UC Merced

A tourist attraction for the central valley? Yes it is, because this is the tenth and newest University of California campus in the world. Its only ONE hour away from Fresno and its right by a gorgeous lake, and also within minutes to downtown Merced where you could visit the historic old courthouse museum. The parking is $ 2 for 2 hours and I believe $ 3/​$ 4 for a whole day. They do offer guided tours Monday through Friday — 10 a. m, 1 p.m. or 3 p. m, but do check their website for more information on that. Personally I love to take a personal tour and explore this gorgeous new campus by myself and take my time to enjoy and walk around it, and your more than welcome to do that; I mean who wouldn’t, take such an opportunity to walk the ground of this grand new university. Plan to tour maybe 1 – 2 hours here and bring a hat because it can get blazing hot out here during summer and water bottle to hydrate. Wear comfortable walking shoes and casual wear, since you will be walking a lot. Its a great exercise.
What makes this place unique to tour is because UC Merced claims to be the only institution in the United States to have all of its buildings on campus to be LEED certified. Its Triple Net Zero Commitment is expected to create zero net landfill waste and zero net greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2020. Furthermore, this university is a life on its own, its surrounded by farm lands and greenery, leaving it to have such a breaking view of nature. Every single building in this university is new, its just impressive to see how organized and well planned the whole campus really is.
I enjoyed my tour here, and I would definitely recommmend it as a tourist attraction for anyone visiting the central valley because its an awesome thing to see, and 1 mile ahead is the gorgeous lake yosemite.

I’ve been to quite a few other schools, and after going here, I regret not staying at any of them. UC Merced is a small school in a small town, and it lives up to all the negative hype that its been given. I regret not putting forth more effort in HS because I might have been able to go to a better school than this one.

Nice, Eco-​friendly campus. Out in the middle of nowhere.

I recently visited UC Merced. I’m not a current student; however, I am an accepted student who will be attending this Fall. Overall, the campus is very impressive. Although it’s very small in comparison to other more established UCs, it has all of the necessary buildings, and it’s quickly expanding.
POSITIVES:
— The architecture is absolutely gorgeous. The buildings look incredibly modern, and you can tell a lot of thought went into designing them. I toured the Library and the Social Sciences building, and I have to say that they are the nicest looking buildings out of any college that I have visited. The walls are made out of a recycled concrete material that looks very futuristic. Additionally, the technological equipment is cutting edge. All of the computers and TVs were very modern, and the laboratories (including a stem cell research facility) were excellent.
— Nice Dorms: The majority of the dorms have been built within the past 3 years, and they appear very modern and clean. They look like small high end apartments (at least from the outside, I wasn’t able to go inside).
— Eco-​friendly. If you love the environment, than this school is for you. The tour guide told me that the school is 40% solar powered, and that the buildings are cooled using recycled water from one of the rivers near the school. Additionally, most of the materials used to make the school are recycled.
— Friendliness: Everyone I met at UC Merced was extremely friendly. The students at UC Merced aren’t as competitive as at UC Berkeley or LA, but they all seemed to have a genuine interest in what they were studying. Some of the students I met there seemed exceptionally smart and driven. Granted, I was taking a tour, and schools typically try to show off the best of their school, but I was still impressed.
— Small class sizes and Research opportunities: Because UCM is much smaller than other UCs (6,000 students vs 42,000 at UCLA or 28,000 at UCI), you get a lot more individual attention here. I’ve heard that professors here are very accessible, and that the school encourages its students (even freshman) to perform research, which is excellent. Also because the school is new, you have more opportunities to stand out versus other UCs.
— Yosemite: Yosemite is a couple hours away from Merced, and you can see it pretty easily in the distance. UCM partners with research facilities in Yosemite, and they actively encourage students to visit and camp there. If you’ve never been to Yosemite, it’s absolutely stunning.
NEGATIVES:
— Merced is the biggest weakness this school has. Merced is located in the central valley, nearby Fresno, and about 2.5 hours away from San Francisco. There are massive fields, and the scenery is very flat. Moreover, the city of Merced is very disappointing. Merced is an old city, and you can tell. There are a lot of sketchy parts, especially near downtown Merced. The buildings are quite ugly, and there really isn’t too much to do there. If you’ve ever been to Santa Ana in Orange County, Merced is like a mini version of that.
However, the parts of Merced near UCM (North Merced) are quite nice. There are a lot of mansions and luxury apartments there, which are much classier than what is found in downtown Merced. The area around UCM is growing rapidly, with lots of new buildings and homes being built.
THE VERDICT:
If you choose to go to this school, you have to accept where it is. Once you get over that, you will realize that this truly is a great school. UC Merced has HUGE potential (it’s only 9 years old), and I predict that it will grow dramatically within the next few decades. I have committed to this school because I think that it’s benefits outweigh any negatives that it has. I hope that any students who are considering going to UCM will read this review and decide whether it’s right for them.

