Who's going to UC Riverside???

Applying to College
21

<p>Because I am personally going to convince YOU not to go to UCR...that is, assuming you have been accepted elsewhere. In doing so, I will save you from four years of misery, an abominably bad education, a trash-dump city, the disgrace of having a diploma that says "UCR," and severely diminished opportunities following graduation.</p>

<p>THOSE OF YOU CONSIDERING UCR AS YOUR TOP CHOICE, POST HERE WITH YOUR REASONS/RATIONALE AND I WILL ATTEMPT TO PERSUADE YOU TO GO ELSEWHERE.</p>

<p>Stay Out of Riverside</p>

22

<p>a bunch of my friends want to go to UCR because they think it's cheaper than going to such schools as UCSD. What should I tell them to convince them otherwise? I think their parents are just being jerks about the money issue. By the way, we live in Riverside. I've been to UCR plenty of times, and I must say that the surrounding area is just gross.</p>

23

<p>For starters, Theregicider wrote: "i think i might go to UCR simply because of the free money, honors program and the fact that the honors discussions are led by the professor rather than the TA."</p>

<p>All terrible reasons to go to UCR.</p>

<p>1) Free money - well OF COURSE UCR is going to offer you scholarships and stuff. They need to recruit students who are non-retarded. But unless u have a need-based award, a full-tuition scholarship only saves you ~16-20k total. Think about it - graduating from UCR puts you at a HUGE disadvantage finding a job because who the h_ll wants to hire some hick-student who banged his head against a desk for 4 years and received a worthless diploma? In fact, I'd bet that the average graduate from a REAL university could score at least 10-20k/year more just from higher-paying jobs. Think about it: how marketable is a "UCR diploma"...it's useless. ...or if you're stuck going to med/law/business school at some 50k/year program in one of the rectangular states, that also easily offsets the cost of your "scholarship money." Even so, 20k/4yrs isn't enough to pay for the slap-in-the-face associated with constantly telling your friends in family that "I'm from UC Riverside..I know it's not the greatest place..." and explaining "Yes, atually there <em>IS</em> a UC school in Riverside..." Years after you graduate, people always ask you where you went for college. When you sheepsishly tell them "UC Riverside," they automatically assume you're retarded without knowing anything else about you. You decide if it's worth $20k. It's not.</p>

<p>"You guys can kid yourselfs all youd like but the eduction you get from UCR and UCI really arnt that different."</p>

<p>I'm not sure how you can substantiate that assertion. Having interacted with students from both places, I can tell you that it is highly likely that the education is superior at UCI. If you examine average SAT scores and GPA's of admitted freshman, they are also higher at Irvine. I can tell you first-hand that the classes at UCR are dumbed down to the retarded level. Freshman classes are approximately as-challenging or easier-than the corresponding AP classes in HS. You MAY be able to argue the level of education is somewhat similar between UCR and UCSB/UCSC, but NOT UCI and higher-level UC's. But maybe if you wish and hope and pray that you're getting the same edumacation at UCR that you would get at UCI, then maybe you'll start believing it.</p>

<p>I hope you choose correctly.</p>

<p>Stay Out of Riverside</p>

24

<p>stayoutofriverside, you are by far the coolest person on this forum.</p>

25

<p>But is the Riverside honors program inferior to the regular program at a UCI? I doubt it. Smaller classes taught by real profs? If we were talking UCLA or UCB that's one thing, but the mid level UCs? A free ride can include room and board, so we're looking at almost $100K for the 5 years it's now taking to graduate if you'r not in an honors program. Free UCR honors or pay for UCI? I'd head for Riverside.</p>

26

<p>why do you hate ucr so much stayoutofriverside? a handful of my friends absolutely love it there. when i vistied last week, everyone was really friendly! the faculty seemed really encourging and students who were all inside studying for finals (finals week) were still very helpful and amicable. all the alumni i talked too were actually super successful. and all the classes at ucr are instructed by professors, not the same for irvine. it stinks that it's in the middle of no where, but its also kinda good because it makes the campus feel more like home. ucr is a really chill school, but also is respectable academically. i guess whether you like it or not depends on who are, as do all colleges. but i don't think ucr should be knocked as much as it is... in my opinion it should be an honor to be accepted into any one of the UCs. if you're not sure about ucr, visit it! i'm going back again and sleeping over there so i can truly see what its all about.</p>

27

<p>newpswahine wrote: "a bunch of my friends want to go to UCR because they think it's cheaper than going to such schools as UCSD. What should I tell them to convince them otherwise? I think their parents are just being jerks about the money issue. By the way, we live in Riverside. I've been to UCR plenty of times, and I just say that the surrounding area is just gross."</p>

<p>I pity your friends. The entire UC system has the same tuition, the last time I checked, so going to UCR over UCSD shouldn't make any differences. It might be slightly cheaper to find off-campus housing at UCR, but the differences aren't that big. On-campus housing should be just as expensive as elsewhere. For a longer discussion on why saving a few thousand dollars just isn't worth the sacrifice, see my earlier post.</p>

<p>Stay Out of Riverside</p>

28

<p>Stop bashing Riverside.
I dont really like it, but that school has its own group of distinct students.</p>

29

<p>macramequeen wrote: "why do you hate ucr so much stayoutofriverside?"</p>

<p>I don't "hate" ucr. I just find the school repugnant in every domain, and I want to make sure high school students make an informed decision about where to go for college. </p>

<p>"a handful of my friends absolutely love it there."</p>

<p>Your friends are definitely in the minority. Princeton Review ranked UCR #12 in the nation for unhappiest students (out of ~350 schools). Just browse through the comments about UC Riverside in this forum - 90% of them are negative. Even the positive ones are only lukewarm. Check out the survey on StudentsReview. Only about ~50% of students would return to UCR if they could do it all over again. That's pretty low.</p>

