University of California-Irvine Top Questions

The best thing about UCI is that the campus is pretty and has a lot of trees. The one thing that I would change is to create a lecture hall in the Art area so Art students don't have to walk far for art lectures. The school size is just right. I spend most of my time on campus in class or at the student center. There is not much school pride.

Best thing about UCI: relatively easy to get from one class to the next. Crossing through Aldrich Park is always a pleasant adventure. I'm not much of a size queen, so I thought the school is just right. Theres's plenty of space for everyone. People have either never heard of UCI or they've heard that it's a FANTASTIC school. And they know it's better than UCR. can I say that? On campus, I spend most of my time at the LGBT Resource Center, where people dare not go near. If they do, they're either completely oblivious of the fact there's an LGBT community, or they shyly peek in as they trudge past the glass doors. That's usually when my friends and I smile sweetly and say hi. what college town? Controversy: There was something about a certain Californian budget cut that went down in 2005 that led to dissolving the previous Center for Women and Men. Instead of the counseling and education programs it used to offer (including sponsoring the annual Vagina Monologues and Take Back the Night), it is (what I heard) now a corner office (or corner desk of a corner office) tucked behind the Counseling Center. Needless to say, many of its programs have long disappeared, and now students must rely on the Counseling Center or Health Education which do not offer the same thing. At all. Another controversy: those guys with the big signs that say "In God and Brother Bush we trust" at our Free Speech zone, terrorizing people they consider to be "sinners." Just one more: the Young Republicans demonstrating the injustice of affirmative action through selling donuts for $2 for white kids, and free for people of American-Indian origin (with prices ranging somewhere in between for people of other ethnicities). You just really can't compare university enrollment to donuts, really. Way to trivialize quality education.

The best thing about UCI to me is that the administration does an excellent job in making the students feel comfortable. Moving in my first year I felt like my RA truly cared about me and wanted to make sure I was happy. There are so many organizations on campus for the students needs and everyone of them shows full support for the students to strive for their goals and prepare them for their future. One thing I would change aboue the school is I would try and find a way to reach out to the students to have more pride in their school. The school has approximately 20,000 undergraduate students which is a lot of people. But I feel the more people on campus, the more people one can meet and network with. When I tell my friends I go to UCI, not too many of them know much about the school, they ask me what its like and if its known as a good university. I spend most my time on campus during the days whether it be going to class, studying, or part of an organization. One experience I will always remember at UCI is the first year living in the residence halls. The friends I made are some of my closest friends till this day. I learned a lot from my RA and am thankful for having an amazing group of people to live with. The most frequent student complaints I would say is that the social life is not that great.

The best thing about UCI is the students who go there. Sure, the academics are great, but students who actually bring something interesting to talk about in discussion groups and who become active in various groups on campus and add color to the school make the four years there much more enjoyable and interesting. Everyone is extremely personable and it’s very easy to make friends. The school is just the right size. There were very few classes where I thought, “okay, the professor is never going to know who I am.” Given the chance, I’d create more space for students to gather (maybe what one would call a “college town” area) and hold events so that students would likely stay on campus and interact with one another rather than hop in their car and hang out with their small niche of friends. There are so many people I met the last year of school that I thought, “hey, I wish I knew you earlier.” When I say I go to UCI people generally react positively, though outside of California the school tends to be forgotten and I have to explain where it is. On campus, is spend a lot of my time at the Student Center or Aldrich Park, mainly because that’s where most of the activity is. There isn’t a college town. UCI’s administration is always working to improve things for students and there is a good relationship. As a tour guide, I had a lot of school spirit and there is some school spirit among Greek Life and the Student Government and in some of the clubs but it is definitely lacking. This could be because we don’t have a football team – though there is support for our basketball and water polo teams. I think it’s strange that we have a nuclear reactor on campus. Our campus is also built in a giant ring with the schools circling the park in the center so it’s easy to get find classes and buildings. Living in the dorms is something I’ll never forget because the residences are made with a sense of community in mind. I lived in Mesa Court, in a dorm with about 60 students and I got to know them all and made the majority of my friends there. The most common complaint I hear is that there is nothing to do on campus but I think if students looked hard enough, they’d find some cool things, i.e. the midnight improv shows, which won for funniest among the UC-schools in a state competition.

campus is growing which is great. academics are improving which is promising. reaction gets better but still comes with a bit of an "oh darn you're not super smart" biggest controversy is the muslim vs jewish organization clashes that happen on campus...which sucks :( i wish they'd get along. not much school pride, but its definitely getting better especially with the new student center.

My last four years at UCI have been amazing--it has just gone too fast! I love the campus. The professors are great and really care about students. Student housing rocks! Campus organizations and student government offer diverse and fun activities; you would never get bored. Orange County is a great place to go to school--great weather, and we are close to malls, Disneyland, the beach, etc.

