UC Merced Q&A

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Merced
41

whoops. @Meooow;
sorry for the late reply, I just finished finals haha. The marketplace’s prices are only pretty reasonable, but they do charge a convenience fee (i think it’s 20%?). Most students don’t really pay attention to pricing on campus when they have a meal plan, so they buy regardless.

The three different meal plans available for both on and off campus residents have the same amount of Residential dollars and differing amounts of CAT dollars.

Residential dollars are only to be used at the campus’ main dining center the DC;
The CAT dollars are used everywhere else like the Marketplace, Marketplace Express (the vending machines inside Half Dome), the Lantern Cafe (like a Starbucks, but on campus), the Diesel Dogs (hot dog stand), Taco Cart, and the local restaurant carts that serve mediterranean, indian, thai, and mexican food (SO BOMB); also, they have added another outlet just this semester called Produce on the Go where you can buy fruits and vegetables that comes every week.

The T plan is the one with the least amount of CAT dollars ($300). I feel that this is the most common for students because it’s the most affordable;
The A plan is the recommended plan by the campus because it has a good enough amount of CAT dollars ($1300) to go spending all willy nilly on campus.
The C plan is what I chose this year, and has the most amount of cat dollars ($2100). I was ballin in meal plan money haha!! I would always go to the food carts and paid for me and my friend’s food almost everyday this semester and just now ran out completely! Something to note about CAT dollars is that they are able to be refunded to you when you graduate, though that’s a really long time. Also, don’t get careless about spending your residential dollars either, as some people run out nearing the end of the semester; so just having a little budget will help immensely.

42

@anrarago haha no worry. Thanks a lot for your help.

43

hey @val916 I’d like to add some more things about the three dance teams here on campus:
Hip Hop Movement has more breakdancing and hiphop, and they specialize in that super cool dance that make it look like they move as one whole entity, which i don’t know the name of lol;

Dance Coalition has a mix of everything, and INTRO is the same but has more diversity in dance styles.

All three teams compete every Spring in the annual Dance Off, which is probably the biggest event of the year! I went for the first time and I had a blast! my voice was scratchy the next morning because I was screaming so hard :smiley:

Also, there is also another dance group called Bobcat Dance that I saw open for Dance Off; they are more contemporary and ballet, which may be something you may be interested in! :slight_smile:

44

Hey! There is a C/o 2019 page on Facebook if anyone is interested in joining; it’s a great place to meet your fellow future classmates (:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1559898360948841/

45

I am attending the school next fall and i wanted to know if you could tell me what there is too do at Merced on your spare time? Aswell as which are the best dorms to live in, do any have like a reputation or like what there known for? Also if you could if you knew anything about the fiat lux scholars program?

46

Thank you!! I’m looking forward to going there :slight_smile: @anrarago

47

Hi there, I have a question about on-campus housing. What happens, if there is even a chance, if a suite that I choose end up with a room being vacant?

Not that I am looking for any roommates at this minute, but I am genuinely curious why would happen if that were to be the case.

48

Hi @pzarate, in my spare time here I like to participate in campus clubs and other activities, such as volunteering. There’s this organization called Love Merced where many people from the community as well as students provide community service all over the city. Last semester I got to help pick up trash at a bike trail with one of my clubs, and I felt like I was doing something worthwhile from people passing saying “thank you” and getting to see people from the Merced community from children to grandmas and grandpas picking up trash :slight_smile:

I definitely recommend participating in clubs you find interesting or enjoyable, trust me there will be at least one you’d want to join! But if you happen to not find what you’re into, you are welcome to start your own club! UCM is only 10 years old and still has to go through a lot of growth. Starting a club now can help you make your mark on campus!

Other things I like to do is play volleyball with my roommate, go on morning jogs during the weekend, (there’s great trails near campus, especially to Lake Yosemite) and having some coffee or boba in downtown. It’s hard to find things to do if you aren’t creative, but the on campus clubs, OSL, and CAB host fun events during the school year, so don’t think you’ll be watching tumbleweeds every weekend!

In regards to dorms, I copied this from a friend on the C/o 2019 page:

The Summits:
Half Dome-
Pros- Newest building
24 Hour Vending Machine
Game Room
Kitchen
Very large laundry room
Janitors clean the restrooms
Bathroom lockers
Hydration Station (Water fountain made for filling up water bottles)
Closest to Lake Yosemite
Handicapped rooms are huge
Lots of study lounges
Trash chutes on each floor
Bike barn is the safest place to lock your bike
Cons- Far away from classes and dining center
Only the first two floors are for under class men (fills up fast)
Non-handicap rooms are less long, seem tinier
People misuse the kitchen (leave it dirty, take utensils)
Bathroom lights have short automatic timers

Cathedral-
Pros- Right next to the marketplace
Closest to the parking lot and a bus stop (Really nice for move-
in/move-out day)
High ceilings
Janitors clean the restrooms
Cons- Farthest away from classes and dining center
Really small laundry room
Fewer study lounges
No lockers in restrooms, just shelves
Due to room layout, you can hear neighboring rooms more easily.
Hall shape makes it more difficult to associate with other suites
No kitchen

