University of California-Riverside Top Questions

What are the most popular student activities/groups?

samantha

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

Dalayna

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.

Marsha

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.

Rebecca

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.

Ashlyn

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.

Brian

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.

Johnathan

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.

Sneha

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.

Tonia

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.

Vicky

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!

Reissa

The school-related student activities scene at UCR is great. There are plenty of student groups that make an impact on campus. Most of the ones I'm familiar with are involved in community service and student wellness. I'm the president of a mental health club called Active Minds, and our chapter caters to UCR college students. We put on programs that aim to de-stigmatize mental illness and spread awareness about the importance of prioritizing mental health. Past programs have included bringing mental health speakers like Jordan Burnham on campus, hosting therapy dogs for students to interact with during finals week, and setting up a student panel around topics such as suicide, depression, and body image. The turnout for student-led campus activities depends how well they are advertised, but campus-wide events that bring in musicians - such as HEAT or Spring Splash - tend to have massive student participation. Athletic events don't usually get very much attendance. UCR couldn't be classified a "party school," but it does have a party scene - especially if you're involved in a fraternity or sorority. Since I'm not involved in a sorority, I met most of my friends through the honors program, while I was in the dormitories as a freshman, and through the various clubs I'm involved with. There are several nightclubs near UCR, and they often host "college nights" that allow students to enter at waived or discounted rates. The dating scene at UCR is moderate - if you're looking for romance there are many ways (frats, clubs, gym, class) to meet others. It's possible to have a long-term relationship at UCR, just as it's possible to have multiple flings or stay single. Thursday nights are usually the most social nights of the college week, because a significant portion of the student body will go home during the weekend. If you have the munchies during the week, there's a place called University Avenue with restaurants like Fatburger, Pho Vinam, Denny's, and Del Taco. University Ave also has a movie theatre. Because of the large Asian population at UCR, shops like Ten Ren's Cafe and Boba Tea House can also be found near campus. If you and your friends want something to eat outside of campus, those spots are generally where you will go.

Joshua

There are a number of groups and activities on campus. I played for UCR's club soccer team for all four years. I met some of my closest friends on this team. It is something I wouldn't trade for the world. The greek system is quite large at UCR, always providing a place to go on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. This doesn't mean that every weekend has to involve alcohol, drugs, or sex. Obviously, it is college and if that is what someone chooses to do, then that is their choice, but there are a multitude of things to do within and near the campus. The rec center provides great entertainment and is only getting better. There are clubs and groups hosting activities almost everyday of the week. Cycling is huge at UCR and you will often see large groups of students biking through and around campus. Unfortunately, UCR's athletics are not on the same level as some of the other UC's, but they are getting better. Our men's soccer team recently beat UCSB (2007 National Champions) both home and away. They were knocked out in the first round of the NCAA playoffs by UCI. This goes back to school pride, but once the athletics get better, the pride will as well

Kara

There are so many student organizations on campus. The frats and sororities are the more well known, but if that's not your thing there's plenty of other groups like 909 Hip Hop, Circle K, or Ski and Snowboard Club. I joined the Acts2Fellowship Christian club my freshman year and since made more friends than I have anywhere else. The dorms are also a great way to make friends and future roommates, and there are both quiet ones and more social ones. The school isn't part of a college town so it is a little bit more work finding things to do, but there's still lots to enjoy. Concerts, hiking, parties/kickbacks, dinners, and if you get bored you can always study abroad!

Dee

I'm not going to lie: If I could major in Socializing and Meeting New People, I would be golden. Like any girl heading off to college, I was nervous about "fitting in" and finding friends at a large school. But at UCR, there are tons of ways to meet exciting people without even stepping outside your dorm. I live in East Lothian, and any given day at least half of my floor's doors are wide open. The first week, also known as "Zero Week", I was in other people's rooms getting to know them whenever I wasn't sleeping. My best advice for incoming freshman? Live in the dorms, preferably EastLo or Aberdeen/Inverness (A+I). You won't regret it. My second piece of advice? Go Greek! I went through formal sorority recruitment at the beginning of this year, and I couldn't be happier with my decision. Not only did I meet hundreds of friendly women, I am also getting the chance to improve myself as a leader, scholar, and philanthropist. Greek Life offers so many ways to get involved, but if it isn't your deal there are tons of other clubs to join. Surf Club, Political Ideals Club, dance crews: we really do have something for everyone, and if not, why not start your own club? That'll sure impress your future boss during a job interview. Sporting events don't dominate the social scene, but I've been to a few soccer and basketball games. People paint their faces and wear their tartan, and it's a great stress reliever to scream for the Highlanders in the stands for a few hours. These events also tend to attract tons of freshmen, so they're an awesome way to meet new friends. Last weekend, I went out for tacos at a delish local restaurant, saw a movie with some sorority sisters, and went to a friend's birthday party. You can also take a trip to LA and check out the nightlife there, as well as the other college campuses near by like Cal Poly Pomona or Northridge.

