UCSD Reviews (3)
Application process
The application for the UPS program at the University of California, San Diego was very well supported. If you had any questions, you always got helpful answers pretty quickly. In the course of the process, when you are in contact with the UCSD staff, things usually went smoothly as well, when it came to registering at the university or paying the tuition fees.
I studied undergraduate economics at UCSD, which is roughly equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in Germany. In my first trimester, I attended the ECON 178, ECON 120C and ECON 109 courses. The latter two were very good and you could take a lot with you. 120C Econometrics C was a mass course with over 300 students, but there was still homework and good supervision. The 109 Game Theory course was extremely interesting. The course was small and there was weekly homework, which I never had at my home university. A very good change. 178 Economic & Business Forecasting was a disappointment because the “professor” is incompetent.
Overall, the quality of the courses is subject to a certain variance. The same then applied to the second trimester.
You should try out a few more courses in the first few weeks and then decide on the best, which is not always possible, however, as you are dependent on the waiting list, which you have to ask the ECON Department for as early as possible. I was able to take all of the courses I wanted, but I was also fairly flexible in my choice of courses. Check anycountyprivateschools to see more reviews from current students.
In most departments it is very easy to get into courses. ECON and a few others are the only ones with real limitations.
In the courses you usually write midterms and finals. That means the final grade depends on several achievements. It is usually not that difficult to get good grades, as the results are curved, i.e. subjected to a distribution function.
The libraries are very well equipped with PCs and software, but there is a lack of textbooks to borrow. If you have to buy books, they are significantly more expensive than in Germany, sometimes well over 100 euros.
The campus itself is very beautiful and spacious and you can find everything you need to study on campus. The sports facilities are great too, but cost extra.
Unfortunately there is no cafeteria and the food in the Price Center is definitely not suitable for long periods of time. I’ve tried it.
Living
After my approval from UCSD, I took care of an apartment and rented it from Anatolia. I lived in a shared apartment with three other international students from UCSD. The apartment was in La Jolla, pretty close to the university, so you could be on campus in 20 minutes by bus. I lived in an apartment complex, where you can also find apartments via craigslist. The complex is very good and an incredible number of international students live there, but unfortunately it is also expensive and security actually prevents any party from 12 noon. There is actually nothing going on in the area and you have to go downtown or Pacific Beach, which is difficult as there is no public transport and taxis are very expensive. A car is therefore very helpful.
Life and leisure
Well, that’s definitely the highlight. The weather is usually fantastic. The first two months in San Diego only sun and shorts. The beaches are great and San Diego is a very interesting city (Balboa Park, Downtown, Orchestra, Pacific Beach). There are an enormous number of shopping opportunities. The people of San Diego are friendly and open-minded, and it’s easy to get in touch with other people (usually other international students).
It is also unbelievable how quickly you feel integrated and also feel at home. In the end I was so sad to have to go back. I would have liked to have spent the summer there and would have loved to travel around even more if I hadn’t had any obligations regarding my bachelor’s degree or had still had money.
Costs
That’s probably the only major downside to San Diego. It’s expensive both to live and to live in and especially the tuition fees. In Germany I pay 500 euros semester fees and in San Diego I had to pay several thousand dollars for a quality that was not better. That is a disadvantage. The prices for calls and in the supermarket are also surprisingly expensive. If you want to eat well and healthily, you have to be prepared to pay a little more.
Conclusion
Apart from the cost, I’m really happy that I chose San Diego. I have learned a tremendous amount personally and had great experiences. I definitely have to visit San Diego again one day before.
