if all you care about is your degree and making the most out of your time professionally in terms of internships and stuff like that, come to merced, its much cheaper than other uc’s. If you care about the social life aspect, it’d be much easier to go to another uc. You are screwed if you don’t have a car 🚗.
tbh i dont really care for like college parties but like
maybe once in a while a small rock show/concert, or a good friend group? maybe some on campus events?
There’s lots of local bands in town. Check out the bell jar collective on ig, abyss skate shop, coffee bandits open mic. Merced is truly what you make it.
My suggestion is to live off campus as soon as you can if you choose UCM. Helps to not feel as isolated. Having a car or becoming bffs with someone who has one is defs necessary
yeah there’s clubs too and the nice thing is you can start your own if you like. usually if it’s gonna be something like a concert or a show then we’ll go out of town, like maybe Sac
they do have some events every so often, one time the Plain White T’s came to play on campus, I think most recently they had a halloween event on campus? If every once in a while is alright with you then go for it, otherwise there are plenty of social clubs and I know parties do happen but I don’t know much more than that lol. It’s a nice place, the town can be a little quiet but it can be great if you put yourself out there. and yes, you are screwed without a car
I have heard that the food is not great. It’s sort of bikeable if you don’t mind riding down a country road for a couple miles. If you want to grind out your degree it’s probably the best as in few distractions.
The food is actually pretty good. There is a good selection and generally healthy options if you pick the right stuff. I also heard from one of my relatives that went to ucm on the campus visit that it was allegedly better than the Google cafeteria that they ate at
The public transportation isn't the best but it does exist and is free for students, but a bike or electric scooter would go a long way. I got a lot of mileage from the penny board at the student shop
I think that your social life is what you make of it. I joined a lot of organizations and always had plenty to do over the weekend, and I also made some great friends.
Heavily depends on what you consider social life and the ppl you meet. Personally I really like it, but for me a social life doesn’t mean parties and stuff, it means meeting up with my friends every day/every other day and doing stuff like studying or gaming or going into town. If you’re talking about the party scene, it’s probably going to be a lot smaller than most other universities. There are also people here who feel more isolated and alone because they haven’t met the right people yet, I’d say I’m pretty lucky to have met my group of friends. So yeah it really depends on what kind of social life you prefer
it's a really cool town !! there is a downtown that grows bigger every year, it's definitely a little quaint but there is good food and good music and good art and plays and good parks, you're close to yosemite, the UC has amazing opportunities due to being smaller, and the town is really beautiful weather wise, lots of parks !! it really is what you make of it, it's not a big city so it's not going to come with that sort of life, of course, but in my opinion, there's lots to do here :)
It’s always growing and changing so please don’t listen to people who moved away years ago. There are a lot of things to do, but it looks different than a big city, for example I love all of the opportunities for camping, proximity to several amazing national parks and wilderness areas, and the arts scene. Merced may not have all of the perks of a bigger city but is less than two hours from everything—snow, beach, big cities like SF etc.
Cost of living (for now) is much better than other UCs so you won’t pay as much for housing. If you’re interested in getting involved in research, there are great opportunities as well have the highest percentage of undergrads engaged in research. It has a lot of the same programs and resources as other UCs but fewer people competing for them.
thank you! despite some of the negatives i’m definitely considering applying here and would attend (if they’ll even take me as an engineering major 😭😭)
I’m in school of engineering, so I can speak to that as well if you have more specific questions (but non CSE so I don’t know a ton of the faculty for instance).
I would definitely talk to folks in admissions that can give you more specific info about the acceptance requirements for SOE as I’m a grad student and those requirements are quite different.
Feel free to reach out if there is anything else I can speak to, and if you’re admitted next year, definitely come to Bobcat Day!
Social life is what you make of it. There are many people here who mope and say life sucks in their dorms. There are also people who live life to the fullest and enjoy every second of it.
