Okay so i am planning to dorm at UC Merced in the fall for my freshman year. Now, which dorm sould i apply to? I saw other people on other forums suggest sierra or valley because they are close to everything around the school, but i also heard these dorms are isolated and un social. I am thinking the summit because i hear that dorming there is social and the buildings are new and really nice. They also look larger and nicer than the other dorms. I am going to UC Merced alone and i am a social person so i want to be in a highly social atmosphere. So which dorms are the nicest, which are the best for me? Btw i do not know if this matters, but i am attending the school of natural sciences major bio change to biochem after semester two. Does location matter? I saw that the summit dorms are far away from everything, but is there like a shuttle or something that takes you to the actual classes? Or if everything within walking distance? Also, should i bring my car to UC Merced? Even if i am dorming i assume i still need to pay for parking and I have yet to visit the campus, is merced really isoltaed out in the boonies? Is there a reason to have a car if you are dorming? Thank you
@nick414 I have recently visited UC Merced and I signed up to dorm in the summits. The summits is definitely a walk from any of the classes, but it isn´t that bad.
also Idk about the whole parking situation. I thought freshmen weren´t allowed to park on campus, but i´d google that.
Don’t worry about the walk or distances between the residence halls and classrooms, dining center, laundry, or anything else. The campus is small enough that the longest you will ever have to walk would be about 10-15 minutes, and that’s only if you live on the very edge and need to get to the police station or TAPS building. The walk isn’t that bad or long. People exaggerate. Sierra/Valley Terraces are the closest to everything but share the laundry area, which is a minutes walk away. And Summits/Half Dome have their own laundry area inside the building.
I would say to avoid living in the Valley if you want more social activity. Sierra, HD, and the Summits would be the most social because they feature an open hallway and lounge/study rooms where students congregate to hang out a lot. If you want to have a more private, in-room bathroom then choose Sierra but otherwise you will have to leave your room to get to the bathroom in the Summits and HD halls. You have to clean the bathroom yourself in Sierra, while it will be cleaned by the janitorial staff in the Summits and HD. People can be messy though…just fyi. Also bring a lock or two and your own soap for use in the Summits and HD because the only toiletry provided is toilet paper. Sierra/Valley also has toilet paper provided that you need to pick up yourself weekly.
As a first year you will not be able to have a car on campus unless you have special circumstances, you will have to park it off campus…which can lead to break ins or busted windows (it happens a lot in Merced). You don’t need a car as a first year because the buses run practically everywhere and there’s uber/lyft. There will be a lot more limited parking starting this coming year and it will get worse because of construction, therefore having a car will be a nightmare (I went through this my last year and it sucked.)
Let me know if you have any more questions! I lived on campus the entire time I was at UCM, and I was an RA for Sierra, Valley, and HD during my stay so I am pretty knowledgeable about those areas. I also had a car my last year so I know about the headache associated with that.
I would say the Summits are the best dorms because the maids clean everything outside of your dorm for you.