<p>"when i vistied last week, everyone was really friendly! the faculty seemed really encourging and students who were all inside studying for finals (finals week) were still very helpful and amicable."</p>

<p>The faculty aren't terrible at UCR. It's hard to become tenured at a University of CA school. The problem is that these bright individuals have to "dumb down" their curriculum to the semi-retard level, in order to appeal to the vast majority of UCR students. There may not be any Lobel laureates at UCR, but the profressors aren't too bad.</p>

<p>"all the alumni i talked too were actually super successful. and all the classes at ucr are instructed by professors, not the same for irvine."</p>

<p>That's because the non-super-successful alumni of UCR are too busy flipping burgers and washing cars to be on campus to greet you. I consider myself a successful UCR alumn, yet I can tell you that the sheer fact that you went to UCR can diminish your post-graduation opportunities. </p>

<p>"[UCR] is respectable academically. "</p>

<p>ROTFLMAO. UCR is barely even respected by the hicks who live in the Inland Empire (the surrounding redneck community). You have absolutely no idea what ppl think about UC Riverside once you travel beyond a 60 mile radius of the place. UCR is an absolute joke, man.</p>

<p>"but i don't think ucr should be knocked as much as it is..."</p>

<p>I don't think UCR is "knocked" nearly enough.</p>

<p>"my opinion it should be an honor to be accepted into any one of the UCs."</p>

<p>No. It's an "honor" to be accepted into Cal or UCLA. It's a SLAP IN THE FACE to be accepted to Riverside.</p>

<p>"if you're not sure about ucr, visit it! i'm going back again and sleeping over there so i can truly see what its all about."</p>

<p>I 100% completely agree with this advice. You absolutely MUST visit UCR before submitting that SIR. The brochures are a bunch of hogwash. The thickness of the smog and the sheer fugliness of the campus must be seen to be truly appreciated. </p>

<p>Stay out of Riverside</p>

30

<p>zagat wrote: "But is the Riverside honors program inferior to the regular program at a UCI? I doubt it. Smaller classes taught by real profs?"</p>

<p>That's an excellent question, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to clarify. If you read the honors program requirements, you'll find that you only take TWO honors sections and TWO honors seminars. Do the math. It's not like ALL of your classes are "honors classes" - this isn't high school. The honors sections are identical to the general class, except the prof teaches your discussion section. The honors seminars aren't bad. But that's only FOUR classes that you'll take that are "slightly better" than the regular class. (I also leave comments on the UCR honors program in this thread: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=40172&page=2&pp=20%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=40172&page=2&pp=20&lt;/a&gt;) That's the minor advantage. The MAJOR disadvantage of UCR is the severely limited diversity of classes available. Obviously, all the "usual" classes are offered in each discipline, but the unique classes, the really stimulating seminars, and the "wow, what a cool class to take" do NOT exist. It's absolutely depressing to flip through the course catalog of UCB in a particular discipline and compare it to UCR's offering in that same area. </p>

<p>Furthermore, if you want the extra-challenge, other colleges offer "honors sections" of many classes as well. Don't be fooled. </p>

<p>"If we were talking UCLA or UCB that's one thing, but the mid level UCs? A free ride can include room and board, so we're looking at almost $100K for the 5 years it's now taking to graduate if you'r not in an honors program."</p>

<p>It shouldn't take 5 years to graduate from ANY UC-school UNLESS you change your major midway, you fail, or you take time off...in which cause it's not the school's fault. Furthermore, a full-ride at UCR is TUITION-ONLY (~16-20k/4years). The only time it covers room and board is if you have financial need...so most people won't get $100k. And even so, if going to UCR prevents you from getting into med/law-school, your loss in terms of earning power and "the rest of your life" are compromised by way-more than $100k. Is it really worth the gamble?</p>

<p>Stay out of Riverside</p>

31

<p>stayoutofriverside: whats your stance on community college vs. riverside ? :)</p>

32

<p>or perhaps sdsu vs. honors program at riverside? my friend got into those two, and she really isn't sure what to do...she just got rejected from ucsd too...</p>

33

<p>stayoutofriverside:</p>

<p>Why did you go to UC Riverside?</p>

34

<p>I made that decision two years ago when I was in high school. It was either go to Riverside or go to community college. I chose community college in the end because I still wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to major in and I thought I could always transfer to a better college two years later. I guess the only thing I regret about not going to Riverside is that I missed out on the college dorming experience. Although I can dorm when I transfer I'm sure it won't be the same as for freshmen.</p>

35

<p>Do worry guys ... UC Merced will overtake UCR's "community college" in life ... practically there aren't that many things to do in riverside ... going to UCsanta cruz would be A LOT better than Riverside</p>

<p>advantages of UCSC:
coast/beach
nice scenery
lushious
party harder [party hardy]</p>

36

<p>Partying hard will affect one's ability to spell "luscious".</p>

37

<p>not really</p>

38

<p>Is it true that the honors program is only 4 classes in total?</p>

<p>Riverside certainly gets the lowest stat kids of any UC, but they are still mostly within the top 12% of California high school grads. Are 90% of the kids in Cali stupid?</p>

39

<p>Stayoutofriverside, you are the most hateful, bigot I've ever...</p>

<p>Just kidding, dude, you're my freaking hero. Keep up the good work!!!!</p>

<p>Your comments are hilarious!!! Seriously, they should give you a Pulitzer Prize. That is some great material.</p>

40

<p>I don't understand how getting accepted to any school is a slap in the face. While UCR might be low ranking, if you decide to look at rankings I believe that it is higher ranked then any of the states CSU's.</p>