Freshmen Survival Guide:
Survival Guide by Nick Lin
About this Document | Table of Contents: |
Disclaimer: I was not the original creator of this guide. I have updated and overhauled the original guide that had gotten me extremely excited for UCSD. I hope this does it for you too. The original guide is here The purpose of this guide is to help you cruise through some of UCSD and San Diego culture, and integrate into UCSD. Unlike the original, this does not focus on the history or culture of UCSD. Updated and revised by Nick Lin, Class of 2020. Thanks to the many other individuals who helped contribute to this guide too. Dis me Freshmen year w/o the guide^ To get a taste of what UCSD is like, watch these: |
|
Che Cafe | Charge for admission. It has some very colorful graffiti along the outside. Behind Che Cafe is also the Roger’s Garden. they have carrots, tomatoes, strawberries, and many other fruits & vegetables. Built in 1969, it is officially a vegan food joint with some decent food and delicious meat, and regularly has indie and punk bands that come and play, often with a five dollar cover. Books are available for checking out. Final note: If you’re on the lam, a good place to work and hide out for a few years. |
8th Floor Geisel | The top floor of Geisel Library is the Super Quiet Zone. Any noise made up there is liable to get you either shot or cause a riot, both of which are likely to end horribly for you and make a lot of noise themselves. Sniffling seems to be all right though. |
Hammocks | Located at Marshall |
Black’s Beach | One of the beaches that are walking distance from campus. Anyone going to the north side of Black's Beach in the daylight will enjoy viewing saggy male (and occasionally female) nudity and other pleasant sights. the side closest to La Jolla Shores(south side) is all clothed people. Fear of naked old dudes and a longass walk down that huge hill keeps crowds away too. there’s always enough room to actually play frisbee, volleyball ALL NAKED ON THE INSIDE. Dodge the people doing drugs at night! Or do drugs at night since that’s more fun anyway. Black’s is an awesome beach, but don’t forget water, or you probably won’t make it back up the cliff. Great place to play volleyball, make illegal fire pits, and get your drink on (makes playing in the surf much more bearable), but just make sure not to bring any glass bottles with ya or you’ll get warned/ticketed by a lifeguard. |
Revelle’s Keeling Apartments | Building 2, 6th floor there’s a roof garden with an ocean view. Great Sunset/sunrise. |
The Zone | Right in between Jamba Juice and the Box Office. Free food. Wellness center. |
One of the world’s first and best parasailing locations. If parasailing is an adventure you’d like to have, check groupon frequently for deals. If not, it has a really nice cafe where you can have a great sandwich or a cup of coffee and watch people take off all day/early evening. Cliffhanger Cafe also has picnic tables, so you could hypothetically do homework here, though I’m always too distracted by the people-watching and natural beauty. Great place to watch the Sun set. | |
Hidden Outdoor Room | Go through a gate in the Center for Magnetic Recording Research in Warren and you will be in a secluded garden-like space with benches. It is right near the opaque paneled walls. |
| Motion and Audio Sensing Camera - On the fourth floor of the Engineering II building. This is immensely fun to play with. It follows your voice and motion in the room and projects it on a screen. UCSD Cal-(IT)² Web Cam - Can be controlled by anyone online, and can be used to take pictures of people/stuff/yourself in the alleys of the Jacobs School. More info here: Marine Lab - At the Cal-(IT)² building. Antarctica Map - At the Powell-Focht Bioengineering Hall. It's a giant screen of Antarctica with various sensors, pretty cool. xPerching Polly - On the ground floor of the Engineering-I Building is a fake parrot that perches on a limb. Currently broken. This is in the middle of a nice, secluded place to relax. The Clock - A clock with three different faces, each with a different meaning close to the snake path, in front of the Jacobs Hall main entrance.
CSE Lab - A dungeon in the basement of the CSE building for CSE students to spend their whole quarter programming, and nice place to sleep when doing homework or studying overnight. No otters allowed. |
Village West tower | 14th Floor, sunset view is mind blowingly beautiful. |
Art Pieces:
Several of these Art pieces are from the Stuart Collection at UCSD.
There is also an Art Gallery between Muir and Revelle
Graffiti Park | The Graffiti Park located in between Central Hall and Old Student Service Center. Created to replace graffiti hall | |
Revelle Anchor | The Revelle Anchor in front of 64 Degrees can be tagged. It’s often repainted to advertise for events, rush, welcome week, etc. Legend has it that a bold group of Argo 6 students pulled this Anchor from the beach to where it sits today. | |
The Green Table | This table is outside Pines. It has many different sayings written upon it, many of which contradict each other. It's been called the Schizophrenic Table because of this. The sayings are divided into truisms and survival advice. | |
La Jolla Project | Behind Galbraith Hall this collection of giant stone blocks resembles Stonehenge. | |
The Warren Bear | This giant bear in the center of Warren Mall is made out of 8 giant stone blocks perfectly connected. | |
Sun God | Every UCSD student should know the history behind Sun God. It’s good luck if you walk underneath it backwards while holding your breath before an exam. [It is also believed that you’re supposed to be forming an “A” with your hands, and that you can only walk under the statue forwards once you’ve graduated.] First put on campus in 1983 by artist Niki De Saint Phalle, it flew across the freeway and was a sight to be seen. At the time students protested the art thinking it was a waste of money, but after Sun God Festival started around the late 80’s it became a most beloved part of UCSD history. | |
The Trees | Near Geisel Library are three trees: the talking tree, the singing tree, and the silent tree. these trees are made of metal and each is self explanatory. the Singing tree has a stump arm near the bike rack path, the talking tree is directly across from that one when you face library walk, and the silent tree stands in front of Geisel Library. Students are encouraged to carve into the tree as it is updated periodically with new metal and so it is ever changing like a real tree. the trees are meant to symbolize the various methods of communication. | |
READ/WRITE/THINK/DREAM | It is inscribed in the colored glass at the entrance to Geisel Library. The photos are of real students circa the late 90’s. | |
Standing | This statue in the UCSD Medical School is of a naked woman on a giant tree and water drips from her hands into the ponds below. Check it out if you're ever in the vicinity of Club Med.
| |
Two Running Violet V (the Giraffe Catchers) | The Blue Tennis Nets in the Eucalyptus Forest near the Price Center. "Rumor has it they were developed to catch runaway giraffes from the San Diego Zoo." I heard somewhere they were an art piece installed because the forest was planted in rows and the artist wanted the zig zag to make the forest seem more naturally grown. In reality, the purpose of the v forms was that there was iceplant underneath, and that was meant to grow up over the blue netting. Except eucalyptus is an insidious plant & it killed all the iceplant that was supposed to grow upward. the original intention was to have an artificial sculpture intersect with nature.
| |
La Jolla Vista View | Located near the theatre district close to Che Cafe, this is an outlook over La Jolla that includes a map at the time of its creation and a telescope for distant viewing. | |
UNDA | A series of stone blocks in Marshall College Fields (near OVT) each has the letters UNDA in some order, along with an s-like mark that indicates the reader to transpose the two letters it is between
| |
Something Pacific | This consists of 2 segments inside & outside the Media & Communication Building at Marshall College. The inside is an amalgamation of TV screens doing weird effects to TV shows currently on. The outside is a set of statues which represent various actions of entertainment and media. It is very interesting.
