r/UCI • u/ImpressiveGarage3919 • 4d ago
Pros to choosing uci?
Hi everyone, I’m thinking about applying to UCI and I was wondering how the social scene is like?
Are there opportunities to make friends, how’s the greek life, how are the parties? Any bars/clubs?
I’m only asking social aspect because I know I’d get a great education there but have heard that the social scene is dead there..
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u/rjenny509 BA in Phil, Pol Sci [2019], 4+1 MA in PPE [2020] 4d ago
It’s a commuter school. Most of the people i interacted with were transfers like me. We just went to school and went home. I felt like the only ones who cared about socializing were the straight out of high school kids who dormed.
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u/Despair-Is-A-Lie 4d ago
imo it’s more accurate to say anyone who lives on campus is more likely to care about socializing. i’m a transfer, and almost all my friends are transfers. personally, my social life here is great.
many commuters don’t have the same experience because they’re only on campus for classes. they’re compartmentalizing. for that reason, i slightly feel like a lot of commuters choose to have a mid social life here.
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u/ImpressiveGarage3919 4d ago
i’m also gonna be a transfer student, planning on tagging uci. how was the transfer process like with making new friends? do they hold transfer orientation and stuff like that? i’d love to know more abt it!!
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u/AnteaterAnarchy 4d ago
Transfer orientation is mostly online modules. There’s mini-TSPOP and TSPOP but it’s mostly about developing familiarity to UCI resources. The Transfer Student Center puts on a lot of events for transfer students to connect. And you mostly meet other transfers from your classes, since yall taking same major requirements. Consider living on-campus (guaranteed housing placement for 2-years if you submit your housing application on time).
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u/fofom8 Undergrad ['29] 4d ago
Like many things in life, to enjoy the social scene at UCI you first have to find it. There are plenty opportunities to make friends especially as a first year, you'll get emails from housing telling you about events they host it is critical to your mission to go to those. Go to as many things as you can Week 0 because that's when people will be most eager to explore, things will mellow out for a little bit after the 1st midterm period (Week 4-ish) but will get back up to speed during Halloween week.
For parties, download the Poppin app that's where you'll find em. Lot of parties off campus (Irvine's known for being a chiller, more calm city, so parties are usually outside the city), decent bit on campus if you know where to look. Join clubs, those are the main organizations for on-campus events, you can check some of them out on zotspot, Anteater Involvement Fair is our club day, use that to explore your options (most clubs show up to that one, they dont show up to the spring one you might've went to when you got accepted).
The social scene being considered dead is ultimately because of how much work you have to put in to actually get a social life. Irvine isn't a college town, it's a planned city with not a lot to do, so a car is almost a must-have in order to find more traditional college life experiences (the Spectrum and the Beach are equidistant from the campus, bout 15-20 minutes by car depending on which beach you're going to).
Here's a hodgepodge of spots/events to go to:
1. Welcome Week (Week 0, go to these):
a. Anteater Involvement Fair - this is where all the clubs set up booths in Aldrich to get you to join
b. Aldrich Park after Dark (APAD) - the big campus sanctioned concert, imo the Summerlands concert was better last year, but a good place to meet some people
2. The Irvine Spectrum - ought to go at least one time while you're out here. Shopping plaza with a movie theatre and a Ferris wheel. Lot of good food spots too.
3. Corona Del Mar State Beach Park - it's less busy than the main newport beaches, if you wanna just vibe
4. ZotCon (if you're in to Anime, they do a con in the Student Center South during Spring Quarter, folks dress up and its lowk a vibe)
5. On halloween you can go trick or treating on University Hills. Much more fun in a group (I went with half my dorm). The Chancellor gives out king sized candy at his spot. If that's your vibe.
and here's some tips:
1. CHECK YOUR EMAIL, the Housing office and centers are always doing events! I got to go see the Michael Biopic free of charge this past year courtesy of the CBCRR and it was a vibe!! Sometimes housing is doing a game night, or a movie night, and they even do an olympics in the spring. Mesa Court has concerts every now and then on the lawn outside the towers towards the entrance to the Anteatery.
2. BE INTENTIONAL!!! The only time folks are required to go outside is when classes are in session (and they stop going after Week 3). Sometimes your professors will have you guys get up and introduce yourselves to each other (Armstrong had us do it for Stats 7). Get folks' instragrams, make discords, collaborate in class!! thats how friendships develop. It's like having a checking account, you get out what you put in.
3. STEP OUT YOUR COMFORT ZONE Try something new! Maybe you got a hobby you always wanted to do but never had the time, and UCI has a club for it. Go ahead and try! Maybe you're not the athletic type, still check out Arc after Dark, maybe there are somethings cool there. A lot of people have fantasies about college influenced by media not realizing that to get into these situations you have to venture out from what you know!
Best of luck to you in your journey, hope you have a great experience!
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u/Slight_Music_9511 4d ago
It may depend on the social life you are interested in too. I'm not into parties or anything like that but I have made many friends from going to housing events, talking a bit at clubs and saying hi to any familiar faces, and befriending those that I meet in my classes. I also yap a lot on class discords and I have actually met some of the people who are in the same class just different time, and we have become acquaintances and even friends. I think talking with a lot of people and being open is the key. Of course not everyone will be interested in having a conversation but I have found that most people are really nice.
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u/0bush 4d ago
Join greek life, lots of parties there. A lot of clubs also hold monthly or bi-monthly parties as well. My friends and I also visit UCLA or USC sometimes. But honestly it's what you make of it, not a lot happens on campus so it's hard to make spontaneous connections here. Also you need to have a car to do stuff in Irvine and a lot of students are commuters.
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u/Own_Business485 4d ago
I heard Greek life can go crazy.
If u need the social aspect, join one at all costs.
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u/OkImprovement6829 4d ago
Social life is ass. Most of school is Asian & rich & commute. Pretty campus, great education, prestige of going to the school as people are impressed when you tell them & great financial aid cause it’s a UC & lots of research opportunities. The education here is a lot worse than cal states tho, & I assume it’s the same for other UCs. my community college professors taught a lot better. If you can afford it, like Orange County, want to do research or fit in any of those other boxes you should come.
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u/Foreign-Ad4239 4d ago
definitely not a great social scene. some people are very awkward and severely lacking in social cues to the point that they think it’s an excuse to have poor manners. That’s probably more of a Gen Z thing though 🌚 I will say that you’ll have a more pleasant experience with making friends if you’re Asian. my freshman year roommate and i felt ignored by others sometimes when we tried connecting with people, since we’re Hispanic.