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.
Do you enjoy the experience at your school?
This section all depends on the person and what your preferences are. Obviously, as mentioned earlier, if you simply want to learn, then there's no problem at all.
However, UC Merced has some perks..some that can be good and some bad. I don't want to spoil everything for you and chase you away/convince you--I want you to form your own opinions based on facts.
- UC Merced is in the middle of NOWHERE. There's really nothing to do here. Sure, there are clubs and stuff, parties here and there, the typical (if this is what you were concerned about don't worry haha). The university is about an 8 minute drive to downtown Merced, which is where all the fun is.
There are a lot of places to eat in downtown Merced. From In N Out, Carl's Jr., Jack in the Box, and Sonic to Jamba Juice, Apple Bee's, Hometown Buffet, Chinese Buffets, great Indian food places, Steak Houses, BBQ places, and other Merced exclusive food places.
The most popular non-partying/drinking thing to do here is go to the movies. There are 2 theaters here, one significantly bigger than the other. The bigger theater has In N Out a 5 minute walk away, while the smaller theater has the Merced Mall a 5 minute walk away and Carl's Jr a 10 minute walk away.
Merced Mall is disappointing. It's not your Great Mall or Sunvalley Mall in Concord, or any other big mall. It's more like a medium sized strip with the main shopping stores. I've only been there 2 or 3 times so I can't really remember what they have, but they have some good stuff, and a food court.
One troublesome thing is the transportation between UC Merced and downtown Merced. Merced has what are called CatTracks which is basically the free bus system provided for UCM students. (btw if you didn't know already, the UCM mascot is the bobcat) The problem is, it takes approximately 45 minutes to get from UCM to downtown Merced and vice-versa, when a car ride takes about 8 minutes. I've ridden the CatTracks at least 10 times this se...
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
If you live on campus, you have a $2500 balance placed on your CatCard. Your CatCard is your ID card that is used for, of course, identification purposes, and for everything else on campus--to access some doors, the key to your room (some rooms), to check out things from the library, and of course, for your meal-plan.
So again, you have $2500 for the entire year, $1250 per semester. The leftover money from the $1250 from the 1st semester gets carried over to the 2nd semester, but you have to use it all up by the end of the school year, as the leftover money from 2nd semester doesn't carry onto the next year.
Most people end up with a lot of money by the end of the semester (I still have $400 and there's 2 weeks of class left before the end of the semester) while others like my roommate have $47 left for the next two weeks.
I ended up with a lot of money left because my parents always brought me food from home. My roommate, however, only ate the DC food, plus he spent about $30 per day worth of food.
To make sure you spend just the right amount, a typical day of food should consist of only 2 meals per day, usually around $10 per meal. Meal prices can vary, but it's about $10 average.
$10 for a meal...doesn't seem bad right? But in fact, it's terrible at times. Knowing that most students have no other choice but the DC food, they over-charge things. A small bag of Kettle Chips is $1.75. String cheese is $0.97. A banana is around $0.75. An English Muffin, yogurt, string cheese, and Raspberry Candied Almonds costs $8.
Many people complain about the price of food here, but you just have to accept the prices.
Education-wise, you pay to attend school here (assuming you weren't completely covered by financial aid) and you really do get a bang for your buck. You get a great education here. Many class sizes are restricted to 20 people per discussion section, and lectures usually consist of only 250-300 people max. It's a really small enviro...
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
If you want a fairly small populated school, UC Merced is the place for you. Of course, research more about the school and look to see if it provides the major/minor/classes that you want to pursue in your college career. Since UC Merced is still developing, new classes are being added every semester, new majors introduced yearly, and more opportunities are provided. The school expects to be double the size it is now by 2020ish.
Again, do your research, and see if UCM provides things that you are looking for.
Also, UC Merced is a great back up school. If you don't apply to UC Merced and have at least a 3.0 in high school, you will be requested to join what is called the Count Me In program, which is basically a request from UC Merced, saying that We noticed you didn't apply to UC Merced. How about this: We'll pay the $60 application fee for you with no strings attached, but you have to submit an application to apply to the school
The program saves you $60, and pretty much guarantees your acceptance into the university.
Another thing I have discovered through experience is that if you don't do the Count Me In program, and you are rejected from all the other University of California schools that you applied to, you will automatically be accepted to UC Merced and UC Riverside. Just something for you to keep in mind.
Which types of students will excel at your college?
UC Merced is great for students that want to help professors do special studies and want research opportunities. Due to the small but growing population, it's fairly easy to get what you want. There's also less competition when trying to apply for a job.
You have a better chance to get to know your professors due to the smaller population, and going to office hours is really helpful.
Again, this is a great backup school. I am attending UC Merced because I wasn't accepted to UC Berkeley, UCLA, or UC Davis. Surprisingly enough, many of my friends have been accepted to these three schools that I was rejected to, but chose to come to UC Merced for various reasons.
Finally, UC Merced is great for students that like nature. The recent Leonid Meteor Shower was great to view here because there are no tall buildings like in San Francisco. The scenery is nice, and you can see mountains a 50 miles away in clear view.
UC Merced is like the alternate, smaller, and newer version of UC Davis, so if you didn't get accepted to Davis, UC merced is a possible option for you.