| |
Another | The giant clock with a newsfeed in the Price Center East. This is plastered with phrases consisting of another. Also, the ground beneath it has various quotes covering a variety of topics. The clock does not function. | |
Red Shoe | In the eucalyptus grove southwest of Revelle, near the La Jolla Playhouse. It's a gigantic Red Shoe with three gem-like figures close to the shoe: one red, one yellow, and one green. | |
Fallen Star | Located on top of an engineering building and built in the fall of 2011, it is the newest member to the collection. The front yard of the house, as well as the furnishings, are all familiar and cozy. However, the house is disoriented, since it is placed on a tilt. This disorientation represents the feelings of many students, who attend school away from home. However, the cozy and familiar surroundings show that they have found a new home at UCSD. The Korean artist, Do Ho Suh, created the piece to “explore [the] feeling of displacement and the notion of ‘home.’” You are more than welcome to walk into the house at certain points in the day when it is open (Tuesdays & Thursdays 11am-2pm as of Fall 2012). While a nice addition, the house is not without controversy. It was added during the midst of budget cuts and increases to students’ tuition, so many students dislike the piece and find it to be a waste of money (not unlike Sungod back in the late 80’s). This is not true as this art piece was privately funded. (The Fallen Star is completely furnished inside, with a tour guide that will explain everything about the house to you. It even includes a beautiful garden around it with lawn chairs and all. At night, there may be a light on that you can spot all the way from Marshall Lowers or Geisel forum level, and smoke might be protruding from it which is actually an artificial effect because the chimney itself is non functional.) | |
Vices & Virtues | Seven pairs of words superimposed in blinking neon, around the top of the Charles Lee Powell Structural Systems Laboratory. Seven vices alternate with seven virtues: FAITH/LUST, HOPE/ENVY, CHARITY/SLOTH, PRUDENCE/PRIDE, JUSTICE/AVARICE, TEMPERANCE/GLUTTONY, and FORTITUDE/ANGER. Supposedly, the first word you read is what you will encounter the next four years (to the incoming freshmen) or describes you at that point in time. | |
The Big Red Chair | On the south side of the first floor of Galbraith Hall (CLICS) is a giant wooden chair. You can climb on it and take some cool pictures. It has been stolen and returned several times across campus in the late 2000’s. It was seen in the theatre district. It’s red now and chained to the tree. (Muir Class of 2014 had stolen the chair from Revelle during Welcome Week, which apparently, was frowned upon, leading to the end of the chair stealing.) EDIT: Unfortunately the chair has been deemed “structurally unsound” due to wood rot and rust, and it was taken down. RIP Big Red Chair. | |
Dr. Seuss Statue | Outside Geisel Library is a really cool statue with Dr. Seuss and the Cat in the Hat to honor the namesake of Geisel Library. You should look at the detail on this statue, the little house behind Geisel’s chair, his drawings, etc. | |
King Triton Statue | the Triton sculpture was installed in 2008 and is located at the base of the stairs leading out of Price Center East. It is a student gift from the senior classes of 1998 and 1999. | |
Communications Art in Marshall College | The Communications Building in Marshall College has two levels, if you take the stairs that are furthest from the entrance on the other side of the building, you will find a stairwell (picture 1). Once you take those stairs and make a right, you will be lead to a tunnel with designs of movie classics (picture 2). If you go around the building, you will find a timeline of the UC system (picture 3). | |
Snake Path | Consists of a winding 560-foot-long, 10-foot-wide footpath in the form of a serpent, whose individual scales are hexagonal pieces of colored slate, and whose head is inlaid in the approach to the Geisel Library. |
- It’s a good idea to order the lowest amount of Dining Dollars possible since you will not be able to spend it all by the end of winter quarter. During Spring quarter, you can purchase Dining Dollars from fellow students typically of a ratio of 2 Dining Dollars to 1 USD
- HDH updates their menu on a daily basis: (It even has the ingredients and calories of each food item!)
- All Apartments and some Res Halls have kitchens
- Rice cooker, insta pots, crockpots will be great ways to make quick college meals
- You can buy these equipments from the market w/ Dining Dollars.
- The Markets have pricey ingredients that you can get.
- Nearby groceries: Ralph’s, Trader Joe’s, and Whole Foods
- Revelle: 64 Degrees/ 64 North
- 64 Degrees: Hoggies/Tacos, Salad, Chinese Stir-fry, burgers, and gourmet.
- Best Dish: Burgers w/ milkshakes and fries
- 64 North: Gourmet
- Best Dish: not worth it.
- Roger’s Market
- Muir: Pines/Roots
- Pines: Italian, Mexican, American, Asian, Salad, Soup
- Best Dish: Everything here is delish
- John’s Place
- Sixth: Foodworx (AKA shitworx)
- Foodworx: Smallest dining hall (more like a tiny cafe) and they cut back on the hours, but they are known for having the best pizza (Conan O'Brien had a slice) and their grilled chicken is pretty legit. Salads, wraps, and sandwiches are also available. the market is also super tiny but has a nice variety of goods. Get the Nutella-Banana wrap (best thing I ever ate on campus) But wait we are getting an upgrade, it might be even better round two!
- Best Food: Pizza
- Sixth Market
- Marshall: OVT/Goodies
- OVT: Make your own pizza, dessert/cafe, Gourmet
- Best Dish: all are delish
- Goodies: decent Chipotle rip off. Good burritos, beware of the ravens.
- Goodies Market
- ERC: Cafe Ventanas
- Cafe V: Grill, Roasts, International, Pizza/Pasta, Salad
- Best Dish: Poke, and Chicken
- The Market
- Warren: Canyon Vista
- Low-mid tier, depending on what they serve, though they have the best grill. Might be a bit out of the way for non-Warren students. Due to low traffic, fries and other items usually available instantly at other dining halls are made to order here. Spaghetti always seems to be available - not much variety and their salad bar is usually stocked and fresh. they always have pasta, it’s great. 3 different types of sauces, garlic bread...as long as you don’t mind inconsistently cooked pasta it’s pretty nice. there are sundaes for dessert every Monday!!! (Sundaes on Mondays)
- They have calzones sometimes. Which aren’t particularly amazing or anything, but they keep you from getting bored of campus food.
- You can never go wrong with the sandwiches.
- They started serving ramen/noodle bowls as well as gyros
- Earl’s
- Decent Banh Mi’s on tues+thurs
- The Village: The Bistro
- The Bistro: “up-scale” dining hall. you will go broke if you eat there often, but it’s a nice place for a date or when you want a break from the usual routine dining hall foods. Sunday brunch <3
- Best Food: sushi
- The Market
- Largest market on campus
- Price Center:
- PC does NOT take dining dollars but does take Triton Cash. Many freshmen and new transfers make that mistake. It’s annoying. (It’s only annoying to people with no empathy. Don’t worry freshman, you’ll learn over time)
- Santorini - greek food
- Lemongrass - modern Thai
- Panda Express
- Rubio’s
- Subways
- Bombay Coast - good indian food //Closed :(
- TapEx - Boba/asian snacks
- Burger King - 24/7, but it tastes a lot worse than a typical BK for some reason
- Jamba Juice - Really cheap if you get a coupon
- Shogun - Pan-asian noodle stop w/ sushi
- If you eat at PC a lot, might as well invest in a discount class that can be purchased through clubs, mostly clubs that end with -ASA. the 10% off many food places, like Tapex, Santorini (the list might grow in future) or get a free smartphone app, there’s a 10% discount as well
- Farmers Market Tuesdays (University Square in front of the New Student Center, not there in summer or intersessions)
- Crepes (overpriced as well but if you go there really late and smile to him, he might say $6 is okay), Brazilian food (REALLY good especially the Acai Bowl and Chicken Stroganoff), veggies and fruits.
- Do you like bread? Do you like pasta? Well get a bread roll full of pasta at Torpasta!! Its the best.
- Paninis… mmmmm.
- Mexican Tamales made without lard (usually tamales are made with some lard mixed into the dough)
- Pork buns <3 (and other hawaiian/filipino food)
- LOTS of food, probably the best food you’ll find on-campus
- some are cash-only
- Food Co-Op:
- Every Wednesday, they have an all-you-can-eat assortment of vegetarian food items for a cheap price, hosted by the local Hare Krishna. For $5.00, you could get as much as you can fit onto the plate they give you (rice and various other mysterious, but delicious food. they also have DELICIOUS desserts, like cream of wheat nomnom). For $6, you can fill up any size tupperware that you bring, or get the meal as all-you-can-eat!
- Bomb ass brown rice + veggie curry, and it’s cheap. their bagels are really good, too. they have a wide variety from pumpkin flavored to your classic everything bagel.
- they have bins of little snack foods like granola and stuff including natural fig newtons :)!
- Wide assortment of very tasty natural drinks and sodas. Some of them are under $2.00.
