<p>Hi I was wondering how life at UC Irivine is like?
1. what do people do in their free time?
2. Is the OC really like how they depict it on tv?
3. Are the people that go there all rich like that?
4. Is it true that there are more asians than white people?
5. Hows the social life (greek life, sporting events)</p>
<p>The OC isn't really like how they depict it on TV
There are more asians than white people at Irvine.</p>
<p>Hey, I am a first year at UCI so maybe I can address some of your questions.</p>
<p>Pretty much you can find a group of people to do anything. It's college, and there are 20,000 undergrads. People do party, it's just not like UCSB where there are tons of white kids who party all the time. Also, many of the frat parties are down the road in Newport. UCI is 5 miles from Newport Beach. I am not in a frat but I think 8% of the school is. Yes, there are a lot of Asians here (I am white btw), and in fact more than white folks. This is also true at Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, just more so at UCI. I'm not rich, and in fact I got a lot of financial aid/scholarships, so this is a really good education for cheap for me. As far as social life in general, it is definitely more of a commuter campus in that a lot of people go home on the weekend (but I don't!). For sporting events, we play division 1, but no football team, so the best team we have is Men's basketball, and I haven't been to a game yet so I can't tell you that much, but it's not going to be like ucla, usc, or cal for sporting events. It just isn't. Overall, I think I'm happy here and I've met some cool people. Also, I'm in the campuswide honors program, which has a few nfity perks like guaranteed 4 years on campus housing and priority enrollment. Anyways, if you have any other questions, I'll try to answer them.</p>
<p>At UCI, campus housing is only guaranteed for the first year for most people, after that it is by lottery. This causes it to be a commuter school, as even the kids not going home to mommy & daddy, are going to a house off campus. If you are lucky, you rent a house in Newport Beach where you can have a lot of fun, and hopefully fun neighbors and it is no more expensive than nearby apartments. You do have to pay over $2 for gas and the insurance, once you're off campus, it is much more difficult without a car.</p>
<p>Yes, UCI is around 50% Asian, but that means it is 50% other people too. It is only really noticeable as many Asian kids are speaking in Asian languages to each other, that is what makes it annoying to the people who complain. (no flames please, just a fact) In some majors, it is hugely Asian, so if you are not Asian you may realize you are the minority. </p>
<p>You should join something: club sports, frat/soror/etc. in order to connect with people. Huge classes of 400+ in sciences are not going to promote connecting with the person sitting next to you. Once you are off campus, you have to join in to make friends. Because many people are busy living their own lives, you will have to make more of an effort to get involved to develop a great social experience than if you attended a small LAC.</p>
<p>There are lots of kids of yuppies, with way more money than they need, nice cars, and daddy's credit card. There are also lots of people getting plenty of fin aid and/or on a budget. Having less money is not a big deal, as long as you avoid the temptaion to take those offered credit cards and try to keep up with the spending girls & boys.</p>
<p>I am an alumnus of UC Irvine, so I'll do my best to answer your questions</p>
<ol>
<li><p>what do people do in their free time?
People do a lot of the same things that you would do at most colleges. What sets us apart from most of the colleges in the country is our proximity to the beach. A lot of students spend a lot of time at the beach. Because we are close to both L.A. and San Diego, many students take weekend trips to those cities, and even as far south as Tijuana. You will always have students who just stay in their rooms and play computer games, but that's normal at any school. Clubs are a big part of UCI, and many people spend their evenings at club meetings and functions.</p></li>
<li><p>Is the OC really like how they depict it on tv?
I was actually at the mall yesterday and I was paying close attention to the people there. Many of the things you see on TV are true. You have people that are quite well off, but the OC isn't as "white" as they make it seem on TV. This is a very diverse area, and the region of Orange County shown on TV is basically just the beach cities (especially Newport). There are poorer parts of Orange County like Santa Ana and Costa Mesa, and there are also some average places like Anaheim and Tustin. Irvine is upper middle class, but not snotty like Newport can be sometimes.</p></li>
<li><p>Are the people that go there all rich like that?
Not at all. Although we do have a fair number of people who reside in Newport Beach, they are not all the children of millionaire real estate moguls or plastic surgeons. Many people move their families to this area because the public schools are good and they want their children to go there. There are some kids at UCI who drive around in $100,000 cars, but they are few and far between. Lots of people here are on financial aid and many of the students have to work to help pay their tuition.</p></li>
<li><p>Is it true that there are more asians than white people?