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.
This section all depends on the person and what your preferences are. Obviously, as mentioned earlier, if you simply want to learn, then there's no problem at all. However, UC Merced has some perks..some that can be good and some bad. I don't want to spoil everything for you and chase you away/convince you--I want you to form your own opinions based on facts. - UC Merced is in the middle of NOWHERE. There's really nothing to do here. Sure, there are clubs and stuff, parties here and there, the typical (if this is what you were concerned about don't worry haha). The university is about an 8 minute drive to downtown Merced, which is where all the fun is. There are a lot of places to eat in downtown Merced. From In N Out, Carl's Jr., Jack in the Box, and Sonic to Jamba Juice, Apple Bee's, Hometown Buffet, Chinese Buffets, great Indian food places, Steak Houses, BBQ places, and other Merced exclusive food places. The most popular non-partying/drinking thing to do here is go to the movies. There are 2 theaters here, one significantly bigger than the other. The bigger theater has In N Out a 5 minute walk away, while the smaller theater has the Merced Mall a 5 minute walk away and Carl's Jr a 10 minute walk away. Merced Mall is disappointing. It's not your Great Mall or Sunvalley Mall in Concord, or any other big mall. It's more like a medium sized strip with the main shopping stores. I've only been there 2 or 3 times so I can't really remember what they have, but they have some good stuff, and a food court. One troublesome thing is the transportation between UC Merced and downtown Merced. Merced has what are called CatTracks which is basically the free bus system provided for UCM students. (btw if you didn't know already, the UCM mascot is the bobcat) The problem is, it takes approximately 45 minutes to get from UCM to downtown Merced and vice-versa, when a car ride takes about 8 minutes. I've ridden the CatTracks at least 10 times this se...
If you live on campus, you have a $2500 balance placed on your CatCard. Your CatCard is your ID card that is used for, of course, identification purposes, and for everything else on campus--to access some doors, the key to your room (some rooms), to check out things from the library, and of course, for your meal-plan. So again, you have $2500 for the entire year, $1250 per semester. The leftover money from the $1250 from the 1st semester gets carried over to the 2nd semester, but you have to use it all up by the end of the school year, as the leftover money from 2nd semester doesn't carry onto the next year. Most people end up with a lot of money by the end of the semester (I still have $400 and there's 2 weeks of class left before the end of the semester) while others like my roommate have $47 left for the next two weeks. I ended up with a lot of money left because my parents always brought me food from home. My roommate, however, only ate the DC food, plus he spent about $30 per day worth of food. To make sure you spend just the right amount, a typical day of food should consist of only 2 meals per day, usually around $10 per meal. Meal prices can vary, but it's about $10 average. $10 for a meal...doesn't seem bad right? But in fact, it's terrible at times. Knowing that most students have no other choice but the DC food, they over-charge things. A small bag of Kettle Chips is $1.75. String cheese is $0.97. A banana is around $0.75. An English Muffin, yogurt, string cheese, and Raspberry Candied Almonds costs $8. Many people complain about the price of food here, but you just have to accept the prices. Education-wise, you pay to attend school here (assuming you weren't completely covered by financial aid) and you really do get a bang for your buck. You get a great education here. Many class sizes are restricted to 20 people per discussion section, and lectures usually consist of only 250-300 people max. It's a really small enviro...
If you want a fairly small populated school, UC Merced is the place for you. Of course, research more about the school and look to see if it provides the major/minor/classes that you want to pursue in your college career. Since UC Merced is still developing, new classes are being added every semester, new majors introduced yearly, and more opportunities are provided. The school expects to be double the size it is now by 2020ish. Again, do your research, and see if UCM provides things that you are looking for. Also, UC Merced is a great back up school. If you don't apply to UC Merced and have at least a 3.0 in high school, you will be requested to join what is called the Count Me In program, which is basically a request from UC Merced, saying that We noticed you didn't apply to UC Merced. How about this: We'll pay the $60 application fee for you with no strings attached, but you have to submit an application to apply to the school The program saves you $60, and pretty much guarantees your acceptance into the university. Another thing I have discovered through experience is that if you don't do the Count Me In program, and you are rejected from all the other University of California schools that you applied to, you will automatically be accepted to UC Merced and UC Riverside. Just something for you to keep in mind.
UC Merced is great for students that want to help professors do special studies and want research opportunities. Due to the small but growing population, it's fairly easy to get what you want. There's also less competition when trying to apply for a job. You have a better chance to get to know your professors due to the smaller population, and going to office hours is really helpful. Again, this is a great backup school. I am attending UC Merced because I wasn't accepted to UC Berkeley, UCLA, or UC Davis. Surprisingly enough, many of my friends have been accepted to these three schools that I was rejected to, but chose to come to UC Merced for various reasons. Finally, UC Merced is great for students that like nature. The recent Leonid Meteor Shower was great to view here because there are no tall buildings like in San Francisco. The scenery is nice, and you can see mountains a 50 miles away in clear view. UC Merced is like the alternate, smaller, and newer version of UC Davis, so if you didn't get accepted to Davis, UC merced is a possible option for you.