University of California - Riverside
Reviews

Diversity Is Okay at UCR.

I see more Asians than any other race at UCR. But, it's still very diverse.

Great If You Live Near Campus

If you live anywhere in Riverside County you take buses for free. If you're near campus student apartment buildings have shuttles that run constantly and dorms are near class. Otherwise people take bikes or skateboards (the campus slopes uphill). If you're out of county you'll need to pay for parking and may have a daily 10 minute walk- best option is to use a scooter.

Paid for!

Financial aid was a breeze, whenever I had any types of questions I could go to the financial aid line and they would explain things to me. They're always in a good mood, which helps (and I am one of the many who procrastinate with filling out paperwork). And I received grants every quarter!

Very Helpful

The professors are very patient and ready to help. If there is no possible time to meet up, they will do everything in their power to make sure you get that help you need. The class sizes are big, yet they still manage to have conversations with students as long as they participate. Most of the professors I have had are not difficult, and they are understandable. They are friendly and they try to make the class as fun as possible.

Diversity

It is one of the most diverse institutions in the nation. Everyone gets along and I love it.

Dorms

I love it, you meet lots of new people. There are always programs and activities going on that help you meet new people, relieve stress, and have some fun.

Dorms Are Great

The dorms at UCR are great, especially the one situated in the heart of the school. Even though I live with people that are a bit noisy, it is still a nice and peaceful place. Hopefully, I can stay in this dorm in AI since it makes it easier to walk to most of my classes.

Buses at UCR

The Riverside transit system is very easy to use and is free for students.

So Many.

There are so many different people that attend UCR, from every background possible. People are dressed religiously, culturally and even just for fashion statements. Everyone is different and everyone is unique. Just last week I met a Spanish-Japanese American student in my class and she was so interesting. Students at UCR are open and free, creative and conservative. I bet if you were to randomly call someone out you would find out that they are not what you think they are.

I Feel Safe.

The students that attend UCR are very kind and nice. The feeling of safety is very high in my opinion, I feel that if I were being mugged that the students would immediately come to my aid. Even at night when I walk back to my dorm there are volunteer escorts that ask if I would like to be escorted back to my dorm, there are even emergency poles - where you press and red button if you are in trouble. Our campus even has a campus police that walks around at night, and even though it is dark when I walk back to class I feel safe just knowing that they are there.

Alot of People Are in Them

I am not involved in greek life but a large portion of the student population is involved in a frat/sorority.

Not Involved

I'm not involved in the greek life yet but they are all over the school

Diversity

UCR has the 5th most diverse campus in the nation and as a student, it is easy to see why. There are resource centers for all sorts of people, from LGBT to the children of veterans. On campus, there are a variety of informative events to encourage broadening our mental horizons.

Greek Life

Greek life is well and alive at UCR. Greek members are constantly sporting their signs across campus and stationing themselves around the Bell Tower for new recruitment. At times it can feel annoying, but there are so many different types of Sororities and Fraternities that they range from "social" to "academic". I also know friends who seem to socialize well enough outside their commitments to their sororities.

there is no middle ground

It gets up to 115 degrees between spring and fall, so get used to that, and it is so, so far away from the nearest beach. then between fall and spring it drops down to a frosty 33 degrees, so no snow, but you will be cold. Lovely, right? Riverside is right beneath some small mountains, so all of the city smog gets trapped right here on campus, and if there is a fire anywhere nearby expect ashes to rain down- it will happen. No humidity, just dry air.

an extension of high-school, on par with community college

UCR's national academic ranking has dropped about 20 places in the last 5 years or so. So maybe the reasons I rank it so low are why they have dropped in ranking, who knows. The professors let you know how much they don't want to be there. The teaching assistants are very defensive, i.e. if you ask a question they don't know the answer to, then they will not like you. There is some interesting curriculum here with uninspired educators to go with it. The difficulty drops compared to high-school, so there is no incentive to really learn. This place is a well-hidden academic joke.

This campus's hated by the ACLU, look it up

You are not allowed to sneeze without permission. For a public university, this is unacceptable.

The good looking ones think they're better than they are

This is a direct result of a lack of options. Most people here don't have any sort of drive to do anything other than party, so meeting people is easy as long as you are not looking for any sort of quality in particular, at all. There is a very dramatic game of hot-potato that gets played with potential significant others (you know you lost the game if you're the one who ended up with herpes). There are some nice fish in this sea, but this being a commuter school, those ones are generally in long-distance relationships.

This place is full of people who got to the party a little bit too late and never realized it

Very Helpful Staff, Must Meet in Person

They are very helpful as long as you are there in person, if you're not then expect cursory and unsatisfactory help

Get Used to Pizza, Sushi, and Fast Food

To get to any decent restaurants or any place with variety you must have a car. You then will drive fifteen to twenty minutes up or down the freeway. When you return to campus you will then park your car and pray your radio isn't one of the five that will be stolen that night.

The School Policies Are Reasonable

I haven't encountered any major problem. Most of the school's policies are easy to understand and fair for students, which means they're easy to follow.

You Can Make It Happen

The nightlife itself in Riverside is very much a bar/drinks with friends type of deal; but Riverside is 45 minutes from Orange County and around the same time to Los Angeles. So if the club scene or ultra lounge vibe is your thing you're just a short drive away!

There's always house parties going on if you know the right people as well.

There's a Lot of Variety

There's a lot of off-campus dining options. There are fast food places as well as sit-down dining. There are also different ethnic places to eat. My favorite is At Thai Cafe. The food is inexpensive and savory.

Wonderful Computers

The computer labs can be found at some of the buildings on campus or the dorms computer labs. They give you a certain amount of printing each quarter and it's very useful. There is always somebody there to help you out in the computer lab if you are having trouble. The University gives out WiFi and it's always reliable.

I Love It

A lot of off-campus apartments are fairly inexpensive depending on what kind of room you want. They are all within a 15-20 minute walk. It's convenient because it's all near the University as well as local restaurants, pharmacies, and grocery stores. There's a police station located in the middle of all the near off campus apartments. Landlords are helpful and they know how hard money is to come around.