[chiluvskk]

OFFICIAL UC RIVERSIDE THREAD

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

[xx1nonlix]

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.

[iamhere]

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.

[chiluvskk]

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

[barbiedemo]

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! :]

[barbiedemo]

What exactly is the difference between Biology and Biological Sciences?

[tofu plushie]

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^^

[lilaznhunnie]

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....

[chiluvskk]

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?

[xx1nonlix]

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?

[chiluvskk]

^^ 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

[Eight Lettered Lie]

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. (:

[chiluvskk]

^^ 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 ?

[lilaznhunnie]

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.

[chiluvskk]

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

[iamhere]

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...

[SMILE_0N]

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

[t0nz]

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.

[xx1nonlix]

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.

[chiluvskk]

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)