[c i n d y]

Did anyone get Cal grant A as part of their financial aid package? I qualified for A and B but they auto-accepted B. I wanted A I guess I'll try calling.

[PandaLuv4U]

I got a letter from the Cal Grant people in big bolg letters saying "You're Disqualified...Reason for Disqualification: Your income is above the roof," or something like that. lol....Middle class people have it the worst, we can't pay for everything on our own but we don't qualify for financial aid either...

[Keion]

I got a letter from the Cal Grant people in big bolg letters saying "You're Disqualified...Reason for Disqualification: Your income is above the roof," or something like that. lol....Middle class people have it the worst, we can't pay for everything on our own but we don't qualify for financial aid either...

Mmm I know what you mean. They instead give money to the lower class parasites that take welfare because they lack the initiative to work like everyone else. My cousin had the same thing happen to him...not saying all lower class are parasites though.

[--hearts.]

Take Cal Grant B...it gives you more money in the long run. UCR is known to give out a LOT of money for FA so no worries about that...usually.

Food at UCR isn't something you need to worry about. UCR's definitely got one of the better UC dining systems. My meal plan for the year is Flex 5 which means five meals for the week and $750 dining dollars(for the year) which is money you can use at the commons for Panda, Pasta, Tacos, Sushi, and Sandwiches which are usually pretty good...you can also use them for the C-stores which is like 7/11 only a MILLION times better. Trust me, the more dining dollars you have, the better it is. If you know you're probably going to go home a lot and don't eat all that much, get the smallest meal plan because you really won't need that much food and it comes with a really good amount of dining dollars. (If you get 7, it comes with $600 dining dollars I believe? And Flex 10 is $450...so far I haven't met anyone who likes Flex 10 because it's WAY too many dining meals and not enough dollars.) Even a lot of guys find 10 meals a week hard to finish...not roll over either. If you don't plan on going home often and/or you live in NorCal or further...get the Flex Max. $3500 dining dollars that you can chose to use at the commons, c-stores, or dining halls. The food in the dining halls aren't bad...it really depends but I've had food at both UCI and UCSD and it's all about the same (SD is actually worse...a lot worse. ) Dining halls are buffet style and you can get as much as you want of anything for the set price. Meal plans tend to change every year/few years so just remember that dining dollars=good, dining meal itself=whatever. There's also togo places like Logo's where it's like subway and you create your own sandwiches who also have special sandwiches everyday like burgers or whatever else you can think of. All of which is usually very good and come with your choice of drinks, chips, cookies, etc.

I also currently live in Pentland and I personally like it is a lot. My building is really cool and most people get along really well. I know people in who in other buildings though that don't even know the names of the people in their halls. If you want to meet a lot of people, it's not very likely at Pentland as it's been said before...but since there's less people in a smaller area, you get to know a group of people better and become better friends. The people in each hall (two/three floors per building and four halls per floor) usually get very close. I live on the top floor of my building in a double and I have really high ceilings (which I like because I'm mildly claustrophobic) but I also know of people I know who wanted doubles got triples which makes room a bit tight. The people on the top floor usually also get really close because the lodge, kitchen, and laundry machines are there and people just sort of gather. Also, it's not 8 people to a barthroom it's 4-6. There's two set of bathrooms in each hall: two rooms for sink and toliet, two rooms for shower. Besides the kitchen, each hall has a sink and refrigerator as well as a mini-fridge and microwave in each room so there is A LOT of space for food. We also have balcony's on the upper floors (which the guys below me turned into a ROOM...yes a ROOM. They have a air bed out there with blanket and sheets as well as their computer and tv...it's really trippy.) Pentland is also very very pretty with lots of grass and open space. Since each floor has four halls, there are two halls for girls and two halls for guys. If you want to meet people of the opposite sex, they are literally only a few steps away so it works. It's also great for when you want to study because the kids I know for East Lo and A&I have more of a problem trying to find some quiet. (The walls are thin in EVERY set of dorms.)

Ah...what else. There isn't much to do outside of the school and it does get scary sometimes because there are some WEIRD people in Riverside. But if you ever get bored enough, there's malls and Town Centers and such that are only a bus ride away. (The Riverside Plaza is pretty cool too...it's got a lot of food, a Borders, Traders Joe's, CVS, Vons, shopping, movie theater, etc.)

