OFFICIAL UC RIVERSIDE THREAD

• all discussions must stay on topic, related to UCR
• no bashing allowed

I'm also thinking about attending UCR next year and I'm majoring in Biological Sciences.
Maybe, I'll see you around next year, if we attend the same college?
Oh yeah, I would like those questions answers, too.

Can you guys give me the good/bad of the school.
Err, I'll try, but I'm content as long as I have a laptop, internet connection and a warm bed to sleep in.
The good
- it barely rains (or less than I'm used to.)
- the land is relatively flat. (unlike UCLA where it is extremely hilly)
- small campus, so all the buildings are relatively easy to find.

The bad
- classes at the UV (university village.) There isn't enough "big" classroom, so they make students go to the UV theater to attend lecture. So after class, the trolley back to campus is really crowded. (I'm bitter because I have another class there this quarter.)


Which dorms i should live in/how's the food.
I lived in West Lothian my first year and Glen Mor this year. For the dorms, I would say Glen Mor just because you get your own room, but since you're a first year, I don't think you can get it. I think East Lothian is the better than West Lo. and A-I because a lot of the people in my hall went there this year.

If you're shy about sharing a bathroom with 10+ other girls/boys, go to the Pentland Hill dorms. (I think it's 8 people and 2 bathrooms. There is a slight longer walk to campus too, depending on which building you get.) For the West Lo showers, there are five showers in a row and for each one it is 3 walls with a plastic shower curtain. (I'm assuming it's like that for East Lo and A-I.)

As for the food, supposedly the A-I cafeteria has better food, but there are only a handful of times I went there. (All I noticed was they have an Icee Machine there and Dr. Pepper.) On weekends there are two meals, brunch and dinner, and weekdays there is only dinner in the restaurant. The other two meals on the weekday aren't "buffet style," instead you can choose between the "making your own sandwich" place and the "Italian place" (which is basically pizza some days and spaghetti the other) then you get to choose 3 "small" items with it.

is biological sciences really competitive?
I have no clue, I'm a business economics major.

and is it true that people transfer out after 1 year?
Considering I'm a second year and my three roommates are too, I'd say no.

any other tips about my major or just tips in general.
- If you decide to dorm in one of the Lo's, or A-I, remember you share the bathroom with everyone of the same gender in your hall.
Bring plastic sandals to wear when you go shower (or you can be like my roommate and buy Lysol and spray the shower down before you use it). (Some idiot last year did a number 2 in the guys' shower last year two times and a couple had sex in the girls' shower and left the condom in the shower.)
If you don't like walking down the hall in a robe/towel, bring something to big enough to carry your bathing products and your clothes. (There is a bench two steps away from the shower though.)
- Always keep rearranging your class schedule until the second-ish week when attempting to get the perfect schedule. (Use your discussion classes to fill in gaps between classes.)
- Check where your buildings are located before the first day of class.
- The top floor is the best. (I'm on the second floor this year and it sounds like Godzilla is living above me.)
- Wait until the first day of class before you buy a textbook. Sometimes, the teacher will recommend you buy the book, but tell you it's not needed for the class. (I usually buy all the books and only use it if homework is assigned in the book... I'm a bad student.)

All I can think of, hope it helped...somewhat.

thanks a lot iamhere

oh and xxinonlix, have you decided which dorm yet?
non of my friends are going to riverside, so i'll be lonely lol
hopefull the first day of class we can meet up and get to know?



ANYONE ELSE PLANNING TO ATTEND RIVERSIDE NEXT YEAR? OR IS ATTENDING?
I'd like some tips on my major

I'll be attending UCR next year too as a Biology major. I live about 20 minutes away, so I'll be commuting. We can have a mini meet up before school starts tho! :]

What exactly is the difference between Biology and Biological Sciences?