Tenaya-
Pros- Right next to the marketplace
Computer lab and printer
Lots of places to study
Music room/dance room
Kitchen (needs to be reserved)
Right next to mail and housing office
Janitors clean the restrooms
Cons- Really studious
Still a bit far from classes and DC
Kitchen needs to be checked out

Sierra Terraces (Mariposa/Tuolumne):
Pros- Closest to classes
Right next to gym and DC
Closeness of halls makes it easier to socialize with your hall
Shared bathrooms with less people
Kitchens
Bus stop next to gym
Cons- Small rooms
2 lounges for the whole building
Laundry room and trash aren’t located in the dorm, but a building
close by
Farther from the parking lot, Marketplace, and Lake Yosemite

Need to clean your own bathrooms and get TP from the housing office

In regards to reputation, it’s all biased and none of them are really true haha. Well all I know that is Mariposa, where I lived last year, is the coolest and most poppin’ dorm!

The Fiat Lux program is for first gen’s and those who meet the income requirement, where they receive additional help for academics and learn skills that will help them receive their degree from UCM. More can be found here: http://fiatlux.ucmerced.edu/. I don’t know much about it myself, all I know is that they have mandatory study times. :stuck_out_tongue:

49

Hey @Meooow, I’m not entirely sure! I think you should definitely ask on the C/o 2019 Facebook page, or contacting Housing.
I have met freshman last year that had one less roommate than expected, and one even had a room all to themselves!

50

Hey…I am in the middle of ordering text books for my classes. Associated to each text book, there is a label indicating the books are “required”, “optional”, or “recommended”. I am getting the required ones, of course. Should I bother with the “recommended” or “optional”? I am a mechanical engineering major. the ones in particular that have the most “recommended” or “optional” are my Physics 008 and Math 022-01 (Calc. 2). Any help would be greatly appreciated…

51

hi @kew417! i would hold onto buying any textbooks online from the bookstore and use it as a last resort. i would wait for your professors to post their syllabi to see what books they require, because some don’t even use what’s posted online. for physics and math, you’ll probably have to buy an online key to use a homework program, but i would still wait to do anything until the syllabi come out (:

52

Applicant for FTF Fall 2016.

Do a lot of the students at UCM go to athletic games such as Basketball? Are the games packed and lively?

53

hi @elefish92! to be honest i’ve only been to one volleyball game since i’ve been here, so i don’t know too much about it. i feel that there are a good number of students and definitely family and merced locals that come to watch the games, that do make going to it worthwhile and fun!

54

I know UC Merced is a commuter school, but is it really bad or nothing drastic? I’m sure that it’s going to be on the edge of being residential, right?

55

There is a pretty solid population of students living on campus. As you can see from this link Merced attracts people from all over CA - probably 20% live within commutable distance, the rest move to attend.

http://www.ucmerced.edu/fast-facts

56

hi @elefish92, uc merced does have a lot of students that live on campus, i know that this year that they are really putting students into the dorms so expect a large community to interact with.

when i lived in the dorms last year, i would spent my weekends studying and doing other work, but if i wanted to take a break i would have to go to events put on by RHA (residence hall association), hang out with friends (this is where the student community helps out a lot), or take the bus and look for things to do like going to downtown to watching a movie. other than that, the main campus itself is usually pretty empty or ‘dead’ on weekends.

i think it’s interesting where merced is situated, because most people live in either norcal/socal, and have to move out here to attend UCM. this creates a college community in the area, but because of how the UC is so isolated from the actual city of Merced and the super cheap rent of off campus housing, many choose to commute.

i have hope that the campus will get even more populated because of the ever-increasing amount of freshman that come every year. I honestly don’t think it will become completely residential until much later, maybe when the campus expands to about half its size.

in fact, UC Merced intends to grow towards the city, up to Bellevue Road, and where the campus is located right now will be considered the “butt” of the campus. also something cool to note is that UC Merced also plans to expand into downtown Merced, by the Chancellor:

“In other news, I am pleased to report that the Regents approved financing and design plans for development of the Downtown Center, at the corner of N and 18th streets in Merced. This facility will serve as the hub for our growing presence in the downtown area and will promote economic vitality and a closer relationship between the campus and the Merced community. While we still need assurance that the City of Merced will provide the necessary city services for the expansion of the campus, we hope to move forward with this project as soon as possible.”

