University of California-Riverside Top Questions

Most courses are rather small. Even the lectures will have about 300 at most.. In those situations, professors may not know your name. But I HIGHLY recommend you take the extra half hour every 2 weeks to attend office hours.. It is CRUCIAL to befriend your professors/TA.. not only for help on your schoolwork.. but also if you apply to grad school, or need letter of Recs.. you need that relationship. My favorite class was randomly chosen my first quarter of college "Cultural Anthropology" - Everybody take it!!!! It's what made me choose my major! My favorite professor of ALL TIME is Peter Graham.. he teaches Philosophy courses.. Do take a class from him even if that is not your major. Also, another GREAT professor/TA is.. I think her name is Alexa?? She teaches Religion courses.. absolutely the most eccentric, intelligent young individual you'll meet.. I feel that the academic requirements were fair. I think the education at UCR, or any university for that sakes.. is really geared at building a deeper foundation in individuals that wouldn't be earned elsewhere.. Depending on the career path one wishes to take.. it may or may not benefit them to have a college degree. But I can say from observation, 2 years out of college.. Those that have attended college, VS those that haven't.. regardless of their income now, are so much more open-minded and insightful than those that haven't (statistically speaking). It is due to the interactions students have in the dorms, living with, next to people they would have otherwise not befriended.. it's the random subjects you learn in courses you wouldn't have otherwise taken. In high school, they teach you basic a,b,c things that don't require much thinking/analyzing.. rather things to memorize, as in math, history, English.. But in college, one learns, analyzes and applies.

Faculty at UCR is awsome. While classes are somewhat big, they tend to be smaller than other universities and the faculty is always ready and willing to help. If anyone is interested in History, they should definately check out the history department at UCR. It is a small department, but the faculty is very involved with their students. In fact, they even give out awards to the students at the end of the year and have a end of the year History party! Classes at UCR are really unique and interesting. So far, the most interesting class I have taken in Juvenile delinquency. And as for the conversations that students have, what we learn transfers over from the class room to places like the commons.

The professors at UCR are for the most part strong. The engineering professors are very open to undergraduate research opportunities, and are willing to serve as mentors to their student. The Academics in general at UCR are poor. The student body for the most part is very lazy, and cheating on homework is commonplace. The student body has a dual hump shaped distribution with students either being very intelligent and hard working, or very lazy and sometimes unintelligent. Some science classes attract more of the first type of student, and are very competitive, other humanities coursework may not be as competitive.

Most professors in the lower division classes will have no idea who you are, but the TAs were pretty good about being personable. The goal is to be familiar with your professors because they will help you out and often offer ways to bring up your grade if you simply ask. The best class I took was Parasitology with Dr. Platzer, its the only undergrad class that involves vertebrate testing. I thought Dr. Luben was the best Biochem professor.

When you pick an area of emphasis and take as many classes as you possible can in that area the academic experience is awesome and worth the relatively low price of a UC Riverside eduction. Meeting a professor or other faculty member who sparks your interest in a subject or area is the best thing you can do, and one that's likely at a smaller school like UC Riverside, because they're always available to help you with the next step...i.e. individual research, internships, grad/professional school...etc.

I loved the academics a ucr. the professors did know my name for the classes in my major. That would not be the case in the huge intro classes. My favorite class was an upper division class on the Andes and the various ethnographies about that area. there were only 15 people in the class and half were grad students. i loved it. i worked really hard, but it was worth it.

Academics at UCR are what you make them. I know people who partied their way through college (Business Majors!) and I know students who studied all day 24/7 (pretty much anyone getting a BS). I, however, found a nice balance of work and play. As I mentioned earlier UCR has a large family feel to it, kind of like the Kardashians, functionally dysfunctional. The professors know your name, if you make the effort. Chances are you will spend more time with your teaching assistants, as lectures can be upwards of 500 students. In my experience the same handful of students participate in class lectures, not because other people cannot join more so because many student choose not to. The Psychology department is large, so do not expect a lot of attention from your academic adviser. The professors in the department are perhaps some of the most innovative on campus and will give you the opportunity to work alongside them on research projects. The Political Science Department is smaller, however the professors are very passionate about their field of study within the major. I had the opportunity, with the help of professors in both departments to develop my own research project merging the two fields for the first time on the UCR campus. I feel like this opportunity would not have presented itself at any other school. The faculty wants you to succeed. As with everything I have discussed so far, what you put into your time at UCR is what you will take away from UCR. There are any number of opportunities to work with faculty and gain real world experience that will help you when you enter the work force.

As an unstated rule, Lower Division classes are huge and the only way a Professor will know your name is if s/he sees you outside of class at least three times for various reasons. (Unless you're my friend who sits in the front and asks obnoxious questions and has the Professor so annoyed that they start throwing chalk at him, I don't recommend this route) My favorite class is one that's unique to UCR, Natural Hazards and Disasters. I took it, I got a high grade, I would take it again just because it was such a fun class. It is tag teamed by two professors who switch off lecture days and the class project is to put together a report over the course of the quarter that shows all the possible hazards to your own home. You get to see lots of videos and learn about various weather patterns and such, it's kind of like taking a class right off the Discovery Channel.

I received a B.A. in English, with a minor in History, and an M.Ed. while at UCR. Each of my professors had something valuable to offer. They showed students how to learn for the sake of learning, and that if you did that everything else would fall into place. Many discussions would last well beyond the end of our designated class time, and their office doors were always open for "inquiry". The professors became a part of your life. The English department had an end of the year BBQ at the deparment head's home where faculty and students converged to enjoy each other's company as scholars and as individuals. My time as a graduate student was even more significant as I formed lifelong friendships with my peers and our professors. Some of our professors even attended our cocktail party when we graduated. To this day, if I needed professional assistance, I am quite sure I could call on any one of them.

Fuck the classes with a pop of 5000+ The upper division classes are generally better at focusing on student proficiency. Dont give your professor shit on the first couple weeks of classes. A good many of them take a while for you to warm up to them. Go to class. The more you ditch in the wrong weeks the dumber you are. The best weeks to ditch are 4th week for 500+ classes and 8/9th week for 15-30 group classes generally need your participation at all times especially upper division workshops. Atmosphere within group classes and upDiv's in your major generally are more enjoyable as time goes on. All lowdiv classes usually are huge pains in the ass.