I go to ucr~~ yeah, iamhere basically covered all your questions. I also lived in west lothian my 1st year but, east lothian is so much better^^ I don't know anyone that's transferred after their first year. I don't think you really even can until your 2nd year but, even then most people I know are planning to stay and graduate. My major is art by the way so I know nothing about biological science. I know that 'Bio 30' is a super easy class though, haha maybe you can take it your first year. Umm, everyone is really friendly in the dorms so you'll be making friends pretty fast. Everyone was nice in my hall and said 'hi'

I don't know what to write so you have more questions I will try to answer with the best of my ability^^

To answer everyones questions Bio at UCR is EXTREMELY competetive.
we are also ranked higher in BIO than UCI. but I hear it's really good here~ so good luck

to tell you honestly, a lot of people do end up transferring out after 2nd year, but a lot of people
who entered UCR saying that they are going to transfer later, really end up liking it here and staying.
it's really based on personal preference. UCR is definitely not what everyone makes it out to be. trust me.
its a great school with great teachers and good people.

Also, I believe there is a UCR thread somewhere....

ah "extremely competitive" sounds scary lol
do you guys know which food plan i should get?
also are there a lot of asians at UCR?

and yeh i saw there was another UCR thread, but i think it was for those going last year and it's kind of a dead thread so i wanted to make this one lol

and barbiedemo: yeh! we should definitely meet up! any of you guys going to the CNAS discover day?

I need new friends, if I'm really attending UCR for fall 2008. HOMESICK. ;[
How's the weather down there, since I live in NorCal in SF.
What the fun stuff there to do?
How far is UCR from LA?

^^ hey yeh, i need new friends too lol, i'll be so homesick
i heard that the weather was really hot in the summer from this other forum about UCR

Good parts of the school
- VERY DIVERSE, ethnic wise.
- The dorms are relatively close to each other and close to campus. (If you visit UCI, the dorms are further away from each other).
- We're in top 100. Not bad, considering there are thousands of colleges out there.
- There are trollys around school that takes you to the UV (a little plaza that includes a movie theater, pho, salons, etc.) and other places for free.

Bad parts of the school
- Like iamhere said, some people have to take classes in the theater at the UV.

Dorms and the Food.
There are three dorms:
1) AI: This is the oldest dorm and is the ugliest dorm from the outside, but I like it the best. A&I is a very social dorm because all the halls are in one building. There's a dining hall inside the dorm, so when it's raining, you don't have to walk in the rain to look for food. There's two study lounges, one where you can chat, and one where you can't talk. If you visit A&I, you may think that the rooms are small, but it's big enough accommodate all your stuff. The only downfall is that you can't control them temperature of the room. If you guys were to change the temperature, the entire hall would have to agree.

2) Lothian: Lothian is separated into two wings: East and West. The West wing is older than the East Wing, so it's a little shabbier. West wing has low ceiling, so it may get really hot in the summer. East wing is REALLY NICE, but many people want to live in it, so if you wanna live in it, apply EARLY. Lothian also has it's own cafeteria.

3) Pentland: Pentland is separated into different buildings, labeled by alphabets. This is the more luxurious dorms, but they do not have their own cafeteria. The plus side to Pentland is that you don't have to share restrooms with 20 other people because the halls are much smaller. Since Pentland is more secluded, it's harder to meet people.

There are different plans for food. 10-flex gives you 10 meals a week, 7-flex gives you 7, 5 gives you 5, and the other one just gives u dining dollars. If you did not finish all the meals from the previous weeks, it does not add onto the next week.

Is Biological Sciences competitive?
Yes it is! Since there are many people who aspire to be in the medical field and not everyone will be accepted, the school must weed out people. One of the classes that weeds out people is Bio 5A, which you will be taking in Winter Quarter. The failure rate of this class is around 40%, but if you go to class and study, you should do fine.

Is it true that people transfer after a year?
It is possible, but very difficult. Usually, people transfer after the second year because more spaces are available since people have dropped out in the first two years.

