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

Sunny
  • Reviewed: 2/2/2023
  • Degree: Communications
"Graduated last year and the school itself is very large, but since being a liberal art major at a STEM school, you have to venture outside of class to gain experience. I worked at two of the departments so there are plenty of opportunities for students; you just have to go out and find them."
Claudia Son
  • Reviewed: 11/14/2019
  • Degree: Psychology
"College is truly what you make of it. If you take the time to go out of your comfort zone to attend events, seminars, and join clubs, you will undoubtedly enjoy your college experience. UCSD offers the perfect amount of opportunities for students to become well-rounded individuals. There are a plethora of clubs and organizations that give students access to personal, professional, and social growth. The class sizes are definitely large, so there will be times where you feel like you're lost in the crowd. However, you benefit from the access to resources, and the numerous opportunities to participate in research. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at UCSD."
Nashaya Ross
  • Reviewed: 6/26/2019
  • Degree: Clinical Psychology
"I would recommend going to UC San Diego if you are someone who is interested in doing research in undergrad. There are a lot of good qualities of this university, but there are also some more negative ones. Positive aspects of UCSD is the location, the status, and the accessibility to innovation. UCSD is located near the ocean which is ideal for anyone who loves the beach or for students who plan to study at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. UCSD is one of the top research institutions and there are many opportunities available to students to become published researcher or work with leading researchers in their field of interest. Finally, the technology on this campus is amazing and anything that you can think of can be brought to life with the right team. The negative aspects of the campus are subjective. There are a lot of students and it can be hard to feel connected to the university. It is really challenging to find parking on this campus, and practically impossible to be on campus without paying a ton on parking. These two problems can be found at most universities, so it really depends on what you do personally to connect with the campus and how resourceful you are to get around parking difficulties."
Lindsey Oleary
  • Reviewed: 4/23/2019
  • Degree: Psychology
"This school is a very prestigious school but also very difficult. The classes are very hard, and for some of my pre-medical classes, the cureve was a 20%. This school is also very expensive, I would recommend to save money by going to a state school instead."
Christian Wu
  • Reviewed: 4/11/2019
  • Degree: Mathematics
"University of California - San Diego is a great university to be a student at if you are looking for rigorous academic performance and high levels of research, even in undergraduate. This is university is not meant for those who do not have the academic abilities to be diligent and persistent. Professors will be brutal in the upper division courses and expect you to perform just as well as a graduate student. But if you can last through the brutal academic atmosphere, UC San Diego will give you one of the best education you will ever get."
ucsd alum
  • Reviewed: 12/13/2018
  • Degree: Psychology
"I liked my undergraduate experience. My classes were interesting but grades based mainly on midterm and final exams (multiple choice, short answer. You def. have to be on top of your reading assignments and study for exams. I started with my major and never changed it- I enjoyed every psychology class. I was an ERC student- the only MMW class I liked was the first one. The rest (5) I did not enjoy. I think UCSD is a good school if you are the type of student that likes to study and can learn on their own. Depending on your major- you pretty much have large classes- a lot of lectures and midterm/final. If you want small class discussion- a smaller school woudl be better"
Jessica
  • Reviewed: 9/28/2018
  • Degree: Psychology
"Although UCSD is a highly accredited university I was not prepared for the large class sizes of prerequisite courses at the university. The majority of underdivision courses had class sizes of three hundred to four hundred students per one professor. It was nearly impossible to get to know your professor. The upper division classes also had a high class size of one hundred to one hundred and fifty students per course."
Joshua Murrett
  • Reviewed: 5/8/2018
  • Degree: Biology
"UC San Diego is a beautiful campus: spread out nicely, lush greenery, and ocean views. The faculty are all very knowledgable, and most in my experience are approachable and care about your education. The biology program/department at UCSD is world class, and houses one of the best medical schools in the world. One thing I would have to say the school lacks however, is school spirit. Compared to the other top UC's, UCSD has almost zero school pride. No attendance at sporting events, campus events are lackluster with little time or effort put in on the AS side. If you are looking for an academically strong school, with a beautiful location, but do not care whatsoever about having a social life or school pride, then UCSD is the place to be. I overall made amazing friends there and still had a blast, you just have to try harder than some other UC's in the system."
Lei Lee
  • Reviewed: 3/24/2018
  • Degree: Biology
"UCSD is a great school -- for engineers and researchers. Many of the classes are taught by research professors, who are very intelligent but they seemed to be distant from undergraduate students. Of course, this doesn't apply to all the professors at the school, but I felt like it was hard to approach them or keep up with them in lecture (especially if they started going on tangents). I do not regret choosing to go to this school. I just wished I wasn't one of the hundred of students sitting in a large lecture hall scrambling to take down notes while trying to comprehend the materials."
Justin DeWaele
  • Reviewed: 3/18/2018
  • Degree: Architecture
"The Urban Studies and Planning program at UC San Diego offers a perfect mix of academic rigor and practical experience to prepare students for careers in the field of Urban Planning once they graduate. Students are required to complete internships and a Master's level thesis for the degree. Professors in the program are connected with employers and community organizations that can help with obtaining employment upon graduation. At the same time, all students in the program are introduced to the academic and theoretical debates within the field of Urban Studies. Another great feature about the program is that there is a mix of full-time faculty and adjunct professors who currently work in the field. So in the classroom students receive a strong mix of insight based upon professional as well as scholarly engagement with Urban Studies and Planning. Just be sure to identify professors you want to work with, and form good relationships with them."
