Ask a current UCR freshman anything!

<p>copy pasted this so i can get more information
sorry if people start to get annoyed :(</p>

<p>first of all thanks for doing this :smiley:
i already asked this question but il do it again to get more input :stuck_out_tongue:
how fast does Pentland fill up? </p>

<p>how does the housing contract work, do i have send in my SIR before i fill out the housing contract? </p>

<p>Which meal plan would you suggest? i will most likely not be cooking and it would be too far from home to get food (makes me sad :() </p>

<p>What year can i get a single room?</p>

<p>How is the engineering department (i want a students opinion not one from online or the school website since that isnā€™t ā€œaccurateā€ since they are advertising it)</p>

<p>More specifically how is the electrical engineering department?</p>

<p>Do classes fill up fast? </p>

<p>Howā€™s calc 2, calc 3, and higher physics classes?</p>

<p>I want to do lots of research and internship starting freshmen year, is it hard to get these?</p>

<p>Overall how would u describe the environment (outside and inside) the campus, the student body, professors, and the school it self (as in building structures, equipment, etc).</p>

<p>Last question for now why the heck did they send me a poster in the mailā€¦i mean i like the thought but my mom and I thought it was going to be important papers for admissions and rushed to the post office (she had to leave work early). i personally dont see the need for it but yeaā€¦</p>

<p>Thanks Again for answering all these questions and i know its a lot but just needed to get to know before i decide which school i will go to.</p>

<p>@jwong258;
I donā€™t think anyone gets turned away from pre-business, but I might be wrong. In order to get into the business program, you must maintain a GPA of 2.5 and finish taking all the required courses (which takes about 2 years). If you have both of those, there should be no reason why they donā€™t accept your application to business administration. I cannot stress how important your GPA is. Many pre-business students get kicked out from the program because of their GPA. </p>

<p>My concentration will be in financial economics. However, you wonā€™t need to decide until the middle or end of your third year. Of course, the earlier the better.</p>

<p>ā€“</p>

<p>FutureEEMajor;
how fast does Pentland fill up?
Hm, this is hard to answer because it might vary from year to year. In order of popularity: East Lo, Pentland, AI, West Lo. Pentland is the most expensive dorm and does not have its own dining hall. BUT, there is a kitchen.</p>

<p>how does the housing contract work, do i have send in my SIR before i fill out the housing contract?
You must submit your SIR first. I think you will need your student ID before you can start filling out your housing contract. Itā€™s a pretty simple process.</p>

<p>Which meal plan would you suggest?
This definitely varies from person to person. If I were to choose for myself, I would get the blue 75. When I was a first year, I had something called flex 5, which allowed me to eat at the dining hall 5 times a week. I HARDLY ever went because I wasnā€™t a fan of the food. I also had food from home and other things to eat. However, eating at a dining hall may be peopleā€™s only option, so just plan accordingly. 75 meals a quarterā€¦ There are 10 weeks + 1 finals week = 11 weeks. 75/11ā€¦ so you roughly have 7 meals a week. You get to eat at the dining hall once a day. You will also have dining dollars, so you can eat on campusā€¦ at like Panda Express or wherever.</p>

<p>What year can i get a single room?
I think you can get your own room as a second year, but thatā€™s only available in Pentland. There is Glenmor, which is an on-campus apartment (not dorm). You get to split an apartment with a few peopleā€¦ and you will receive dining dollars to eat wherever you want on campus. There are off-campus apartments that you might want to eventually look into. It is definitely cheaper than the dorms/Glenmor, and itā€™s not really that far away from school either.</p>

<p>How is the engineering department?
Iā€™ll leave an actual engineer major to answer this.</p>

<p>More specifically how is the electrical engineering department?
Iā€™ll leave an actual engineer major to answer this.</p>

<p>Do classes fill up fast?
YES. :\ Unlessā€¦ youā€™re in honorsā€¦ or some special program that gives you priority registration. I believe there are classes reserved specifically for your first quarter here at UCR. If you WANT your classes, then sign up for the earliest orientation date possible. After that, youā€™re on the bottom of the totem pole. When you sign up for classes will depend on how many units you have. If you have AP credits, then you will have priority over a first year that doesnā€™t. The earlier your registration date the better. HOWEVER, as a first year, you have so many classes that you can takeā€¦ that your schedule will work out for the most part. If one class is full, you still have an option to take like 15 other classes that you need. I meanā€¦ I almost always loved my scheduleā€¦ but that might just be me. It might also be different for an engineer major?</p>

