10 Ways to Jump Into Campus Life

1. Find your people

With more than 750 student organizations, there really is a club for everyone at UC San Diego. You can learn to speed-solve with the Rubik’s Cube Club, head outside with the Bird Club or join the Costco Club, where warehouse runs and a now-famous rotisserie chicken-eating event have brought students together. Search for groups connected to nearly any interest, identity, academic field or cause — and if the right organization doesn’t exist yet, you can start your own.

Keep an eye out for student organization tables along Library Walk, where a quick introduction could open an unexpected door. That’s how Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree Abby Sherlock ’19 discovered Triton Gaming, a community that became her “second family” and gave her early industry experience before she launched a career in game development at Riot Games.

Join Associated Students in Town Square on Sept. 30 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. for the annual Chill n’ Grill: Camp Fluffy. This fun, informational and networking event is free to all undergraduates with a valid student ID and features food, merchandise and more.

2. Put your skills to work

Your next job could put you in a 3D robotics lab, an art gallery, the Library archives or a makerspace. Student positions on campus also span web development, oceanographic engineering, athletics, accounting, marketing, tutoring and much more. Along with earning money and making connections across UC San Diego, students can gain meaningful professional experience, develop skills employers value and begin preparing for life after graduation.

All student employment opportunities are posted on Handshake. Complete your profile, use the platform’s filters to narrow your search and read each posting carefully for details such as required experience, work hours, pay and application materials. Students can also turn to the Student Employment Office for job-search guidance, résumé and interview resources and for help understanding federal work-study opportunities.

Need help getting started? “Unlock Your Campus Career: The Ultimate Guide to On-Campus Jobs” will introduce students to available positions and offer tips for standing out as an applicant. Sessions will be held virtually on Oct. 6 from 3-4 p.m. and in person on Nov. 5 from 3:30-5 p.m.

3. Gear up in blue and gold

Refresh your blue-and-gold wardrobe at the UC San Diego Bookstore, where featured styles this fall include game-day tees, quarter-zips, SoCal-inspired hoodies, trident-print button-downs and mock crewnecks. You’ll also find hats, foam fingers and everything else you need to show your Triton pride.

The growing range of UC San Diego apparel also includes a new Fabletics collection, available online and at the Fabletics store at Westfield UTC. With more styles and places to find them, there are plenty of ways to represent UC San Diego in the classroom, around campus or while cheering on the Tritons.

4. Cheer on the Tritons

Fall quarter brings plenty of chances to support UC San Diego’s Division I teams and experience the energy of a home game. Triton soccer enters the home stretch as both teams pursue postseason berths. The first 200 fans at the men’s Sept. 30 match against Cal Poly will receive a free UC San Diego soccer scarf, while the women close the regular season with a Halloween Spooktacular on Oct. 31. Women’s volleyball hosts Utah Valley on Oct. 10 — with a T-shirt giveaway — and the nationally ranked men’s water polo team takes on rival UC Santa Barbara on Oct. 16.

Basketball season is also around the corner. After UC San Diego was represented in NCAA March Madness in each of the past two seasons, the men’s and women’s teams return to LionTree Arena with plenty of momentum for their final Big West season. The men host Fresno State during Homecoming Weekend on Nov. 7, followed by the unveiling of the women’s 2026 Big West championship banner on Nov. 12. Both teams will face new conference rival California Baptist in a Dec. 3 doubleheader.

Current UC San Diego students receive free admission to all home games, so explore the full schedules and start planning your game days.

5. Explore a new corner of campus

Consider this your invitation to take the occasional campus side quest. Walk the long way to class, wander through the newly opened portions of Triton Center or turn an afternoon stroll into an art scavenger hunt by tracking down works in the Stuart Collection. Among its 22 installations are words embedded in the walls and floors of the Price Center, violet forms that nearly disappear into a eucalyptus grove and a hillside path shaped like a giant serpent.