Kayla

I feel like there isn't just one predominant group or activity at UCR. I am in a lot of activities and the ones I am in have a lot of students participating and enjoying the activity. I am currently on the intramural volleyball and softball team, in the Aikido club, Karate club, and have tried out for a Taiko club. Many students show up to volleyball practice to the point where we feel like we deserve to have more than one court. There's always people at Aikido and Karate with old students staying in the club and with many new students joining. My favorite group was my dorm hall my first year. I lived in Aberdeen-Inverness, which had about 46 female and male students living in one hall. I grew up living in a house with five other family members and shared a room with my sister so I was used to living with others and having a roommate. I thought everyone was friendly and social, making the dorm experience a memorable one. I will have to say, my first year at UCR has been my favorite school year.

JAMES

Groups are very diverse at this campus. Of course you have fraternities and sororities, but you also have dance groups, church groups, and groups that are dominated by one race or another. I would consider the fraternities to be the most popular of the groups because they seem to party a lot and hey, who doesn't wanna party right? When I dormed in my freshmen year, I heard a lot of people mention the group KASA, its a korean dance group that many people enjoy hanging out with or going to their events. I'm always in the rec center playing basketball so that is where I met most of the people that I know at school. The rec center is also a place that many people go because you're already paying for it so why not put it to use.

JAMES

Groups are very diverse at this campus. Of course you have fraternities and sororities, but you also have dance groups, church groups, and groups that are dominated by one race or another. I would consider the fraternities to be the most popular of the groups because they seem to party a lot and hey, who doesn't wanna party right? When I dormed in my freshmen year, I heard a lot of people mention the group KASA, its a korean dance group that many people enjoy hanging out with or going to their events.

Tonia

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, Philippino 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.

Gabriel

Walking around UCR it seems like every tenth person is in a fraternity or sorority and they are wearing sweaters with their greek letters on them. They provide a lot of networking opportunities, alumni and other groups do meet with them and obviously other community involvement opportunities come up with these groups.

Erin

I would say a huge popular group would be the fraternities and sororities. Theya re always recruiting new members around the belltower. We also have a great Honors Program and tons of societies for you get involved in groups that share your same interests for a career. We always have groups around the belltower and everyone is open to having new members here. It is definitely worth it to hang out at the belltower and get to know people and where they come from. Just talking to people you meet the first day you will have a plethora of groups you can join and activities to look in to. Most people are involved in groups on campus.

F

At UCR there is a wide variety of student organizations. Because of this it isn't difficult for students to find a group of people they feel comfortable interacting with to get involved. The most popular groups on campus seem to be the fraternities and sororities, probably because they tend to be the only orgs that are easily identified because of their greek letters. In the dorms students are encouraged to leave their door open which tends to be practiced in all the dorms. Personally, I don't attend athletic events mostly because I am not a fan of the sports practiced at UCR; my sport is football which, unfortunately, UCR does not practice. There are many single students that are ready to mingle and the dorms are a great place for meeting potential love interests. Furthermore, large classes, libraries, student org activities, and, of course, parties, are great places to meet people. I met my closest friends through a student org I am getting involved with. If I am awake at 2am on a Tuesday I am at a friend's apartment or house kicking back and taking a break from school. There are a few annual concerts which I haven't attended because they haven't had any performers I'd like to go see. Other than that, I can' think of any other traditions or annual events. I'd have to say that people party a lot, though never excessively nor to the point that partying begins to affect grades negatively. Because there are so many student orgs on campus, I don't feel it is important to join a frat or sorority. Many people don't and have great social lives. Drinking isn't necessary to enjoy a Saturday night; this not only applies to school but in general, intoxicating oneself is never necessary to have fun. There's may things to do in the evening and having fun becomes a lot more easier when one has friends.