- Ordering Out:
- DelSushi:
- Overpriced sushi rolls, but they taste so good late at night when you are starving and high as shit, and no dining hall is open.
- Delivery is free, but the minimum is $15 per order!
- DYNAMITE ROLL IS BEST!!! But they also have really good sashimi.
- Papa Johns:
- Always consistent.
- Almost every quarter they give you a 50% off code for all pizzas exclusively for UCSD students!
- Domino’s
- Popular choice but they never deliver quickly.
- charged you $3 for delivery and maybe $2 for tips (so that’s $5 already)
- Pizza Hut
- Cheaper than Papa John’s and Domino’s, and usually quicker delivery
- Not as good at finding spots on campus
- Authentic asian food
- Ask your chinese international buddy
2b) Off-Campus Food
Most of these require a car. Get a car, or get friends who have a car.
Eastern Asian | Korean BBQ. Like barbeque, but YOU cook the meat on a gas stove. Expensive as all hell, but all you can eat, thinly sliced meats from all parts of animals with delicious sauces, veggies and rice. Come empty, leave full, get your money’s worth. Come in a group. Also, this joint’s pretty popular, so expect a line at the door and make reservations. | |
Kogi | Strong competitor to Manna. It’s all you can eat for $20 during happy hour. | |
Road’em (closed) | Never been here so can’t say for sure, but its super cheap. Not sure if that’s a good thing or bad thing though (<-- If you’re a broke student? Yeah, it’s pretty decent in my book. Obv not gonna have charcoal grills or triple-A meat or anything, but it’s popular w/ students) | |
This place is a must go. The owner/chef is world renown, and critically acclaimed in Japan with over 30 awards. It’s been visited by celebrities and been on various televised shows. Andrew Zimmern proclaimed it to be the best ramen he has ever eaten. Expect a 2+ hour wait. It’s also surprisingly cheap ($15 for a giant bowl) | ||
Japanese Ramen/Tsukemen. It’s located right next door to a pretty decent poke place too. Expect a wait. Parking is a bitch Recommended:
| ||
Go to the one in city heights. All they have is Pho, but it was created by vietnamese immigrants for vietnamese immigrants. Hole in the wall. Their Thai tea is pretty bad though Recommended:
| ||
Korean Soondubu. Many side dishes and even a raw egg to put into your boiling pot. Again parking sucks ass. Think a bit lower quality than BCD. | ||
Convoy Tofu House | Korean soondubu place that caters to koreans. It’s more authentic, and in my opinion better than Tofu House | |
Taiwanese Boba. As authentic as you can get. They have their own recommendation list. | ||
Considered the best sushi spot in San Diego county. Expect a pricey bill. Requires reservations Recommended:
| ||
Conveyor belt sushi. Really good for its price(2.50 a plate). A must go for sushi fans. Expect a wait. Only get sushi there. Their noodles is 90% salt and everything else is not worth the price. | ||
Crossroad Chicken | Korean Fried Chicken. Kinda pricey, but worth going at least once. Recommended:
| |
Hispanic | the god-tier among nearby 24 hour Mexi. You read that right. Twenty. Four. Hours. Generous portions, authentic south-of-the-border grease, meat. and even vegetarian options (if you’re vegan, sorry). This place honestly cannot be beat. Just be warned: it’s Mexican, and not too forgiving on the stomach the day after. You’re definitely going to run into your drunk friends here.
| |
Authentic Tijuana style Tacos. Famous among San Diego natives. Recommended:
| ||
American | Sandwiches | C's Deli in Scripps Ranch has some of the best sandwiches to be had. D.Z. Akin's (closer to SDSU) is also a good deli and serves good Jewish food (not Kosher though) |
If you’re starving or have the late night munchies, this sandwich shop is one of my favorite places. You’ll feel terrible about yourself afterwards but it’s worth it. Recommended:
| ||
Your typical American BBQ stop. It’s one of the better BBQ joints in SD. | ||
I feel silly even including this, but if you’re from out of state, their burgers are a steal. Cheap. Delicious. Fast. This chain is known across the West Coast for being fucking amazing at what they do. Be sure to order a shake, but their fries are infamously awful.
| ||
Pork Pork Pork. This place will satisfy any craving for pork. Somewhat small but they have a to-go stand. | ||
Crack Shack | The BEST Chicken joint in all of San Diego. They have chicken everything here | |
Indian | Serving your favorite Indian sweets and snacks since 1986, Surati Farsan Mart first opened its doors in Little India Artesia, California providing customers a place to enjoy fresh food served with quality and consistency. Before we knew it, we became highly regarded in the Indian community and now with a second location in San Diego, our continued success has allowed us to offer a greater variety of quality Indian vegetarian dishes, chaats, snacks and sweets. This is place is super chill! |
Uncompiled list:
MEXICAN FOOD:
Tacos El Gordo
Oscar's Mexican Seafood
Lucha Libre Taco Shop
Vallarta Express (open 24/7)
Las Cuatro Milpas
Lolita's Taco Shop
Super Sergio's
GENERAL FOOD:
Board & Brew, Del Mar
Phil's BBQ
Carnitas' Snack Shack
Urban Plates
Soda & Swine
Hodad's
Studio Diner
Ike's Place
Amazona Acai Cafe
Dirty Birds
Urban Solace
Tender Greens Downtown San Diego
Slater's 50/50
Salt & Cleaver
Regents Pizzeria
JK Burgers & Hot Dogs
ASIAN FOOD:
Tajima Japanese Restaurant
Pho Ca Dao Restaurant
Punjabi Tandoor
YAKYUDORI
Friend's House Korean BBQ
Homestyle Hawaiian
Taegukgi Korean BBQ
KINDA EXPENSIVE FOOD:
Rei Do Gado Brazilian Steakhouse & Seafood Restaurant
Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse
Spike Africa's Fresh Fish Grill & Bar
Lobster West
BREAKFAST/BRUNCH:
Snooze an AM Eatery
Coffee Cup
Hash House a Go Go
The Cottage La Jolla
Fig Tree Cafe Hillcrest
Broken Yolk Cafe - Pacific Beach
Crushed
GOOD DATE SPOT RESTAURANTS:
Sushi Ota
Arrivederci
Piatti
Ruth's Chris Steak House
Island Prime
Truluck's
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
Donovan's Steak & Chop House
George's at the Cove
BO-beau kitchen + bar
Ironside
Azuki Sushi
Karl Strauss Brewing Company
DESSERTS:
Extraordinary Desserts
Up2You Cafe
iDessert
Mr. Frostie
COFFEE:
Better Buzz Coffee: Point Loma
Bird Rock Coffee Roasters
James Coffee Company
ZUMBAR Coffee and Tea
Coffee & Tea Collective
Dark Horse Coffee Roasters
Caffe Calabria
Ironsmith Coffee Roasters
Copa Vida
3) San Diego Places and things to do
Unorganized and uncompleted Super List
Convoy | Karaoke |
Asian Food | |
Balboa Park | Museum |
Zoo | |
Bars | |
Art | |
Arcade | |
Pacific Beach | Bars |
Food | |
Beach | |
Downtown San Diego | Bars/Nightclubs - Gaslamp |
Food | |
Seaport Village | |
La Jolla | Fishing |
Cove | |
Bonfire | |
Del Mar Fair Grounds | Horse Races |
The Del Mar Fair | |
Coronado | Fishing |
Beach | |
University Heights | Food and Aesthetic |
Miramar | Breweries |
Most on campus parties are just kickbacks. The stereotypical college parties usually occur at SDSU or at Greek houses outside of campus grounds.
