1. Parking. The parking at UCSD is absolutely terrible. Unless you get to campus at 7:30 a.m., don’t count on getting an S spot until around 4 p.m. If you want to beat it, park at Regents Lot and shuttle to PC. There are hundreds of open spots every day. It might take you an extra 15 to 20 minutes, but it certainly beats waiting in the Muir, Hopkins, or Pangea parking lot line and asking every person who walks by if they are leaving an S spot. It took me two and a half years to figure this out. By the way, if you are reading this and you notice a line of cars waiting for parking, try making some type of gesture to signal to the driver whether you are leaving; -trust me, they are watching you. Whether you shake your head or simply have your keys out, it is just more convenient for everyone.
2. Dining dollars. Buy as little as possible. The secret here is to wait until spring quarter to buy dining dollars from the people who are trying to get rid of them. The UCSD Facebook pages, such as Free and For Sale, and UCSD class pages, makes this incredibly easy. I did this my sophomore, junior and senior year. The average price I paid was around $.45 per dining dollar. Now, that $8 double-meat sandwich at OVT is $3.60. Pretty exciting, if you ask me.
3. Fraternity or sorority. If you’re bored at UCSD or want to make more friends with similar interests, or you like to party, I would highly recommend joining a fraternity or sorority. I didn’t join a fraternity until my junior year because I was on an NCAA team, had an internship, and still had school to focus on, but I can honestly say it was one of the best decisions I made since coming to UCSD. I have made friends with hundreds of absolutely amazing men and women, and have made memories that I will cherish forever. Whether it is a Greek, professional, or multicultural fraternity, give it a shot --- you might be surprised. Just ask anyone who is already involved how happy they are with their decision. Fraternity and sorority life is not for everyone, but if you are even slightly curious, I highly recommend giving it a chance.
4. Dine with a professor. Free and delicious food, a chance to talk one-on-one with a professor at a top university, and a great chance at a letter of recommendation -- assuming you are doing well in the particular class. Need I say more? Check out the Dine With A Prof program, here: https://students.ucsd.edu/academics/advising/acade...
I know it is intimidating to meet with your professor one-on-one, but you have to remember that these incredibly smart professors are normal people. Come prepared with some questions and you will be surprised how well it goes. I waited until my last two quarters to do this and, subsequently, made two valuable connections and received two letters of recommendation. Did I mention free food? By the way, pick Zanzibar @ the Loft when you sign up. And get the fish tacos -- you won’t regret it.
5. Avoid buying unnecessary books. Nobody likes spending $300, or more, each quarter on books. I don’t know how many times I purchased a required book, only to find out I never needed it. There are multiple ways around this. First, and foremost, talk to your professor. More times than you’d imagine a required book isn’t actually required by your professor. For many classes, notes and information on TED will be more than enough. If you have not heard, most classes have multiple copies of the required book available to checkout at Geisel -- up to three hours, if people are waiting, and overnight if you check it out after hours. Check out all the rules here: http://libraries.ucsd.edu/resources/course-reserve... If there’s no choice but to purchase a book, try splitting the book with a classmate. Also, explore all options when purchasing a book. The bookstore should be your last option. Check online for free e-books. Again, you will be surprised.
6. Stop at all stop signs when driving on campus. I know stopping all the way at the 78 top signs, driving campus loop, is tough. In my four years at UCSD I don’t know how many times I have seen cops lingering around the corner of a stop sign on campus, ready to give tickets. I have also been in two different instances where the driver of the vehicle I was in received a ticket for rolling a stop sign. A $375 ticket can do a lot of damage to a poor college student. Pay particular attention to areas around Warren and the Village. Just drive safe and follow the rules of the road, in general. And, follow the parking rules. Ask any upperclassmen how anal UCSD is about parking.
7. Color coded dishes. Dirty dishes and college students go hand-in-hand. Not all roommates have this issue, but the other 90 percent of college students will face this problem at one time or another. Maybe your roommate always “forgets” to clean your bowl when you need it for some late night cereal. Whatever it may be, nobody likes having dirty dishes stack up in the sink. The easiest way around this is the color-coded dish system. It is pretty simple; each housemate uses and is responsible for their color dishes at all times. You can easily call people out using this system, but the beautiful thing about this system is that most of the time it doesn’t even need to come to that. It is about $20 for a set of dishes in your favorite color at Walmart, or wherever you shop. Some people may just go to Costco and buy disposable cups, plates, bowls and utensils to eliminate this problem. Don’t be that guy or girl who disrespects the environment. Just do your dishes and make everyone happy.