Portia

The most popular team on this campus would probably be between the soccer team and the basketball team. Everybody goes to those events. However, I believe if we had a football team that would probably be the most popular. I was involved with the Lift Every Voice Club. It was a spoken word club that allowed poets like myself to come together and share our work with each other. I'm not really a spoken word type of girl, but it was interesting to meet students who have been involved with it since their high school years. Yes, there are students in dorms who leave their doors open. It really depends on the residence hall. For example, I live in East Lothian, and sometimes the doors are open, it really just depends on the people. I personally never keep my door open. I like my privacy, but I have friends who stay in AI and their doors are always open, no matter what time of day it is. We do have guest speakers, it depends on what department you're in. For my Environmentalims course we had guest speaker Vandana Shiva come and speak. I'm always getting emails about auditions for plays so I'm assuming that plays are pretty popular here. There are a lot of couples on this campus. It's normal to see a couple holding hands walking around campus. I met my closest friends because they knew some of my friends in Northern California. For example, my close friend Mia was bestfriends with my cousin, even though I had never met Mia before attending this school. My other close friend Helen was bestfriends with one of my friends back home, even though I had never met Helen prior to this either. My other close friends that I met here live in East Lothian with me so I see them all of the time. If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday, I'm usually studying or listening to music. Every year UCR has an annual block party, which is a huge back to school event. They offer different varieties of food and we usually have a guest performer. This year Big Sean performed at the Block Party. People party pretty much every weekend, not during finals week though. In the beginning of the school year there were parties every weekend. Fraternities and sororities are taken very seriously here. I personally wouldn't join, but a lot of people are interestes in becoming apart of a brotherhood or sisterhood. Last weekend I was studying for finals. On a Saturday night I can go to a party without drinking, or I can go watch movies with my friends in their dorm rooms. I'm not really a drinker or a smoker so I don't need to drink or smoke in order to have a good time. Whenever I'm off campus I'm either shopping or going to the movies. We have buses that go to the Moreno Valley Mall and the Tyler Mall.

Joanella

When I was a freshman, I lived in East Lothian which is a co-ed hall that consisted of about forty other freshmen. East Lothian is a part of the Lothian building with the other side being West Lothian. In my opinion, both sides of the Lothians are the most social dormitories on campus. One reason is because we have more students per hall than Pentland plus the halls are less cramped than Aberdeen-Inverness so there's more room to group together and talk. In my hall, a lot of students kept their doors open so if I'm walking down the hall I'll be able to walk in and talk to whoever lived in the open room or at least wave. Open doors were more common during the first few weeks of school but they were closed more often during midterm/finals week. I met my closest friends through the dorms and athletics. A few of my closest friends now are the ones I lived with in the dorms. The other friends I have made I met through athletics (some on softball, some on track, some on soccer). In a few instances, I have made friends through my upper division classes where the class size was smaller and the time was longer. If I am awake at 2am on a Tuesday I am either... a) Pulling an all-nighter for a paper I procrastinated on (Most likely) b) Satisfying my munchies at Denny's with my friends (Likely) c) Partying (Likely) d) At a hookah lounge on University (Likely) The most important traditions/events on campus are Block Party/Heat/Spring Splash/Homecoming. All of these events involve concerts, dancing, great food, games, giveaways, and awesome post-parties. We have had big time artists come to our campus to perform and everyone just goes crazy and enjoys themselves at these events because it's just a time to kick back and have fun with your friends. Last weekend I woke up and walked to a little sandwich shop next to campus called Sub Station that makes the best sandwiches in Riverside. I promise that big chains like Subway and Togo's has nothing on this little mom and pop shop. After a quick lunch I took the bus to Moreno Valley,which is a town about ten minutes away from Riverside, and shopped for Christmas gifts at the Moreno Valley Mall and went to the two dollar movie theater (which is a great place for some entertainment if you're low on cash). My friend then picked me up and we went to Happy Hour at Duke's Bar and Grill which is only a hop, skip and jump away from campus. The next day I woke up and called my friend up who was bored just like I was. Our solution? Disneyland. Yep, we hopped in the car and went to Disneyland, which is only a short forty-minute drive away.