Tips
- Do not procrastinate
- Go to office hours or SI sessions if you're not understanding the material.
- Ask Questions if you ever need too!
- If you're asian, and you're a rice baby, you may bring a rice cooker.
- If you join a sorority, be aware that it costs money and does take a lot of time.
- HAVE FUN & ENJOY COLLEGE!
- Parties are usually on Thursday nights. (:

^^ wow great info, thanks alot
oh and lol to "if you're a rice baby" haha


edit: more questions lol, what are the special interest housing options?
such as teh CNAS Scholars Learning Community,etc.....
like if you choose it you would live with those people ?

I think all you need is the most basic plan if you are planning to go home for weekends.
if not, choose the next one up from that.

ahaha. sorry i didnt mean to scare you with the "extremely competitive" but i just want
to warn people, especially those that go into ucr thinking that it'll be cake. because those
sorts of people will get it the worst.

and as for the asian population here... i'd say its about 50%. or it sure seems that way.

thanks guys! erm i have more questions though haha ><

how is it sharing bathrooms with so many people?
like do you have to rush there first....?

also for orientation, what do i need to bring?
can i just put my change of clothes in a backpack, or do people bring like small luggages and stuff?

and should our parents come to the family orientation?
how many people actually bring their parents?

thank you soo much for answering

how is it sharing bathrooms with so many people?
like do you have to rush there first....?

I was lucky enough to schedule all my classes before 3-4pm, so I just showered right after class and it was usually only me in the shower. It's only awkward showering when two people start talking and you unintentionally eavesdropping. The time when it gets semi hectic in the bathroom is probably finals week because people need to go to class at the same time and most of the sinks get taken in the morning.

also for orientation, what do i need to bring?
can i just put my change of clothes in a backpack, or do people bring like small luggages and stuff?

I just brought a backpack with me because it is more convenient. (I saw a few girls bring small luggages.) I'd say bring one set of clothes, bathroom stuff (bring hotel shampoo and conditioner bottles if you need more space) and a cell phone. (Maybe your charger too because my phone was down to 1 bar by the end of the night. I was playing games on it when the person was talking though...)

and should our parents come to the family orientation?
how many people actually bring their parents?

I just did the regular orientation and not the family one, but I did recall a few people with there parents. I don't see why they would want to come to family orientation...

UCR bio program is ranked higher than UCI? O_O;; didn't know that...

seriously I totally thought UCI's bio program was ranked higher than UCR's.

Anyhow, I'm a third year and I was a Biochemistry major. OHH BOY, that major weeded out like probably 40% of its students out of the major by my 3rd year. Practically 70% of my friends changed from Biochemistry to Biological Sciences or Psychology. LMAO! I think the courses that made them change was most likely OCHEM and BIO.

how about the genders living in the dorms?
are all the dorms the same price or separate?
can i cook in my own dorm room?
can you please explain about what "flex" means? 10-flex gives you 10 meals a week?
does the room and board include the food or separate?
how are the placement tests?
are there different placements test for different majors, if so, mines is biological science.

so if you guys could choose between living in a dorm and living by yourself in an apartment, which would it be?
and why?
if possible please list the bad/good of each one

(trying to decide if i should get an apartment haha)

I might be attending! But my parents are pressuring me to go to cal state monterey bay...and i heard its a shitty school =[
i visited there and it didnt quite excite me..
UCR doesnt have communications, which is what i wanna major in...But idk...I could take up poli sci/international relations =]

So i've been scoping out how UCR is...hahaha
How bout the neighborhood, anyone know what it's like?

So, caffeine is bad... Moving on to the question answering.

how about the genders living in the dorms?
...Sorry, I don't understand what you're asking. If you're asking if both genders live in the same hall, yes. If you're asking if they're living in the same room, no.

are all the dorms the same price or separate?
East Lo/West Lo/A-I are all the same I believe. Pentland is the more expensive one.

can i cook in my own dorm room?
There is a "hall lounge" for each hall and there is a stove and tv in there. (keep in mind, I only lived in West Lo.) If you bring your own portable stove, I guess you could cook in your own room.

