Other than the area of the School, I don’t see why people continue to bash on UC Merced. Does someone know why UCM is still being perceived as a bad school? Is it because of their high acceptance rate? (Which seems to be decreasing every year more and more)or just because the school is still somewhat new? There are many problems with other UC schools that are red flags in my opinion, such as UCI, and UCLA not having much diversity. UCR’s area and weather is not so great either. UCSD is socially dead. I’m not saying UCM is better than these schools I’m just wondering why people continue to bash on merced when it seems to be expanding and growing rapidly. Just curious of other people’s perspectives and reasons for why they wouldn’t even consider merced . Thanks for reading! And thanks for answering in advance !
honestly i think it’s cuz it’s still so new
and the area is literally literally quite literally in the middle of nowhere, though i kinda like that atmosphere at times.
but yeah you have a point, the other UC’s all have their problems. merced is just the baby of the group so it gets the short stick lol
berkeley is too hippy liberal and in a bad part of town
ucla seems kinda snobby/expensive clothing everywhere/everyone addicted to working out cuz LA life
ucsd boring socially
UCI no diversity and commuter
UCR in riverside lmao nope
UCSC weed hippy weirdos
Davis kinda nothing cool to do around it, cow smell
i mean it’s just a joke really but it doesn’t yet have the name/prestige that the other UC’s have, nothing to really take offense at though.
Well to be honest the reason I asked was because I’m highly considering attending UC Merced since the financial aid packet they give out is extremely generous and much better than the one I got from UCI. But when I tell my friends I’m considering UC Merced it’s like if I were telling them a joke and they don’t take me seriously. I was just wondering if there was something I needed to worry about if I attended merced but it seems like it’s all just stereotypes made from other UC’s. Thanks for answering! Your comment really helped! 
You shouldn’t care what others think. As someone else said above, the newest/lowest-ranked in a group is always treated unfairly.
Look at Cornell, being perhaps lowest ranked Ivy, always is treated with contempt, as if it is a mediocre school, but if it was all by itself it would have been treated no less than Duke, NW and others in its rank (though knowledgeable people know better).
There is a great student story on the website college data by a girl who chose UC Merced over other schools. She really makes it sound like a great choice. And I agree, don’t worry what others think. Good luck!
UCM, along with UCR and UCSC, are mostly overshadowed by the higher ranked and more popular UCs. UCM is still a new school so other students may choose other schools with a more well established reputation. A lot of students from my CA HS were willing to go to CC for 2 years in order to TAG into UCD/UCI/UCSB. Its not a bad school, it just needs more time to grow.
Also, UCI and UCLA are still pretty diverse, UCR’s location is preferred by many students, and UCSD is not socially dead, so I’m not sure what “red flags” you’re referencing.
I got into Merced, I also applied at UCI, Berkeley and UCLA. I haven’t heard back from those school yet, but I really considering going to Merced. I’m heading to their Bobcat Day next Saturday to get a better look at the school. But I really like the idea of smaller classes, more interaction with professors, etc. Plus they offered me 100% financial package.
Only thing keeping me from signing SIR is that they don’t have family housing on campus. I have to find an apartment or house to rent off campus. Irvine, Berkeley and UCLA all have family housing…
@wojtkiewicz check your portals, results came out like two weeks ago for all 3
@LookAtThisNet , no I’m a transfer student and I don’t have any TAG agreements, so I gotta play the waiting game. Berkeley is like the 27th I think, UCLA is around the same. UCI says they are on a rolling decision basis, so I been checking that one everyday… anxiously.