University of California--San Diego
Hallmarks and Quirks
Things I'm Good At:
- Healing the sick. I have five hospitals in my extended campus that are making breakthroughs in healthcare on the daily.
- Engineering. I have pretty much any kind you can think of: computer, bioengineering, electrical, thought, mechanical, aerospace, nano, and structural. No, I didn't just write "thought." No need to re-read that part…
- Social psychology. ScienceWatch ranked my program number one in this field. Because of me, you'll never have to wonder whether Steven spilling his coffee on your desk was passive aggressive. (Spoiler alert: It was.)
- Oceanography. I mean, I'm right next to the beach for a reason. I'm ranked second in the country and I'm gunning for first.
- International Relations. This is probably to be expected, since Mr. Clinton himself selected me for his global initiative program. But I actually top the lists in this area quite regularly.
My Top 5 Must-Haves:
- A towel. If school ever seems a little too stressful, head on over to the seaside and catch some rays while you listen to nature's therapy, Pacific Ocean waves.
- A bike. Like I said, my campus stretches about five miles. Why wait for the shuttles? Get anywhere you need to on your own time.
- A pumpkin or watermelon. It's tradition here to throw pumpkins or watermelons off of buildings on Halloween and at the end of spring quarter, respectively. We even elect a Watermelon Queen.
- Late night sushi delivery. DelSushi will deliver sushi to you for free, anywhere on campus, until 2:00AM. Nothing helps late-night studying like raw fish.
- Sunscreen. This is no joke, people. The sun shines bright here, year-round. Skin cancer is one of the things our global initiative team is trying to eliminate.
Why You Might Have Heard of Me:
- Geisel Library. It has eight floors, was named after Dr. Seuss, and looks like a spaceship.
- Sun God Festival. This is a music and entertainment festival that attracts crowds from all over the place. Big names like Macklemore, Ludacris, Drake, and My Chemical Romance have all played here in the past.
- Nobel Prize winners. I've churned out quite a few of them in my short time here. One of the most notable is Susumu Tonegawa, who discovered the genetic components to adaptive immune systems. This illuminated the process by which antibodies are formed and has been instrumental in curing diseases of all kinds.
- Birch Aquarium. If you grew up in the area, chances are you've had a field trip or two over here. My aquarium attracts hundreds of thousands of school children and adult-aged tourists every year.
On a regular Saturday night, you can find me...
I'm probably getting cozy in the quiet and welcoming spaceship known as Geisel Library…if it's midterms or finals week, that is. On typical Saturdays, I may be at Coronado Beach roasting marshmallows around a fire, or at Pacific Beach for some wacky nightlife antics. If I'm tired of places with "beach" in the name, I could take the free party bus to Gaslamp, a nightclub in San Diego. I might even get crazy with the international students in I-House.
Favorite Hangouts:
- RIMAC. When I need to lift the stress away, I head to the gym. RIMAC has everything from free weights, basketball courts, and treadmills—not to mention the racquetball courts, which are great for bonding with people.
- The Bistro. This is probably the best place to eat on campus, and you can use dining dollars. Optimize that meal plan as best you can, you studs.
- Hi-Thai. This place is so good that professors and TAs hold office hours here. They have great food and it's right in the middle of campus, so it's an ideal meeting place.
- Price Center. Anything and everything goes down here. There's even an amphitheater outside for performances. This is a good hangout/study spot, but Price Center is most importantly the location of a bunch of different food options, including TapEx and Panda Express. Man, I just realized how much food there is on this campus…I should probably run back to RIMAC.
- Mandeville Coffee Cart. This is the best coffee on campus. Hands down. Or up, if you want to, you know, raise the roof in honor of their delicious brew. It's a small cart outside the Mandeville with a great atmosphere, and it's an easy place to kick back and sit in the sun.
- Third Floor Geisel. You can't always study alone; sometimes friends can actually help rather than distract you. The third floor of Geisel is the perfect place to work (and goof around) with friends. The floors are progressively quieter as you go up, so three out of eight still allows for plenty of gabbing.
Quirks:
- Talking Trees. There are three trees on my campus that are a bit different from the rest. One talks, one sings, and the other one stays pretty silent.
- Dr. Seuss. Theodor Geisel is very important to me. We even celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday every year with cake.
- Giraffe Catchers. These are set in place just in case the giraffes at the San Diego Zoo escape. Probably.
- Giant Rock Bear. I have a rock garden on campus complete with a giant rock teddy bear. Not so cuddly anymore, huh?
Famous Alumni:
- WongFu Productions. These guys are on YouTube. They met at UCSD and are still working together and collaborating with famous artists to make new videos and content.
- Nick Woodman, GoPro founder
- James Avery, Uncle Phil on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air