I think the best thing about UCI is that the campus small, yet beautiful. It is easy to walk from one class to another since nothing is too far compared to UCLA or UCSD, and a huuuge park in the middle of campus is very relaxing and beautiful on sunny days. Also, UCI has a lot of resources to help students make the most of their college experience. One thing I would change is the location. Irvine is a pretty boring and quiet city. There isn't much to do if you don't have a car, and LA is about 45-1 hour away. A lot of the partying is done through sorority and frat events, unless you know people already. Not really a college town. Also, the cops suck here! I think the campus is just right to get to classes and you can take classes from other schools because they're all not too far from each other I spend most of my time around the art area or the student center because there are places to eat and hang out during breaks. The biggest controversy most recently is that robberies have happened twice in Mesa Court, which is one of the freshman dorms.

The best thing about UCI is the diversity! The students who come to UCI come from all walks of life and all over the world, which has lead to an expansive range of extracurricular activities and classes. The school campus is just right, and located 10 minutes away from Newport Beach in the heart of Orange County. Irvine is definitely not a college town, but with the beach 10 minutes away and the mountains almost an hour away it's hard to complain. Not to mention the fact that San Diego and Mexico are close by, along with campuses not too far up north such as UCLA and UC Santa Barbara. UCI is one of the most centrally located campuses in Southern California.

The best thing about UCI is probably its location. We're an hour away from LA and San Diego and right in the best part of Orange County. The area around UCI are beautiful, there's a nature preserve across the street from campus, and the beaches are some of the best in the country. It's one of the few areas that I've been where you can drive out to the boonies and feel like you're in complete solitude, and then head out to practically any chain restaurant, or chain store you can think of. When I tell people that I go to UCI they usually ask where Irvine is. When I tell them it's in Orange County people usually have the same reaction and mention something about "Laguna Beach" or the "OC" t.v. show. It makes for entertaining small talk. Sometimes I think that we should change the name of the school to UC Orange County, but then someone pronounced UCOC as a word and I quickly changed my mind. On campus I'm usually at our student center or at the pub. Both of these places just opened up this year after a two year construction hiatus. The pub is an awesome place to hang out on campus and they have really good food and a nice happy hour. Irvine is not a college town. Irvine is a suburban neighborhood with a high median home price. The closest thing to a college town here is in Newport Beach, where a lot of students choose to live because of the night spots, bars, and proximity to both UCI and the beach. The only thing bad about the situation is that it just contributes to the "commuter stereotype." The school spirit on campus is one thing that I wish I could change. There are a ton of students who are fired up about going to school here and our athletics program but it's suffice to say that the entire school does not share the same sentiment. Our sports program is amazing for such a young school and it's a lot of fun to go to the games and then head over to the pub for the after game happy hour.

UCI has a very good median, there are people who party and people who study. I feel that UCI is the right size for a school because it is big enough to have the UCI feel but not too small. When I tell people that I go to UCI some people are impressed but then don't really show a response. One thing that I would like to change about Irvine is having places that are open late. Everything in Irvine closes around 11 and so there is no night life which sucks because it is a college city. I really enjoyed the dorms my first year at UCI because that is where I met my friends that I still have today. Complaints about UCI that I hear is about parking. How sometimes we don't have that much parking and the parking staff kind of sucks especially when they give out tickets. School pride at UCI I would say is mediocre, I feel like there could be more spirit. However, it is a matter of getting people to go to games and going out there to be spirited.

UCI allows for a lot of on campus leadership positions. Students truly can find various ways to get involved as fast as their fall quarter freshman year. Due to the diversity of the campus, people are opened to more ethnicities and races. One thing I would like to see in the near future would be a football team. Athletics are strong at UCI, and just last year (2006-2007) they were awarded the DIVISION I-AAA ALL-SPORTS TROPHY (given to the best all-around sports program in Division I, AAA). The school is growing but currently is at a nice amount of students with 20,000 or so. Not college town but UCI is literary part of Newport Beach, it should be called UC Newport. On campus the best place to go is the student center or right across the street to the University Center. Irvine is a rather calm but nice city in the OC. The beach is just 10 minutes away. Three malls (South Coast Plaza, Fashion Island, and Irvine Spectrum) within miles.

Best thing about UCI hands down is location. You're 5 miles from one of the nicest beaches in southern california, right in between LA and San Diego, and right in the heart of the OC Metro economic sector. The area is clean and very affluent, and access to successful business people is abundant. UCI students are by far the most professional and successful students in the UC system. The school is still pretty small (20,000 undergrads), but is beginning to explode. Our sports teams are beginning to kick ass, we're getting a law school, our med school and many other programs are top ranked, and more money is coming to UCI than any other UC campus right now. Not much of a college town, so its hard at first but after you find a niche its one of the best places in SoCal to live. People are layed back, well to do, and generally very giving of resources and hook-ups.