Michal Twardowski
  • Reviewed: 3/12/2018
  • Degree: Psychology
"Firstly, let's start with the campus and its location. It's a massive, sprawling campus that's heavily wooded and located as close to the beach as possible. All it takes is a quick hike down and you're transplanted to a beautiful, semi-secluded beach to study on. The campus, while huge, is definitely walkable but if you want to get somewhere fast, either take the shuttle or bring your skateboard or bicycle. The school perfectly marries new and old across its six colleges, so you get to experience classes in older buildings from the 60s with all their history, and also new buildings with their modern amenities and architecture. The class-sizes range from extremely large to as intimate as 10-15 people, but the teachers are adept enough to give attention to all students regardless of how large the class size is as long as you make an effort to participate. My professors were exceptionally well trained and I yearned to come to class to learn from them as they were truly experts in their fields and it showed. I can't speak for any other universities, but this one I recommend 100%. Do yourself a favor and attend this school! Both for the education, and its location in the beautiful county of San Diego."
Ahmad Hatamipour
  • Reviewed: 3/10/2018
  • Degree: Healthcare Administration
"The specialized knowledge and expertise that I gained from my graduate program in Clinical Research at UCSD prepared me well for the Clinical Research / Biotechnology industry. The student body is comprised of a highly-esteemed group of graduates, including medical students, trained medical professionals (residents and fellows), and individuals from the biotech / medical device / CRO / pharmaceutical industry. The professors are world-recognized for their research experience and expert knowledge of clinical research, so you can be sure you are learning from the best and the brightest. Lastly, the University of California-San Diego is a powerhouse academic research institution - especially, in the area of Biomedical / Medical Sciences Research - receiving over a billion dollars of grant funding in 2017, making it the 5th highest ranked university in sponsored research in the United States."
Melissa Quiroz
  • Reviewed: 1/9/2018
  • Degree: Political Science
"UC San Diego is a great school to attend for many reasons. From location to diversity, UCSD has many opportunities to learn new things. Location of the campus is prime. Right by the beach, high up on the hills of La Jolla, CA, gives the scenery for the perfect sunset. UC San Diego offers a variety of outdoor opportunities to stay active. From bike trails, to hike trails, to the beach trails. UC San Diego also offers numerous club sports and intramural sports. Looking to get competitive or just stay active, UCSD has it all. Aside location and extracurriculars, UC San Diego offers excellent and rigorous academic programs. Some of the top research is conducted on campus or by faculty and student at UCSD."
Jasmine Schnall
  • Reviewed: 12/26/2017
  • Degree: Clinical Psychology
"I highly recommend other students to apply and enroll as a student at UC San Diego. It was a great experience for me. The professors are excellent, classes are well organized, and the campus community is friendly and inclusive. There are many opportunities to engage in extra-curricular activities or community service as well. For my specific degree, I highly recommend enrolling in the advanced psychology research methods courses since I attained a great amount of useful and applicable skills for grad school in this course."
Caitlin Lee
  • Reviewed: 12/22/2017
  • Degree: Psychology
"University of California, San Diego, is undoubtedly a school filled with competent professors, driven students, and various opportunities for growth. In particular, I feel that students studying sciences (physical, life, etc.) have the greatest opportunities to do meaningful research, intern, and find work while also attending school. The campus is extremely large, and at times may make it a bit difficult to feel integrated with the rest of the school. However, the school offers students a variety of clubs and student organizations to join, in order to create their own communities within the large campus. While classes are indeed challenging, the quality of education is superb, and would be a great fit for any hardworking and goal-oriented student. Also, you can't beat the location (La Jolla)!"
Kirin
  • Reviewed: 12/12/2017
  • Degree: Mechanical Engineering
"school system error causes students to not get graded and professors are tire of arguing and then give students a c-; all courses are trying to make money from students, not just textbooks. software, website for homework posting, they leave you no choice; they drop students classes by accident and not fix it right away. UCSD is not a college to prepare you for jobs after graduation. All of the courses teach you to do calculation with you pen and not computers where nobody is using pens nowadays, anywhere. They do not give you opportunity to learn about the real world rather than keep assigning you homework and students dont work with each other. lectures are useless, you can not go and still do the homework. homework you gotta google and study yourself by the way."
Jennifer Abarca
  • Reviewed: 12/11/2017
  • Degree: Mathematics
"I was fortunate to have professors who simplified complex topics in a simplistic manner, and who chose textbooks that where great reading material. The knowlegde obtained has trickled down to my current students because not only is it applicable to real world situations, but I have grasped concepts taught so well. A great education is extremely important for an educator."
TARON AYRAPETYAN
  • Reviewed: 11/7/2017
  • Degree: Biology
"I was inspired by the work ethic of students in my classes to elevate out of my average-achieving status and explore a growing interest in Biology. The school offered varioushelpful opportunities for students struggling in difficult entry level science courses."
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 9/1/2017
  • Degree: Chemistry
"Strong academically. Commuter school without much of a social scene."
UCRocks
  • Reviewed: 9/1/2017
  • Degree: Engineering
"Its fun, informational and very necessary:)"