William
Thursday is party night-we are not a drunk school but if you want a party there is usually one to be had. Dorms are nice in Lothian and A&I but pentland is bad-security doors act to restrict interaction btwn people which is atrocious. There are guest speakers all the time on campus, but you have to see when they are and go, athletic events are not popular free food and stuff are given away at games to get people to come. Dating scene depends on your crowd, but it is definitely not a Roman orgy like UCSB, promiscuity is acceptable but I know many who are practicing abstinence successfully and still remain social-it is up to you really.
Closest friends are from honors and PAD people who were ambitious and intellectual like me became my best friends at UCR.
If awake at 2 am on Tuesday it is either for class or over a toilet inducing myself to vomit. Parties are weekly maybe 2-5 depending and dead at mid-terms and finals. Frats and Sororities are important especially socially on campus as they throw a lot of parties and politically with ASUCR. Sat night no drink-billiards with friends, movie at the Univ village, eat out, clubs in Riverside, party. I live on campus and have no CAR! So I stay on campus, but having a car is really nice for convenience.
There are concerts, comedians, speakers, and other events all the time on campus-as a freshman I went to anything with free food so yeah:)
Tina
The most popular groups would be the sports teams and the sororitites and fraternities. I never joined one though because it's a waste of time and money. Your pretty much paying for friends so if you want to get to know more people then join one of those organizations. Athletic events are pretty popular. When i'm awake at the butt crack of dawn I'm either watching a movie with my friends or surfing the web. On a saturday night everything involves drinking, unless you want to read a book =)
tom
3 options for u:
1. be a nerd and study all day long
2. joing fraternity or sorority and become sluts and gigolos
3. face computer and play games all day long.
KJ
Students in dorms leave their door open in Aberdeen & Inverness and Lothian. Pentland Hills is the anti-social dorm, just because of how it's built and separated. But they also get their own bathrooms, so that's the trade off. Easy friends versus cleanliness.
There is nearly nothing to do in Riverside. You can go to LA for the weekend, or just do something with friends that is not Riverside-specific.
Denny
The campus dorm life is a must have in my opinion at least for your first year in college. The dorms is the place where I meet the people that I know consider my closest friends four years later. It is interesting that when one is forced to share a bathroom, a room, and eat together there is such a sense of community.
On campus I am involved with two organizations: La Union Estudiantil de la Raza (UER) and The Associated Students of the University of California Riverside (ASUCR). UER is a brotherhood that places a high emphasis on education: the native cultures of the Inca, Maya, and Aztec are our focus along with current events. My group is one that believes in the value of teaching along with that of providing services back to the community and having social events to relieve the anxieties of the college atmosphere. ASUCR is something that I got involved as a first year because I wanted to make a difference as a college student. I know that as college students we all talk about the great things we will do with our degrees once we get them, but I saw no reason to wait till I got a degree to act upon these issues. Student government is something that has allowed me to grow as a person and has introduced me to wonderful people.