can you please explain about what "flex" means? 10-flex gives you 10 meals a week?
Flex-10 (or whatever number you choose) means that you get 10 meals per week and dining dollars (I have no idea how much money you get). Dining dollars are basically like a credit card using your UCR ID. However, you can only use your dining dollars in the Commons, residential restaurants, and the campus stores.

does the room and board include the food or separate?
I believe you are forced to get a meal plan if you decide to live on campus.

how are the placement tests?
I took the math and english one during orientation. (I have yet to take the language one...) The math one was like basic algebra (I remember a couple of girls behind me complaining it was hard though...If you remember your 8th grade algebra, you should pass) and the english test is the regular write an essay responding to blah blah blah.

are there different placements test for different majors, if so, mines is biological science.
There are only 3 placement tests.(Unless there is a hidden one that only bio majors have to take) I think you have to take biology anyway. I remember talking to someone and she was taking biology even though she passed the AP exam. (Yay for me not being a bio major, because my AP lets me not take it!)

so if you guys could choose between living in a dorm and living by yourself in an apartment, which would it be?
and why? if possible please list the bad/good of each one
Dorm (good)
- if you have to urge to meet people more easily, I'd say dorm for the first year and leave your door open.

Apartment (I have 3 roommates, so I'm not really alone...)
- own room and shower (well I share the bathroom with one other person)

Yeah, the list isn't going well. I'll just answer the question...I'd choose live by myself because I'm more of a solitary person who likes the quiet (aka I like to sleep, a lot). My first roommate snored (which sucks because I'm a fairly light sleeper) and my current roommates are freakishly loud. (But if you live alone there is a probably that you can get annoying/loud neighbors too (the person who lives above me blasted the RENT soundtrack at 1am in the morning once), so might as well have (a) roommate(s) if it's cheaper.)

For me, the only really bad thing was the sharing the bathroom part because I don't know who did what where. At least now, I trust my roommate to be "clean."

How bout the neighborhood, anyone know what it's like?
Hopefully another UCR student is lurking this topic along with me and will be nice enough to answer you. I'm still living on campus (technically), so I really have no clue.

thanks a lot! iamhere

hi i go to ucr. 4th year majoring in mechanical engineering.

so about the neighborhood? like the area around the school or riverside in general?
i guess its really not too bad. but then im the type that likes to just chill at home.

to be honest, there really isn't much to do. theres the university village right down the street from the school with a movie theater and some places to eat (pho, boba, dennys, subway, quiznos, etc.). theres a mall about 20 minutes away, but that would require a car. if you dont plan on bringing one, im sure you'll meet plenty of people with one.

o wait, am i even talking about the neighborhood? well i would say its relatively safe. i just wouldnt suggest walking alone at night cause every once in a while theres emails about someone getting molested by some guy "jogging" at night. but thats why the school has an escort service to drive you around at night. i've never used it before but i think it works like that. am i making riverside sound bad? cause really its not. these things can happen anywhere, not just riverside.

i hope this answers your question and that i didnt scare you away from from ucr.

UCR, yay so I'm not alone. Lol, it seemed like there were more people going to a more prestigious UC, I'm glad there are UCR people here too. Lol. I'll be going to UCR in the fall, woot woot. Does anyone know about how Biochemistry is? My friends and I are pretty much all going to UCR majoring in Biochem, how is it? I hope it's not hard...O.O

i'll probably be going to riverside in the fall as well!
let's meet up.. i really need to meet new people~ haha
as for dorms, i'm kind of leaning towards pentland at the moment since i don't really like sharing bathrooms with an entire hall.
but yeah, i'll be touring the dorms and campus this saturday at the ucr discover day.
is anyone going? if so, let's meet up! ^^
i need to find a roommate!

thanks for the people who answered my questions. :]
I'm majoring biology, but I might change it to biological sciences, still unsure.
I want to dorm in Pentland or East Lo, yikes I need a roommate too.
Anyone going to the tour on April 19th? I want to go, but I live up in the Bay and AP testing.

i'm going to the discover day on april 12th since my major is pre-business.
i live in the LA area.

bby st4r: once you get back from riverside, can you tell us how the dorms were?and pretty much how the school seemed?

