A list of greivences and loves, from a 2nd year UC Merced Student.

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Merced
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<p>In response to premed_dropout:
I don't go to UCM, but I really think that by 2015, it'll be MUCH more respected. I honestly think that the remote location will attract many applicants once more people have actually HEARD of UCM. The way I see it, the UC system has campuses that are farrrr too generic (aside from UCSC) and UCM greatly solves this problem. </p>

<p>The new medical school will also bring it up a lot. </p>

<p>I really hope UCM gets more respect. Even though it isn't somewhere that I would personally consider, it really seems like an interesting place to get a college experience that is more than drinking beer and hanging out at the frat house.</p>

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<p>Amen to that!</p>

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<p>the school has greatly improved in the last few years. most of the people that are complaining are clearly freshman/sophomores. don't stay in the dorms, they are expensive and with the meal plan you have to go to the cafeteria all the time. i don't really know any freshman so i don't know if you guys really have a problem with everyone going home for the weekends. thats how it was for the first semester when people didn't know anyone. now as a senior i don't know anyone that goes home for the weekends. however, many of our weekend activities are admittedly drinking oriented.</p>

124

<p>
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Back on topic ... do current students feel UCM is rapidly improving and addressing student grievances? Where do you see the campus in 3-4 years? Better, worse, same?

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<p>As a first year student at UCM, I get the overall sense that the faculty are doing everything they can to improve student life on campus. Apparently, this isn't fast enough for most students attending UCM (myself included at times), but in all actuality, I'm fine with the current pace of improvement. To use a cliche phrase: Rome wasn't built in a day. </p>

<p>Additionally, fraternities and sororities are now gaining more prominence at UCM, making the campus slightly more attractive to prospective students. </p>

<p>In 3-4 years from now, the new dorms should be constructed, the DC should have been extended, and the business and medical school should have been finished. Also, a fraternity/sorority house lane wouldn't hurt either.</p>

<p>I have heard that the UC Regents want to make Merced into a top-tier UC. Obviously, this will take years of construction and a change in admissions policies, but it isn't as far-fetched as it may sound now. In a couple years time, UCM will become a fine school attend.</p>

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<p>what about sports?</p>

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<p>
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what about sports?

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<p>What specifically would you like to know about sports? </p>

<p>From the limited knowledge that I have about sports at UCM, they are virtually nonexistent in terms of collegiate play. I know there was men's and women's soccer and a baseball team (not sure about softball).</p>

<p>Frankly, if sports are your main focus, I wouldn't attend UCM if you were admitted elsewhere simply because the sports teams are not set up yet. However, because the teams aren't set up yet, I can see that it would be relatively easy to nab a starting position when they do start in the coming years. </p>

<p>Perhaps a fellow Bobcat could elaborate more than I have. </p>

<p>If anyone else has questions about UCM, feel free to send me a PM anytime.</p>

127

<p>thanks^^^ are there intramurals or an organized recreation program?</p>

128

<p>I stumbled upon this thread looking for something else and wanted to take a quick look. I can't believe how confused many of you people are here about how professors teach and grade.</p>

<p>I'd like to make a clarification about the grading style of many of the faculty. I have been a TA for a few different "departments" already. The lower division classes are graded way too nicely - almost everyone behind-the-scenes thinks so (no joke). People who legitimately DON'T know their stuff are passing (this pertains to undergraduate students only). If they don't pass, they whine about it saying "oh boo hoo, this professor (TA) grades too hard, boo hoo" when, chances are, they were too busy scuffling for a social life and neglected their studies (I've seen it happen to friends). The level of education is nothing like at Berkeley or LA, it can't be - I've studied there, it's nothing near the same. Bet you didn't know this - the state requires the university to pass (I believe) 70% of the students, otherwise we (UCM) don't get funding to grow. Well, if everyone is doing poorly then you have a bunch of people moving on to higher level courses, things get difficult, and more whining commences. I taught a class once where nobody could do a simple integral (integral of dx ... !!!) by the end of Calculus II. Everyone passed ... EVERYONE passed. They had to.</p>

<p>Grading is just a little easier than UCB or UCLA? Please... if the professors graded the same way as they did at, say, Berkeley, before coming here I'd estimate only about 4 or 5 kids would pass out of an upper-division class of 20, and that's with a grade of B- or higher!</p>

<p>Also, an aside: nobody I know here curves, curves would kill everyone in the class. Curves bunch people towards a C, or whatever the average grade is. They do grade adjustments here, top certain bit get an A (whether or not they deserve it), the next bit gets a B, etc...</p>

<p>The level of education can't be similar to any of the other UCs because the majority of the students don't care about their own work - this is obvious; sad, but obvious; students, I find, don't often take pride in the work they turn in, professors would be the first to confess, then TAs. Most people come here as undergrads with the hope of one day going to medical school. It's not happening, I'm sorry, pick another field of study, there are plenty more exciting things out there than being a doctor, really. If money is your motivation you're a sad individual.</p>

<p>There was something mentioned early in the thread. There are a few student that take advantage of the small student:teacher ratio; they come in for office hours, ask questions, debate and discuss topics, etc... Those students are almost always at the top of their classes, they have a future!</p>

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<p>that was pretty harsh... lol</p>

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<p>Goodgolly- You put a lot of good work and good information into your post.</p>

