University of California-Riverside Top Questions

I feel that frats are sororities are pretty popular. So are the sports teams. ASPB is also pretty big.

First and foremost, I recommend that students find their passion and embrace it. Our campus has hundreds of clubs and organizations that provide events for students for their personal hobbies For the entire campus, University of California, Riverside has amazing events each quarter that students look forward to. Fall quarter we have Block Party, Winter quarter we have Heat and Spring quarter we have Spring Splash, which are all events that celebrities come and perform, carnival rides are rented, and local food trucks come to serve their tasty treats. In addition, the Barn is a food joint on campus provides many events.We have cool events that vary from local artists performing showing their talent, to poetry nights, rock and roll fests, or even comedy nights for everyone's taste.Or you can check out the monthly free movie tickets for students to view at the University Village Movie Theater down the street from campus. Another awesome benefit of attending University of California, Riverside is the fact that we are ten minutes from downtown Riverside with consistent community events and a live night life. Frats & sororities have parties all the time off campus as well.

What seems like the most popular student groups,activities at our school are the sororities and fraternities which is a shame because all these college students are putting in so much money, thinking they are making an investment, when in reality they are just paying for a social life. There are plenty of other programs to become social but the hundreds of clubs don't seem to stand out as much.

The greek life is pretty large. There are a lot of service groups. It is really such a big school, anything and everything is popping.

Fraternities/Sororities and clubs are a big thing a UCR. We have an array of different organizations on campus and new ones start everyday. I myself am a contributing columnist at Spoiled Minds Web magazine, a UCR based magazine. You can most likely find a party every weekend and/or get dinner and a movie around the corner at the UV.

The most popular student activities, or at least activities where I've seen the most students congregate on campus for, are the various outdoor concerts that the Associated Student Body holds. We get some pretty awesome performers, so the attendance is always high. While I'm personally not in a fraternity, I would say that most students here are involved in some sort of fraternity or sorority. The gym is also a popular location on our campus. They have an array of exercise machines and free weights for students to use. Another popular activity that students really get involved with is intramural sports. This is actually how I met most of my friends during freshmen year. A bunch of us guys decided that we wanted to form a team for IM basketball, so we were able to get to know each other a little bit better every Tuesday night from 6-7:30 pm. Like I've mentioned before most student outings outside of campus revolve around grabbing a bite somewhere. Sushi Asahi, an all you can sushi restaurant, is one of the more well known restaurants in the Riverside area that students constantly attend. Every weekend or so, you'll find a party somewhere near campus. Most of the time it might be a frat or sorority party, but there are those few that have people just wanting to take shots and play beer pong. A little tip, bring your own booze. An organization that I am personally involved with is the Undergraduate Business Association @ UCR. Their main focus is helping students build a strong network that they can utilize once they are out of college. It is a doorway to potential internships and you get to meet people that are studying the same thing as you are. Clubs are not limited to any subject or activity whatsoever, you can find a club that pertains to almost any interest, such as paintball, guitar, gaming, etc.

Religious organizations are popular. You can pray with other students in the faith of your choosing. Academic organizations are also very popular. Most of your social interaction will come from student activities.

I'm closely involved with the Honors Community Service Committee. The leaders takes their positions seriously. The students in my dorms are friendly and easy to get along with. For the most part the partying students belongs to frats or sororities. Although there isn't that much to do off campus, you could visit one of the two large malls in Riverside or visit Riverside Downtown and grab something to eat.

UCR's Greek system is huge. Maybe not as prevalent as Arizona State, but every corner you turn, a student is donning some sort of apparel stitched with Greek letters. Most parties on campus are thrown by the Fraternities. Our Athletics program works hard to promote throughout the season, but most students on campus don't even show up to the basketball games. I am part of the Highlander girls dance team, so I feel the ramifications of this huge lack of student pride. Unfortunately, many of our athletic events are left awkwardly empty. There are also many special-focus interest groups, for example: business orgs, writing clubs, Filipino societies. In their spare time, people usually are just glued to their own computers are hiding out in their own rooms. There are 3 major dorming facilities here, occupied mainly by freshmen, but certainly AI is the most social (doors open, communal living rooms) and Pentland is the most anti-social (you need to unlock 3 different doors just to reach your room). People are open-minded about drinking, sex, and substance usage. Because Riverside is so small and boring, the best thing we can do within a 15-minute driving range is go to the mall, movies, or a Korean BBQ place. Other than that, I know many people who frequently drive to LA or San Diego to get away on weekends. UCR is largely a commuter school. The one parking lot that they allow commuters to park in is always bustling and completely full, making students late to class. On weekends the campus is completely empty, bookstore closed, restaurants barren.

Our greek system is very active. Fraternities and sororities that focus on other aspects such as ethnicity or community services are quite popular as well. Other clubs include The Well and KASA have a lot of members as well. Check out club days or the UCR website for more info!