<p>I'm in my last semester at a community college in NorCal, and I've applied to most of the big schools (UCB, UCLA, UCSD, UCSD, UCD), and I really wouldn't mind going to any of them. My major is History and I've got a 3.7 GPA, so I think I'm fairly competitive to most of the schools. I've came a long way, and I'd pretty much be happy with a degree from any of those schools.</p>
<p>Anyway, I also applied to UCR and was accepted (the rest are still pending). However, this is where I'm kind of confused. My family owns a nice, vacant house in a good area of Riverside and they'd be willing to let me live in it alone or with roommates of my choosing rent free if I attend UCR. But all I seem to hear about UCR is how crappy of a school it is compared to everywhere else.</p>
<p>So, would it be worth my while to have my own house and to save money and attend UCR over any of the other schools I applied to?</p>
<p>I really don't know why UCR has such a bad rep. </p>
<p>I know people who graduated high school with 4.3+ GPAs and outstanding ECs and everything were admitted to Cal and UCLA but rejected them to go to UCR to be closer to home and I see nothing wrong with that. Hey, and rent free?!?! That's awesome. Don't block out any of your choices is my advice.</p>
<p>I really want to go back up North (to get away...LOL) but if I can't for some reason (not getting into Cal. :/) then I suppose I'll stay here in San Diego. </p>
<p>It's a UC. Isn't that enough? We Californians take it for granted. [:</p>
<p>in my personal opinion, i think it doesn't matter where you go, because all the UCs offer a good education and as long as you take the advantage and take it seriously then you will get rewarded by the professors there. Just because you go to a higher ranked UC in a certain field, it doesn't mean the professors will be your buddy or people will treat you any different. A common misconception on this thread is that when they transfer or go to college they'll be changed, and in some ways they are, but most of that change comes from you and if you sulk in a good environment then things won't turn out great, but if you take advantage of the opportunities at any environment, you can always succeed. I say this because I used to have the same perception as you, but now I look at this with a different perspective. I have to say that I know a professor who went to UC Riverside, and I have to say he is one of the nicest person and highly legit as some people would say in his field of study. Really, it's up to you</p>
<p>It definitely does matter where you go. How much it matters is up for debate. Turning down LA and Cal to save a few bucks may lead to years of regret. Then again, that's just me, and you know it's all up to you. I'm sure UCR has some really great strengths, not to mention at UCR you can be an "individual" instead of just a number at Cal/LA.</p>
<p>well, I thought the same thing before I went to college. I thought the only thing that matters is how you do in college, not the prestige and what people think of the college I go to. But, having gone through the life, I found that it's not just how I do, but also how people around you do. You wanna get what you deserve. Obviously, all the professors will curve the grades to match the general standards of the knowledge of students in your class. If the standards among the students are low, some people who never read a page on the textbook might get something like a B. I have seen a lot like this. Yes, it's unfair and you might begin to feel like what you have done is nothing more than a search for Alchemy. your GPA is good enough to go anywhere else. Go to the school where you will never ask a question like this when you graduate.</p>
<p>i'm in the same situation. i live in OC and i got accepted to UCI.. not sure if i want to go there. but i wouldn't have to pay rent and i can keep my job.</p>
<p>i have friends that go to UCR, and it's the same thing i hear about UCI.. it's just a school to graduate from. BUT it could be different from other people's perspectives.. that's just what I hear from a couple of friends that I have that have graduated at UCR or still there. If you're planning on going to a really good graduate school however, i suggest you take on LA or cal if you get in.</p>
<p>if you want really want to know what ppl think i suggest you check YELP hahaha.</p>
<p>If I had that option, I would. Why not? Saves you money and it is convenient. A university is a university, especially if it is a UC. A UC school itself is great already.</p>
<p>i think it does matter where u go…
i’ve had the liberty of transferring once already before applying for a second transferdue to family reason. but my first school was purdue - krannert. its an awesome, awesome busienss school and i had to leave it due to family reasons. but the school i go to now, isn’t that great… at all actually. not even top 100.
the reason i bring this up is because i rememebr when i was applying for internships, i got calls from 4 of them out of 6, only cause i went to krannert… and the only reason i was rejected was cause of the current school i go to, and how they think its not competitive. they actually said, all 4, “well ur current school doesn’t provide the competitiveness we look for in students.”</p>
<p>with that said, it does matter where u go, maybe not for grad school, but for the job front yes. my brother graduated from purdue, starting job 65k… his friends, a couple, graduated from not as competitive schools, go around 45-55. i think it matters.</p>
<p>^^ pretty weak comparison. Business/finance jobs are most affected by the prestige of your school relative to any others… you really can’t compare it to careers from majors such as history.</p>
<p>"my brother graduated from purdue, starting job 65k… his friends, a couple, graduated from not as competitive schools, go around 45-55. i think it matters. "
Are they working at the “same” place?</p>
<p>I think attending a more prestigious school creates better opportunities for you. But that does not necessarily mean you can’t be successful just because you graduated from UCR. Ultimately it is up to the individual, but a more prestigious school can make your path to success a little bit easier.</p>
<p>You need to weigh your options. Really, what it comes down to is not paying rent for two years or going to a “better” school and having a different experience.</p>
<p>I went to UCR for freshman year…hated it so much I went back home and attended community college to try to transfer to a higher UC…</p>
<p>I didn’t like the school, the campus (so small), the students (and lack of intelligence) and crappy surrounding city. Riverside is truly a hellhole (although yes there is a nice area)…</p>
<p>Idk dude up to you, should go visit all the UCs and judge for yourself</p>
<p>I love Riverside personally. I had a choice between Irvine and Riverside and i only chose Riverside because there is a Haider Program there (for students who want to go to Medical School at UCR/UCLA) </p>
<p>But then again, you should chose it based on more things then other people’s opinions. </p>
<p>It is a fact that Riverside is NOT one of the best schools. </p>
<p>It is a fact that the campus is the smallest, the classes are too few, and some of the people may not be the smartest you have met. </p>
<p>It is also a fact that I have met some of the smartest people I know at this school. There are people here who are challenging, smart, fun all at once. </p>
<p>It is a school where some people care about studying but also about living life. </p>
<p>It is a school where I have had some of the best adventures in my life and where I have grown as a person. I go to school with people who work 8 hours a day to go through college on their own, or they work hard to get through school and personal family problems. These are people I look up to. </p>
<p>So, wait to see where else you get in but if you are left with going to Riverside then be happy and go there with the right attitude to make the most of it. </p>
<p>Only elitists on these boards will laugh at UCR. The irony is that some Ivy League snobs laugh at the very schools the UC elitists strive for. It’s all relative. In the ‘real world’, little over a quarter of the population has a 4-year degree, and most received them from schools ‘ranked’ far below UCR.</p>