University of California - Merced
- Local Atmosphere

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Merced is a small town that takes five to fifteen minutes to drive to from campus, depending on where exactly one wants to go. Students can go to the one-story mall, or swing by the movie theater either near the mall or on Main Street. Main Street also has a playhouse (which offers discounts for students), music stores, and little antique shops, as well. There are also sometimes parades in the center of town on Main Street, whether it is for Christmas or Memorial Day, giving those from UCM a chance to bond with Merced locals. If students truly cannot find anything to do on campus, they can find something to do in town, although their options are somewhat limited. There tends to be enough to do on campus, with talent showcases on the weekends along with movie screenings. Off campus, special performances from organizations like the symphony are offered.

There is plenty to see a little past Merced, namely Yosemite National Park. Because Yosemite is such a huge tourist attraction for people both in and out of the country, Merced gets several visitors and serves as the “Gateway to Yosemite.” UCM even provides students with opportunities to go to Yosemite in groups. However, if people want to find something to do in Merced, they need to explore and go deep into town, where there are some nice hole-in-the-wall places, such as family-owned restaurants and multicultural art centers. Merced is very different from city life, considering a lot of it is farmland, but that has not stopped students from exploring the town and finding something to do. For those who do not have a car or other form of transportation, the school provides a bus system, free of charge.

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Local Atmosphere at University of California - Merced

mnichols2011

Cognitive Science '15

4.6

A

Quiet and Growing

The town of Merced is generally quiet with a few attractions. However, this town is growing. New businesses open often and most of the town is Cat Spots where they give a discount to students.

Apr 17, 2012

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Local Atmosphere at University of California - Merced

vcaviray

Biological Sciences '13

3.1

B-

Underdeveloped

Yosemite National Park is about an hour away from campus. The school offers plenty of different trips to the area which includes hiking and snowshoeing. Downtown Merced holds an event called "Art Hop" which is basically like a block party. Artists put out their work while the community walks around enjoying what is out there.

Apr 12, 2012

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Local Atmosphere at University of California - Merced

kanachisan

Biology '13

3.5

B

Merced, CA

Merced is a quiet town located in "cow valley," as many students would call it. Often, it isn't rare for a newcomer to state that "there isn't much to do around here." However, it is to my belief that Merced isn't as bad as everyone states it is. For one, it is a farmland area, so if you come here with the wrong assumption that it's a large city like New York, you are in for a treat. However, even though there is a lot of farm land, there are plenty of other perks to the town. For example, if you want a night out to enjoy some taste food, you could head down toward Main street and join many other teenagers at the "hang out" spots (i.e. movie theater, downtown restaurants, etc.) For another, many of the students that complain about Merced being a boring town, are not heavily involved in social activities on/off campus. If you ever get board, why not join up a club or organization, meet new friends, and participate in some fundraising/volunteering/socializing activities. If you try to at least find something "fun" to do in Merced, believe me, you will find it.

Feb 05, 2012

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Photos of University of California - Merced's Local Atmosphere

New Beginnings

Photo by Sstitch

New Beginnings This is the meadow you can see from UC Merced's library. It makes studying a thousand times more tolerable.

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Photo by Sstitch

Carnival Event

Photo by luis1026

Carnival Event During the first week of school, the campus begins to throw many cool events. One of them is a carnival that has some jumpers, popcorn, movies, games, etc.

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Photo by luis1026

Quad

Photo by ucmerced1

Quad A view of the UC Merced quad.

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Photo by ucmerced1

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