University of California-Irvine Top Questions

Coming for the Inland Empire, Irvine was a drastic change for me. The City in general is gorgeous. The campus is beautiful. What I truly love about the campus is that it is shaped as a circle, so you never get lost! Also, we have a park in the middle of our campus, where there are so many bunnies and squirrels and you can just do and relax at the park. Also, there are so many things to do on campus. We currently have over 500 registered clubs on campus. So you can find a club about harry potter to a club that is focused on getting into grad school. We also have many events at our school. Like in October, we have a concert called Shocktober Fest, during Spring Quarter we have Waysgoose and Reggaefest. We also have a great recreational center where they offer many classes and a great pool. I think the campus is not too big but not too small. It's just the right size.

The best thing about this school is the people, the atmosphere, and the resources. Many people are open-minded and friendly. Even if you're quiet, you will make friends and meet new people. The atmosphere is great. UCI has a park in the center of the entire school where you could just sit down and study, listen to music, play frisbee, talk, or just sleep. It's very relaxing. During big events like Welcome Week and Homecoming, people are very energetic. So depending where you are, UCI has different atmospheres fit to your liking. UC Irvine has many great resources. We have free tutoring services for certain classes. We have LARC which is a really great tutoring service, but it is not free. However, it is very affordable and helpful! There is an Academic and Advising center for each school and they will answer any questions you may have. There are many leadership, academic, and service opportunities as well. One thing I would like to change is to have a day to celebrate different cultures all over campus. Some clubs do this type of thing, but it is a small-scale event. I would like this to be a large-scale event so that we can be more aware of different people and cultures on our campus. UCI is neither too small nor too large. I did not want to go to a large school because it would be really hard to get to class. Since it is a UC, it is not that small. UCI is just right. When I tell people I go to UC Irvine they usually say, "Wow, great job! That's a good school." Although UCI is not as prestigious as UCLA or Berkeley, it is just as good in academics and sports as both those schools. I spend a lot of my time in the library, my room, the student center, or the ASUCI offices. One experience I will always remember is living in the dorms. I highly recommend it because you meet a lot of different people. Living in the dorms has its ups and downs but when it's over, you will wish you had just a few more days. The Resident Advisors held events for their residents and there were community events as well as competitions, which were very fun.

I love UCI! We do work, we're pretty fly. In all realities, UC Irvine is almost nobody's 1st Choice (I am part of the 1{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} that it is!), but that does not stop its student from falling inlove with the campus! There are so many things to do and so many ways to get involved! UC Irvine is a place to learn and grow as a student, but more importantly as a person. Would not have changed my choice even if I could.

I really like my school actually, hard to believe but i really love going to lecture! I have had some great professors in the past and took some different/interesting classes. One thing I would change is the food available at the school of medicine side of campus. there is only one cafeteria there and it is not very good. I think my school is a good size. There aren't too many students and there is adequate space provided. The park in the middle of school is beautiful. When I tell people I go to UCI they are all impressed and say 'wow, you must have had great grades to get in there from high school.' That's nice that they recognize my hard work. I spend most of my time in the sciences side of campus, away from the front of the school where all the excitement happens. There are always great events and sales happening in the student center. The biggest controversy on campus right now is the fee increase. Students have been protesting and walking around campus blowing whistles during class to show their protest of increased tuition. Something unusual is that we have a lot of rabbits at the school because they were let out by the laboratory and kept reproducing. An experience i will always remember is running around campus at night doing a scavenger hunt with my friends. We had to solve riddles and take pictures of the item when we figured it out. A great thing about my school is that it has a wide range of activities so everyone is able to find an interest.

The best thing about UCI is that it is always becoming better. UCI has the most land out of all of the UCs but it is yet to be fully utilized (thus the acronym, Under Construction Indefinitely, reflecting upon how new buildings are always being raised up). It seems that the school's academic reputation is continually increasing as well. The campus could quite possibly be one of the best out of all the UCs -- it is very well organized and has tons of plants. The atmosphere is very calming. There are many good facilities for students to use. However the atmosphere at UCI has much more of a modern look, so if you think a good looking campus is one with a prestigious historical look, then look elsewhere. The city of Irvine is an important consideration too. Many people call it a giant retirement home, which I wouldn't say is completely true. There's a lot of conservative retirees but also many young professionals who work at the local companies. There are also many families who want to raise their kids in a nice suburban lifestyle. The city strives to be somewhat utopian. Much of the land and many buildings (including probably over half of the off-campus apartments) are owned by the Irvine Company, which is owned by one of the richest people in America. So what does all of this mean? A very quiet and pleasant atmosphere with parks every 3-4 blocks (literally). It's dull if you don't make the effort to find things to do or people to meet. I must stress again that there are things to do, you just have to find them and meet the people who are interested in making things happen.