On Campus:
International House buildings (around 350 people total). This place gets wild on some weekends, if you’re ever feeling bored. Located in ERC, I-House is the place where half international and half American students live in four or five room apartments. (Note: Most parties get exclusive, so if you want to actually get into them, make sure you genuinely know people there. Don’t pretend to know people, it never works. That being said, it is easy to meet people quickly - tons of people gather on I-Walk to take a break, smoke (europeans lol), deal drugs, and socialize during prls 90%. -- the apartments get super hot and steamy -- so make friends/ get numbers that way and you’ll be invited back. Try to bring alcohol with you! No one likes a mooch, and I-House parties are notorious for running dry quickly. Use the bottle or beer as a ticket in! Also known as a BRAVE CAMPUS DEFENDER (CSO and police officer) haven on weekends/ Friday nights. PROTIP: to play it safe, do not have open containers/ red cups around or near I-House walk (or stairwells) or be caught with any alcohol container (even unopened) whatsoever. As a current resident, I believe the mood is a little different this year. If you can tell a party is going on from outside on a Friday or Saturday, it’s 80% likely going to get rolled. Keep that in mind, and you should be able to find the ones that won’t get rolled (or prevent the one you’re at from being rolled).
The Village:
Located in the corner of campus (next to ERC) is transfer housing, although other students are allowed to live there if their application gets approved (to live there and not be a transfer, you need to have lived on campus already for 2 years). Typically, you can’t expect to be walking around the numerous buildings of the Village and look for a party since they aren’t audible from the outside.On weeknights, be careful after 11. But most of the time you’ll be ok until 1am on weekends. Before 1am, the RA’s will mostly just tell you to control the noise.
the best way to attend one of those parties is to know people holding them. Now you might ask, how do I do that? If you are a first year, get to know transfers. If you are a transfer, get to know more transfers. Important note: if a freshman enters a village party, it is bound to get shut down. This has happened every time I saw a freshman enter. (+1)
the key to partying on campus is to be the life of the party (and to know people, as stated twice above). No matter what grade level or age you are, you could have fun. the more people you meet, the more you will have fun, whether it’s a party in Marshall or a kickback in a friend’s dorm in Muir. Get out there, be social, and meet people. ←- best advice in this whole guide
*** Being social entails engaging in conversation, and not being mean to those who try to do so with you. Don’t be afraid to show that smile!!! :)
If you don’t want to get caught, simply work out some sort of watch out mechanism with people who are hosting with you. Knew people a couple of years ago in Warren dorms who threw parties almost every single weekend. Got caught twice. Usually weren’t little kickbacks either.
Fall Festival:
Fall quarter music festival - week 0
Hullabaloo:
End of Fall quarter music festival
Winter quarter festival events would include Warren Live and Rock N’ Roosevelt
Sun God Festival:
Spring quarter music festival
Pretty fun, lots of free stuff if you get there early
Everyone shows up high
Be prepared to be frisked on your way in by security :/
UCSD History and Lore
- Fun fact about Price Center fountain: Sun god used to be “uncaged” aka took place all over campus. People used to slide down the fountain. One girl inhaled water and was pronounced medically dead, until she was revived by paramedics a few minutes later. Apparently, this is the incident that caused Sun God to be relocated to the field.
- Watermelon drop, King/the hill outside of Main Gym used to be a spot for people to drink and play guitar, until alcohol was banned in public spaces of campus. Check out this article to see what a rager UCSD used to be: http://articles.latimes.com/1985-02-18/local/me-3172_1_beer-ads
- Queening. Some Revellian talk about this. We make someone lug a watermelon up the physics building and chuck a watermelon to the ground. And then we cut open and serve new watermelons.
- Overview: http://ucsd.edu/timeline/
Bear Garden
- A outdoor mini carnival held at Matthew’s Quad once or twice a quarter on a Friday during the day, if you are 21+, free beer, otherwise lots of free food, games and prizes
UCSD Traditions
- Primal Scream:
- During every finals week, a few colleges are encourage students to poke their heads out their windows and scream their hearts out for a total of 5 minutes from 9:55 - 10:00 pm. free donuts.
- Undie Run
- Just as you would imagine - during Wednesday night of finals week, masses of students in various states of un-attire congregate at the Revelle fountain and storm Geisel by force. Don’t get separated from the group and be the one person still running around in their undies!
- Naked Run
- MUIR, know the right people
Off Campus:
- Most off campus parties are either held by a fraternity/sorority/social org. And honestly, the only way to know about those is to, again, know people that hold them or their friends(or be a girl). Since we don’t have frat row, (there is an unofficial one but it’s in a rather shady part of town)<-actually I live here (regents) and it isn’t shady just loud and a bit old/nothing in la jolla is shady. Mira Mesa isn’t really shady, just far LOL ← What do you speak of geed? Regents? Houses off of Governor? Playmor maybe? None are really shady, just full of students. we have frat houses off campus making finding parties a little more challenging. Notorious for getting crashed by the cops because people living in La Jolla tend to have very little tolerance for noise. <-- Honestly, I have no idea what you expected when you submitted your SIR to UCSD but La Jolla is basically a retirement neighborhood for the wealthy elderly...
- Check out athlete parties too! they are super fun. Believe it or not, the Ultimate FRISBEE teams party hard. ←-- they doooo.
- HDH employee parties
Drugs & Alcohol
- AS Safe Ride and Triton Ride are riding services provided to students who are intoxicated a way home free of charge. AS Safe Ride can only be used 3x but it can travel to and from most of San Diego County. Triton Ride is for people on campus.
- If you or your friend has alcohol poisoning, you/they won’t get into legal trouble if you take him to a hospital under a new policy the school has implemented.
- It’s called the Responsible Action Protocol!
- I, in no shape or form promote underage drinking, but I believe you have the freedom to make your own decisions.
- Places on Campus that Serve Alcohol
- Home Plate (sports bar)
- Shogun (beer/sake)
- The Loft (also serves good friend and has happy hour prices for great deal)
Organizations
Advice:
- Clubs and Orgs are a great way to network.
- Network, network, network, you’ll never know who’ll you’ll meet.
- Be a loyal hoe. Orgs are time intensive so it may sometimes become a job to just attend the meetings. Make sure when you find an org you love, stick to it for as long as possible.
- Searching for an org is difficult to say the least. There will be one Club run at the beginning of each quarter at the library walk. Be sure to check it out.
- Try to join at least one organization while staying here. It will make your life easier (finding new friends, getting help, etc.)
Clubs:
THERE’S A SHIT TON OF CLUBS (500+) ON CAMPUS TO SUIT YOUR EVERY NEEDS. IF YOU THINK I’M GOING TO EXPLAIN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM THAN YOU’LL BE MORE DISAPPOINTED THAN MY ASIAN PARENTS. HERE’S A LINK TO ALL THE CLUBS/ORGS ON CAMPUS.
Student Body:
There are seven separate student bodies, one for the six individual colleges (Revelle, Warren, etc.) called the college councils. The other is Associated Students which is the student government for all of UCSD.
Student Body runs major events, and advises administration. We do not hold any power however. First Year Senate and AS fellowships are a good place to start from.
- Pretty much what you expect at a typical college: parties, sex, drama, hard drugs, and a lot of poor decisions. Y’all should ask if your grades can take the hit if you plan on joining
- Unless you are good friends with someone in a frat, or a woman, you have close to zero chance of actually getting into to the parties
- I’d recommend googling the greeks before joining.
- Compton Cookout for example was held by one of the current frats on UCSD.
- Greeks are oppressed at UCSD. La Jolla and the UCSD admins have systematically decreased greek abilities to do certain activities
- Hazing is banned at UCSD but some greeks still has some underground hazing initiative, don’t be surprised if there is.
- We don’t have a frat row
Sports:
- You go to ucsd, why would you need sports. D1 bound
Resource Centers
Diversity Resource Centers AKA Campus Community Centers
Honestly have no clue why they have two websites, just reflexes the mess that is the UCSD website
Activities
- Outback Adventures
- Sells guided trips for pretty cheap to students looking to horseback ride or surf in Mexico, kayak in La Jolla under moonlight, backpack national parks over spring break, etc. Check them out. they have pretty good used gear (camping, surfing, etc.) sales in the fall and spring. You can also become employed and work at one of their two shops. One is located on library walk and sells largely surf gear, the other is local. Outdoorsy people, you can also become an Outback guide and lead these awesome trips. Located near Sixth, and is also an affordable rental shop for all sorts of gear and sports! You can get your board waxed or repaired there as well.
- For more info see http://recreation.ucsd.edu/outback-adventures.html.