<p>Just a couple points.</p>

<p>I disagree that by going to Merced, one is cutting themselves off from a future of their choice. The student defines his future, not the college he attends. I agree that if one goes to Merced with big dreams and just follows the norm of the students, that student will likely get nowhere near his/her dreams. On the other hand, if one uses his/her time wisely by getting high marks and setting himself above the rest of the Merced class, he will end up where he wants to be. If that is medical school, he can get there. </p>

<p>Like any University, the average student drinks, parties on the weekends, and puts schoolwork secondary. That is the student that gets by because he is smart but lazy, and receives C-'s in his classes. Those who are not smart and are lazy flunk out. Those who are smart and not lazy get A's and B's. There may be more of the lazy kids at Merced than at LA/CAL (which is not hard to argue statistically), but there are still going to be a whole lot of bright minds in the top 10-20% that can still fulfill their dreams. Why would anyone go to any of the CSUs (omitting SLO) if a CSU degree did not mean anything to employers?</p>

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<p>Cali Trumpet - I suppose I should have been clearer in stating that those same students who don't do their work and take pride in what they hand in are the same ones who cannot have a "future of their choice", as you put it. </p>

<p>I might suspect that the student who works hard and is at the top of their classes would have a great chance of getting ahead and having a bright future, sure, I'm not denying this for a second. I'm sorry if I was not clear, my mistake.</p>

<p>Despite what the last post sounded like, I do want to see my students move on to the best grad schools and top law schools, etc... I spend a lot of time preparing for my sections and I'd like to see some good results, it's discouraging sometimes to teach the same concept 15 times and watch my kids flunk an exam - then complain that the professor graded too hard, or the TA is awful.</p>

<p>Finally, I don't think the average student at every university gets drunk and parties all the time, albeit, at a great percentage of the universities out there this is what is happening. What I'm trying to say is this isn't a great start for this school. Were doing VERY well for being only so old, we could do better.</p>

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<p>Sorry I go to UCSD... The average student here DEFINITELY doesn't party ahead of academics... lol.</p>

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<p>"The average student here DEFINITELY doesn't party ahead of academics"</p>

<p>I 2nd that... such a nerdy place... no disrespect...</p>

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<p>"I 2nd that... such a nerdy place... no disrespect..."</p>

<p>Um.. please don't get me wrong, there are parties but people here have an actual sense of priorities as opposed to the majority of colleges. I do agree with a significantly large nerd factor though.</p>

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<p>good golly your story is a bit hard to believe.. you taught a class in which they passed people who could not solve the simplest integral? (suggests they could solve almost no integrals) how can you teach people for a semester and have them not know that? what was the course exactly and which professor was teaching it?</p>

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<p>
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thanks^^^ are there intramurals or an organized recreation program?

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<p>Yes, there are intramurals. I believe there is a championship each semester.</p>

137

<p>To GoodGolly:</p>

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What I'm trying to say is this isn't a great start for this school. Were doing VERY well for being only so old, we could do better.

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<p>I've used this cliche far too much on this forum, but it is a particularly relevant response to your quote: Rome wasn't built in a day.</p>

<p>It is quite obvious that you demand perfection (or probably at least proficiency) of your students, but let's look at this in terms of the UC's age. </p>

<p>As you well know, UC Merced opened in 2005. The school is still in its infancy. There are roughly 2,500 students attending the school currently, meaning there really isn't much to pick and choose from in academic excellence.</p>

<p>On the other hand, most other UC's have tens of thousands of students they can sort through. </p>

<p>We simply do not have the numbers to really filter people out just yet.</p>

<p>Now, by no means am I protecting the "underachievers" that make our campus look bad. However, this is simply a bitter truth we will have to swallow until our numbers rise. </p>

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Most people come here as undergrads with the hope of one day going to medical school. It's not happening, I'm sorry, pick another field of study, there are plenty more exciting things out there than being a doctor, really. If money is your motivation you're a sad individual.

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<p>Totally agreed. Every other person here wants to be a doctor. I'm not trying to crush anyone's dreams or be a troll, but let's look at this realistically. If you were going to be a doctor, you would have gotten into much better schools than UC Merced. </p>

<p>I have a friend who wants to be surgeon, but has received B's and C's on his last semester's report card. He's really a nice guy, but I just don't see his dream happening now. Most people are like that here at Merced. They have good intentions, but do not put forth a reasonable effort of achieving their goals. </p>

<p>However, I do know of people who turned down LA and Berkeley to come to Merced simply because of the lack of competition here on campus. </p>

<p>Hopefully, all of this will be changed next year when our campus size doubles yet again to 5,000 students (or, at least, that's what I've heard).</p>

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<p>Hows UCMerced doing? Is it hot as hell up there? Is the city still a ****hole?</p>

139

<p>I'm sorry you find it hard to believe, trevzie, I assure you it is true. There were many "future-doctors" (self-proclaimed) that couldn't do an integral, it was amazing. A great chunk of the class was fine, there were many that deserved to fail that passed.</p>

<p>And you've got to be kidding, revealing one's identity on the internet? Nice try.</p>

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<p>I believe GoodGolly, considering the majority of students at UCM were rejected from every other UC and can't do an integral. If they got a B or Higher in their AP calc class they would've gotten into a better UC.</p>