This greeting was written especially for prospective students (and their "support staff"). Continuing students may linger and read, or jump directly to the specific info they seek.
We'll presume that other UC San Diego webpages have, by now, convinced you to add UC San Diego to your short list. Your next challenge is to rank UC San Diego's six undergraduate colleges in order of preference. This may seem next to impossible, even after browsing through many pages. If at all possible, visit campus, or talk or correspond with students at several UC San Diego colleges. Write to the e-mail address at the bottom of this page and we'll connect you with a first year (or new transfer) Muir e-pen-pal.
Should you apply to UC San Diego and not rank the colleges, you certainly will not end up as a Muir student. Each year Muir fills its entering class with students who made it their top choice. So nota bene, it behooves the UC San Diego applicant to devote extra time to surfing UC San Diego's College sites. In your early college years, that decision may have a greater impact on you than your choice of major. Many UC San Diego students either enter "undeclared", or change their major once or twice. But it is very unusual for students to change their college.
What distinguishes Muir? In a nutshell, a cheerful sense of self-irreverence; an "everyone can play" attitude towards extracurricular activities; and UC San Diego's broadest array of college involvement and leadership opportunities. And rather than having these distract students "from their appointed rounds", Muirons graduate UC San Diego in the greatest numbers, with top academic honors, and they typically move on to awesome accomplishments. Your mileage may vary.
How do you learn more? If you have any questions regarding academics, please forward these to muiradvising@ucsd.edu.
Peruse Muir's website, and then forward any questions regarding student life to muirdeansoffice@ucsd.edu.
- Patricia Mahaffey, John Muir College Dean of Student Affairs