- Outback Adventures Climbing Center
- Located at Canyonview gym, this is (in my opinion) one of the most underrated activities on campus. Get into the sport of rock climbing, this is a high quality place and super cheap for an awesome time. Free rock climbing for the first week of each quarter. Starting next quarter (SP18) They will be making the OCC free for all UCSD students.
- UCSD students get discounted Rec Classes
- You usually won’t pay more than $60 for one of these. there are TONS of options, from yoga to surfing to underwater basket weaving. If you do one of the popular classes, like Beginning Surfing, be sure to register when it opens at the beginning of the quarter, or you’re out of luck.
- Check out Intramural sports
- One of the most fun things you can do in undergrad! Co-ed and mens/womens divisions, plus divisions based on skill level. If you’ve never played, say, volleyball before, there is a single-A division coed team waiting for you...haha. Sports include: dodgeball, football, soccer, volleyball, basketball.
- Study abroad:
- Go to the Programs Abroad Office to check out your options for study abroad. there are so many programs and countries available - from volunteering/working abroad, to studying for a month with a global seminar, or studying for up to a year through the UC EAP program. Make an appointment to meet with a helpful counselor.
- Be sure to do your research online and have questions before coming in for an appointment; otherwise, they will just send you away after directing you to their resources online.
- This is a school on campus, located in portable buildings in Marshall College, where UCSD Students can get a voucher to take ONE FREE COURSE per semester in subjects such as law, business, photography, design, guitar, etc. Many opportunities! they even had a free GMAT course this year...You can also get your certificate to teach English abroad if you take one certification class per quarter for about two years. FYI, this would usually cost you thousands anywhere else and is a great opportunity if you want to travel/teach later in life.
- I-House conversation cafes
- If you’re looking to learn more of a new language, brush up on old skills, or prepare for a trip abroad, I-House hosts weekly conversation cafes in MANY different languages. See the schedule here: http://ihouse.ucsd.edu/programs/lang-table.html
- there is also an independent study language program that you can take for credit called LIDS19 which basically provides you Rosetta Stone and class credit for free (http://ling.ucsd.edu/language/directed-study/index.html). Highly recommended!
6) Everything you need to know about the campus internet and ACMS services
PART 1: FILESHARING
How do people on campus get caught for downloading illegal content?
If you’re on a public tracker (eg. thePirateBay.se) then there is a stupidly high chance the torrent is being monitored by third party companies that work for the MPAA/RIAA/etc. these companies notify the designated DMCA officer (Someone in ACMS ResNet) who then blocks your internet (this step is taken to prevent further filesharing notifications and show that ACMS (the Internet Service Provider) is acting in good faith). If you want to have it unblocked, you will have to bring your computer in for a malware scan and attend a lecture on copyright.
That’s for first time offenders. Second time offenders meet with the dean, third time offenders are permabanned. It’s stupid and time consuming and your best bet for getting content is from someone off-campus or good ole hard drives of people’s collections of stuff. Legal alternatives include Amazon Prime (link your UCSD email for the student trial and get the discounted rate), Netflix, Hulu, etc or for use the content provider’s site which sometimes hosts the latest few episodes. For example, Comedy Central’s website is the best one out there in terms of what content they offer (use the adblock browser extension to skip ads). Short of that, there are a host of online streaming sites, many which quickly get shuttered, so do your research and ask around.
Do not set up your internet profile on anyone else's computer unless they are the kind of person you’d be happy to take the blame for to keep them out of trouble (eg bff’s, siblings, etc). Regardless of who violated the DMCA, the profile in which the access the internet will be held accountable.
People who torrent on their laptops at home then bring them on campus and connect to the UCSD-PROTECTED network without shutting their torrent app down also get caught. Use Peerblock (see below)
Are there ways of not getting caught?
Short answer: If you’re doing something illegal, there will always be a chance of getting caught. Anyone who says otherwise is an overconfident ass (these are the Mr. 2nd and 3rd-violations who get permabanned).
Not uploading is a myth, anyone who says otherwise doesn’t understand how the torrent protocols work, the protocol forces you to upload even the smallest amount which is enough to catch you. As long as you are in the torrent swarm of a monitored torrent, and they see you are in UCSD’s 128.54.0.0/16 network, you’re pretty fucked. |
If you want to play the game and potentially get caught, use a P2P peer filter such as Peerblock ( http://www.peerblock.com/) - install the P2P list so you block out known third party monitoring companies. Keyword being known - new monitoring IPs crop up all the time.
(Peerblock is like a condom but it ain't abstinence - with condoms you will always have a chance of impregnating someone or catching their STD, with peerblock you will always have a chance of getting caught).
!
! Peerblock will not save you. Use a VPN.
!
You won't get caught with direct downloads. Direct downloading means downloading from sites like mediafire, sendspace, etc
warez-bb.org is a great site for direct downloads - games, music, movies, and a whole bunch more
It’s finals week and I’ve been caught for filesharing and I really need my computer and the internet!
Get it through the ACMS infringement system, or borrow your friend’s computer.
They’ve blocked you based on your MAC address (def) and your AD login (the ucsd email, tritonlink, etc).
If you spoof your MAC address you can still get onto UCSD-Guest, but this can be considered identity theft (at an extreme) and can lead to potentially severe consequences.
Can I get caught for streaming videos?
Short answer: No.
Long answer: if you’re ONLY downloading (streaming videos, file hosts (rapidshare, mediafire, uploading.to, dropboxes, IRC), it’s slightly less problematic. If you’re uploading or potentially uploading (which happens in P2P (torrenting, eMule, “Baidu video player”)), you might get caught. More likely you’ll get infected with some bullshit 3rd party addon you were suckered into downloading. If it looks too easy or requires an .exe or javascript file download you’re on your way to getting infected.
PART 2: KEEPING YOUR COMPUTER SECURE
Apple OSX:
Click the Apple icon on the top left, and click “Software Update” (you will need to restart your computer after it’s done).
Windows Vista/7:
Use the Start Bar and search for “Windows Update” and run everything (you will need to restart your computer a few times). If for some reason your copy of windows was illegitimate google “Windows Loader” and run it.
If you are technologically inept and can afford waiting a full week, you could try taking it to ACMS.
Do I need an antivirus?
ACMS now makes everyone get one, so download Avast or AVG.
If you’re running Windows, install Microsoft Security Essentials (link) if you are on Windows 7 or below (it’s built in with everything else). If you have Windows 8, MSE is built in.
There are such things as FREE Antiviruses that do the job as good and, sometimes, as better as those Antiviruses that you have to pay for. Avg Free Antivirus does an AWESOME job. It has a nice clean interface and protects your computer from everything by always keeping its database up to date with the latest spyware/adware/malware.
What else do I need to do to keep my computer safe?
Update your Plugins (use this plugin checker) and (use Ninite to automatically download and install any programs especially outdated plugins).
Don’t enter your personal information into any website you haven’t used before or that you don’t trust.
Getting a message from ucsd.acms@gmail.com about your account being compromised is probably not legit.
In general, NEVER send your password or other confidential information by email.
If you are going to a site where you are going to input or have to deal with sensible personal information open an Incognito (Chrome)/ In Private (Firefox) window. It’s a much safer way to carry on your personal biz on the web since pages you view in these windows won't appear in your browser history or search history, and they won't leave other traces, like cookies, on your computer after you close all open incognito/in private windows. On Chrome press CTR + SHIFT + N or go to settings → New Incognito Window.
Also don’t open e-mails that you aren’t completely sure are from someone you know.
ONCE AGAIN: Installing MSE + Updating OS + Updating Plugins > Not doing any of that and using Norton/McAfee.
PART 3: Getting on the damn network
Res halls
You have to fill in the registration, wait God knows how long during move-in week, and you’ll be online. Now it is required for you to install “SafeConnect” or something and an
“approved” anti-virus to get online as well.
Ethernet Cable
UCSD wireless wifi is pretty notorious on how awful it is. If you’re into gaming or require high internet speeds for that HD porn, it is highly recommended you bring a ethernet cable with you .