Like someone said before, don't buy books unless you REALLY need to because a lot of times you don't. A lot of professors don't even use the book and base tests on their lectures only. Other professors only require you to read a few chapters in the book and some just upload everything online. If need be, go to the library and get the book off reserve and just make photocopies...it's a HECK of a lot cheaper and you can highlight and makes notes all you want without having to worry about reselling it. After the quarter, give them to a friend or recycle them.

I love how UCR is a small campus and it doesn't take very long to walk to classes...I know that at UCLA and UCSD...it takes the kids an hour to get to some places! FREAKEN INSANE. It's a good school and is as great as you make it out to be. Ignore what you've heard and make your own judgments.

Orientation is HOT and TIRING and rather pointless (at least to me it was). I really admire the student counselors though...they had to do lead kids around for like 15 sessions in the summer heat. O.o They dance and sing and yell a lot too. It's interesting to watch them but when they try to get you to play really REALLY ridiculous bonding games...it's just blah. That was just my personal experience though. Good luck with scheduling classes as well because the later your session is, the less likely you're going to get anything. Expect that for every quarter since honor and international students get first dibs. Come up with alternative schedules or else you're gonna sit there and not be happy at all so go to orientation because you get to pick your classes there.

I also really like the diversity here. People learn how to deal with people of all races. You have some of everything EVERYWHERE all the time and it's great. Also, there's a good amount of hot boys (and girls for those who are interested) around as well.

Tips:
-Go to discussions, most of which take roll.
-STAY ON TOP OF YOUR GAME. It's so easy to slack and I know many kids who've dropped out already because they just never did anything.
-Take care of your health...the food they serve isn't exactly the healthiest (typical college) and what you feed yourself probably won't be any better so don't forget to go to the gym (the nice big one and the little ones located in each set of dorms) and exercise every once in a while. I really don't know many girls who gained weight though...most lost weight, it's the guys that get the freshmen 15.
-If you take math...DO NOT SLACK. Seriously. I know SO many people who failed math because they slacked off.
-air gets really bad...when it is bad, stay indoors as much as possible. Blame the hills/mountains that surround the city...all that crap blowing in from LA gets trapped in Riverside because of the hills. (armpit of LA for a reason) You should have seen it when those fires were going on at the end of last year...it was like ground zero...the sun and moon would be in the sky at the same time and they were both RED as BLOOD. The air also makes it ridiculously hot...since we're the only UC that doesn't have a beach around us somewhere. We got desert instead. Here's the funniest part...it also gets REALLY REALLY cold (just like in the deserts) If you're coming in from LA...you'll notice the difference. It's either about 5 degrees warmer or five degrees cooler then LA, but it gets really really cold, like chill in the air cold when it wants to.
-making friends is only as easy as you want it to be. people usually don't talk because they don't see anyone else talking...so talk and they usually talk back. Be forward and friendly, ask for their numbers and call them up to sit together during each class or eat together or something.

I think that's all for now...I'm currently sitting here in my dorm bored and refusing to study so I wrote all that out. XD

[chiluvskk]

^^^ thank you soo much! :]

[Keion]

Lots of good info there, thank you so very much. Orientation seems irritating...I hate those social gathering games my teachers use to make us do in the beginning of school in like...8th and 9th grade.

[bBy_sT4r]

ohh thanks for the info! ^^
now i'm sure i'm going to be staying in pentland~

[jinnyblue]

Great info on pentland =) I wish it wasn't 300 dollars more expensive than the others though... So can someone rank all the dorms in terms of cleanliness? Like if you find random stains or trash scattered in the halls and bathrooms? I finally made my decision that the cleanliness will be my deciding factor to choose a dorm. (it is now between west lo and ai)

[Annersx3]

i thought east lo and pentalnd were the more cleanier ones, maybe
cause they were the newer ones and west lo and a&i were the old ones.
personally it depends on your floormates on how clean it'll be. have u guys
seen pictures of all the buildings and stuff? and dont look on ucr.edu
try googling them or askin ppl that used to live in there. i dont have ne pics
of my room when i stayed in east lo :/

[bBy_sT4r]

pentland was definitely the cleanest dorms i saw when i took the tour.
east lo wasn't far behind but there was a broken window in the lounge which i'm not sure if they are going to fix~

west lo was just no and i didn't even bother to look at a&i

[--hearts.]

