University of California-Irvine Top Questions

it is true that there are a ton of Asians at our campus, but its all good. but there are a ton of different asians here, like Philipino, Cambodians, Korean, Vietnamese, Indian, etc.

it is true that there are a ton of Asians at our campus, but its all good. but there are a ton of different asians here, like Philipino, Cambodians, Korean, Vietnamese, Indian, etc.

1. Yes, there are millions of Asians at UCI, but there's been an effort to make things more balanced, so instead of 60{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} Asians, it's becoming more like 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}. If you can call that balanced. 2. Partially true. There is definitely a lack of school spirit in terms of sports because UCI isn't good at any of the major college sports. You also have to consider that many UCI students are there because they probably got rejected from UCLA/UCB/UCSD, so there seems to be less spirit among the freshmen (except for the inevitable deer-eyed gung-ho freshmen). But many UCI students grow to like the school, it's a laid back atmosphere that allows you to go all out in your studies or lets you bum around. 3. Many students hail from the surrounding area, Orange County. The OC is very much a "bubbly" area, probably because most of OC is upper-middle class suburbia. On top of that, many Asians tend to be cliquish. You might notice a lot of freshmen initially hanging out with their high school friends. So for the most part I would say this is true, but it's really up to you if you want to be involved with cliques because there ARE people out there who don't buy into that. 4. Compared to universities in major cities, of course there isn't much to do in Irvine. But things have been improving as more things are being built in Irvine. As someone who grew up in Los Angeles, being in Irvine was a nice break from the city. Definitely more laid back. However the most interesting off-campus stuff will happen outside of Irvine. 5. This for the most part is true. It's pretty saddening especially when you are living in the dorms, when over two-thirds of the dorm is back at home on the weekend. As mentioned previously many UCI students are from the surrounding area. Yet there ARE activities to do on the weekend. However a car is definitely recommended. Since kids are from the surrounding upper-middle class suburbia, the vast majority of them will have cars, so if any of them have the balls to stick around on the weekend, try to find places to go to and things to do.

-Unfortunately, the diversity at Irvine sucks. There are some Indian kids in addition to the enormous Asian population, but really, if you're looking to meet African-Americans, Chileans, Cubans, etc, you will definitely not find them here. -That's true. -Well...frats/sororities have a good scene if you like being ruffied and raped, otherwise there are small parties. I guess it depends on your friends. -Most girls fulfill the Southern California stereotype solidly, so yes, we love our Ugs and mini skirts.

Yes there are a lot of smart Asian kids who go to UCI and yes we may or may not drive civics and integras, but no we are not all Chinese, the beauty of not going to UCLA or Berkeley is that we don't have ego's, and we are super chill. The Irvine area does need more stuff to do but in the past recent years it is getting better and because theres not much to do we make it fun.

"Yes" and a "qualified yes"

If one look at the demographic of the student population, Asian students represent a large portion of the student body, particularly Chinese descent. So I think there's some truth to the student representation. Moreover, the school spirit is related to how the campus is set up and presented to the student body. It seems to me that many people who attend to UCI had been rejected by their first choice university. Also, there are some students who are from Orange County. These students may have the choice of commuting to campus than living nearby campus

Yes and no. By the numbers we are no longer a commuter campus as a large number of students live on campus and in the nearby apartment communities. The flip side is that even though many students do not commute from home, a significant number of students head home for the weekends, still giving UCI the feel of a commuter campus.

Many may fit this demographic, but that's not to say that diversity doesn't exists on campus.

While there are a lot of Asian students, the percentage isn't really more dramatic than the general demographics of southern California (SoCal). Yes, there was always construction going on throughout my time at UCI, and that continues now too. The university just turned 40, so it's still growing and very motivated to establish a strong reputation. Because of the rapid growth, on-campus housing is difficult to find. Until very recently, only first year students were guaranteed on-campus housing. Now, or in the near future, students get housing for the first two years. Members of the Campuswide Honors Program or those with high-ranking scholarships have guaranteed on-campus housing for all 4 years. As a result of these limitations, people often live in apartments in University Center across the street, near Irvine, or in surrounding cities (including beachfront properties in Newport Beach :)). However, a large chunk of students choose to live at home in various cities in SoCal and commute on the 405 to get to school, which definitely seems most isolating. While UCI wants to reduce this reputation of being a commuter school, many people elect to keep close ties to their non-college-related lives. However, there are several strong student organizations if you choose to partake. Characterizing UCI rank is a bit more iffy to confirm or deny. As a whole, UCLA and Cal probably have more competitive students, but there is definitely a subset of very high-achieving students at UCI. I know several people who did undergrad with me at UCI and ended up at very prestigious graduate and medical schools. The academic environment can be very stimulating if you choose to find the opportunities like through research or honors programs.