Recommended length is at least 10 feet
Some dorms don’t have ethernet, like ERC and The Village (aka Seventh)
UCSD General Campus
there are three primary networks: UCSD-PROTECTED, UCSD-GUEST, and EDU-ROAM. Instructions on how to get on them can be found here: http://blink.ucsd.edu/technology/network/connections/wireless/
UCSD-PROTECTED - Requires a root certificate (auto-downloaded in OS-X and Linux, manually downloaded in Windows. Windows has a lengthy configuration process, so follow the instructions to the tee, and when you’re prompted after you’ve done the steps use your UCSD username and password that you use to log into your email account. /Linux)
UCSD-GUEST - The audience is obvious, lots of ports are blocked so don’t expect to do too much aside from basic browsing using this. FYI, you can’t get access to the library’s paid-for full text stuff via GUEST or EDUROAM.
EDU-ROAM - If you have friends from other UCs or universities that are participants here simply have them use their email (jsmith@ucsd.edu as their username and their AD login password), if you weren’t able to get on UCSD-PROTECTED use this as an alternative.
Pages:
- UCSD Confessions (First college confessions page in America!)
- The first group is somewhat inactive, try the 2.0 page
- Ok 2.0 page got banned. Luckily 3.0 is now live
- UCSD Memes
- Humans of UCSD
- UCSD Meet-ups
Overheard at UCSD
UC San Diego / San Diego State Rideshare Group!
UCSD Student Off-Campus Housing
- UCSD Class of (insert year of class here)
Gaming:
- League of Tritons (Bischu and Heartbeattt go/ went here)
- Triton Gaming
- UCSD Smash
Sale:
- Free & For Sale
- Free and for Sale 2.0
- San Diego Craigslist
- Women's Clothes & More For Sale
- UCSD Pleb Talk
- 2nd hand high-end clothing (the fuccbooiiii kind)
Textbook
Academics
Free FOOD!
- Side note: a lot of these events requires you do something or listen for an hour or two.
- Check out these Links to eat free food:
Other
8) Off-Campus Life (I’ve never lived off campus so if anyone has, please assist me in this)
There are a ton of apartment complexes around UCSD, unlike other colleges. A student is able to find his/her apartment needs within the variety of choices nearby! However, there are always pros and cons associated with living off-campus. Be sure to join housing groups for ucsd pages in the Links and Pages
- PROS
- no more inflated and pricey dining hall food
- no more on-campus rules (obviously)
- CONS
- it is always tempting to eat out every day and night, instead of making food
- it could also be a pro, but you have to think about saving money and making food every day
- you’re now living on your own with other people outside of the UCSD community: families, senior citizens, and other random people
- Unexpected costs.
- It’s hard finding places that is reasonable
- Buses are a bitch
PLACES TO LIVE:
1. Costa Verde
2. La Regencia
3. La Scala
4. Verano
5. La Jolla Village Park
- A Homeowner Association complex filled with townhouses. Each townhome is individually owned by a landlord so rent can vary from place to place and everything is through them. Rent includes water and trash, pay separately for internet (duh!) and electricity/gas (these are bundled by SDG&E).
6. International gardens
7. Axiom
EMERGENCY HOUSING
If you’re ever in dire need of essentials contact the Basic Needs Center
Make sure you check out UCSD’s College comparison website http://provost.ucsd.edu/colleges/compare.html
Revelle Pros | Revelle Cons |
|
|
Muir Pros | Muir Cons |
|
|
Marshall Pros | Marshall Cons |
|
|
Warren Pros | Warren Cons |
|
|
ERC Pros | ERC Cons |
|
|
Sixth Pros | Sixth Cons |
|
|
First, read this
- It should answer a lot of your woes and worries
Burn Out
- Find a hobby that you can fall back to each time it gets overwhelming. Don’t drink excessively especially when you’re stressed.
- 10 week quarters are wicked fast.
- A few tips to handle burn out includes:
- Drinking more water
- Eat properly
- Getting 8 hours of sleep
- Exercising
- even a 10 minute jog will help
- Organizing your calendar and setting a schedule for everything
- I.e. when you eat, exercise, go to class, etc.
- Making a list of what is most important and figuring out what you can drop or decrease
Good Study Habits
- This is coming from a dude who had a 4.5 GPA, 2200 SAT, and a shit ton of extracurriculars in high school. I struggled hard when I first went into UCSD. Mainly it was just figuring out what I can do with this new found independence and the lack of inertia from being overwhelmed. Here is what I do to help studying
- Go to fucking class. I can not stress this enough. If I had gone to my classes, I literally would have a .2 - .3 higher GPA than I have now. Even if you’re feeling under the weather, you learn a lot more going to class than staying at your dorm listening to podcasts at 2x speed during finals week.
- Handwrite your notes. Study after study shows that handwriting your notes increases your chance of remembering compared to typing it out. If you want to go another step beyond, research says that the best memory retention occurs when you read out loud your notes.
- It's recommended that you study 2hrs/week for each unit a class you’re taking. So if you’re taking a 4 unit class, expect to study for 8 hours a week solely for that class if you want that A.
- Discipline. Honestly the hardest thing on the list. I’m still struggling to have discipline and forcing myself to do things I might not want.
- Form study groups with people as a last resort. More often than not, study groups with friends ends up being less productive than studying alone. Be sure to set an agenda when you are studying in a group and plan out what you guys are going to do.
- Study Rooms can be checked out at the library
- (reserve up to two weeks in advance).
- If you think you have nothing to contribute in a study session and want to be loved by everyone, bring pizza.
- If you have no one to study with, try to post of the class of ___ page of facebook
- You can also set up study guides and have people fill out the information on topics
Tutoring
- The school offers a variety of tutoring options.
- Teaching and Learning Commons in Geisel (1st floor)
- “Oasis is a learning center at UC San Diego and provide most of the free tutoring on campus in a collaborative, supportive environment. All UC San Diego students are eligible to receive OASIS services. Each year, OASIS serves 3,000 students in language, math, science, study skills, and writing as well as peer counseling and peer mentoring”
- Oasis is a god send; however, they fill up quick. Check them out if you’re struggling or you know that you will struggle
- Located on the third floor of Center Hall, they provide free workshops (Math 10 series and 20 series, Chem 6 series and 140 series, Physics, English - some tailoring for DOC of Marshall, MMW of ERC, Muir writing, etc.) and free tutoring.
- They have two awesome programs for incoming freshmen and transfer students.
- The first one is Summer Bridge Program in which incoming freshmen stay on campus for free during the summer (about 8 weeks) and take two free credit classes (usually about social justice); they also have their own mentors (they are UCSD junior, senior students and really great), free workshops (e.g. Financial Aid, Study Skill, …), and one year priority of registration for classes.
- For transfer student and maybe some freshmen, there is TriO SSSP - TriO Student Support Services Program, which is similar to EOPS in community college. The SSSP participants, like Summer Bridge, will stay on-campus one week (this year, because of the lack of funding, only 3 or 4 days) for free during the summer (usually mid August). They will participate in many activities (trust me, they give you really pack schedule but really fun) including workshops (preparing for grad school, stress reduction, communication, career choice, …), bonding events (we shared our own story, which was emotional), exploring the campus. We also went to the beach and had a fun time there on the last day of summer program. During the school year, SSSP students receive the priority for class registration, which last until they graduate as long as they meet all the requirements (e.g. participating at least 3 events or workshops of SSSP or UCSD). And one awesome thing about these two programs, you will be able to find many meaningful friendships.
- Essays/Writing
- English Assistance
- Office hours
- Highly recommended that you go to at least one office hour. You’ll get to know your professor
- Other
- If you want more information in general go to this website
- You can also find private tutors
Striving for Perfections
- Failing
- Its common for UCSD students to fall flat on the first quarter. I’m talking 2.5 GPA to 3.0. I know it sucks but learn what you fucked up on and try something new
- Even if you don’t fuck up your GPA, there’s something that you will fuck up majorly on.
- Just remember to humble and take a breather, and don’t destroy the basements computer and be turned into a meme
- Start slow and slowly build your pace.
- I took two courses one quarter because I couldn’t handle three classes.
- Be involved in school.
