i'm really REALLY tired and shouldn't relaly be online right now but i am and i saw this so let's blaze right through this shit. if this comes off as rude then i apologize, i'm just trying to be direct
What are the class sizes
Lower div Bio classes seem to be something like 100-300 people, depending on the class and whether or not it's a prereq for shit people have to take. I'm pretty sure for chemical engineering you have to take at least a little bit, which means a few bio classes will be really big. i assume upper division gets smaller, but i can't say that for sure. i do know that there are definitely more bio majors than history majors here and my upper div history classes are like 20-40 people, so presumably at least that size, probably a bit bigger.
what's ERC like
Don't really know, I've only really ever been there during Sungod. From what I remember, it was pretty nice. A giant clusterfuck of alcohol, at least on Sungod. I assume it won't be like that anymore since that one kid died but that won't stop me from trying. ERC's really close to the gym, so you have no real reason to not go, so that's nice to have motivation/guilt staring you in the face. the apartments/suites/rooms/whatever you want to call them are nice too.
is the bio program all theoretical or would I get to work in a lab sometimes
p sure you'll work in a lab a lot, and the amount of lab work you do increases as you get higher up, from what ive heard. i'd say you'll probably have 1 lab for every 3 classes but i have no evidence to back that up
are most classes taught by grad students
Not as many as you'd think, tbh. usually the grad students end up just helping whoever's teaching the class as TAs and leading sections and shit. the few classes i've taken that had a grad student teach it (psych60, for example), were totally fine. sometimes it's even better since they were students more recently than the professors so they know how to reach people in a way that the old dudes don't
is UC Socially Dead an apt name or have I heard wrong?
i really hate this question but everyone always asks it. realistically social opportunities won't just come knocking at your door (that did happen to me once but that's a long story and irrelevant), which means your social life here is what you make it. there are a ton of student orgs that are always welcoming new people (if you're asian there's even more options, which is true and dumb), so if you actually want a nice social life, it's not difficult to do. but it does require effort on your part, which bugs a lot of people.
Sorry for all the questions but I can't go to Triton Day and really don't know anything besides what I've heard from UCSD's reputation, thanks if you actually read all this!
no worries. i'd say you should really try to take a look at the school, though, even if it's not on triton day. it's a nice campus.
oh and about the cogsci thing, our cogsci department is really good, highly recommend. and your bio shit will count towards your major so it's not anything wasted probably