University of California-Irvine Top Questions

Our servers, when receiving high traffic, always crash. Applying for housing is a pain because everyone is trying to access the server at once, and it ends up taking over two hours. There is also a 18 unit cap enrollment and to surpass 18 units, there is a later enrollment period where it opens to everyone at once. And of course, it crashes.

Parking! Parking permeits are always, always expensive! To be honest, I do not understand why parking prices increase almost every school year. In addition, it is always a hustle when you park. People tend to be very last minute, so expect some crazy driving in parking lots and parking structures. Although it is very unlikely that you can't find a space while having a permit, do expect to park inconveniently far away from your classes. My advice? Find an apartment that is walkable to the campus or simply take the bus, it is more eco-friendly, too!

The only thing I would have to complain about UC Irvine is how big it is, which does have its pros and cons. The pros are the rich diversity of people and culture integrated into this campus; the cons are that it is hard to get that personal attention and close-knit relationships with faculty and professors. In such a big campus, it is easy to feel like a nobody. Other then that, nothing gets better than college life at UCI with perfect, beautiful weather every day, the amiable people, and the caliber education one can achieve.

The most frustrating thing about UCI is the fact that everything closes relatively early (around 9PM), so if you get hungry during the night while you're studying, it is hard to get ahold of a snack unless you have a car.

The most frustrating thing about my school isn;t necessarily within the school itself, more the idea that because it is on quarter system and it is my first year it has taken some time to adjust to the faster pace then what I have been used to.

There are very few places to go to outside of campus.

Every single class is ridiculously hard!

classes too big

The most frustrating thing about my school is the lack of diversity. I believe that my school's demographics include almost 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of Asian people. I have no problem with Asian people, considering I am Asian American myself, but I came from a very diverse community and would have loved to continue learning in that type of environment, especially in college. It is frustrating because I believe that being surrounded by different types of people helps provide a learning community outside of the classroom, but with such a lack of diversity, I miss out on that type of knowledge.

Although many view this quality as a positive, UCI is located in an extremely safe environment. While safety can never be a frustrating issue, students feel safe from all sorts of extremes--from political to even weather extremes. While many prospective college students hope for a life-altering experience, including exposure to different and extreme ideas and lifestyles, UCI offers these experiences to students at their disposal, rather than throwing these experiences in their students' faces like other universities. UCI students can feel like they are in a bubble, but they are not trying hard enough to break free.

Enrolling in classes because students should have the freedom and right to enroll in the classes they want and need when they want. It is a hassle and very stressful for students to enroll in classes when they are waitlisted or full. The school needs to open up those classes that are in high demand to accomodate everyone's needs.

The most frustrating thing about my school is the amount of "red tape" I have to go through in order to get something done. For example, if I need to call the university about a billing issue, I must look up their specific phone number and if they do not answer I must leave a message or e-mail them and I must allow ten days for them to reply.

Well I don't know yet becuase I have not started school yet. I will begin my college experience in a couple of weeks and so I myself don't even know what the most frustrtating thing about UC Irvine is.

It is a big commuter school and there is not much school spirit.

Conservative politics of the surrounding area.

Nothing

There is a lack of non-academic activity going on at UCI, in comparison to other universities. The classes one takes are only a part of the overall university experience; the connections and life skills one learns during their university years will also be quite beneficial to them throughout their future. Unfortunately, I do not feel that I am learning enough of this non-academic portion of a university education, and thus will be disadvantaged in comparison to the rest of the students my age (at other universities).

The rising tuition

There is no school spirit. I don't get the sense that all the departments are part of the same University community.

I am most frusterated with the budget cuts and cut classes. It is hard to get the required classes in when most classes are not even offered during certain quarters. I end up cramming the classes that I need when they are offered.