<p>Prestige? computer science-digital media/art, english and music</p>
<p>Don’t worry about prestige. Pick the school that offers the best education in your major. Merced seems very focused on sciences. </p>
<p>Riverside is more established. </p>
<p>Merced is tiny and restricted. Riverside is closer to civilization.</p>
<p>At UC Merced we have a very distinguished computer science department. We also have a growing Art program and our music professors are excellent</p>
<p>Merced is a rural town, however, we are right in the heart of California putting us in day-trip range of the Bay Area, Sacramento, Yosemite, Monterey, Santa Cruz, etc. If anything, being centrally located gives you the freedom to explore California on the weekends if you wish :)</p>
<p>Other UC campuses may be more established because they are older than UC Merced, however the opportunities that come with being a part of a growing UC cannot be found anywhere else. We have state of the art laboratories and our faculty conducts cutting edge research that you have ample opportunity to be a part of as an undergraduate here at UC Merced. </p>
<p>My name is Breanna and I’m a senior at UC Merced - feel free to ask me any questions on twitter @ucmbre.
Best of luck making your decision!</p>