and Devil's punchbowl. There are also various areas to go to for nightlife, such as the Gaslamp Quarter, Hillcrest, North Park, that tailor to diverse populations of San Diego. Also, the nightlife is amazing, considering that there are 18 colleges and universities in San Diego currently,there are plenty of people to meet from all walks of life. La Jolla is also one of the nicer/safer areas of the San Diego area, which is convenient for the 30,000 students and faculty that go to this school. As for transportation, mass transit is not great, but feasible, so a car is usually recommended if you wish to get a full experience of what it's like to live in America's Finest City. All in all, UCSD is a unique institution and I would recommend the university and my department to anyone!"
International studies grad 2010
  • Reviewed: 6/11/2015
  • Degree: Economics
"It's a big school with a lot of students, so you're responsible for creating the kind of college life you want to live. Don't wait for someone to plan it for you."
Microbiology grad 2007
  • Reviewed: 6/11/2015
  • Degree: Biology
"Huge campus will take some getting used to, but theres plenty of hidden places to explore. Great opportunities to interact/work with professors are available, but will require some initiative on the part of the student. Weather is great and the beach is 5 minutes away. What more can you ask for?"
Happy&Punch
  • Reviewed: 5/26/2015
  • Degree: Management
"UCSD has a very large, nice campus. There are two libraries (Geisel and Clics) on campus that provides students with very useful places to study in between their classes. Also, there are many different artworks (buildings, statues, etc.) throughout the campus. The Price Center is where lots of food places and the Student Store (you can buy lots of things here, including textbooks) are located. It could have changed since I left, but when I was there, UCSD was broken down into 6 different colleges. When you apply to UCSD, you select your major (or choose undecided) and also list the colleges in the order of your preference. Different colleges have different general education requirements, so what college you get accepted to is somewhat important. I didn't get the college I wanted and I was put in my 4th or 5th choice (ERC). ERC's GE had way too many classes involving history, reading and research paper (MMW 1,2,3,4,5 & 6), so I did not like my college. I am not familiar with life in the dorms since I was always a commuter; however, based on what I heard from my friends, they seemed to enjoy it (I had one friend who didn't like it and ended up moving out of the dorms after one year). Since the campus is big, if you take back to back classes and the classrooms are located on the opposite ends, 10 minutes in between classes might not be enough time to get to your next class, so it is important to check the location of your classes when you sign up for classes. I majored in Management Science and minored in Mathematics and pursued a career in accounting in hopes of becoming a CPA. Management Science is a very broad major with classes mostly dealing with economics, business and econometrics. While I was there, UCSD only had 1 accounting class and didn't offer major/minor of accounting, but it seems like they added a minor in accounting, so my guess would be that they offer more accounting classes now than when I was there. Although UCSD itself is a very good school, it might not be ideal for students wishing to pursue a career in accounting. I also ended up getting an Accounting Certificate at UCSD Extension, which is a different system/school from UCSD, to obtain knowledge in the accounting field and to satisfy the requirement to sit for the CPA Exam."
Hanjun Hwang
  • Reviewed: 5/24/2015
  • Degree: Engineering
"Pros: Fantastic resources and name recognition of a R1 institution like San Diego, with beautiful weather and excellent networking capability between members of the student community and the faculty. Cons: Everything's rather far apart, for someone coming from the East Coast like I am, so my wallet takes a hit from the gas prices, but that's alright for a place like this!"
justin
  • Reviewed: 5/19/2015
  • Degree: Performing Arts
"I'm so glad I went to UC San Diego! I made great friends and really learned a lot from my classes. I appreciated my theatre degree as it was a well-rounded theatre education - not specific to one area over another. The knowledge I received from my courses has really helped to shape my career. The only downside of the theatre degree is that the program did nothing to prepare students for leaving UC San Diego and entering the real world as working professionals. San Diego has a thriving theatre scene and I had no idea about any of it until after graduating and searching on my own. Hopefully this has changed since I graduated."
Ivana Escobar
  • Reviewed: 4/27/2015
  • Degree: Engineering
"Great program if you have a pre-existing knowledge base on the topics discussed in courses. Not a program meant for teaching topics, more meant for presenting new topics and leaving the interpretation up to you. Lots to do around campus, beautiful city. If you work hard you will be successful, but anything less then 110% will cause struggles in the accelerated learning process."
Shereen Georges
  • Reviewed: 3/31/2015
  • Degree: Biology
"Pros: -Very research oriented. -Easy to collaborate with various labs from different departments. -Many activities and associations for graduate students -easy access to faculty and advisors I did not have any cons during my time here as a Master's student."
Sae Jeong Ahn
  • Reviewed: 2/10/2015
  • Degree: Biology
"I love being a part of the Biology Program at a worldly renowned university, such as UCSD. I am constantly challenged and pushed to my limits by my professors, my research, and my classes and I am thrilled by every bit of it. The only thing that makes it difficult for me to solely focus on my research is the financial aspect of my education. Being an international student, I was never eligible for financial aid or FAFSA during undergrad, even though I don't come from a financially comfortable background. Now, as a graduate student, I continue to face steep tuition costs for being an international student, with no external financial help. I am applying for this scholarship in hopes of helping reduce mine and my parent's financial burden, so that I can continue with and complete my Master's in Biology."
Angela Van
  • Reviewed: 1/26/2015
  • Degree: Biomedical Sciences
"Intimate and collaborative environment, though lacking in diversity."
Emily Hayes
  • Reviewed: 1/13/2015
  • Degree: Social Sciences
"The breadth and depth of knowledge among the faculty in addition to support of the graduate student community made this a wonderful experience. The academic resources available through UCSD were exceptional."
Rachelle Roxas
  • Reviewed: 1/3/2015
  • Degree: Pharmacy
"On the positive side, the UC San Diego Pharmacy program is innovative and relatively young. This causes the faculty to be extremely supportive of the success of students and to truly take student input to heart. Another pro is that the class size is relatively small compared to other pharmacy schools, so there is the feeling of being an individual student, rather than just a number. One thing the school could work on is its organization. For example, a document I submitted in several months ago was seemingly lost. However, general organization is an attribute that most all graduate programs could work on."
Justin Gumina
  • Reviewed: 12/10/2014
  • Degree: Social Sciences
"My tech rating is so low is based on the spotty wifi I get in some areas. It might not be a very fair rating. Pros: Great weather, friendly atmosphere, challenging program. Cons: Cost of living off campus is abysmal."
Courtney Moc
  • Reviewed: 11/24/2014
  • Degree: Biology
"The great aspect about the master of biology program at UCSD is that it is based upon a master's thesis. As a result, it teaches students not only how to apply classroom theories to the bench but also write in a concise matter. The downside to this graduate program is that only UCSD undergraduates can apply for this master's program."
Divija Anireddy
  • Reviewed: 9/25/2014
  • Degree: Business
"I love how close my cohort is with each other. Everyone is very helpful and energetic. The faculty is very helpful and knows each student personally. The time they took to learn about each student is phenomenal."
Jincheng Yang
  • Reviewed: 9/5/2014
  • Degree: Pharmacy
"The school is really nice and understanding. There isn't much financial aid for the student since it is a young program."
Jia Wu
  • Reviewed: 8/12/2014
  • Degree: Finance
"Pros: The faculty and staff are amazing. They really know what they are teaching and are passionate about their works. There are a lot of research opportunities and career orientations. Cons: Housing can be difficult to obtain. Tuition is quite high."