None of the dorms are THAT dirty...they just aren't as clean as Pentland (which isn't as clean as GlenMor). I was impressed with East Lo when I first saw it because you get a little bit of everything. There's a good amount of space, it's clean, it's social, etc. A&I's got the most interesting dorm sets though...their lofts are different from the ones in Pentland and it's kinda trippy when you first see it. I really don't know how to explain it though. For those of you who don't know what the loft style rooms are, you'll probably see at orientation. It's basically where they add a second floor to your room and two ladders that lead up (it's for triples).

Each set of dorms has it's pros and cons.

For A&I, it's the oldest set of dorms, but it's also the one closest to everything. It's closest to campus and right across from the big gym and it as the main dining hall inside of it. The trolley and bus also stop RIGHT outside its doors.

West Lo is a little too dark for me...and the celings are low. Makes it look very emo. I can't think of it's pros right now but honestly speaking, people deem it the worse of the dorms.

Something I forgot to mention about Pentland earlier is that they have a thermostat in each room which the other dorms don't have. You can adjust how hot and cold you want things at any time of the day. I LOVE that.

As for dirty dorms/bathrooms and etc, the dorms are dirty only because the kids make it dirty so it only depends on who you're living around. It doesn't matter what dorm you live in, it's usually the same. Remember though, the dorms all have cleaning services. They come in and take out the trash, clean the sinks, clean the floors, etc. all the time so trash usually disappears after awhile. They do not however, clean inside your rooms. That's all up to you. If anything breaks, you can just put in a work order and they come and fix it for you. Clogged drains, flooded toilets, broken windows, etc.

Anything else?

*I think I should specify a little bit more about those games they make you play at orientation. It's not the typical icebreaker bonding games guys, it's an entire other level. I think it was called Playflex or something but dude are you guys in for some interesting stuff. They LOCK you in there too so you can't run away if you tried. It's fun for some and horrifying for others and you can skip it only if you are taking a placement test. There is a lot of touching and very uncomfortable positions involved. It's an experience though. Don't let this discourage you though because Orientation=SIGN UP FOR CLASSES. GO FOR THAT REASON. REALLY.

[chiluvskk]

^ lol sounds like some weird stuff they make us do at orientation :]
by the way, when you went to orientation, were the other students really friendly? or did everyone already have like their own group/clique thing going on?


thanks!

[xx1nonlix]

thank you for the information.
while, reading the orientation stuff; it sounds awkward, but sounds like a great way to meet new people. :]
I'm definitely starting to fall in love with Riverside with all the info that I just read.

[Keion]

*I think I should specify a little bit more about those games they make you play at orientation. It's not the typical icebreaker bonding games guys, it's an entire other level. I think it was called Playflex or something but dude are you guys in for some interesting stuff. They LOCK you in there too so you can't run away if you tried. It's fun for some and horrifying for others and you can skip it only if you are taking a placement test. There is a lot of touching and very uncomfortable positions involved. It's an experience though. Don't let this discourage you though because Orientation=SIGN UP FOR CLASSES. GO FOR THAT REASON. REALLY.

lol wait wait...sorry, but uh...What kind of uncomfortable positions are we talking here?

Yeah the only reason why I'm going is to sign up for classes.

[--hearts.]

^ lol sounds like some weird stuff they make us do at orientation :]
by the way, when you went to orientation, were the other students really friendly? or did everyone already have like their own group/clique thing going on?


thanks!

