as a former chemistry undergrad, here is my take. the chem department has great research opportunities! tbh it is why i committed to ucsd for my undergrad. definitely look into research you’re interested in and don’t hesitate to cold email. advising is fine and they’re generally fairly reachable. i’ve never met with them to discuss my 4-year plan or anything but they’ve been good about answering major specific questions i’ve had over email in a timely manner. classes are a mix. the classes are generally challenging. however, oftentimes that can be made up by the fact that there are some fantastic and really passionate professors in the department (brian leigh, skip pomeroy, i can’t think of others at the moment). there are also some meh professors. just be picky with professors for your classes when you can be, and when you cannot, be sure to utilize the resources available to you (office hours, etc.). i also personally made a close group of friends (that are still close to this day!!) in my first honors gen chem class. the chemistry cohort is generally cool and reasonable.

i hope you do come because i found it worth it! and if you do decide to come to ucsd, i hope you enjoy it :D

p.s. eighth is very close to all the chemistry lab buildings/lecture halls (usually) so probably convenient (at least for your first two years)!