Yes. But you have to remember that there are several different kinds of Asians. There are Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, and many other kinds of different nationalities that are very different from one another, just like how a white person from Newport Beach is very different than a white person from Kentucky. It's a great way to educate yourself about different cultures, and it should be a plus, not a minus. Even if you're white, it's not like you'll be the only white person on campus. There are good numbers of Asians, Caucasians, and Middle Eastern people here. There are a handful of Latinos and less African-Americans, but you will never be the only one of your race. And even if you are, it doesn't mean that you can't make friends with people of all ethnicities.</p></li>
<li><p>Hows the social life (greek life, sporting events)
The Greeks aren't huge here, but if you join a fraternity or sorority, you'll have fun. My younger brother is in a fraternity at UCI right now and he has no complaints about his social life. Clubs can offer you the same opportunities to socialize. The thing about UCI is that you have to find your social opportunities. It's not going to come knocking at your door, but if you are willing to look around and take some chances, you'll find some really cool stuff to do. As for sporting events, there isn't too much. No football team. Our basketball team is really popular when we're winning, and right now we're probably a .500 team. But all athletic events are free for students. We also have a great Rec Center (Anteater Recreation Center - ARC) that you can work out at and we have a wonderful Intramural Sports League that anyone can get involved with.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>On a final note, I enjoyed my experience at UCI very much, and I would do it over again if I could. A lot of people complain about the lack of social activities here, but those are the same people who sit at home and surf the internet 24 hours a day. The people who really want to have fun are out having fun.</p>
<p>eww, uci, i went there but transferred b/c i really couldnt stand it anymore.</p>
<p>and for the record, i actually did have a social life.</p>
<p>Then what was the problem?</p>
<p>for the amount of effort i put in , i got little in return. for example, i lived in newport my freshman yr. it was a bust, newprt pd was always on our ass, cranky neighbors (who were actually students), nobody showing up to your party untill 11-12 then having get busted up at 12-1, shady people stealing my ish (like the tap for our kegs, or my *****ing shoes), shady people starting ish, drunk frat boys starting ish, general immaturity, random ugly showing up like they know you, jealous randoms who get egt kicked out calling the cops on us to get back ...thats just newport. dont let me get started on irvine, or uci itslef for that matter. do you know that irvine pd and uci pd have a specific task force targeting under aged drinkers? ya, as if its a real problem, b/c everybody knows uci is a real party school...gimme a f#cking break. i think i really tried hard to have a social life. uci is just not a place you go to if yopu want some kind of normal college life. soph yr i started going as far as la and mexico for real fun, b/c the bar scene in newport gets old when you see the same damn uglies at the same two bars that everybody goes to. there are a lot of clepto's too at uci, this "friend" of mine actually tried stealing my jacket from the trunk of my car in front of me, i knew soooo many girls who would jack the apparel from the bookstore. the frats are in complete disarray, they cant their ish together b/c uci doesnt have a true greek system. in fact, even the student government is pretty impotent, they havnt done anything, especially to improve social life, even though they say they are (all bs mind you). and these fools get paid, for doing nothing.</p>
<p>as for academics....thats a long story.</p>
<p>my hand hurts this better be worth while.</p>
<p>oh, and i was in a frat, a very social one. but shhhhhhh...i dont want too many people know this, i might rush a different one at my current school.</p>
<p>I have heard mixed things aboout UCI. I have heard it is boring and you can't get a real college experience.
I just talked to a woman this week who went there and loved the school. She played tennis for the school.
My next door neighbor loves the school.
I did visit the school this summer and I liked it more than I thought I would. It is a pretty nice campus. I walked there from the bike path in Newport Beach. It took me about an hour and a half to get to the school. I didn't come across too many other walkers. That is one thing that bothers me about So Cal... too many drivers and not enough walkers.</p>
<p>My boygfriend's son is at Irvine and having a tough freshman adjustment. We liked the campus when we visited last year, but did not realize that it is empty on weekends. To be open, he didn't have a lot of choice. He was rejected at UCLA, Davis, UCSB and a few others. It seems that non Asians (he's black) are highly sought after due to the Asian majority. He feels that there is little social life, huge classes and basically no college experience. It also seems hard to get good grades in the science courses, limiting his transfer options. We're working on it!</p>
<p>work hard, transferring from uci can be pretty difficult.</p>
<p>and a lot of people use that one excuse in defense of the school: you get out what you put in...or whatever. thats utter bs. i put in alot and got very little. i had close friends goingto other schools like UCS, ucla, ucsb...it made me real jealous to here the kind of college life they were having.</p>
<p>Although I am not into the party scene, I go to UCI and like it and <em>gasp</em> I'm not Asian.</p>
<p>thats b/c you dont know what youre missing</p>
<p>I don't think so. I know what other schools are like. I have friends at UCLA, UCSB, UCD etc., I know these schools are more "social", but I've adjusted to UCI and I've met a lot of people, and I don't party anyway. Sorry it didn't work out for you. USC is cool though, Great football, very social, good academics...of course you pay for it, but it's still cool.</p>
<p>I think yackityack shows us all that at schools without a traditionally great socail life, it's all about attitude, Can I have my pseudo-son (marrying his father in June) email you? I love your attitude!</p>
<p>Kirmum-</p>
<p>I went to UCI and I could have gone to almost any school I wanted to out of high school. If I could do it all over again I would do it exactly the same except I probably would have changed my major and studied a little more. But other than that, I was very happy here. If you or your pseudo-son would like to have some questions answered, feel free to send me a message as well. Definitely contact yackityack for the current student perspective, and I can give the perspective of someone a few years out.</p>
<p>"Can I have my pseudo-son (marrying his father in June) email you?"</p>
<p>Yeah, sure.</p>
<p>i had that attitude once, to kind of give me hope. then i transfered, now im not in a state of trying to be happy, i am happy.</p>