<p>ALSOā€¦ say you have a class from 12:10 to 1, and the next class you want to take is at 1:10, go ahead and take it. 10 minutes is enough time for you to get from one class to another. When I was a first year, I was like omg, 10 minutes is so less time!! So I gave myself one hour gaps. Needless to sayā€¦ I never ever did that again. -_- This isnā€™t UCLA, where you have to walk 30 minutes to get to classā€¦ and I am thankful for that everyday.</p>

<p>Howā€™s calc 2, calc 3, and higher physics classes?
Iā€™ll leave an actual engineer major to answer this.</p>

<p>I want to do lots of research and internship starting freshmen year, is it hard to get these?
Iā€™ll leave an actual engineer major to answer this.</p>

<p>The general answer thoughā€¦ is that it will probably be hard to find as a freshmen no matter what major you are, UNLESS you network REALLY REALLY well. From time to time, there are engineer/business/medical/law networking eventsā€¦ many people donā€™t take advantage of these things, but they could be extremely helpful.</p>

<p>Overall how would u describe the environment (outside and inside) the campus, the student body, professors, and the school it self (as in building structures, equipment, etc).
Environment/campus could be much better. Itā€™s not the nicest university in the world, but itā€™s fine. I actually like that it has a small campus because I can get to my classes very quickly. As for the professors, it really varies. There are good and bad professors, so make sure you look them up on ratemyprofessor before you actually sign up for a class. The student bodyā€¦ mm, I donā€™t really know how to respond to this one because there are SO many students. Itā€™s not like Iā€™ve met every single oneā€¦ but of the ones that I have metā€¦ There are good apples and bad apples. Just keep yourself motivated and do what you have to do. Itā€™s all really hard for me to describe, I suggest you go to ā€œDiscovery Dayā€, if they still have that. Youā€™ll get a tour of the school, dorms, etc. </p>

<p>Last question for now why the heck did they send me a poster in the mailā€¦i mean i like the thought but my mom and I thought it was going to be important papers for admissions and rushed to the post office (she had to leave work early). i personally dont see the need for it but yeaā€¦
I donā€™t know d: BUT, a lot of the necessary paperwork that you need to do can be done online, I think. I donā€™t remember because itā€™s been so long LOl.</p>

<p>Best of luck to you. (:</p>

<p>How is the engineering department?
Itā€™s pretty decent. Not so great, but not so bad either. Its undergrad engineering program is ranked #94 in the nation and its grad engineering program is ranked #67 in the nation. It might not be as good as other engineering schools like UCLA, UCB, or UCSD right now because itā€™s pretty new (created in 1989), but itā€™s constantly improving. But hey, UCR has a lot of connections with a lot of companies.</p>

<p>More specifically how is the electrical engineering department?
Electrical engineering department is pretty good. They have a lot of great faculty members that have done some fabulous research. check out some of the research they have done: [Electrical</a> Engineering: Research Labs](<a href=ā€œhttp://www.ee.ucr.edu/labs/research-labs.html]Electricalā€>http://www.ee.ucr.edu/labs/research-labs.html)
The courses that youā€™ll have to take are pretty challenging though. Here are the courses youā€™ll have to take:
<a href=ā€œhttp://student.engr.ucr.edu/majors/EE%202010.pdf[/url]ā€>http://student.engr.ucr.edu/majors/EE%202010.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Howā€™s calc 2, calc 3, and higher physics classes?
Calc 2 wasnā€™t that bad for me but thatā€™s just me since Iā€™m a mathy person. Some ppl struggled through that class because you have to learn to apply calculus in various ways. Itā€™s like advanced Calc1.
Calc 3 is all about Taylorā€™s series (if you know what that is). I think it might be easier than Calc 2 because youā€™ll learn some new stuff.
I would say physics classes are the hardest GE courses for engineers. Itā€™s basically a root of engineering classes. Many ppl struggled through that class, even in physics 1A. So try to concentrate more on physics if youā€™re going to take it. Itā€™s the most important part of engineering.</p>

<p>thanks to both jenuwin01 and linoch</p>

<p>replays gave a lot of information so thanks for taking your time to help me out :D</p>