Hanaa

There are no groups on campus that are more popular than the others, and I would say most groups, since there are hundreds of student organizations and fraternities, are equally popular. Sororities and groups set up their symbols and tables around the bell tower and interact every afternoon. I was involved in the Muslim Student Association and a political group called Students for Justice in Palestine. We often created events with groups like the African Student Union and the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA). We brought out speakers and did fundraising for certain causes like the earthquake in Haiti, and raised awareness on occurrences like the Gaza massacre. Organizations and Departments bring guest speakers to campus everyday. I met my closest friends through these student organizations and I continue to keep in touch with them today. I also met my fiancé the same way. Athletic events like basketball games and softball games are not as popular as the huge annual concerts like Spring Splash and The Heat, but they are important to many students regardless. There are also numerous plays on campus, that often times have packed houses. Parties happen moderately, since students are quite studious, but they happen more often around the beginning and the end of the quarters, however there are many things students do that actually don’t involve drinking, like going to the movies, going out to dinner, on a road trip, to the beach or shopping, to downtown riverside or simply hanging out on campus. Last weekend, I went out to dinner with my friends at an outdoor shopping mall called Victoria Gardens.

Hanaa

There are no groups on campus that are more popular than the others, and I would say most groups, since there are hundreds of student organizations and fraternities, are equally popular. Sororities and groups set up their symbols and tables around the bell tower and interact every afternoon. I was involved in the Muslim Student Association and a political group called Students for Justice in Palestine. We often created events with groups like the African Student Union and the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA). We brought out speakers and did fundraising for certain causes like the earthquake in Haiti, and raised awareness on occurrences like the Gaza massacre. Organizations and Departments bring guest speakers to campus everyday. I met my closest friends through these student organizations and I continue to keep in touch with them today. I also met my fiancé the same way. Athletic events like basketball games and softball games are not as popular as the huge annual concerts like Spring Splash and The Heat, but they are important to many students regardless. There are also numerous plays on campus, that often times have packed houses. Parties happen moderately, since students are quite studious, but they happen more often around the beginning and the end of the quarters, however there are many things students do that actually don’t involve drinking, like going to the movies, going out to dinner, on a road trip, to the beach or shopping, to downtown riverside or simply hanging out on campus. Last weekend, I went out to dinner with my friends at an outdoor shopping mall called Victoria Gardens.

Elizabeth

Off the top of my head, Kappa Alpha Pi is our biggest Pre-Law frat, Alpha Kappa Psi is the most popular business frat, Alpha Phi Omega was our biggest community service frat before they were apparently suspended by their national base so I've been seeing Beta Phi Delta a lot more. There is an abundance of social/cultural frats so I'll just list some pretty popular ones: Sigma Kappa, FIJI, Alpha Chi Omega, Lambda Phi Epsilon and etc. In the last three years, I was involved with Circle K international but quit this year in order to work two jobs and save for a large community service project I will be working on for a year after graduation. But it was mainly through that club that I found most of my friends. Because Circle K is an international organization with it's own rules, things such as drinking are strictly prohibited. However, you may go to other social functions. During my freshman year, I lived in A&I - which is basically the most crowded of the dorms but I didn't make many friends from my hall because I was always so busy with my own activities with other people. However, A&I is definitely the most social of the dorms, followed by the Lothian dorms and finally Pentland Hills - where there are just a few people in each hall and is usually very quiet. Most people will leave their doors open as long as they are there so it's easy to get to them. We have these shirts/sweaters for sale at the bookstore that say something like "undefeated since 1975." The joke is that we haven't had a football team since then. Therefore, our largest athletic game is basketball at Homecoming. But in addition to having the usual soccer team, baseball team and what not, we also have many intramural sports including volleyball and football.

