Zenifar Jahan

Is the social scene at UC San Diego actually any good?

Hi I’m Zenifar and I’m a third year at UCSD! At UC San Diego, the social scene is actually a lot better than its reputation makes it seem! Greek life (fraternities, sororities, and multicultural orgs) is definitely part of the culture and adds a lot of social energy through parties, formals, and events, especially on weekends. But it’s not the only way people socialize, and most students aren’t exclusively in Greek life. Instead, a lot of social life comes from dorms, friend groups, clubs, and cultural or academic organizations. Freshman year is usually the most social because you’re living in residence halls with shared floors of 20–40 people, so it’s really easy to meet people naturally. By sophomore year, people move into apartment-style housing and already have established friend groups, so social life becomes more about smaller hangouts, Greek life events (if you’re involved), clubs, and off-campus spots around San Diego. Another thing that makes UCSD feel more alive are the big school wide events like Fall Y’all, Sun God Festival, Ascend, and Horizon; these are huge moments where literally the whole campus shows up, and they make the school feel way more connected and fun than people expect.

UC San Diego · 14d

What are the dorms really like at UC San Diego?

The dorms depend on which College you get into at UC San Diego. The older colleges such as ERC, Warren, Revelle, and Muir have relatively older dorms that have less space and can feel more run down, and they often include more triple rooms where you may be sharing with 2–3 people in a single room. While the newer colleges such as Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth have very nice, newer dorms for both first years and second years, with mostly double rooms and more space overall. First years typically live in residential halls (mainly no kitchen), where you usually share a room with 1–2 other people and live on a floor with about 20–40 students total. Bathrooms are also shared with the floor, depending on the building. Second years live in apartment-style dorms where you have more privacy and space, usually living with about 4–6 people total in an apartment with a shared kitchen and living room. So overall, you will almost always have a better and more independent dorm experience second year!