<p>i was wondering of calc 2 and calc 3 which one i should take
i took the ap calc bc exam and scored a 4. my ab calc is pretty solid and will be even better before college starts so no worries on that but my bc isnt the most amazing thing ever. for bc im pretty good with most topics but i do have some troubles with series when they get more complicated (if anyone took the ap calc bc exam last year i had trouble with the last frqā€¦i think it involved the maclaurin series)</p>

<p>I would take calc3 since you can weave calc1 and calc2 from your course plan. Itā€™ll save you lots of time and graduate earlier. But if you are really concerned, I would ask an academic advisor</p>

<p>Hi I am thinking of going here this fall but I was wondering is there much to do around Riverside? What do you do for fun? Thanks ! And how is the business program?</p>

<p>people say thereā€™s nothing much to do around Riverside. But others say they need a car in order to have fun. I also heard that Riverside throws one of the biggest frat/sorority parties ever. So, if you are a party type of person, youā€™ll definitely enjoy your life it. Otherwise, it can be pretty boring sometimes without a car.</p>

<p>I believe we have a pretty good business program. itā€™s also impacted. (about 18% of our school is a business major.)</p>

<p>thank you! can we choose our roommate?</p>

<p>Yes, you can. Just make sure your potential room mate puts your name down as well.</p>

<p>ilovepeople: Thereā€™s not too much in the direct Riverside area for entertainment. Thereā€™s a local center called UV, where thereā€™s a movie theater, some restaurants and stores etc.</p>

<p>Most of your entertainment will likely come from hanging out with friends (whether that be video games, parties, kickbacks, whatever) in the dorms or apartments.</p>

<p>Gah Iā€™m not sure which college to pick UCR or UCSC. I want the college that will allow me to get all the classes I need. I want to possibly get research done and also want find internships both which relate to engineering, more specifically electrical engineering. My goal is to transfer out, as a junior, in the end and hopefully enroll in one of the top engineering schools in the nation. I know it will be nearly impossible so I know I need to make myself as competitive as I can but Iā€™m not sure which one of these schools will allow that. Not only but everyone said Pentland hills fill up fast which mean I need to decide soon. Iā€™m going a bit crazy right nowā€¦so much stress :(</p>

<p>edit: Not only that but thanks to my parents I am now thinking what happens if I am unable to transferā€¦ STRESS STRESS STRESS :(</p>

<p>FutureEEMajor, I think you are thinking way too much in the beginning. Thatā€™s a good thing though. But I wouldnā€™t really go into details and stress about not knowing where to go. Just go wherever you feel like you are welcomed. If you really want to transfer to your dream school, get research opportunities, and internship opportunities, donā€™t think about it when you go to whatever college you end up going. Take care of your GPA, and most importantly, have fun. Itā€™s college.</p>

<p>^I know :frowning: force of habit. Haha I could use the magic reset button right about now :D</p>

<p>hi. i recently decided to go to uc riverside for fall 2011.
major is biological sciences. I actually have a few questions
how hard is the math entrance test? is it suggested to study for it?</p>

<p>if I am thinking about rushing and taking 4 classes will it be difficult to maintain a good gpa</p>

<p>whatā€™s the difference between east lothian and a-I ?</p>

<p>is it recommended to bring a car freshman year if Iā€™m planning to go home on weekends?</p>

<p>howā€™s the classes under biological sciences?</p>

<p>lastly, is it hard to book orientation days early? </p>

<p>oh and around how many people share bathroom in eastlo and a-I?</p>

<p>Whats the best party dorm in ucr? I hear that its a-i.</p>

<p>A-I is the most social but the best parties will be off campus!</p>

<p>about dorming
Iā€™m going random and will i be paired up with someone that could be a totally different race from me?</p>

<p>Itā€™s not like i dont want to be with someone of a different race, but i feel more comfortable rooming with the same race.</p>

<p>is there an option that allows you to choose that preference on housing app cause i dont see any.</p>

<p>Yup, itā€™s totally possible to room with someone a completely different race from you. I donā€™t recall there being an option to choose your race of roommate, but I understand why you might feel uncomfortable dorming with someone of a different race. If you really want you should try finding someone of your race to dorm with you? Hope this helps!</p>

<p>Hi, I just committed to UCR and Iā€™m kind of worried about finding my niche in a big school. I was on my high schoolā€™s cheerleading team and I was hoping to try out for UCRā€™s team as well. I was just wondering how people feel about supporting athletics and attending games at UCR. It wouldnā€™t be worth it to me to try out if students are apathetic towards the teams! Does any one have any input??</p>

<p>you could also go greek.</p>