Leticia

So far i have been to every home basketball game to support the team. We aren't the best but I'm sure we will get better.I love the anime club because i was in the anime club in high school so it reminds me of my friends and i know i have things in common with the people in the club. There is always an activity going on to help freshman especially, to adapt to college life

Jessica

One club I am involved in is the apple of my eye. It’s called Senryu Taiko. Taiko is a form of Japanese drumming with large, wine-barrel size drums. Senryu was one of the first college groups to sprout up in the UC system in the 90’s., and I am proud to be part of that history. I first joined because I had missed performing in high school on the color guard team. Although taiko is drastically different, it is a high-energy style of music that is a 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} crowd pleaser at any event, whether it’s a school assembly or a festival. And trust me, there is nothing more euphoric then a crowd cheering for an encore. Go ahead and Google it: you know you want to. If anything, taiko also saved me from that dreaded Freshman Fifteen. There is no shortage of clubs in campus: a club will save you from the dreaded “dorm hermit” syndrome. But there are also other things to do on campus, and what’s great is that the campus is small enough to get anywhere within fifteen to twenty minutes, walking. The HUB is home to popular eateries, and La Fiamma’s build-your-own-pasta is amazing. The Rec Center is the place to go for basketball games and there’s always something going on at the baseball fields. On Wednesdays at noon, bands from around the school and community come and play at the Bell Tower. The Village is a short walk away and boasts a movie theater and plenty more restaurants: in general you definitely won’t go hungry here! There are always events going on and presentations in the theatre: from plays to culture club nights and festivals, to taiko performances (that’s Senryu!) and famous guest-speakers like Gary Marshal and Maya Angelou.

Kevin

The most popular organizations would have to be the frats and sororities. They are always in the center of campus even during gale force winds. However, they are not that important to join. Some athletic events become popular, but only if UCR is playing a well known team like USC. On campus there are several events held like poker nights on Wednesdays where students compete for gift cards and entry is free. There are battle of the bands concerts as well as shopping boutiques that are erected once a month in the center of campus. Every year there are three huge concerts held on campus. One in the beginning of the year, one in February, and one in the Spring. Popular artists like Lil John, The Dirty Heads, Gym Class Heroes, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Common, and Kid Cudi have all performed at UCR. These concerts are by far the mot popular. As a freshman living in the dorms is the best way to meet new people and make friends. The roommate I am currently living with is a guy I met freshman year and is one of my best friends. My girlfriend I met my freshman year and she happened to live on the floor just above me. On typical weekends there are restaurants about a 20 min walk from campus that offer good food as well as a movie theater for entertainment. Party night at UCR is on Thursday though I never understood why since Friday would make more sense to me. But that is the day a people tend to party often unless it is finals week. UCR offers a wide variety of things to do and though some are quite popular the only ones that matter are the ones that interest you.

Joseph

In terms of organizations, ASUCR and ASPB are very prominent groups on campus that facilitate student activity and engagement with the school. They are in charge of putting together events like concerts, guest speakers, and more. The dorms are a great experience for first and second years as well, for they are excellent places to meet and make new friends. In most cases, students leave their doors open for others to come in and talk or spend time with, which creates a friendly, family-like environment that welcomes all. I am involved with the Running Club at UCR, where I am the club's Historian. My task is to keep track of records for the club and to write out information to be distributed to its members. In the club, we meet to run as a group, around campus and around town. This provides a great cardiovascular workout, as well as a new social group to meet friends. There are countless other clubs on campus that offer the same amount of versatility and enjoyment of any particular subject. Students are also encouraged to start their own club! One event that happens in Winter quarter of every year that most students look forward to is the Heat Music concert. Here, popular modern music acts are brought to campus for a night of free fun with friends. This is one of my personal favorite events, and is something I anticipate each new year.

Elizabeth

Here at UCR we have ASUCR which plans concerts and events such as Block Party, our annual kick off concert in the beginning of the school year. With past performers such as Kid Cudi, The Cataracs and Estele we have many big names that put on exciting shows to get the school year started right. We also have Division one sports teams and have great school spirit at games where one can see painted blue and gold highlander faces littered throughout the crowds. There is a club for everything here, from martial arts, to honor societies, volunteer opportunities and internships UCR offers every possible option to get involved and have a well balance college career.

Rowena

There will definitely be something to interest you here at UCR. If you're into the social side, there are plenty fraternities and sororities for you to check out. If you're into professionalism, there's business, medical, law, science fraternities to look into. If you want a student club, there's a bunch to choose from! The Resident Advisers in the dorms make dorming life really fun for the freshman, where most people make their college friends for the next four years.