- There’s always this one person that everyone knows that stays in their dorm playing LoL or whatever game is popular nowadays and jerking off to porn. Don’t be that person
- There’s a shit ton to do. Student government, clubs, orgs, sports, other people ;)
- Try to learn from mentors or stalk successful people at UCSD through their linkedin profile. Imitating them can get you farther than you expect.
- Know people
- I’d say about 50% of success comes from connection. This comes a few personal conversation with my rich ass parent’s friends who easily make 6-7 figures a month, professors, and some ivy league buddies of mine.
- Hell there’s someone here at UCSD who is the grandson of the financial advisor for one of the states in India. Its people like these that will propel you into success.
- I remember talking to this group of guys in Revelle Square. They were creating a startup for cheap motorized skateboards. One of the guys was a son of a factory owner, the other was the son of a successful businessman. They basically worked together to create their prototype and should be out in markets relatively soon.
- I know it sounds devilish but everyone is a connection of some sorts. Like me, I’m pretty heavily involved in school politics and media. My parents own 4 different restaurants. So under this case, if you were interested in opening a restaurant, or wanting to promote something, I’m your guy.
- Talk to your academic advisor
- This guide isn’t comprehensive, they’ll fill in all the minute gaps that I didn’t include
- Your academic advisor is there to tell you what you need to do if you are clueless cough* undeclared majors cough* cough* on what you want to do in life
Interacting With Faculty
- UCSD administration has been trying to promote faculty-student interaction
- 5%-15% of students actually try and talk to their professor/TA’s or show up for office hours
- Each college has Coffee with a Professor and Dining with a Professor
- The programs are a great way to know your professors and TA’s
- Your college Provost is possibly one of the most important connections you can make
- They’ll be able to help with looking for internships, life advice, and anything under the Sun. Be sure to check out who they are and set up a meeting to talk with them. You won’t regret it
Other
- If you would like more information about your major go to your major’s department website
11) Sexual Health ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )
College is basically a camp for people at their sexual prime with no supervision. I wonder what will happen.
Student Health Center
- Many people don’t understand that condoms only apply to girth. I remember one time when a girl pulled out a magnum condom on me right before we were about to hook up. I was like “She is going to be sooooooo disappointed. She thinks I’m going to wear a condom.”
Masturbation
- UCSD does not block porn so you have free range on all your favorite porn sites.
- Dildo’s and other sexual toys are fairly easy hide inside the closet provided to you by the school
- There are plenty of sex shops around the city if you're not willing to order toys online
- Good prices for sex supplies at the General Store in old student center (affectionately known as The G-Spot)
- It’s a good idea to get a schedule of your roommates schedules
- Please don’t masturbate in the showers
The Sock and Sex
- A sock on the doorknob is a universal sign of “hey I’m fucking over here”
- More than likely, you will be sexiled, being kicked out of your dorm for sex
- The walls are paper thin. If you’re a screamer, it’s gonna be like a rock concert
CARE at SARC
- CARE is for victims of sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, stalking or personal safety concerns
- Please look through the website if you are a victim
- They will not ask you to identify the assaulter unless you specifically provide information to them under which they are legally obligated to report this to the police department
What not to do
- Steal panties
- Rape people. Seriously. Ask “Do you consent” cause shit will hit the fan and it is not fun. You should always be asking for consent, and remember that it can be revoked at any time.
I don’t know about sex what I do?
- This channel is a great way to start off with teaching yo self
- Read “Guide To Getting It On”
- Has a lot of information about pleasing the other sex. Will make you a sex god, I’m not even joking.
- Can be rented out in the library or bought at Amazon
- How do I meet people who want da sex?
- Tinder, Parties, Social Events, sex clubs
- If you have sophomore standing, you are eligible to have a “S” parking spot. You can park at “A” and “B” spot after 4:30 during the weekdays and all day holidays and weekends.
- Finding parking is unlikely. Glider’s Port is a spot that has guaranteed parking, but your car will be covered by a layer of dirt and it's at ERC area, a far corner of campus. Regents parking is the other parking spot but you'll have to wait in a line for the bus if you do. If you commute and want to have parking, you'll have to be school at 7:30 (unless gliders)
Bikes/Skateboards/Scooters
- Bike theft is a huge problem at UCSD. I’d say the average lifespan of a bike is between 3 months and a year before it gets stolen. Because of this, be sure to secure your bike if you do bring one. Finding spots to park your bike is lately becoming an issue.
- New spin bikes available (it’s like $1 per ride or something)
- The campus is huge. Walking between classes can take as long as half an hour so having one of these equipments is useful.
- Scooters are not looked down upon at UCSD. Women would want you, men will hate you.
- Skateboarding really depends on skill set. I see an average of 3 people eating pavement each quarter. A lot of skateboarders hangout at Revelle plaza.
Buses
- Most people know this but for those that don’t - you can check when campus shuttles are coming fairly accurately on this website. There’s also the UCSD app for that.
- The campus loop takes 30 mins from morning until 6:30pm, 25 mins from 6:30-9:30, and 20 mins from 9:30 until midnight to travel all the way around. On the weekends it only goes counter-clockwise and there is only ONE shuttle going around, so plan for that. More often than not, it's faster to walk than take the shuttle.
- Check SD MTS buses by text (ie: text GOMTS (46687) with “10772” for the Gilman&Myers 201 bus time)
Other
- Lyft
- UCSD students receive 2x credit for Lyft Rides
- Three free rides per quarter for students
- Unlimited use after campus shuttle shuts down for the night
- Car rental company on campus
UCSD has many facilities for sports, weights, and surfing. It has everything except football. There are many recreational activities to stay fit on campus. Avoid the Freshman 15 - gaining 15lbs
- Gyms
- CanyonView
- Your go to gym if you are located in Warren or Sixth college
- Has an outdoor pool and weight room
- Has a climbing gym (one free visit per quarter)
- Main Gym
- Indoor pool, and weightroom
- Mainly used by Revelle and Muir Students
- RIMAC
- One of the largest gyms west of the Mississippi River
- Contains indoor racquetball courts, weight rooms, dancing facilities
- Sports
- Outdoor Tennis Courts
- Located at Marshall
- Basketball
- ERC and Revelle
- Track and Field
- Soccer field
- *No Football field
- Why would we need football
When I was in sophomore year of highschool, we had this research assignment on any topic we want for English 10. I chose bodybuilding because I wanted to gain some weight and thought that this will be useful to me. Fast forward two weeks, I was at home scrambling to get my assignment done. I was reading up on the proto-bodybuilders, the strongmen at circuses. There was a picture of him mid-pose with a leaf covering his crotch at the end of the article. Unknowingly, my mother had snuck up on me and saw her pubescent son looking at homoerotic pictures of a muscular man. She left after a silent gasp as she saw my computer screen. Needlessly, she asked if I had a girlfriend every week for two months.
So, what does this story mean? Pretty much nothing besides having an extensive knowledge of weights and dieting. In college you might seek out to become more healthy, and props to you for that. I’ll be sharing my knowledge with y’all.
- Beginner
- If you have never touched a dumbbell in your life before, the first thing you need are stats and basic info on body parts. You’ll need your height, weight, fitness level, and goal. Learn the major muscles of the body, and look up starting strength.
- 3x10 = 3 sets of 10 movements
- Dieting
- Gains - gaining muscle weights
- Protein - you want about .7 to 1 gram per pound a day
- I personally like to go to pines and get a bowl full of chicken from the salad area
- Protein powder + milk/soy is a great boost in your daily calories
- Eat more than your TDEE; 300 to 500 more. Calories In, Calories out
- anything I can find.
- I use a calorie counter app in the beginning
- Cutting - losing fat/toning
- Protein - you’d still want about .7 to 1 gram per pound a day
- Switch out milk/soy with water
- Eat less than your TDEE; about 200-400 depending on goal
- I’d eat protein rich foods and watch high calorie, low protein meals
- Oats, chicken, greek yogurt, eggs are high protein
- Decrease carb intake as body will begin burning fat once it runs out of carbohydrates to burn
- This state is called ketosis
- I crave rice whenever I’m in this state
- Weird taste in mouth
- Bursts of energy
- Basic idea behind paleo diet
- Weights
- Type/Schedule
- Splits
- Splits is splitting your workout into body parts for different days of the week
- Ie. legs on monday, chest on tuesday, back on thursday. Etc.
