Not only does UCSD's Materials Science and Engineering Program offer students great opportunities in the research arena, but the local area offers quite a variety of activities. Students quickly discover why San Diego (and La Jolla where UCSD is located) is often referred to as "America's Finest City".
Surf, Sun and Societies...
Students can enjoy various extra-curricular activities on campus as well as off campus. Some examples of off-campus activities include sailing lessons in San Diego bay, surfing lessons in San Diego, La Jolla, or Delmar beaches, scuba diving, hang gliding, hot air ballooning, to name a few. Hiking in the Torrey Pines State Reserve terrains overlooking the waves in the Pacific Ocean is relaxing and enjoyable. The Torrey Pines golf course is located next to the State Reserve.
UCSD's 1,200-acre campus spreads from the seashore, where the Scripps Institution of Oceanography is located, across a large wooded portion of the Torrey Pines Mesa overlooking the Pacific Ocean. To the east and north lie mountains, and to the south are Mexico and the almost uninhabited seacoast of Baja California. From this base, a rare mixture of academic excellence and recreational activities literally surrounds students.
The campus is divided into six colleges, each independent in goals and philosophies and yet interrelated by academic and support facilities. Students enrolled in Materials Science and Engineering will be attending most of their classes and conducting research in modern building structures and laboratories equipped with a variety of convenient experimental facilities.
In addition to frequenting the beach, bay and nearby mountains, Materials Science students are currently establishing a student chapter of Materials Research Society. Additionally, there is an active Graduate Student Association that provides the students with an array of activities ranging from journal clubs to social mixers with various departments across campus.