UCI is a huge school. It is way too big. It's a commuter school, so people leave on the weekends, which makes life quite dull. School pride is subdued, but people don't seem to mind. Time is definitely spent milling around in dorms or at Yogurtland.

When I went to school, which was not that long ago . . . I graduated in 2005. . . there was not much school pride at all. I remember my freshman year, it was more common to see people wearing sweatshirts from schools they wished they had gone to and not UCI. I live in New York now and I'm going to graduate school at a VERY VERY prestigious university and let me tell you I have SO much pride that I went to UCI. I consider myself lucky to have gone to school with such down to earth people from diverse backgrounds and in a relatively chill area. Yeah it got boring from time to time, and the cops did shut down the parties pretty early . . . but when I see and hear these spoiled and pretentious undergrads at the school that I now attend, I thank my lucky stars that I can call myself an anteater. So basically Don't Judge a Book By Its Cover. UCI may not seem as well known or popular as other schools but it gave me the most amazing time of my life. Plus, now that I have graduated, UCI gets a lot more respect than it used to, pretty much all my friends are in amazing grad school, are working abroad or have stable, well paying jobs. Also UCI has been getting a lot more TV time these days (ie Kaba Modern, Aubrey ODay from Danity Cane, Miguel Zarate on Step it Up and Dance) . . . just give us a few more years and we will have just as cool of a rep as all the normal schools you think of as #1 choice schools.

UCI was the first University of California campus to have a majority Asian population, which makes this seaside campus "feel" kind of like Hawai'i. Biology (Premed - "best on the West Coast"), Engineering, and ICS (Information & Computer Sciences) are among the leading programs for this University. But like Pomona's Harvey Mudd college, this doesn't mean that hard work can't be rewarded with a "party hardy" social life. For years, UCI has tried to conceal it's "O.C." Newport Beach beach culture behind it's brainy Irvine address, but by now the word is out that UCI grads are actually a more "balanced" brand of high achievers. UCI's ideal coastal location and state of the art facilities in a beautifully landscaped masterplanned community make it a top choice for those who like the best that California lifestyle can offer. UCI has been able to attract a world class faculty due to its ideal location in coastal Orange County, California; besides having an excellent local reputation as a preeminent training ground for future doctors (UCI passed Stanford back in the 1980's pumping out premed graduates with the highest acceptance rate into medschools), UCI is very much Pacific Century focused and actually is quite well known in India and China where some of my fraternity brothers have pursued careers in film and corporate mergers and acquisitions. A UCI degree is admired around the world. UCI is relatively peaceful, although the campus administration has taken measures to pacify tension between Jews and Muslims at UCI. Recently the campus was a focus of Muslim activism when a symposium reviewing the "Danish cartoons" of the Islamic Prophet Mohammed drew hundreds of vocal demonstrators who tried to intimmidate conference attendees.

