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College Prowler

Academics

I can't imagine the teachers and workload differing a whole lot from any other university. If you ever need any extra help, UCI offers LARC classes, which are basically supplemental tutoring sessions. Attendance is not required to ace classes, but it's still recommended. UCI has the National Fuel Cell Research Center on campus and is also the leading researcher on stem cells. Almost all engineering majors are ranked nationally, and UCI is tops in language and rhetoric. UCI is also one of the only schools that offer business administration as a major.

Athletics

Varsity sports are pretty huge here. The only thing we do not have is a football team. IM sports are also pretty huge and are usually played at the ARC, the schools gym. The IM games occur every quarter but the sports are different for every quarter. Anyone can join IMs, but you have to pay a fee. There are also separate IM leagues, such as competitive and noncompetitive if you want to play for fun. If you have the chance, you should form an IM team with some friends and have fun.

Campus Dining

The food on campus is delicious at first, but after the first few weeks, you will get sick of it—or at least I did. If you get tired of eating in the dining halls, you can grab a meal at any of the fast food restaurants around the school, like In-N-Out, Jack in the Box, Wendy's, and more.

Campus Housing

There are two dorm communities for freshmen, Mesa and Middle Earth, and in each of these, there are three phases. The phase determines when the dorms where built, so phase one dorms are usually smaller and older, whereas phase three dorms are bigger and newer. Mesa has a reputation of being the more social of the two dorms, but from personal experience, I would say that's simply not true. Middle Earth is in the middle of campus, so classes are just a short walk away, whereas Mesa dorms are kind of on the outskirts but closer to drama, art, and music classrooms. You don't get to pick which building to live in—you do get to pick the dorm—so it's hard to stay away from a specific building, but there are some with themes that you can apply for such as study abroad, music for non-majors, and a 24-hour study building.

Campus Strictness

I (or anyone I know) have never had a problem with the campus police in regards to drugs, drinking, and other campus regulations. They patrol the dorms pretty regularly freshman year, so security was pretty tight, but, other than that, the police are usually pretty lax when it comes to this stuff. People who've been caught with alcohol or drugs are usually issued a warning at worst. The only thing I've found the police to crack down on is riding your bike on Ring Road and parking illegally.

Computers

The computer network at UCI is great—it's everywhere. There are computer labs and library computers that you can use anytime as long as the buildings are open. During finals week, they are open really late. The labs are very convenient for everyone and not really crowded, but even if a lab is crowded, there is always another lab or library you can head to. I would recommend bringing a computer if you want to take notes in class or you are too far away from campus to use the computers there.

Diversity

There are many people of different ethnicities here in Irvine, but most people here are Asian. There are probably more girls than guys, but it is not that big of a difference. Since there are so many students at Irvine, I think the campus is pretty diverse economically, ideologically, and politically since no two students are the same or think the same way in every single aspect. Students may be similar in some aspects but differ in the rest.

Drug Scene

It really depends on who you hang out with. I know people who could get you pretty much anything you want, and you can occasionally smell marijuana smoke. Like any other college campus, drinking is big among the students and pretty much omnipresent on Thursday and Friday nights. There are quite a bit of people who smoke on campus, though.

Facilities

The facilities are really nice. I feel like students here are very fortunate. The classrooms are, for the most part, large enough for lectures with 400 students. The Student Center is a great place to hang out especially at the Anthill Pub. The gym is amazing—it's better than any of the other UCs. There are also a lot of places to study on campus, so no worries there. The one thing that most students don't take advantage of is Aldrich Park. It's so beautiful to just relax or even sit down in the grass and read. This is where major campus events take place like Welcome Week.

Greek Life

Greek life is not a big social status on UCI, but it is present. Greek life is not party focused. It shows us what the atmosphere is like when running an organization and working for something you really care about. To me, what's the point of joining a frat just to watch it crumble for lack of one's own support? It gives you something more to do, it matures you, it gives you more out of your college experience, and, if done right, it can give a you a strong meaningful brotherhood of men. So, what I'm also saying is that it was worth it for me.