Everyone is usually friendly because they all want to make friends as well. When you go, they'll separate you into groups of about...15 I think it was and you'll be led by student counselor (the ones I talked about before). That group of kids is pretty much who you're gonna be stuck with for two days. You eat with them and go everywhere with them so that's pretty much the only people you get to really have time to get to know. It's either you like or don't like them and make friends with them or not. Your roommate for the orientation won't be someone from your group though, it's someone random and yet again, getting to know each other is all effort. I personally didn't really get to know anyone from my group but two of them ended up in my building, one of which lives right next door to me. I have NEVER spoken to her and the other one lives downstairs and we talk here and there but it's mostly small talk and I honestly can't remember her name. o.O' I know that a handful of the people from my group that really got to know each other and are good friends now though.

lol wait wait...sorry, but uh...What kind of uncomfortable positions are we talking here?

Yeah the only reason why I'm going is to sign up for classes.

LOL. Hum...what do I remember? One of the games was when you had to link arms back to back with another person and dance in whatever way possible then you kept switching around. Another game was when you were named a fruit (banana, apple, etc.) and let's say they said the banana was king and the rest were servants, whoever the banana was could tell you to do anything and you had to do it (, go hug some random person, go tell someone they were hot, etc.) The most interesting one was when you had to sit on each other...like literally. You get into a TIGHT circle where you are in complete contact with someone in front of you and someone in back of you, like your entire bodies are completely pressed together then you would basically go into a sitting position and it's like you're sitting on a person who is sitting on another person until it comes back to you and they see how long you last. I'm not sure if that makes any sense, maybe I'll think of a better way to explain it later. [It's awkward for girls because there were some major pervs and it's awkward for guys because it's summer and the girls aren't exactly wearing much. ] The whole point is that you really can't get embarrassed about it since everyone has to do it and you'll look like a fool if you stand there and don't. There was a lot more...but they ended with EVERYONE shaking hands/greeting each other though. There are HUNDREDS of people in that room and they split you into two huge groups and you form two huge circles and have to come up with different ways to greet every person in the other circle. That took FOREVER and it was tiring and your hands get really dirty. ' [I just remembered another game: you had to argue with another person...loudly.] ALL of the students counselors are present at this event and they participate too...so if they see you not giving it your full effort, they come up to you and try to get you to try harder.

*something else I just remembered: learning communities. DON'T DO IT. It's a WASTE of time and they make you do extra study stuff and crap every quarter that you don't need and are just a hassle. The whole point is to get you comfortable in college and meet new people but all it is is a pain in the butt because you don't need it to get comfortable and you don't meet anyone because everyone realizes how stupid it is and doesn't care. They set certain classes that you have to take and add extra discussion like classes you have to attend. It's just...not worth it. (Some communities actually have people live together though and those are more fun even though you have to still do the extra work. Like the Business one...all the business majors who wanted the business learning community live in Pentland together and build common ground since they have the same major. I'm friends with some of them and they tell me that they've become very good friends with their building because of that. Other then that, nobody's told me anything good about LC's.)

[chiluvskk]

^^ oh darn, sounds like games i don't want to play lol. ...maybe i won't wear shorts to the orientation, what with having to sit on each other and all ><. thanks for the information on the learning communities, i was actually thinking of joining that but not anymore ahhaha. i hate stuff that's a waste of time!

[Keion]

Good god...Those little social things are like torture for me lol. The counselors must have some sort of sadistic urge in them to actually make people feel this awkward. It's almost like degrading you to a whole new level of jackass...Nice, can't wait for that. Actually the arguing game you mentioned seems interesting, I guess the nice people in charge figured it necessary to add a game where we can vent out our embarrassment.

...Thanks a lot for the info on learning communities, I was actually going to join that too. Guess not!

[--hearts.]

^heh. The arguing game isn't that great either. It was like one person says it's hot and the other person says it's cold. Then you have to yell at each other saying it's either hot or cold (and you have to get louder each time.) It's rather dumb too. o.o Think of the games this way: you're not going to know anyone and everyone has to do as you do so it's really not that bad. It's only one part of the orientation and won't last too long. Orientation isn't TOO bad. You get food, and they set up stuff for you to do that night. They have a dance, movie, game room, etc. going on which is suppose to be like a taste of what college life is like because they have those kinds of events all throughout the year.