If you’re looking for somewhere quieter, revisit our guide to 10 spaces to find serenity on campus. You might discover an ocean overlook at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, a rooftop garden in Revelle College or the tucked-away Garden of Eden beside Geisel Library.

6. Connect with the arts

You don’t have to be an arts major to tap into UC San Diego’s creative side. ArtsConnect brings together performances, exhibitions, public art, film and hands-on experiences, making it easier to discover ways to watch, participate and create.

Start with Thursday Night Special, a new weekly series featuring film screenings and cinema conversations on most Thursdays at 7 p.m. at the Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts. This fall, films span musical romance, psychological horror and dystopian sci-fi. The free program is curated and hosted by either the Suraj Israni Center for the Cinematic Arts or the Triton Film Society, UC San Diego’s student organization dedicated to an appreciation of film.

Opening Oct. 1 at Mandeville Art Gallery, “Off-Screen Space” pushes beyond the traditional edges of the screen through experimental films, video art, multichannel installations and a cinematic performance.

The ArtPower at UC San Diego season also brings the Oct. 16 world premiere of “Roots of Loving Us” – a dance work developed by Department of Theatre and Dance faculty Ana Maria Alvarez and holly johnston that explores what it means to create, sustain and redefine family in the 21st century. On Oct. 23, campus favorite La Santa Cecilia will bring its new album, “Los Años” to the Epstein Family Amphitheater. UC San Diego students can receive free tickets to ArtPower performances and events throughout the year.

7. Try a new way to move

Pick up a new hobby by choosing from more than 50 instructional classes offered by UC San Diego Recreation, with options ranging from disc golf to strength training for students who want to learn proper lifting techniques or improve their form.

Students can also drop into free group fitness and yoga classes, including Pilates, cardio dance and cycling, with registration open seven days in advance. Or take your next adventure beyond campus with an Outback Adventures trip to destinations across California and Baja.

8. Give some of your time

Just 10 hours this quarter could help support local students, restore natural spaces, strengthen public health or meet essential community needs. Community Pathways connects students with San Diego-area service opportunities in each of these areas. No previous volunteer experience is required, and training is provided. Students can participate individually, with friends or through a student organization while completing at least 10 hours of service during the quarter.

Service sites are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so act quickly: registration closes at 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 30.

Students interested in a longer-term commitment can also explore Alternative Breaks, a yearlong service and learning program centered on social justice issues. Participants meet weekly to prepare, learn about the communities they will work alongside and build toward an immersive service trip. No previous service or travel experience is required.

9. Make something

Give your hands something new to do this quarter. The Craft Center offers plenty of low-pressure, low-cost ways to experiment, including mini pottery wheels, matcha-bowl making, jewelry making and Ceramics Cafe. On a tight budget? A range of cooking classes and select ceramics workshops are free for students, along with a DIY Lounge stocked with art supplies for independent, group or artist-designed projects.

At the Glass Center, students get a discount when booking a Make Your Own Glass experience or a weekend workshop. Curious spectators can stop by for free on most Mondays between 1 and 7 p.m. to watch artists experiment with molten class in the Hot Shop when the garage doors are open.

10. Show up for a campus tradition

Week Zero may be over, but UC San Diego’s fall traditions are just getting started. On Oct. 22, join U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón at the Epstein Family Amphitheater for a conversation about this year’s Common Read, “Against Breaking: On the Power of Poetry.” Muir College’s Día de los Muertos Celebration follows on Oct. 27, bringing the campus community together through music, dance, art and shared remembrance.

Later that week, get creative for the UC San Diego Bookstore Halloween costume contest. Have your costume photographed at the Bookstore on Oct. 30, then watch the entries go head-to-head in a campuswide social media vote. Fall traditions continue Nov. 5-8 with Homecoming, featuring spirited athletic events, alumni reunions, a two-day block party and the grand opening of the Triton Alumni and Welcome Center.