University of California-Merced Reviews

"UC Merced is the underdog of the UC System. While many people think of UC Merced as this new school that doesn't have any accolades, they are surely mistaken. At first, I was not very thrilled to be going to UC Merced. Being a student from the Los Angeles area, I was not prepared for the culture shock and adjustment that would take place from attending a university in the middle of nowhere. What I didn't realize was that I was lucky to be attending a brand new school because of the new facilities and buildings, smaller class sizes, more time to speak with professors and staff, and the chance to help a brand new school grow! While the boredom comes and goes, the memories and friends you make, along with the experiences you have make it all worth while."

"UC Merced was amazing. The professors are great and the campus is beautiful. It will all depend on how you choose to spend your time at the university. There is a lot of opportunities for self-discovery and growth. As a new campus, it all feels fresh and exciting. The atmosphere feels exciting and inspiring. Every single person you encounter, from the custodian, to the chancellor makes you feel valued at the institution."

"Being that U.C. Merced is the newest university in the University of California system, there was exponential growth for the university and for the students. If you wanted to start a new club or organization on campus then it was possible as the students were the pioneers to create the foundation for the university. My education and quality of instruction was an excellent experience as I look back on my time there. Using a lecture and discussion method created a good learning environment."

"Supportive staff. Feel free to ask academic counselors for help when planning out your schedule and classes and double check everything so you can graduate on time. I met with the academic counselor at least once a semester to make sure I am on track for graduating early. Classes were generally easy to signed up, I was able to take all the classes I wanted and needed to take."

"The hybrid classes are the biggest pain of them all because when turning in the homework it will only accept one answer and doesn't even tell you how to input the answer. Some professors don't even take the time to go over the homework questions to see if you learned in class they just let the computer choose the questions. There's nothing to do in school well when talking about going outside there isn't much to do. Sometimes they have events but if you're alone expect to be very bored since the internet connection is very bad here."

"Attending UC Merced was the best decision that I could have made. Many students I know came to UC Merced when they could not get into another UC, but the quality of instruction and the quality of my classmates at UC Merced are on par with my experience at other schools. UC Merced in my opinion is as intimate a community as you could ask for. Student organization abound and collaborate constantly, and professors are approachable and build relationships with their students easily. UC Merced in the past has sought to entice more students to enroll by offering significant financial aid. With increasing demand, an improving reputation, and a plan to double the size of the school by 2020 I am not sure how generous financial aid packages will be in the future, but the financial aid available when I attended allowed me to graduate debt free. All in all, UC Merced offers the best of a UC experience in a relatively small, intimate setting at a fraction of the price to attend another UC."

"I love my program! I work closely one-on-one with my faculty advisor to create the program that best supports my research interests. The one con is that the number of directly applicable courses offered are small, because it's a fairly young program. However, that is also part of the advantage, since instead of taking courses that don't really apply, I can set up directed studies with any of the faculty."

"Merced is a small town that has to grow, and improve it's jobless rate, and infrastructure as a whole. But the idea to bring UCMerced in that place was probably the best thing that happened to Merced. I love UC Merced! It is new, it is in the middle of a beautiful landscape. It is calm, yet when you look closer, it is a literal hive of research activities, the school has made a huge effort in creating a community. I feel really supported as a graduate student. The academic level is really high. I had to step up to the expectations, but I have learned soooo much so far. I am really satisfied with my choice. The financial aid is great, the professor are available. UC Merced is working with the community, they make a lot of effort in promoting sustainability. Great support, awesome family. Arts are present, activities all the time, you can never get bored. The academic support and tutoring is ever present. If you keep an eye open, you can become an autonomous, excellent scholar in this environment. My graduate program has worked hard to create a cohesive group. We are really supported, we are pushed to become proficient scholars, we are given a lot of opportunities for growth. The professors are really available, they also leave a lot of room to see who is taking a stab at responsibilities and working at developing our program. I made only friends there. I am really excited about being there, I do not regret my choice at all. If I had to improve anything, it would be more courses, but the faculty are working at it really hard, we can see it, and some new faculty are coming, so I look forward to 4 more exciting years in this program. The facilities are just amazing to do research, and I really enjoy working there, with the technology and the space."

"It is the newest research university that has been built in the 21st century. As such, it is very high tech and leading edge in how it is organized. The facilities are amazing and there are top notch faculty. It is a small program and allows for large amounts of undivided attention. I made the best decision coming here for my PhD program. I also love the central focus in cutting edge research."