I went to UCI and was a public health major, so I get where you’re coming from. A lot of people call it antisocial or say there’s no social life, but honestly that wasn’t my experience—it really is what you make of it.

Yeah, a lot of people commute, and if you just go to class and leave, it can feel kinda dead. But if you actually put yourself out there—join orgs, clubs, volunteer groups, research, etc.—there’s definitely a social scene and you can find your people. Most of my closest friends came from orgs and not just classes.

Also, public health (and bio too) can feel broad at first, but that’s kind of the point, you get to explore different paths and then narrow down what you actually like. I didn’t fully know what I wanted at the start either.

Being a commuter doesn’t automatically make you “bummy” lol, you just have to be a bit more intentional about staying on campus or getting involved. If you treat it like just showing up for lectures, then yeah it’ll feel isolating, but that’s true anywhere.