<p>I am trying trying to decipher the two, and their respective pros and cons.</p>
<p>Well, I’ll tell you one thing, it’s going to be a more plesant experience going to UC Irvine. Riverside, as a city at least, is not a very desirable place to be. In Orange County, you have all the shopping/restaurants you could ever dream of, and it’s only about 45 minutes from LA, where there’s an endless supply of things to do. Riverside is inland, and it’s hot and gross out there.</p>
<p>I agree with the above poster. My family has previously lived in Irvine for 11 years. It’s one of the nicest place to live in the greater LA area. My oldest daughter was sad when we moved away a few years ago. </p>
<p>It seems like she’s planning to apply to UC Irvine just so she can live in the area again! (not that it’s a bad thing, or is it?) When we lived in Irvine, we used to drive past UC Irvine on a daily basis. Also had many friends whose kids went there, so we are very familiar with it.</p>