You Won't Regret It

Introduction
Obviously leaving home for the first time can be an enormous challenge, especially when having to face not only the pressures of an intense academic program but also having to make new friends all over again. At UC Irvine the dorms are designed different than most so it is easy to feel right at home and to meet people. Instead of having huge buildings for freshmen there are Residence Communities in which there are buildings with 50-70 students in each. There is a strong sense of pride in the school developed in the dorms, which is encouraged by the Resident Advisors. It's not all easy though. You will have to make the first step in meeting people sometimes, as every other freshmen is in the same position.

Campus Life and Social Life
One of the best things about going to school at UC Irvine is that Newport Beach is just minutes away. They campus is actually right on the border of Irvine and Newport. Day trips to the beach are a must. Another thing is that the party life in Irvine isn't out of hand. There's enough peace and quiet to get your work done. If you do want to party though it's not too hard to find one, especially if you go down to Balboa Peninsula in Newport where a lot of UCI students choose to reside. In addition, the school is basically right in between LA and San Diego, only about an hour away from each. Finally, there are numorous clubs and organizations to get involved in, such as Greek life, student council, dance teams, or political groups. One of the worst aspects of the university is that a lot of people are from Southern California so they leave on the weekends. Another unfortunate fact is that we don't have a football team. Although the rest of the sports are popular with us being Division 1, it would still be cool if we had a football team. When it comes to academics some of the professors seem like they don't know what they're talking about, but the large majority do so they make up for it. Also most of the classes are in large lecture halls so it is hard to get to know the professors. Advertisement
Academics
One of our growing schools at the university is The School of Social Ecology. It has intriguing and challenging majors like Criminology and Psychology and Social Behavior. Those two majors are popular among students. Also the professors for the school are supreme. One of the strong academic aspects is our breadth requirements. It allows students to become well-rounded. The TAs for the school are sometimes more important than the professors. They lead discussion sections and are trained in what they are teaching. The amount of work is a reasonable amount, with enough to be busy but not too much so it restrains students from having life outside of academics. One of the worst things is that it is hard to connect to professors, which is why TAs are so valuable. Also when registration comes classes fill up fast so it is hard to get into the ones needed. Another thing is that the libraries tend to fill up fast during midterms and finals, which is a good thing, but with so many people around some find it hard to get work done there.

Student Body
When living in the dorms almost everyone is friendly and for the most part respects each other. That feeling carries over in most people to the rest of the student body and lasts throughout the years in school. I like the people I go to school with and wouldn't want it any other way. There is such a diverse mix of people too. I have to say that the majority of students are easy-going and relaxed people. Everyone is easy to get along with, even though there are those exceptions. Most students are from Southern Californa or at least some part of California, but many come from out-of-state like Texas or Arizona. It's easy for out-of-state kids to quickly become accustomed to our California ways and attitudes. Overall UC Irvine has a perfect balance of students from different backgrounds, races, and ethnicities. We all are able to learn and grow from each other.

In Closing...
UC Irvine is growing tremendously. It is definately giving other UC schools a run for their money and pulling students who would typically go somewhere like UCSB. There is a good balance at the school of social and academics which is important. I hope you guys choose us and you won't regret it!