Guys & Girls

There is a good amount of cute-looking guys here. The bad part is that once you spot a cute guy, you will probably never see him again since this school is filled with people, and it is a huge campus. People normally dress like they are going to the beach or the park since the weather is really nice in Irvine. Just like at every college, there is a good amount of geeky or not-so-attractive people at UCI.

Local Atmosphere

Irvine is a typical suburban neighborhood—there usually isn't a lot of exciting things going on. You can visit Disneyland, which is only 15 minutes away, or you could always head up to LA—the drive is less than an hour and it has pretty much anything that anyone has ever wanted to do. Irvine is one of the safest cities in America, which is good because you can go out without fear of getting mugged, but it's also bad at the same time because if you ever decide to run a stop sign, the cops will get you.

Nightlife

There are always parties on campus, and it's likely that you'll know someone who's having a party. Drinking is generally not allowed, but it's a commonly broken rule. The nightlife in Irvine really sucks because the city closes around 9. However, adjacent cities do have clubs, like the Can in Garden Grove. The real nightlife is about an hour north in Hollywood. There's also a Dave & Buster's in nearby Spectrum mall.

Off-Campus Dining

There is a 24/7 Jack in the Box, which is a staple for everyone. There is not much to find withing walking distance, and when driving, you will find some more fast food spots and occasional restaurants. These places can feel quite far and pointless sometimes. Avoid the fast food in the business district area—the prices are higher since the usual consumer there has deep pockets, unlike college student.

Off-Campus Housing

The close off-campus apartments are particularly convenient. However, they are a bit pricey. I found a place that was about 1.5 miles away, and it is not too bad. I bike to school every day. It's worth it because I do not need to be on the meal plan anymore—they are expensive and usually the food I had was not so great. My off-campus housing is also cheaper because I share an apartment with five other guys.

Overall Experience

I love the people here, the facilities, and the atmosphere. I learned to balance my social life with my academic life—there is so much to do here and a lot of parties every weekend, but school work is tough, as well. My favorite memories are going to dinner in the dining commons with my dormmates—we'd eat and talk for a good hour or so. This is when we bonded and became friends. We all have different majors and plans for our future, but we would come together over dinner and share what was most important to us. These people are still my friends today, even though we all live in different apartments. If i could, I would dorm all over again.

Parking

I have a car, but I don't park on campus because permits are expensive and the parking lots, although pretty sizable, do not offer enough spaces for regular students. They usually waste a lot of parking space for teachers and staff, and most of these aren't filled up most of the time. Also, the parking lots are pretty far away from the classrooms—actually about the same distance they are from the bus stops, so you won't be walking less anyway. Freshmen can bring cars, and it should be easier for them to find parking spaces because they have specific parking lots for freshmen. Most freshmen typically don't bring cars, but they would still have to pay a hefty fee for the parking permits.

Safety & Security

The city and the college are some of the safest in the U.S. Basically, you don't have to worry about getting robbed, shot or rapped, even at 2 a.m. However, if you get a bike, please make sure to put it inside your apartment or room when you are not using it because bikes tend to disappear a lot in Irvine.

Transportation

High-profile research professors. Famous alumni. Frequent high-profile guest speakers, including the Dalai Llama and Governor Schwarzenegger. The beautiful, sunny Southern California weather. Laid-back Student Center. The immaculate ARC. Three hefty University libraries. Lord of the Rings-themed buildings. Study abroad program. The Career Center.

Weather

The OCTA bus (the city bus) picks up and drops off in front of campus and goes to the Spectrum, Newport Beach, Fashion Island, and other places around the cities of Irvine, Newport, and Tustin. The OCTA runs every hour or so, but sometimes the bus will run late and you have to transfer a lot, which is not very convenient, so most of us do not use the OCTA but rather drive ourselves.