- Do splits when you’re a bit more experienced and have your beginner gains start to drop or if you have no time to work out
- Pro’s - much faster workouts, easier to “sculpt” your body, allows your body to rest, you feel more energized
- Con’s - slower overall growth, you have to go to gym at least 3 times a week, can result in weirdly shaped bodies if you have no idea what you’re doing
- Full body
- You work out your entire body. It’s better when you’re cutting as it burns more calories than splits.
- Lifts: there are three major lifts
- Bench
- Squat
- Deadlift
- Cardio
- Swimming
- Running
- Great places to run on campus! Check out the eucalyptus grove near RIMAC/field
- If you’re running alone I suggest buying pepper spray or a self defense weapon. I’ve never had any problems but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. There’s an emergency button (one of those tall blue things that call emergency responders) in the grove too. Here are some good self-defense products: SABRE pepper spray, Self defense keychain (I call it "the stabber") (here’s a video of an old man showing how to use it: kubotan self defense).
- CAPS (counseling and psychological services)
- If you are ever feeling shitty, depressed, worried about a roommate/friend, make an appointment to see a counselor thru UCSD Counseling Services (usually takes about 1.5 weeks to get an appointment, but you can see someone sooner if you’re really struggling!). If it is a really time sensitive emergency, call campus police and they’ll hook you up with a counselor any time of day or night. You get several free sessions per quarter, and this can make a huge difference in your undergrad experience. From the website: “Our office hours are 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday. Our Central Office is at Galbraith Hall 190. You may call (858) 534-3755 or stop by our central office to make an appointment.”
- underfunded.
- Difficult to arrange appointment.
- Taking Care of Yourself
- Sometimes you’ll need a breather. It’s fine, as everyone will be feeling the same distress at one point in their college career. Just take it easy and pick yourself back up.
- First years have it pretty rough when looking for internships/work. I highly encourage learning the fundamentals that are the bare minimum of getting a basic job in your field. Take for example data science. I’d recommend polishing your python skills, learning the tools, and the most important thing of all, taking on projects.
- Becoming a TA, IA, or Tutor on campus means that you are entitled to free tuition. RA’s get free room and triton cash. This is the platinum tier job to have on campus.
- UCSD has a job search engine called Port Triton (now its HandShake)
- This is a good place to look for on or off-campus jobs and internships. There is also something called AIP - Academic Internship Program - where they will refine your resume, help with cover letter writing, match you with an internship in your desired field, and help you procure a faculty member advisor. You do your internship for credit and get good experience. Check the website for more info. You could also conduct a mock interview so you can practice before you do the real interview (helped me land a couple jobs).
- You can also find research opportunities here.
- Most people find a job at HDH. I’d highly recommend working for them since they are always hiring, and it’s a great place to find friends
- Contacting professors whose course you have taken is also another way to get your foot in the door. The first job/internship will always be the hardest
- If you know your shit, and know what the professor's research is on (a simple google search), tell him why you’re interested in working in his lab, and what you can bring to the table. It’s rare, but it possible to land a position in a lab your first year
- UCSD also has career fairs every quarter. We get big name companies.
- Every winter quarter, BMES holds a LabExpo where lots of labs from on and around campus show up and present and look for interns. Great place to find an unpaid internship.
- Don’t pay to get an Internship/”volunteer opportunity” . It’s ridiculous how many people fall for this scam. Never ever pay to work even if you have the finances to do so.
- Go to the career center and have them look over your resumes. They do it for free and will probably tell you more in depth advice there
- If you have to decide on paying the rent or eating, than fear not. The basic needs center has got you covered. Whether it is toiletries, food, or even housing, the basic needs center will have you covered.
- Financial aid requirement for most scholarships. Doesn’t hurt to apply though.
FAFSA
SMART OPTIONS: You can probably live off of 10-15k a year easily by following a majority of these options
- Living off campus is much cheaper
- Savings ~$300-$400 per month compared to living on campus
- Cooking your own food and meal prepping
- Savings $60 a month
- Riding the bus
- I personally spend $80+ a month on gas alone. There's also parking permits, and maintenances which add up quickly. Gas at La Jolla is typically at the higher end of pricing.
- Don’t buy the books, get the pdf’s
- Books cost around $40-120 PER class. Big savings
- Becoming a Tutor-IA (Free tuition + paid by the hourly)
- Tuition is ~16000. the hourly wage of $15
- Become an RA
- RA’s get free board + triton cash which can be used in the local areas around the school
CREDIT CARD
- Chase
- Pay off your credit card as fast as possible, as soon as possible to build up your credit score
- You can get a secured credit card (you have to put in a certain amount of money and that’s the most you can borrow) and if you only use it a little bit each month and pay it off entirely each time, you’ll start building good credit quickly.
- I’m going to play devil’s advocate and list current issues with the campus and why you shouldn’t go to UCSD:
- UCSD is an interesting place that isn’t for everyone. You decide how it’s going to be. The amount of things you can do on campus is absolutely ridiculous, but no one is going to hold your hands while doing so. UCSD is for self-motivated individuals who know what they want to do.
- There are so many resources to use on campus that finding them is just a headache on its own. There is so much more information that I couldn’t include either because they are very niche or that I have no knowledge of.
- UCSD is really Socially Dead and it comes from a factor of reasons. The main aspects are the lack of student participation and education-driven mentality. So compared to other traditional universities, UCSD’s social scene isn’t great. However, this doesn’t mean there does not exist a social scene. It just happens to be so that most UCSD students undervalue socializing due to the pace of school. Most “social” people on campus are the work hard, play hard type of people, so things do tend to get pretty intense when there is a social event. You can’t change it. Trust me
- The people who claim UCSD isn’t socially dead think that just because there exists a social scene, UCSD is socially active. It isn’t.
- Housing Dining Hospitality (room and board) is shit
- Even though tuition is cheap, room and board is extremely expensive. I paid ~900 a month to live on campus for a double converted into a triple on top of the mandatory $3000 dining dollar purchase. Effectively, I spent a total of ~15000 for 9 months to live on a starvation diet with less than 50 ft^2
- UCSD is fucking huge and the transportation system sucks.
- Finding parking is a nightmare and won’t likely be fixed for another 2+ years.
- Classes can be extremely far away. It can take up to half an hour to walk from one end of the campus to the other end.
- UCSD is a research school with researchers, not teachers
- The professors are extremely smart and talented. This does not mean they’re great teachers. This also means that the people competing for those research positions will be top notch.
- CS program is lottery based if you're trying to get in as an non-CS major.
- La Jolla isn’t a college town.
- Unlike other universities, La Jolla does not cater towards UCSD students. La Jolla is a giant upper class neighborhood with mansions.
- There aren’t that many student discount bonuses
- You’re more than likely to get a complaint if you party to late at night
- There isn’t much to do unless you can drive away from La Jolla.
- A majority of the homeless here are not the down-on-your-luck homeless people. Many of them have mental issues and/or are chronically homeless. They occasionally harass students
- The mental health system at UCSD sucks. CAPS is pretty much the only place where you can get help. They are severely underfunded and it could takes weeks or months to have an appointment. CAPS at this moment is honestly just an emergency backup for the school where severe cases can be expedited, and saves the school from lawsuits.
- People take things very seriously at UCSD. There's a lack of appreciation for humor and fun. Someone will exploit any possible exploits at UCSD. It really is draining.
- MAKE SURE YOUR SCHOOL TURNS IN YOUR TRANSCRIPTS. THERE ARE USUALLY 10+ CASES A YEAR WHERE STUDENTS ARE REJECTED BECAUSE THE SCHOOL OR THEY DID NOT SEND THE TRANSCRIPTS. DON’T LET THIS BE YOU!
- Spend your Summer having fun with friends. This will probably be one of the last times you and your friends will hang out as people change over college.
- Please feel free to send me a message over FB or email me at nil021@ucsd.edu