The six colleges of UCSD

Posted by Teja

The University of California, San Diego may be known for its sunny beaches and super hot surfers but don’t be fooled into underestimating its academic rigor. As a large campus with over 20,000 undergraduates, there is no lack of academic and recreational activities.If you choose to go to a big university, such as UCSD, it is very important to be independent. Unlike in high school and smaller colleges, there is no “spoon-feeding.” You are completely responsible for yourself: signing up for classes, asking for help, getting advice, etc. Consequently, studies at UCSD are as hard or as easy as you make them. There are many opportunities to get involved in leadership, research, and social activities but they do not come to you, you must go look for them. With that said, I’ll tell you a little bit about UCSD…

The academic year is based on the quarter system, which allows you to take a vast number of classes in various subjects. There are four quarters to a year. Fall quarter from September to December, winter quarter from January to March, spring quarter from March to June, and summer quarter during the summer (optional). Each quarter lasts about 10 weeks, so if you really dislike a class it will pass by with the blink of an eye. On the negative side, this system demands a constant output of work; I have only been here for 2 months but have already gone through midterms, and the quarter is almost over.

UCSD is the only UC that is split up into 6 different sub-colleges. The beauty of this system lies in community. As a student you live with and take core classes with people from your college. The rest of your classes will have students from any of the six colleges. With this system you get the community feel of a small college, but the top research facilities and opportunities of a university.

In the application process you are asked to rank each college in order of preference. I warn you now, do not make this decision hastily, because your college will affect your location, General Education requirements, housing, and community. It’s important to take all these factors into account. Do not just choose a college because of housing; since housing is guaranteed only for the first two years, after the GEs will come to haunt you.

Each college has a writing core requirement, with a “programmatic theme” that ranges from two quarter to six quarters.

Let’s start with Revelle, the oldest college on campus. Revelle has the toughest curriculum, requiring 20 to 24 quarters of GEs. Its five-quarter writing sequence is known as HUM. This college is surrounded by a majority of the performing arts facilities. It is bordered on one side by Mandeville, where the music and theater classes are held. On the other side it is bordered by the dance studios and the dance and theater offices. It is also home to CLICS, the biomedical library. The aura surrounding Revelle indicates that it’s nothing too special, just a lot of work.

The next founded college is Muir, known for having the least general education requirements. Muir has a total of 14 quarters of GEs, more than half of which do not involve math or science. Its two-quarter writing core is the shortest at UCSD; it has been described as “quick, but difficult.” Muir has two residence halls called Tioga and Tenaya. Tioga is a new building this year, with larger bedrooms than most other buildings. At Tioga residents have a view of the ocean from the 4^th floor on. Muir is in an optimal location on the UCSD campus, it literally is at the center of everything. First, it contains the Sun God lawn, which hosts many school-wide events. It is surrounded by Mandeville (arts department), Humanities and Social Sciences, Applied Physics and Mathematics, and Biology. It is also relatively close to library walk and Center Hall (where many of the freshman classes are held). The only disadvantage with Muir is that it does not have a strong sense of community. Because the halls are so isolated and gated, it’s hard to go out and meet others.

The third college is Marshall, which is known for having the best dining hall and fine apartments. Marshall is home to Ocean View Terrace (OVT), the ONLY dining hall that is open past 8 p.m.; so if you are a late eater, consider applying to Marshall. Like Muir, Marshall is relatively close to the center of campus and has few general education requirements. Its three quarter writing core focuses on “Dimensions of Culture.” In total it has 15 quarters of required general education, which cover a breadth of subjects.

Warren is the fourth college at UCSD; it is home to the Jacob’s School of Engineering. Unfortunately, this makes its location ridiculously far from most lecture halls and classrooms. Warren has 11 quarters of GEs for engineering majors and 17 quarters of GEs for non-engineering majors. If you are considering being an Engineer, I would strongly recommend Warren (as long as you don’t mind walking far for classes). Luckily Warren’s GEs are so vague and flexible, you can literally take whatever you choose, as soon as you complete a two-quarter writing core.

The fifth college, Eleanor Roosevelt College, also known as ERC, has the newest and best-looking dorms in the entire university. It is also located right next to the RIMAC, the largest college gym facility west of the Mississippi. Unfortunately, other than nice dorms and a location near the gym and sports fields, ERC does not have much to offer. It has 15 to 19 GEs, a six quarter writing core and a location that is unbelievably far from the rest of campus. I personally would ask you to think twice about applying to ERC, unless you are an athlete or a gym-buff. Then again, once you visit ERC you might just be so blown away by its beautiful, futuristic dorms and forget all that is mentioned above.

Finally, we come to the sixth college, ironically, named Sixth College. As a resident of Sixth, I have to say that it is comprised of the best community at UCSD. Sixth is called “camp snoopy,” because of its log-cabin-like residence halls, which surround a lively quad area. Residence halls are little buildings that are like houses, equipped with a kitchen, living room, study hall and four common rooms. Each building houses 53 residents, including one Residential Advisor. This set-up allows residents to meet and make friends easily, it allows for community events and best of all, it is very “home-like.” Unfortunately, with anything wonderful comes a negative consequence. Sixth has 17 quarters of GEs, with a three quarter writing core. The writing core focuses on the topics of Culture, Art and Technology, but don’t be fooled, the class is nowhere as interesting as it appears.

With that, I wish you the best of luck in applying college. The toughest part is choosing really.