Im leaning towards pentland too but i heard it was really far from class though...

since i don't have any time to go and see riverside myself haha ><

and also for those majoring in science: we have to take both the english and math placement tests right?

i dont know about science majors but for engineering i think i just took the math placement test. there was a lot of trig, thats all i remember. pretty sure theres no calculus. i dont remember taking an english test, i could be wrong.

well you might have to because i know some people (all majors) who got placed in english 4 or 5, which is a lower english class. the highest is english 1a,b,c that you take your freshmen year. well whatever you have to take, i wouldnt be too worried about it because its easy stuff anyway. i think they tell you what you have to take at orientation anyway.

about the dorms, i wanted east lo my first year, but i got a&i so i'll just talk about that.

A&I is the oldest and for sure doesnt look as nice as the other dorms. but the people there were super friendly and i got to meet people pretty quickly, and im a quiet guy. theres two bathrooms, one for guys, one for girls. from what i could remember three showers, four/five sinks, and four toilets each. o and i think this year i read in the school newspaper that they overbooked the students living in the dorms, so in a&i the lounge area where theres a tv and kitchen got turned into another room for like four or five students.

and all the rooms are the same size, even for triples. since the ceilings are so high, theres kind of a "second floor" with a ladder in the middle of the room for triples. so theres one bed on the bottom, and two on top. its basically another floor with a mattress on the ground, not an actual bed. thats essentially what it is. i thought it was pretty cool actually. but if you get into east lo, the rooms are actually bigger than regular rooms. theres one regular bed and a bunk bed.

and how does the school seem? im not sure exactly what you mean, but to me everything seemed really old when i first got there. most of the classrooms are pretty old. the only things that seem new are the humanities building, the science library, and bournes (engineering building). this year they just opened up two new buildings and a new commons, which is still being worked on.

Oh gosh...All these entrance exams I have to take...Sad thing is, I don't even really remember my math! Uggggh FAIIILL.
I'm still debating between UCR and some other cal state schools...I am so torn because of the price and stuff. Has anyone ever heard good things about cal state monterey bay? Like friends that go there?
Anyways...I'm seriously considering Riverside, although they don't have a communications major... =/
And i guess it isn't so bad if you guys say it isn't that unsafe...Just make sure to be extra cautious, right? haha

QUOTE (chiluvskk @ Apr 7 2008, 01:46 PM)

bby st4r: once you get back from riverside, can you tell us how the dorms were?and pretty much how the school seemed?

Im leaning towards pentland too but i heard it was really far from class though...

since i don't have any time to go and see riverside myself haha ><

and also for those majoring in science: we have to take both the english and math placement tests right?

yeah, i'll probably take some pictures of the dorms if i'm allowed to.
i think pentland is farther from class too but its the newer and its suite-style so yeah~

I'm definitely want to dorm at Pentland, but East Lo would be my second choice.
I'm going to freak out about the placement tests cause yeah, those tests place you in classes haha.
When is the Orientation, I have no clue cause I didn't submit to the SIR yet.

Yeah I'm going to UCR too. I was thinking of attending Discovery day on the 12th, but I don't know. I don't really feel like going a lone lol, who else is going? I was thinking of going to Pentland because it's more secluded and I'm kind of a quiet guy anyway and don't mind if it's kinda far from the classes...just means I need to leave earlier.

...but yeah, the 3 or 4 of us (or was it 5?) should meet up or something, considering none of us have any friends going to UCR. All of mine escaped to San Francisco for whatever reason....so yeah. I've been on the campus before to take my foreign language test and I got lost for like 10 minutes lol, but at least I got to see the campus. On sunday at 12:30pm I'm taking the Mathematics placement test, anyone else doing that too?

To xx1nonlix: I assume you mean the bear facts orientation, yes? That's not until Mid-June and as far as I know, their website to register isn't up yet.