Remember, everything I've said has come from my own experience so don't expect everything to be exactly the same. I personally like Pentland because it has worked out for me, but I do know people who don't like it. Orientation was a hassle for me because I HATE the summer heat and it was hot as hell when I went (the people who went earlier got luckier since it wasn't as bad.) The games might not be exactly the same, but you can probably expect something along those lines. I've never heard anything great about learning communities, but I'm only one person. Who knows, there might be people who really enjoy it. Make your choses accordingly, I'm just here as a guide. (Seriously though, never heard ANYTHING positive about it.) Flex 5 with $750 dining dollars have worked for almost everyone I've met and have heard about. Flex 7 is also pretty good. If you really like food, get flex max (if you can afford it) because all that money goes right to the c-stores and you can buy ANYTHING you want. Yet again though, this is just from the experience I've encountered.

I wonder if I'd get in trouble for saying so much about the playflex/playfair/whatever-it's-called games. o.o Nobody ever said not to tell anyone about it though.

Hum. Dorm rules. Depends on how tough your RA is. My RA is totally cool and never really bothers us unless it gets REALLY dirty or something. Over the course of the year, we've had a grand total of two hall meetings (and those were the mandatory ones) while other kids I know have one almost every week because people keep breaking rules (most hall meetings are set because the RA choses to do so and technically you can just skip it and say you had class or were somewhere else since they really can't force you to do anything once you're in college.). There are rules on how often people can stay over, how many people can stay over, how loud you can be. They enforce "quiet" hours which if you don't follow, you can get "reported". Notice all the quotes; these are the rules, doesn't mean anyone follows them or even enforces them. If you're overly stupid about it though, you'll probably get in trouble, but whatever trouble you get into won't be that big (this does NOT mean to go and break the rules. ) The rules get looser and looser as the year goes on and you'll notice it. At the beginning of the year, we had all the chairs and tables in the right place, now they're ALL over the place. People move them all together or all apart, steal chairs and stick them in their rooms, in their own halls, etc. It's...comfortable and rather hilarious. It feels like home, but better.

Buildings/halls also host a lot of events, they can be in each individual building or within the dorms themselves. Building games are like eating contests, karaoke, etc. Dorm games are like huge smash brother tournaments, dodge ball tournaments, information conferences, etc. The dorm conferences usually come with food [pizza, jamba, starbucks, free pens/blue books (for exams), etc.] The big dorm tournaments/games usually come with a pretty awesome prize: the Wii, ipods, xbox, etc. Some events are more popular then others while some people never show up too (usually the building ones, but yet again that depends on how close your building/hall is.) Dorm games = games all of that set of dorms can take part in (all of Pentland or etc.) Building/Hall games = games within your specific hall/building. Self-explanatory.

One of these days, I'll stick up a list of what you should bring and what you can leave at home (like the inbetween things people don't usually think about) because I remember when I went to look for lists of what I should bring, they weren't helpful at all. It was either too vague or listed enough stuff to fill a three story house.

[chiluvskk]

^ a lot of great great information
thanks so much! hope you can post that list when you have time!

by the way, what year are you in? if you don't mind..
oh, i have one rather girly question lol but what style do the guys there have?
like gangsta, korean/asian, u know... lol

[--hearts.]

^LOL. The thing about UCR is that it is SO diverse. It is seriously THAT diverse and there are all kinds of guys. It's college after all! You'll find the nice boys and the jerks who are ready to cheat on their girlfriends. There are also the guys who wish they had girlfriends to cheat on...etc. I haven't really seen too many gangster boys out there though that that phase seems to have died out anyways (and the ones left don't exactly go to college o.O) It is true though that most guys are just looking for some booty so be careful of that. You look like a pretty girl, you'll have guy asking for your number right and left. Just be careful of who and follow your instinct! I have seen some Korean guys...but not many since Koreans are usually overachievers and probably wouldn't go to UCR.

Which reminds me! You'll get a LOT of people at the beginning of the year trying to get you to go to their church/bible studies/etc. If that isn't your thing, just ignore them, give them a fake name/number, etc. They bother people constantly at the beginning of the year then they cool down later. If you DO give them your real number, they WILL call you ALL THE TIME. If it's not something you're interested in, find a way out of it the second they say hello and invite you wherever. (Kind of like those people who stand around at the mall and invite you to a "party".)