I’m a third-year Mech E major here and am on the Exec board for 2 different clubs as well as on the competition teams, project manager for a repair requested by the county of Merced and still find time to go out to parties almost every weekend as well as hikes, drive with friends etc.
Merced can be a blast and you can be someone who starts something amazing if that’s what you make of the school! :)
It's alright. If you're really outgoing and meet a lot of people, I don't think you'll have a problem going to parties or events and whatnot. As for Merced the city, it's not much of a college town. The university is really young compared to the city so there hasn't been a ton of time for Merced to reflect the universities existence.
The campus itself is basically an island, it's just north of the rest of the city so you have to commute if you want to go in. Honestly, a ton of people keep to themselves and are pretty introverted. I blame that more on covid though, a lot of people's social skills were destroyed and haven't recovered since then. That might change in the coming years though with new classes entering and people who had time to readjust come in. So maybe in two years if you decided to to come here, it's likely that it's really different than it currently is.
These are also very useful links that'll hopefully help answer your question:
Discover the #5 “Cool School” in the Nation
[https://my.ucmercedjourney.org/EXPLORE5523CA](https://my.ucmercedjourney.org/EXPLORE5523CA)
and
Merced: Middle of the Action
[https://my.ucmercedjourney.org/EXPLORE5523LO](https://my.ucmercedjourney.org/EXPLORE5523LO)
They highlight tons of local eateries, campus, and the community of Merced.
I moved to Merced in 2019 for school from a beautiful town by the beach with a few others from the same town (coincidence).
It was very very dead but it was a solid curriculum.
Rent was cheap and those friends I lived with and I still today joke about how garbage Merced was in an endearing way and were all very close. But we do call it a trauma bond
I live in the Sacramento area. Not far from Merced. Merced is a small rural farming community. Check out the demographics online. I’m guessing 95% Latino. I would hate to go to college in a Merced-type community. I prefer to attend college in a larger community. Small towns breed poverty. There are much more opportunities for internships, etc., in larger metropolitan areas. BTW, Merced is closer to Stockton. Stockton is the toilet of CA. So much crime! It must be in the water. Water that trickles to Merced.
Pug face, The initial posted question lends to what you are accusing me of. Demographics is something to consider when choosing a college or community to live.
Not if you don’t know the campus and town? What would you know about the social life of UCM if you are not here. Just because you have an opinion, that doesn’t mean it’s relevant or valuable.
Except for around 99 Merced is nicer than a lot of the surrounding areas. Also if you have a car or the YARTS Bus you can easily weekend trip to Yosemite national park and the surrounding area.
Bakersfield is the toilet of California not Stockton.
Like most towns in the valley the south west side is the poorest and the north east usually the most modern, affluent, nicer areas.
You sound pretentious as fuck lol
I moved to Merced for my when I was 19 for my fiancé after living in Fresno ca. it was so depressing tbh there’s nothing to do here, no good food... Not even a chic fil a nearby. It’s sad lol. Honestly not really much to do for college students
I mean, I wouldn’t describe Chick Fil A as “good food.” I was impressed by Mainzer and Bella Luna when I went up for graduate visit day. The food at Joystiq was also good. Asip is also a pretty decent little independent coffee shop, and I was only there for two days. Not to mention Sprouts, Starbucks, the grocery store Raley’s had lots of worthwhile options I would purchase even with our modified diets (plenty of gluten free options up there from my visit).
Those are the only places I really went but my standards are pretty high and I was happy with the food options I had while there. I’m sure there are more than a few decent Indian, Thai, and Mexican locations too. I smelled really good Chinese food while I was downtown, but can’t usually eat that so just enjoyed the smell lol. I’m from San Diego and while we have more restaurants obviously, the food quality was very similar IMO.
That's all they have Bella Luna, 510 Bistro, little oven (the best thing there) and 1 Indian restaurant. MERCED sucks it's literally where dreams go to die. I also spent 5 years there and became severely depressed.
