1. Untrue. I'm incredibly Asian, but I've survived just fine. Besides the fact that there exists Life Cafe, Ten Ren, University Cafe, all within 1/2 a mile of school, there's also the fact that the school is 50% Asian (seriously). To add on, the only "Asian-y" places that have "Cue" and "Asian Plazas" nearby would probably be... oh, right.. nowhere. Both UCLA&UCR are equi-distantly away from the heart of SGV. Irvine is maybe 30mins from any popular "Asian" hangouts.
2. Also untrue. Adding on to the fact that it'd be dumb at ANY UC to party a lot & not study, ANYONE can "party," provided they have friends. It's not about having connections/knowing the right people, it's about having the social capacity to make a few friends. All you need is a computer with music, someone over 21 (which I am.. problem solved), and a few friends.
3. It's cold in the winter. At night it reaches 40F, sometimes 35F. It's snowed here ONCE before. I remember waking up and seeing it. Yes, RS skips spring and goes to summer. But, uummmm, this is southern california. It's like that here. Want real seasons? Go to Minnesota or something.
4. Lol. Lol. &Lol. There's AMAZING food in Riverside. The Commons/HUB have an AMAZING pasta place. We have C-stores everywhere that sell many types of food; a local farmer's market in front of Scotties, and delicious Mexican food just about everywhere. Not only that, downtown Riverside, which is a 10 minute drive down University, has some of the most AMAZING food & coffee houses. It's a Grind, Simple Simon's, Mario's. There is tons and tons and tons of food everywhere. There's "Best Thai Food" which is AMAZING, Ten Ren which has the BEST tea around..
then there's like Chipotle and California Pizza Kitchen down in Central, and Tyler Mall which has like.. PF Changs, Cheesecake, TGIF, Yardhouse..
If you go a little east on the 60, there's BJ's, In&Out..
5. This is kind of a retarded point, sorry. Are you suggesting that UCR is the ONLY place in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA where the sun shines? Or maybe UCR is the ONLY PLACE the sun will shine with UVA/UVB rays? I mean.. lolol I'd like to find somewhere where the sun doesn't do that to you. Hmm, let's see.. another galaxy would work. But yeah. The sun will shine wherever. There is about as much shade here as ANY campus. #5 is laughable when you think about it. Seriously, carefully, think about this.
6. Umm.. I guess this place is pretty shady compared to many areas. It was to me... &then I went to visit LA for the first time. Koreatown. <- lol. I <3 LA&Koreatown, but it's kinda scary there. &here. So yes.. please be careful in Riverside. It's especially dangerous for naive teens who think they are invincible.. but of course if you read this, you're not, right
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@OP.. I don't mean to sound like I'm bashing you, but I've been here 3 years and I simply want to point out the flaws in your list.
Hey I want to add my opinions to the mix!
1. I'm kinda white-washed, so I thought the school was perfectly fine. If you happen to be a white-washed type Asian like myself, you'll survive perfectly fine. There's a Chik-Fil-A and an In-n-out nearby, as well as a Costco and Target and other nice things
. The city for the Asian folk is so-so, it's pretty... well, American, so to speak. There are no asian plazas that I know of, but Riverside used to have a decent Korean population, and there are parts of it that have Korean Markets and whatnot (Located about 10 minutes from campus though). As for the Asian crowd, your best bet is going to be to hit up Diamond Bar for some... well, Asian-ness. It's about 20-30 minutes away from campus though.
2. Au contraire, I personally felt like the only people who were getting into parties were the ones with connections. As an incoming freshmen, I'm sure most of you will be studying
and not partying. For the ones who do plan on it, rush a frat or sorority, or just talk to the people and make friends with as many people as you can. The school's social life definitely isn't dead, you know, and you'll have your fair share of partying in years to come.
3. Hot. It's never particularly chilly during the day, although some days in winter around the evening required me to put on an extra thick layer like a hoodie that weighs frickin' 5 lbs. There is no "spring" so to speak, but personally, I didn't find it that hot this last school year, as long as you're not around for summer sessions. I'm from norcal too, so this might be saying something here.
4. A matter of taste. Dorm food sucks, agreed. Ten Ren's is overpriced. Life Cafe is standard asian fare, in my opinion. It's cheap though, which is really nice. In-n-out is amazing, par usual. Chik-Fil-A, yum. Costco, yummmmm (This Costco has an INSIDE food court... you're gonna need a card.
). Latitude 55, the new hang out, is so-so in terms of food quality. The places in the commons are in general bleh. Personally, not a fan of the pasta place. Plenty of Mexican food, and it's good, although so greasy and unhealthy. Mo-val has a great place called Bravo Burgers, they're pretty cheap and quite delicious. Riverside Plaza has a Chipotle and CPK, as well as some overpriced Steakhouse. There's a Qdoba in Moval too, which is similar to Chipotle, and their Ancho Chile BBQ Burrito is to die for. I could continue about the food all day, so if someone wants to hear more, mention it in this thread. Lol.
5. Thanks to the heat, it feels like the sun is extra strong here. UCB has less sun than the other UCs, and UCSD has the best weather in general. It might also be attributed to our crappy smog conditions (The air quality is really bad on some days. The sky looks almost gray-blue sometimes.) I've seen a single asian girl walk around with an umbrella all the time, and I guess you should put on sunscreen if you have delicate skin. The shade thing is incorrect, as far as I'm concerned. I feel that the other UC's have more full trees and, frankly, more covered walkways. Hell, even SJSU has more cover, with the awning-things and the covered walkways.
6. This is damn true. Keep around campus, and you won't experience it as much, but in general, the place feels dangerous like Compton (I've never really been to Compton. Just stories.). There's been reports of rape and theft, but I'm sure most campuses have to deal with that. Walk with a buddy whenever you can, and carry pepper spray (I carried a knife at most times).