One of the things I'd like to see at UCI is more attention to the School of Humanities and the School of Social Science, especially research opportunities. There's a lot of attention (and funding) being given to School of Biological Science and School of ICS. I can envision UCI as THE place for interdisciplinary studies for recently, UCI has attracted scholars of high-caliber, supported new majors and minors like Queer Studies and even opened up new centers like International Writing & Translation Center. A lot of people tell me that UCI is a good school when I tell them I go to UCI. Still, they do not regard UCI on an equal term to UCLA or UC Berkeley. I really do believe that in 10 years, more or less, UCI will find itself rising in rank, even surpassing UCSD and UCSB, because of expansion of the campus continuous development of academic programs. Law school, for example, will help attract prospective students and notable scholars to UCI. What I dislike immensely is the administration and its handling of campus affairs, especially the administrative sides. There seems to be a huge disconnect between the administration, the faculty, and the students. For instance, it took hours for Zotalert to put out an alert to student body about armed robbery or missing students. Another is a ban of bikes on Ring Road. Rumor is that a student hit the Chancellor with his bike and there was a swift reaction. Even if that was true, there should have been an open roundtable discussion between the administraiton and the student body. There's no school spirit and yes, many students say the reason is due to UCI's lack of football, a statement I disagree with. I just think that how the administration deals with university affair set the tone for the entire campus. Collaborative nature is missing and should be considered on all levels, something that students do notice. I really miss the old school pub! I think the new Student Center can be more student-friendly. I really adored the pub and Cornerstone...and I spent a lot of time there. The University Center is something that can help promote the college town feel.

UCI is a school full of amazing opportunities. It is currently going through phenomenal growth, something that won't slow up soon. Although there are always 'growing pains' associated with rapid growth of any infrastructure or organization, it also creates the need for leaders and the opportunities to seek changes. Other Universities already have very established programs and traditions, whereas UCI offers you the unique opportunity to play a visible role in forming those traditions for our future. I will admit there are still lingering signs of being a 'commuter campus.' However once students find their niche (whether in the Greek system, the performing arts, leadership, honors, athletics, service clubs, etc) it becomes easy to really enjoy the student life that we do have.

I really appreciated the layout of the campus. All of the main buildings are organized in a circle, all within easy reach via Ring Road or by cutting through Aldrich Park. Aldrich park was another aspect of UCI that I loved. It is a beautiful park in the middle of campus. Quite the refuge from the hectic life of a student. There's not as much school pride as I would have liked. Not like the kind of school pride you hear about at old, private universities. This is something I wish would have been different. As an alum though I do feel a sense of pride having come from UCI. UCI is unique particularly because of its mascot, Peter the anteater! I don't know of any other school that has the anteater as its mascot. I think it's the best, most interesting mascot out of all the UC schools. When I was in college, one of the biggest controversies had to do with ASUCI and the mis-use of monies (i.e. for extravagant retreats). I am not sure if that was ever resolved.

Outside of academics, UCI's biggest strong point, particularly in busy southern California, is the beauty of Aldrich Park, which is in the center of campus. There are lots of trees and paths, creating a nice setting for walking across to your next class or for just spending time outside. Because of the large student body, it is difficult to get personalized attention for general administrative matters. However, some organizations like the Career Center, Counseling Center, Health Education do cater to students, which is nice. If you're a part of Campuswide Honors Program, it's really easy to get to know the staff, and they are VERY responsive to your needs. UCI is definitely a large public university, which is great in the huge diversity in academic offerings and student organizations. Along with that, though, come long waits in line for administrative things and anonymity, which can be good or bad. Most people do not know UCI outside of California. I generally say that I went to school in southern California or Orange County to not confuse them. In Cali, though, I think most people are familiar, but they think of UCLA or Berkeley first as their favorite UC. I was really fortunate to have awesome roommates and to have on-campus housing the whole time I was at UCI, so usually if I wasn't in class or something, I would be in my dorm or apartment complex. However, the student center, eating places, and the library were pretty popular during lunch. Although the school is UC Irvine, it's actually on the edge of the city and is practically in Newport Beach. Irvine is an upper-middle-class planned community, and Newport Beach is a pretty ritzy beach city. As a result, UCI doesn't really have a nearby ghetto area, and there isn't as much interaction with these areas as there could be with the exception of some pretty large donations from the rich businesspeople who live in the area. Some people are extremely involved in student government, but from the outsiders' perspective, it mainly benefits those who run it (e. g. boosting the resume or lavish spending for their personal use), especially since many of them are also involved in Greek life. UCI has no football team. Instead, we have a strong baseball team and a really nice science library. As a biology major who studied a lot, I had no problem with that, but it does kind of bring down school spirit as a whole. However, there is the enthusiastic Completely Insane Anteaters (CIA) organization that encourages people to go out to basketball games and such. Nevertheless, zot zot! Probably one of my most unique UCI experiences was participating in Alternative Spring Break where a group of us went to a new location to do community service over spring break. I met such a great, diverse group of people and accomplished a lot while having fun too. Since I've gone, the program has done even bigger and better things, including restoring an area in the South affected by Hurricane Katrina. As for complaints, everything is expensive: cost of living, tuition, parking, books, etc. Administration can be a hassle too.