57

I’m so sorry to bother, but I have a lot of questions because I plan to go to UC Merced. I’m a high school senior now. I want to major in Psychology and my SAT scores totaled up to about 1300/2400( Extremely low). I am going to retake it. I think that the reason why I scored so low was because I basically answered every question, including the ones that I didn’t know. My weighted GPA is 4.18 (Freshmen-Junior). I know that this sounds unbelievable because my GPA is high, but my SAT scores are low. I’m an average student that tries very hard in school. Right now, as a high school senior, I am currently enrolled in a community college where I get both high school and college credits. By the time I finish this year, I am expecting to have completed about 30-33 units. I wonder if I’ll get accepted in UC Merced with my status.
If I do get accepted, here are some questions that I have:
1.Are there any dorms that give students a kitchen? As a traditional person, I grew up eating rice everyday and must eat it or it’ll be extremely hard for me to finish off my day. Sorry if I sound annoying by this. I just want a kitchen so I can make my own food. I don’t mind eating American food, but I can’t eat it every day.
2. How was your experience with your dorm mate(s)? I mean, was there any problems with having the light off, stealing, smoking, privacy, and etc. I’m an easy-going guy, but I don’t like it when people smoke around me.
3. Is the college hard? I heard that an average UC Merced student reads about 15,000 pages a week, which I was astonished an startled. I think that the courses at community college here are easy.
4. Do you change room mate(s) every semester?year? Are you expected to live off campus after the first year?
5. Do you get homesick? I am very close with my family, and imagine going away without them, I’ll miss them a lot.
6. Is the population becoming crowded? Honestly, I like UC Merced because of the nice and clean campus along with the size. I don’t want to apply to any other UCs because it’s too crowded. I prefer to have smaller class size so I can ask my professors questions. I heard that UC Merced is getting more people each year, and I’m worried that by next year, there will be too many people.
7. Do you know anyone in the Psychology major?
Again, sorry for all of these weird questions. These are just questions that I have on my mind for a while.

58

Hi @Iamsobusynow,

I am sorry for the late response! I have just finished my second wave of midterms and a lot of other craziness :slight_smile: Its not a problem at all, I am more than happy to help you learn about UC Merced. I’m not an expert at chancing, but I’d say you’d have a chance of getting in with exceptional extracurriculars and a great personal statement, along with the things you mentioned.

  1. There are kitchens available for almost every dorm, except for Cathedral (I'm not too sure about Valley Terraces). Most require you to reserve the kitchen before use, but Half Dome is available for all of its residents. If rice is a must for you (I know the feel) the DC usually serves rice in their teriyaki bowls or in the mexican food station. Housing actually suggests to leave your rice cookers at home, but I'm sure you can just bring it and use it at the kitchen (or jus bring it anyway cough cough but you didnt hear from me)
  2. I honestly felt like I had really cool roommates my first year of college! I didn't have a terrible experience with them, although my other roommate had an issue with the other one about stealing but it turned out he didn't. But that's pretty much it, no smoking or privacy issues. As for smoking, if you do end up getting a roommate that does and you feel uncomfortable, switch roommates immediately.
  3. Heck yeah it is! haha! I feel like this is probably the hardest i've worked in my life trying to keep up with classes, work, research, and running extracurricular clubs. It sometimes feels like my head is gonna explode but I'm having a blast! all my experiences so far are incredible and so worth the stress.

I’m not trying to scare you or anything, I just want you to know that college, especially at UCM, will be very rigorous and will really challenge you, especially your time management skills. I think it’s great that you’ve already taken classes at a community college, it shows the school that you’re ready.

I think that rumor about 15,000 pages a week is ridiculous, but I’m a science major I for sure read waay less than that! (well i don’t count, but it sure doesnt feel like 15,000 haha)

  1. For dorms, it's typical to live with your roommates for the entire academic year, but you can request to move rooms before a semester begins (i.e. before spring starts you can change roommates with who you had dormed with in the fall)
  2. I actually don't get homesick because I am comfortable being independent and used to doing things myself, but I know moving away can be difficult. My advice to you is to call them and keep in touch, but you will have to leave on your own someday.
  3. The population at UC Merced was also a factor to my decision too! I remember last year the smallest class size I had was of 8 people for a writing class, and the largest was a lecture hall of about 300, and being able to know your professors on a first name basis is neat. The school is rapidly expanding and is going through some growing pains though, for example our parking lots are a huge problem this year because they can't accomodate all students. I think it will continue to grow and be packed next year, but that shouldn't turn you away from this school and the opportunities still available.
  4. Yes! My good friend and housemate is a psychology major. If you have any more questions to ask about anything or the psychology major offered at UC Merced I'll do my best to answer them! :)
59

I want to thank you so much for taking your time and effort to respond to my questions. I will ask more questions whenever I have any. Again, thank you so much.

60

Here I am asking you questions again. I got accepted into UC Merced and have made my decision that I will be attending there. I went on a tour, but the dorms do not have kitchen. Can you explain to me how the reserving kitchen process works? I’m a little bit confused. I tried to look it online, but the descriptions are confusing. Growing up in a traditional family, I only eat homemade food, and I would want to eat it everyday in order to survive. Do you think it is okay for me to actually own a kitchen for my first year? I’m worried that I might not survive if I don’t get a kitchen of my own. I forgot where I got this, but there was a pdf that has a list of things for students to look so they know what to bring, and it says that a rice cooker is not allowed because it will cause fire.