University of California-Merced

Obviously, just like any other school, if you put your mind to it, study, and do the work, you'll learn. Putting in effort to what you want to accomplish is the key. I am currently a freshman and am about to finish my 1st semester here. I'm taking 4 class (16 units) and it's fairly difficult, but manageable. All of my professors are great. I have no complaint about any of them whatsoever. Also, they are very reasonable, and depending on the professor/t.a., will give you some slack if you have any trouble with turning in assignments (compared to high school where if you turned in the assignment late, you got a grade down, or the professor wouldn't accept your work at all).

Overall, the education here is truly top notch and a true UC education (whatever that really is).

If you want to come to school to learn, this is the place for your.

the housing on-campus is very new, every building is made of good quality. the library is huge, you can eat in it, and some areas are actually quiet. the whole campus is wireless, i can get text to my smartphone when my laundry is done washing.

Student to Professor ratio is great; I chose UC Merced over other universities I got accepted into because of this. To be honest though, it all depends on what type of person you are. We're all adults here, it is a matter of personal choice and responsibility in whether you choose to show up to classes, focus, and take that extra initiative to get to know your professors. Just because the classes are smaller here do not expect your professors to automatically take notice of you.

Well, I can really say that learning and getting your education is great at any school, but some people are better suited for a particular learning enviroment. UC Merced makes it easy for those that come from a small town or city. The professors are great and come from all over the University system, working one on one with students. Some classes are small enough to call it your Home Room and others are big enough you can call it my High School (a student body of 900).

Over all I have learned allot about Psychology, Sociology, Writing, Stats, Music, Planets, the Environment, Plato, Pluto, and the list goes on and on...........

The teachers at UC Merced are very knowledgeable in their fields, and are always open to questions. Most teachers will set up appointments if you can't make it to office hours. The library is a good place to study, and the fourth floor is a strict quiet zone for people who like to study without distractions.

Although this school doesn't have exactly the classes I want to take for my major, I am getting a lot of learning done. I am working extra hard on my minors, just in case they become majors before I graduate!

This school is looked down upon for being so new to the UC System. It is a great school thriving. All the current students are pioneers of something big. UC Merced is expanding and will eventually highly prestigious. It gives the students who were at a disadvantage, a chance to prove themselves that they are worthy of a college education.

UC Merced is the smallest UC, and is fortunate enough that it is so small that if students attend office hours enough, the professors can easily get to know you on a first name basis. They also have a wide variety of courses available in the sciences, history, social sciences, and languages. The course curriculum helps students gear specially to their majors and emphasis.

Yes, i am learning a lot at UC Merced. UC Merced is new but it has a lot of tutoring for about any subject you can think of. If your writing skills suck (like mine) they can help you out. In each course the student will get out of that class learning something new.

When I used to think of college, I thought of eight or nine hundred people crammed into a lecture hall listening to one man or woman ramble for hours. However, at UC Merced, the classes are much smaller than most public universities which results in a more hands-on learning experience.
Before I entered college, I was sure that half of the material would be in one ear, memorized for a test, and then out the other ear. But even from my first semester of classes at UC Merced, I noticed that most of the professors are passionate about what they are teaching and care more about what is learned than what is regurgitated onto a test. This technique of teaching has caused me to learn more in one semester than I probably did in a year or two of high school.
Of course, you cannot expect to barely pay attention, ignore homework, and still expect to learn more than ever simply because you are in a hands-on environment. However, if you take advantage of this type of atmosphere, you can expand your education and learn more than you ever thought possible.