University of California-Riverside Top Questions

I made all my friends while living in the dorms my first two years. I still remember the day I met my best friend, we had just done that stupid ice breaker you always have to do for the Hall and had split up for the night, when I get a loud knock on my door. He opens it up and says something tot he effect of "hey you said you liked blah blah, here is this club on campus for it, do you want to come on friday?" We've been best friends every since. So I guess ice breakers actually work, go figure. One of our favorite things to do is movies, so we often have marathon movie weekends or wait in line the night something opens in theaters. We'll also get together for dinners where one person hosts and everyone pitches in to cook something. One year we all stayed over for Thanksgiving and had an awesome time failing to make turkey dinner. It wasn't so bad that we ordered KFC, but it was close. I admit, I'm not big into the public party scene like clubs and frat parties and such, but I do like going to a party where I know most or all of the people going and can trust things to stay cool. I'm big on outdoors, so a great idea for a party is to have a backyard BBQ camp out. Everyone has somewhere to crash (even if it a tent) and no one is driving home. Plus you get to watch people try to make smores when they can't hold the stick straight, which is hilarious.

sometimes nooner is cool. KA died ATO parties struggle on and All the Rest are just the Shit as in bad unless its at a highly publicized club event or a really dank house. Keep it up with facebook. find people to hangout with on the weekends to give UCR better amenities

I would say GO GREEK or if looking for a coed frat do DSP or APhiO

Okay, I can only talk to you about my experiences, but there are a lot of different experiences out there. My freshmen year I went to parties a lot, like every week and weekend lol and I learned that though the party flier might say "The BEST Party of Year, DON"T MISS OUT" next week there will be another flier that says "The Ultimate..." There will always be another party...Always so don't get to caught up. From my perspective there really isn't any groups more popular then others some are just known for throwing good parties over others. Though I have talked a lot about parties there are a lot of other things to do, and a lot of different events put on by different organizations. Also there are places off of campus that are pretty cool.

I was invovled with Calpirg for about 1 year and a half, which is a public interest research group that motivates students to fight for many different things through petitioning, informing, or demonstrations. When I was in the dorms my first year, my roommate and I left our door open and we talked to tons of people in the hall. You usually make friends with people who are in your classes and those who you meet your first year or through clubs you join. I do not drink or party. I am usually at Church on the weekends and I enjoy telling people about Christ and what He did at the Cross and how man is wicked in thought, word, and deed and because God so loved the world He stepped down from His throne and died at Calvary to redeem us to Himself. Man must repent----turn from his wicked and selfish ways---and put his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ will change a man from the inside out---he will hate what God hates and loves what God loves. God hates sin, so man should hate sin and should 'die' to himself [that is his flesh] and depend on God to work through him so that Jesus will ultimately be glorified, because He is so worthy! check out wayofthemaster.com

Your experience may vary. I had a great time my freshman year in the dorms, but also knew of many who went home every single weekend. As for the pathetic campus events that the university's programs board actually organizes...eww. They're indicative of just how great of a cultural black hole this place really is.

There is a top-notch outdoors program that is better than any in the country. Other than that, students participate in typical activities: intramural sports, dances, movies, etc. The athletic program is awful. The fraternity/sorority scene is very cool, unless you are not in one and I tend to think they are pretty lame. It is definitely not a party school but you can always find a party. Living on or near campus is a must! There is not much going on outside the university in the city of Riverside. The dorms are a blast for freshmen year.

Fraternity/Sorority Life made UCR a little more bearable since you got to meet a lot of new people and party more than the average UCR student.

As with any other campus, Sororities and Fraternities are the most popular on campus. From the 3 dorms (Aberdeen-Inverness, Lothian, Pentland), Aberdeen-Inverness is definitely the most social one. Most people in the halls of A&I leave their doors open. If you're looking for more peace and quiet, the best dorm would be Pentland.

UCR has had its activities fun level increase over the past years. So I would say that it will continue to get better by looking at the trend so far.

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:)

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 =)

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.

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.

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.