Beautiful campus except for the steel vag. The teachers and staff are usually wonderful and actually want to help you get through the college. Class sizes are large at the lower level classes, but get smaller as you rise in the ranks. It’s an up and coming college and they don’t have many facilities. Bathrooms, classrooms, and overall campus is clean. They hold a lot of events and tabling outside of the library and classroom building. The library is great and comfortable to study in, the lantern is a good place to meet people or just drink your morning coffee.
Though there isn’t much to explore in town, your experience is what you make of it. Meet great friends and your experience will be awesome. The campus is surrounded by cows and there is a lake and park right behind the school.
parking permits are really expensive. and so are dorms. I lived off campus with roommates every year and it was a great experience. I met a lot of people and learned so much. I went here for 5 years and miss it :)

After graduating from this school, I have tons to say. Lets start off with the positives first:
— The school itself is nice— still on the newer side although for a new school many walls and chairs have been written on, pounded on, kicked on, and sat on like there’s no tomorrow.
— The professors are crazy awesome— they are very knowledgeable, passionate, and from my experience, because of them I actually enjoyed their classes a lot.
— The UC Merced buses are great— so useful and such a gas saver.
As for the negatives:
— The location sucks big time! It’s really in the middle of nowhere surrounded by cows so when you try to breathe in some «fresh» air, you smell cow poop instead.
— The advisers is one of my most hated thing about this school— they suck more than the cow poop! They have no idea what they are doing! I was held back a semester because my adviser forgot to mention that I needed two more classes. I verified with him every two weeks to make sure but after I finished summer school and visited him again, he decided to tell me that I still need two more classes, therefore I ended up wasting a semester doing two classes.
— The second most horrible thing about this school is the registrar. Just like the advisers, they don’t know what they’re doing as well. They tell me that I still need to take Psychology 1, but how in the hell-​o could I possibly take that class again when the school accepted me as a Psychology major and was able to enroll in upper division Psychology classes without taking the basic???
Overall, if you want to pay loads and loads of money and possibly graduate longer than four years because they prefer withholding information in order to take more money from you, then this is the school for you.

UC Merced represents the epitome of what a research university should be: an institution focused on the advancement of knowledge in fields that will benefit society. This approach to knowledge carries over into UCM’s undergraduate programs, where students are not simply participants in a process of knowledge preservation, but – in the case of a strong student – can actively contribute to faculty research projects. UCM’s graduate programs are equally as impressive, with the the grad students pursuing topics that will permit a deeper understanding of the human experience (World Cultures, Cog Sci, etc.) and provide tools for coping with modern problems (Solar Tech, Watershed Science, etc.). All of this is undergirded by a distinguished faculty with an impressive record of research accomplishments. UCM’s alumni have already compiled a good deal of personal successes, particularly given the relative youth of the school as an institution; not only are undergrads securing solid employment amidst a tough economy or are entering graduate/​professional school, but its graduate students are landing tenure-​track professorships or are entering the senior ranks of government service and think tanks.
What makes UCM a pleasant place to work, study and be are two things: an overall laid-​back attitude and location… yes, location. In terms of the generally laid-​back attitude of the campus (faculty, students and staff) and the community, it can best be described as a blend of the typically Californian approach to most things – «be cool» and love everyone, and a certain pragmatism that reflects a «western American» ethic that dominates life in the eastern half of California. UCM’s physical location is really something special, though often bemoaned by those unfamiliar with the locale. Atop the first small set of undulations that mark the beginning of the Sierra Nevada foothills, UCM is set to a backdrop of the peaks of the Sierras; before the school lays pastures and plains of the eastern Central Valley. For its part, the city of Merced is a nice town, with plenty of restaurants, an increasing number of bars and every imaginable store a student may need. Taken together, the attitude and location of the school make for a wholly pleasant experience at «The Ranch».
UC Merced is a very good school, pleasant experience and a place with a bright future.

