<p>I am fully aware that college is not solely a place to have fun and party, but a place to learn new things and broaden your perspective on life and the world around you. Nevertheless, having fun and leisure time is always in the healthy mindset when it comes to college life, and I am no different. Whenever I tell my friends (who are all going to UCI, UCSD, even UCLA and Cal) that I am going to UC Merced, they typically gasp and say things like "Your gonna be in the middle of nowhere, tipping cows for fun." Its getting harder and harder to defend myself, since I know little of what UCM kids do for fun when not in class, so I have some questions, answer are much appreciated</p>
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<li><p>Since Merced is in the middle of nowhere, whats does the school provide to students to entertain themselves?</p></li>
<li><p>Whats the party scene like?</p></li>
<li><p>Since SanFran and Modesto are kinda nearby, are these cities, or other cities, common destinations for long weekends or vacations</p></li>
<li><p>Does the lake nearby campus provide any sort of scenic backdrop to chill and relax, and if so, is it a common destination for chilling for students?</p></li>
<li><p>Is college life at UC Merced truly as mind numbingly boring as some people make it out to be, or do you just need to be proactive in trying to entertain yourself?</p></li>
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<ol>
<li><p>The school does try to do things to entertain the students, there are day trips to Yosemite and ASUCM is trying to get a bus system working to take students downtown on Friday nights. We had ■■■■■ play a private concert this semester and last semester we had Far East Movement; in Merced you sort of take what you can get with the “big” name entertainment.</p></li>
<li><p>Parties are what you make of it, a lot of the parties I’ve gone to are among friends from clubs I’m in or there are a few frat parties which are fun.</p></li>
<li><p>They can be if you want them to be, the school sells discounted tickets to things like Great America and Six Flags. Lambda (The Campus LGBT club) does a trip to Six Flag every year which is fun and costs about $20 or so.</p></li>
<li><p>The lake is fun but I’ve never been sorry.</p></li>
<li><p>As with any college experience it really is what you make of it, at the other schools you can easily find other people like you and join groups, clubs, ect. At Merced there is a lot of this but there is also a lot of room to make a mark on campus and make your own club or rise to a leadership role in a club very quickly. Being proactive is really important at Merced because you have to be willing engage in things.</p></li>
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<p>Merced Pro Tip: Greek Life is brand new at UC Merced and boasts a 99% acceptance rate for new members, since no Greek group has a house the fees are low compared to other schools. The Greeks make up about 10% of the total student population and are active in the community as well as on campus.</p>
<p>Thanks for responding. I’m just concerned that Merced being in the middle of nowhere will be a total and complete buzzkill. I’m gonna get involved with the clubs and frats, no doubt.</p>
<p>Follow up question, what’s the general atmosphere of the campus. How do most of the students feel about attending Merced?</p>
<p>It’s hard to say, some people really wanted to go to another UC but were part of the referral pool and sort of said to themselves “Better than Community College”; others really wanted to come here for the small campus size, small class size, and access to research.</p>
<p>I’ve heard a lot of people say they really wanted to go to UC Davis and how much fun that would be, but that chatter sort of dies off after freshman year.</p>
<p>I would say most people like the school, the college experience is more about the friends you make and the experiences. It’s not about how many beers you can drink at wild parties and stuff. Students are really friendly and helpful, compared to other UC campuses we are a lot more of a tight knit community, people don’t really self segregate like they do at other UC campuses </p>
<p>I do a lot of work with ASUCM so I get a lot of enjoyment from helping build a campus community and many of the people in student government and campus clubs feel the same.</p>
<p>Sounds like a good feel. If you dorm, what’s dorm life like? I applied late and got waitlisted, really hope things work out and I can live on campus. If you don’t live on campus, what off campus living like?</p>
<p>most people rent houses, I live in an 8 bedroom house and pay $350 a month for my own room; if you can’t get in the dorm dont worry you can always find roommates on campus</p>
<p>Oh, that’s good to hear. Another question, what’s the city of Merced like? Does the city try to cater to the college students? What’s the local restaurants like? What kind of entertainment is available? I know this is slot of questions, but I just wanna get an idea of the local flavor.</p>
<p>^
what’s the city of Merced like?
- City? Its more of a town. People are friendly, they had a parade every so often.</p>
<p>Does the city try to cater to the college students?
2) I got 50 cents off Cold stone by showing my bobcat card.</p>
<p>What’s the local restaurants like?
3) I recommend the Home Town Buffet in town. It was like I traversed into paradise/mecca/heaven when I walked in there (after eating UCM food all the time). The Ihop is also worth a mention.</p>
<p>What kind of entertainment is available?
4) Movie theater and an arcade. Enjoy.</p>
<p>Sounds limited, but functional. Different question, how strict would you say the campus police are? Do they look the way often or are they total hardasses? I’m not really a trouble maker, (well, at least not all the time) but its always good to know where the line is with the authorities.</p>
<p>Some of the friends I made are drinkers and weed smokers and they basically never got caught. You won’t see CatCops (university police) unless you get handed to them by your RA. So it really depends on how strict your RA is. Some really care and others don’t. My RA last year just told us, “Don’t give me reason to suspect and I won’t come knocking.”</p>
<p>The guys across from me got kicked out of housing for drinking in the dorms after they got caught doing it for the FOURTH time. But they never got sent to CatCops. They just had to have some kind of meeting with the head of housing and got some mundane slap-on-the-wrist punishment.</p>
<p>Basically, don’t get caught and all should be fine. And if you do get caught, nothing much will happen unless you’re a repeat offender.</p>
<p>Sounds pretty chill, I think I should be okay. I just don’t do well under totally strict atmospheres. Another question, I’m on the housing waiting list, so I’m wondering, what off campus living life compared to dorming?</p>