Student Voices – Marshall College

Read Daniel's account of his experiences as a member of Marshall College.

Note: In addition to reading Daniel's description of student life in Marshall College, you can also link to other Student Voices to learn about the rest of UCSD's Six Colleges.

I grew up on a ranch in rural South Dakota, and the "city" was Murdo, population 700. It was neat but very different. I got to experience that part of life; now I'm in a whole different life.

The route to UCSD

UCSD is my sixth college. I hoped to go to the Naval Academy but didn't receive an appointment. Plan B was a full ROTC scholarship to UC Berkeley, which was rejected after one semester due to a history of allergies. So I took a leave of absence to establish state residency.

I went to Vista Community College in Berkeley and worked as a manager for Blockbuster. I moved to San Diego because I wanted a complete change. A family friend who lived here said, "Anytime you want to visit, just let me know." So I did and loved it. I worked at Radio Shack and went to City College. Last year I lived in Long Beach and LA, and went to Coastline and Orange Coast colleges. Thank God for an educational plan that kept me on track! I came to UCSD with IGETC, and I have a financial aid package that's amazing.

UCSD is beautiful

We're really spoiled here at UCSD. It's such a beautiful campus. The buildings are state-of-the art, and the people are helpful and sincere. We have just the right amount of competitiveness and friendliness where you enjoy being a student.

I love San Diego - it's by far the most beautiful place ever. I live in North Park and carpool or take the free shuttle from Hillcrest. I have friends that I consider to be family away from family. I play basketball in a city league. I love to go to movies, and I'm a huge fan of all kinds of food, especially Thai and Indian.

Future city planner

As a transfer, you come in and right away declare your major. It's neat because you're taking upper division courses and specializing in what you want to do in a career. My major is Urban Studies and Planning. My goal is to be a city planner. I figure it's a field where every day will be exciting. In my Transportation Planning class, my group's project was selected as #1 by a panel of outside professional judges, so today we're being interviewed by KPBS Radio. It'll be nice to have those professors write letters of recommendation to graduate school. We have a senior sequence which is a hands-on internship for the major. The faculty and I will try to get me into the San Diego City Planning Department or something similar. It's one of the highlights of the major.

Campus job is "great opportunity"

My job in UCSD's Department of Facilities Design and Construction is great because it's like an internship. Whenever they're building anything new, I work with the project manager. Everyone in Urban Studies says it's a great opportunity because I'll need to work with architects and engineers.

Marshall College reaches out

The way UCSD has structured its colleges is really amazing. You feel like you're part of a community. People are there because they feel they exemplify the values of that college. Marshall College is about celebrating diversity and that's what drew me to it. They really reach out to transfer students. They have a ton of organizations and leaders that constantly keep us informed. I've gotten involved with the Leadership Enrichment and Advancement Program and also Transfer Connect and Academic Success Program. And I belong to the Urban Studies and Planning Club.

Balancing life

Time management is definitely key. I'm all about schedules. They keep me on top of my work. Set aside time for study and fun; otherwise it's easy to get behind. Go to class and do the reading and participate in discussions. Read as much as you can each week.

Choose one or two extracurricular activities and devote what time and energy that you have. Just have fun and have a balance with everything in life. Do your schoolwork. It's all about knowledge.

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