Arveen

There are several groups, each popular within their cliques, so its hard to tell which one is the best. They usually publicize their own groups and you just have to contact them if you find an interest. Depending on which dormitory, most people leave their doors open as they got to know their hall mates. Almost everyone I've met are trustworthy. I've met my closest friends from random interaction and we start exchanging greetings whenever we come across one another. Everything just becomes more casual as you get more exposed to their presence and you become comfortable being yourself in front of them.

Brittany

I am an RA in the residence halls, I am also an executive board member of my Honors Fraternity, member of NSCS (National Society of Collegiate Scholars), member of the American Red Cross Club, and Hiking Club. No matter what a person's interests are they can find a group that they fit in with. We have fraternities and sororities sitting at their letters and people playing pokemon and magic in the HUB. No matter what you like you can find someone else who likes it too. As an RA, I can say that we make a great effort to provide a safe as well as growing experience for all residents.

Giulliana

The most popular groups at my school is for business students and fraternities and sororities. Athletic events are very important to our school as many students show their pride at the various different games. There are three main traditions at our school. There is the Block Party, Heat Party and Spring Splash each held throughout the three quarters. Each event brings together thousands of students and popular artists and is bound to be a blast!

Nolan

I think the most popular fall under religioius, greek letter, and academic. I am involved in religious and academic organizations. I do not go to athletic events. UCR isn't relaly known for their sports. In my opinion, frats and sororities are a waste of time and life. No more to say. Off campus, I spend time with church or school friends. That includes studying/working together or going out to eat.

Albert

If you want to party, have fun, and meet people, join a greek. Greek fraternities and sororities are the most popular student groups at our schools. If you're not into that and you like to do something else like play sports(me), we have an Intramural Sports programs that offers Basketball, Football, Soccer, and Softball for any UCR student.

Albert

In my opinion, the best organization on campus is ASUCR. It stands for Associated Students of UCR and it serves as the school’s student government. This is where I really fostered as an individual and learned many skills that are prevalent for me today. I got involved with my student government as a freshman and currently I serve as the VP of Finance. Our organization’s mission is to better the student life at UCR by serving as the representatives of our undergraduate class. We provide students with resources such as club funding, sustainability grants, and student advocacy. This is where students grow into future leaders and make a real change within the campus. During my free time, I love to play Intramural Sports. The student rec center offers a sports league that is open to all students consisting of Football, Soccer, and Basketball. I spend a lot of my time playing Intramural Basketball and I met a lot of my current friends through these IM sports teams. Currently our gym is really small to accommodate for the number of students at our campus. However, the student rec center will be going through renovation in 2012 that will easily accommodate for the large number of students.

James

The most popular groups on campus tend to be fraternities or sororities as they often have more active members, but other organizations have many members as well, such as religious, racial, or service groups. I am involved in several organizations: Rotaract at UCR, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, University Honors Program, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honors Society, and recently, I joined Golden Key at UC Riverside and Flying Samaritans. All of these groups do community service or outreach events that help better the community. I am a board officer of Rotaract and we try to help out with any kind of need in the local community or collaborate with other groups to expand our horizons. Athletic events tend to be very minimal if any, hence, there is no football or swim team. If you do not drink, you can hang out at the Orbach Science Library on weekends or at the University Plaza where you can eat, hang out, do homework, or catch a movie. If you are a party going and like alcohol, many people have parties on Thursdays and Fridays as they are cooling down times where people de-stress. Besides, the University Plaza, there aren't many things to do within walking distances of the campus. If you have a car though, you can travel to the mall and shop or go bowling.

Jay

I'm involved with the investment society which typically has a financiers come to campus and speak. Athletic events aren't very popular since it's a commuter school. Usually a couple good speakers a year. I hear the theatrical productions are usually good. If I'm awake at 2am, I'm studying or procrastinating. Most people who live on campus are in frats or sororities. Most people go to LA to party.

Dylan

Not much of either

Mel

Social life - if you a group of friends to chill with, it will be fun. There isn't much to do around riverside but you could always climb the big C and find some had sex up ther.

Cathy

I was part of Latinos in Science my Freshman and Sophmore years. It fun and interesting to be a part of this club because you were able to do some volunteer work and hang out with other club memebers. The club also attended the Latino Medical Student Association Conference at the time, which is very inforamative for pre-med students. I was also involved with Ballety Folklorico de UCR which help me continue to dance Folklroico though I was away from home. Its a great dance group to continue if you already know the basics and also a great way to get started. ASUCR also plan great concerts and activities.