People always think UCI is boring when I tell them I went there, but I partied all through college and loved my professors and the campus. Irvine is not just about being in Irvine, but about being in Southern California. It is so easy to go to LA or San Diego for the night or Vegas or Palm Springs for the weekend.

I loved UCI. It is a large school, but one can easily find a niche. There are so many opportunities to be part of something. All 300+ clubs are constantly looking for new members and leaders. There is always an art show going on at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts. There is always a great jazz concert by the music students, a great musical put on by the Drama students. All the shows that I have been to are intimate and professionally executed. Our Associated Student body puts out great programs; free film screening, holiday games, homecoming games, and speaker series. I spent most of my time at the Cross-Cultural Center. I was an officer for the Asian Pacific Student Association. Then I became an Publicity Intern at the Cross. We programed insightful and timely events that brought inspiring speakers to UCI. I remember one event was a fair trade coffee tasting/talk. We also invited the creator of Boondocks as a keynote for one of our events. I spent the majority of my time working on a publication I founded called Jaded magazine. Jaded was a serious commitment. I was able to publish it for three years with the help of talented writers, artist, and editors all from UCI. We took our passion for social justice, art and journalism and set strict guidelines for running the magazine. It eventually won the respect of students, professors, and even non-UCI students. We gain national recognition with Campus Progress' "Best Publication" award. It was truly a feat, beating out all those east coast ivy leagues. UCI or any other school will be memorable if you choose to make it memorable.

The best thing about UCI is the laid back atmosphere. People let you do what you want, within reason of course. There isn't an awful lot of school spirit, but I think that is largely because there isn't a football team. Irvine itself is not a college friendly town; a lot of places close at 9pm or 10, but neighboring cities like Costa Mesa and Newport Beach offer a variety of night life activities and other fun adventures. I spent most of my time on campus, either working or attending classes. People always know UCI, it's not something that needs explanation. People know it's a good school.

Its hard to pick one thing that I liked best about UCI. I really liked the fact that I had many opportunities to get involved with organizations on and off campus. Because of the people I met and their encouragement I was able to step outside of my comfort zones and get involved in internships and leadership positions that I would have never done in high school. Also loved the size of the school. Coming from a large high school I liked the idea that every class would have different and new people in them. One thing that I wish UC Irvine had more of is school spirit. Because the school is not very old as well as not having a football team the tradition is lacking. It seems like the alumni base is building which will in turn help build this school spirit--but that will only take time.

UCI is great because it is a great environment to really educate yourself. It's safe and quiet atmosphere is conducive to learning. There are also a lot of really great people at the school who, if you take the time to get to know, can become life-long friends. Just like in everything, The experience to get out of UCI depends on the effort that you put into it. As for a "college" experience, UCI is pretty lacking. The adventures that you are likely to have are not the drunken exploits expressed in movies, rather, they are journeys into the tunnels underneath UCI, or ice-blocking down the various hills in the area. The main problem with UCI is that the are very up tight about a lot of things, and that puts stresses on social activities. Although, they recently reopened the Pub on campus, which, if you are 21 is a great place to hang out and bond with friends. Also, the Jews, Muslims and Christians tend to fight a lot over stupid things. Like Israel. They seem to think that arguing about it around you will solve the problem, but the only thing that they end up doing is propagating hate between one another. It is good times.

its close to the beach and the weather is amazing. And academically it is top of the line for a public school

Its in Southern California. I'd give us a football team so we can have some kind of nightlife. Just right. Most don't know what UCI is unitl I say UC Irvine. I spend most of my time in Engineering Gateway. What college town. No opinion with administration, never dealt with them. The Jewish community is constanltly bad mouthing the Muslim community through various clubs, organizations, and even the school newspaper.

The best thing about UCI is Aldrich Park. It's nice just to lay out on the grass on a spring day and read between class. The worst part is the lack of community cohesion. You don't really get the "campus" feeling like at other schools because it is a commuter school and we don't have a football team.