Wonderful, amazing faculty with degrees from Stanford, Harvard, Cal. Small, individual attention. A very diverse student body which is welcoming of the LGBT Community, working class, first generation, and students of color. I’m a grad student, and already have an advanced degree from another university in California, where my experiences were far less positive, on a whole. This school is an excellent value, considering the cost of living in Merced is very low compared with other areas. Yosemite is your backyard, San Francisco is a couple hours away, and there are many places for people who enjoy camping, hiking, wine tasting, etc. within a short distance.

This is my employer. How I could ever give it less than five stars is beyond me. People are friendly, students are vibrant and diverse, there is always something happening on campus, and it’s still small enough that you get to know a lot of people very quickly. Having said that, if you park in the standard visitor lot, be prepared to walk. Far. Also, dining choices are very limited (vegans beware!), and the bookstore is tiny.

Plenty of acreage but not enough facilities. Compared to other UC schools this school lack personality and did not have any significant history or program to draw students to it other than being the only UC located in Central California. Their library seemed to be the center of all activities and also houses the Student Union until a separate building is constructed. Class scheduling was tight due to limited space and classroom availability.
Dorms on the other hand were very nice. Located in a central area to the main campus and next to the dining and athletic facility. They are currently building a second gym to host all their collegiate competitions. But the dining policy if did not agree with. All the UC that I have visited has offer one price meal plans and they are all you can eat. But this school charges for every item/​entrée you choose. This policy makes dining a little too pricey for it students. They pick and choose what meal they are going to eat because of this policy. What happened to going off to college knowing that you will receive 3 meals a day? However, on the flip side to this issue, you can start any club or activity on campus that you are interested in.
This is a green school and most buildings were self sustaining. Grounds were beautifully maintained and the school has it own little river circling it as a self sustaining source of energy.
I can’t wait to revisit this school when they open a few more buildings. Maybe then it will look more like the other schools in the UC system.

Best campus ever. Duh.

I wrote a really comprehensive review of the University here:
I wrote this review sometime during my freshman year, so my opinions may be a little bit different now, but the same for the most part.
*edit* March 13, 2012
I thought it was a good school before, but after almost 3 years here, I think it’s a great school with great people. In 20 – 30 years when it’s finally done, it will even be the biggest UC Campus.

There are way too many things on any university campus to write a full essay on, so I’m going to do this one in list form.
Pros:
1. Many student activities — student leaders here are very motivated (they nabbed Michelle Obama, after all) and the campus works hard to plan lots of student events
2. New Facilities
3. Library: Inter-​library loan phenomenal, laptop loans, awesome. Library staff very knowledgeable and helpful.
4. Dining commons — good food.
5. Dorm life: lots of activities to make up for lack, thereof in town.
Neutral:
1. New Faculty — can be good (understanding, up to date professor) or bad (inexperienced, bad at explaining)
2. Administration: UCM wants to pave their own path, so to speak, and not follow examples set by other UCs. There are obvious benefits to this decision, such as uniqueness and great potential through creativity. However, this decision can (and does) also lead to failure… I mean… why in the world would anyone want to follow examples set by some of the top universities in the world…
3. As a former employee, I saw some of the dumb politics that went on here, but it’s not nearly as bad as I’ve seen in other places.
Cons:
1. New Buildings =/​= perfectly functioning buildings. I can’t tell you how many times it’s «rained indoors» or pieces of buildings have been ripped off by winds or parts of buildings been knocked out to «fix» things…
2. Most students here are not as motivated as alot of students at other UCs
3. IT: worst, most unhelpful, ever. It really says something when other departments use 3^rd party IT consultants instead of the one that’s free right on their campus…
4. Library: Few books… it’s a new campus, after all.
5. LOCATION: Not just that it’s in Merced, but that it’s NOT EVEN IN Merced… it’s a good 2 – 3 miles away from civilization. I guess it’ll be much nicer when the town ‘grows around the campus’ in 30 years… but maybe all college towns started out this way…
6. Parking and Transportation: Horrible parking planning (building then ripping up parking lots all the time, yet never putting in a space-​saving parking structure). Ridiculously inconvenient, inefficient bus system for a campus that really needs a good public transportation system: 2 buses that run on the same too-​long-​of-​a-​route that zigzags and loops on a most inefficient (both time-​wise and cost-​wise) path around town.
All in all, UCM has a few kinks but has the potential to be really great in the future. Rumor has it their accreditation is going really, really well.

Everything here is new and the facilities are all state-​of-​the art. They are still undergoing construction. The campus views are breathtaking and the library is a must to visit.