Marshall

UCR is a commuter campus, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The campus and surrounding communities are deserted and devoid of socializing on the weekends. Parties mainly happen on Wednesday or Thursday nights. If you don't join the Fraternity/Sorority system you will have a four year uphill battle trying to meet new cool people.

Jamie

I'd definately say that the social life at UC Riverside is what keeps the students together, as well as entertained. At least I could speak on my end, as I was heavily involved in the social scene. Dorms freshman year: I lived in East Lothian which was hands down, the best dorms to live in if you want to meet people. Our doors in the dorm rooms remained open, we had talks in the hallway in the middle of the night with our hallmates.. hall activities. Going to the cafeteria to eat was sometimes the highlight of me and my friends day's. Either because we had been so busy study for midterms & writing papers, that that was the only time we could meet over some food. Other times, even if we weren't hungry, we'd go to the cafeteria just to chat and gossip. Greek Life: I recommend anyone that wants to become active to join a fraternity/sorority, whether is it Greek or non-greek, or business, all will equally keep you occupied. It really depends on which group you clique with the best.. but Greek life gives you the option to always have something to do.. 6 years ago when I first came to town, I believe the Greek Life was more lively as there were more frat houses.. now it seems there are no official ones.. just houses.. Spring Splash, on campus $10 Concerts: Take advantage of them!!! Usualy the concerts are 10$ with the student card and have had some pretty big names there.. Xzibit, 112, SNoop, Yellowcard, Jurassic 5... Dating Scene: The social circle is quite small, and population as a whole at UCR is rather small.. So word gets out fast.. if you're a private person, better to not date too much on campus.. Gossip is huge as there is not much else to do but for people to gossip.. Thats a big thing to watch out for.. everything and any rumors possible can and will be made up.. so prepare! Party Scene: Every night people are partying, mostly at houses, dorms or apartments.. People learn to hustle and eventually master procrastination.. as horrible as that is.. but unless you're in the Bio-med program.. it's not an incredibly difficult school to do well in classes, if you have somewhat of a brain.. Not to say that is a bad thing.. esp if you plan to apply to grad school.. land at least a 3.5 gpa, and you're good to go. Weekends: There are not a lot of people left from friday-sunday.. mainly because half the people are locals.. or they'll drive 45 min to go to Orange County or San Diego to visit friends.. but many of the students from Nor Cal may be in town. Sports teams: Baseball team was pretty good when I was there, not sure how they are now. The soccer team was pretty good as well. The unfortunate thing about UCR is that there is no football team, nor do we know if they'll ever build one. There are many dance troupes which are highly renown such as 909 to join.. or even to just go and watch at their events. There are also a lot of activities I wish I had researched about, such as on campus plays, etc.

Ryan

Definately, if you like dancing, you have to check out the hip-hop team "909". They dance amazing. We have homecoming each year, with awesome artists performing. Last year, it was Lupe Fiasco and others. For the yearly spring spalsh, we also have concert-esque performances. This years performances included "The Pack" and "Bone Thugs n Harmony". A lot of people attend these events so its really easy to meet new people, which is a big part of going to college in the first place. Also, frats and sororities at UCR are a BIG deal. There are always activities being done by the greek system at UCR.

Ryan

I enjoyed the nooners when they actually went on, the block party was also okay. I thought the frats and sororities were sad, constantly being brought up on drug and alcohol charges.

Skylar

Are non-existent to those who fail to seek them out. On the other hand, if you're the type of student who would rather complete his/her degree with minimal distractions then UC Riverside may be just the right school for you.

Amanda

there are lots of clubs on campus. I was part of the anthropology club. it was really fun. As for the dorms, I wasn't much of a dorm person. after my first quarter I felt I had had the dorm experience and was ready to have my own place. there were dorm activities, but I didn't participate in them. the on campus apartments are great. As for sporting events, theater and guest speakers, there are many and it really depends on the your friends if they will be popular with them. There are a couple huge student wide parties that happen each year. one is in the fall and the other is in the spring. they are very fun and most students attend. they usually have live bands that play. its really fun.

Aileen

Join Best Buddies, it is a social integration program for people with intellectual disabilities and perhaps one of the most personally rewarding clubs on campus!