To chiluvskk: Yeah you need to take the math and english placement test, more info here http://placementtest.ucr.edu/index.html

keion: where are you taking your math placement test at? UCR? Oh and please TELL US HOW THE MATH TEST was after you've taken it on sunday
also do we have to take the chemistry test? (i'm majoring in biological sciences)

I'm taking my english one at Arcadia High School since it's close to my house, on May 10th. I got an email from the UCs about the english test and telling me to take it at Arcadia. But I don't know where to take the math one though, since they didn't send me anything about that? I hope i don't i have to go to UCR to take it cuse that's far T_T

vivaciousbev: I don't think montery bay is a very good school. I've never heard of anybody going there, and even my friends with pretty low gpa's like 2.7 and below got accepted and wouldn't go cuse they said it wasn't a popular school. I think you should go to UCR. I mean i wanted to go to UCI and major in Public Health, which UCR doesn't have. But now i guess i'll just stick with biological sciences, at UCR. ><

I'm taking it at UCR, I forget the room number...Boy I'm going to have a blast for looking this one lol. I'm assuming the math test is similar to how the practice test is on that link I gave you. Practice exam is on the left side.
http://placementtest.ucr.edu/mae/registration.html

I haven't gotten the english test email yet...Hopefully they'll send it soon. As for the MAE test I don't believe you need an email confirmation to take it, you just register whenever the dates are and I think the only way to take it is on UCR, but I'm not sure completely sure about that.

...and I think you need to take the chemistry test if your going to enroll in a chemistry class. You'll probably be taking CHEM 1A, but apparently there are a few other ways to make you eligible for this course without taking the placement test. Go to this link http://placementtest.ucr.edu/ccdt/requirements.html

okayyy i'm completely clueless about all these placement tests. does anyone know if theres any placement tests i have to take if my major is pre-business? i already fulfilled that writing requirement with my SAT writing score but i don't know about anything else~


oh and btw if anyone needs to dates for the discover day:

College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences inclduing the Business Administration Program - April 12th @ 9:30am
Bourns College of Engineering - April 19th @ 9:30am
College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences - April 19th @ 11:30am

^^ i think english is the only one you have to take, but you already fulfilled it anyway
because i remember reading on MYUCR that says if you are in the college of agriculture and science, you have to also take the math one. but since you're not, i guess you don't have to.

If your taking pre-business you need to take the MAE placement test and the Foreign language placement test.

...I might or might not go to the CHASS discovery day. There is a slight chance, but I'll probably just wait for the mandatory orientation. If I do go though and if you want to meet somewhere, bby_st4r, then tell me and we can.

I was accepted to the CNAS but as a Physical Sciences major.. Can I switch over to a Life Sciences major? (Is it complicated to do so?)

It's not hard at all, but it will take a few weeks before you can switch to another major so make sure that's the major you want.

Go to your MyUCR and log in, click My Profile at the top, then click the "Change your major" link (It's blue) right below the My Profile bar, then just look for your major under the drop-down list.

Not sure, go here: http://english.ucr.edu/elwr/before_enrolling.html

See if you can find anything you did that can exempt you from taking the exam.

I'm definitely loving this thread now. Haha.
Such a big help, since I'm a clueless person.
Thanks Keion! :]

Not a problem at all. I'm new too.

If you pass the English AP test for either junior or senior year of high school, you will NOT have to take the english placement test for UC's. You will also not have to take the first quarter of required english (1A).

so many people are attending/ are gonna attend UCR..
im deciding on UCR, UCSC, or CSULB.. but im 95% sure im goin to UCR..
Im looking foward to meeting LOTS of new people .. but im scared im gonna be a loner .. hahhaha
im freakin out about roommates.. no GIRL i noe is going to riverside
hahah a

Yeah it's the same with me. Half my friends are going to a community college the rest are spreading out to who knows where.

ME TOO i'm just gonna get a random roommate i think and just hope for the best
no girl i know is going to riverside either x_x;