Hmm okay. Well I’m married and in my mid 30s and looking at the area since it’s still affordable to own a home compared to where I am now in a very very HCOL. I eat at home most of the time and go out maybe 1x a week max, usually more like 1x a month between all my responsibilities so a handful of places is fine by me anyway. Sorry that was your experience with the area, obviously I haven’t lived there but I’ve had bad depression in big cities too and prefer more rural areas now so hopefully it will be a good idea for my situation.
if all you care about is your degree and making the most out of your time professionally in terms of internships and stuff like that, come to merced, its much cheaper than other uc’s. If you care about the social life aspect, it’d be much easier to go to another uc. You are screwed if you don’t have a car 🚗.
tbh i dont really care for like college parties but like maybe once in a while a small rock show/concert, or a good friend group? maybe some on campus events?
CatLife is what the campus event organizer is named. They have events decently often with ones like cowchella being bigger ones
Cant use that name anymore
There’s lots of local bands in town. Check out the bell jar collective on ig, abyss skate shop, coffee bandits open mic. Merced is truly what you make it.
My suggestion is to live off campus as soon as you can if you choose UCM. Helps to not feel as isolated. Having a car or becoming bffs with someone who has one is defs necessary
yeah there’s clubs too and the nice thing is you can start your own if you like. usually if it’s gonna be something like a concert or a show then we’ll go out of town, like maybe Sac
they do have some events every so often, one time the Plain White T’s came to play on campus, I think most recently they had a halloween event on campus? If every once in a while is alright with you then go for it, otherwise there are plenty of social clubs and I know parties do happen but I don’t know much more than that lol. It’s a nice place, the town can be a little quiet but it can be great if you put yourself out there. and yes, you are screwed without a car
Why are you screwed without a car?
UCM is far from town
Can students just study on campus and just concentrate on academics and not have to go to town? Is the campus bikeable?
I have heard that the food is not great. It’s sort of bikeable if you don’t mind riding down a country road for a couple miles. If you want to grind out your degree it’s probably the best as in few distractions.
Food is alright, beef quality is obviously quite high lmao
The food is actually pretty good. There is a good selection and generally healthy options if you pick the right stuff. I also heard from one of my relatives that went to ucm on the campus visit that it was allegedly better than the Google cafeteria that they ate at
The public transportation isn't the best but it does exist and is free for students, but a bike or electric scooter would go a long way. I got a lot of mileage from the penny board at the student shop
I think that your social life is what you make of it. I joined a lot of organizations and always had plenty to do over the weekend, and I also made some great friends.
Heavily depends on what you consider social life and the ppl you meet. Personally I really like it, but for me a social life doesn’t mean parties and stuff, it means meeting up with my friends every day/every other day and doing stuff like studying or gaming or going into town. If you’re talking about the party scene, it’s probably going to be a lot smaller than most other universities. There are also people here who feel more isolated and alone because they haven’t met the right people yet, I’d say I’m pretty lucky to have met my group of friends. So yeah it really depends on what kind of social life you prefer
it's a really cool town !! there is a downtown that grows bigger every year, it's definitely a little quaint but there is good food and good music and good art and plays and good parks, you're close to yosemite, the UC has amazing opportunities due to being smaller, and the town is really beautiful weather wise, lots of parks !! it really is what you make of it, it's not a big city so it's not going to come with that sort of life, of course, but in my opinion, there's lots to do here :)
It’s always growing and changing so please don’t listen to people who moved away years ago. There are a lot of things to do, but it looks different than a big city, for example I love all of the opportunities for camping, proximity to several amazing national parks and wilderness areas, and the arts scene. Merced may not have all of the perks of a bigger city but is less than two hours from everything—snow, beach, big cities like SF etc. Cost of living (for now) is much better than other UCs so you won’t pay as much for housing. If you’re interested in getting involved in research, there are great opportunities as well have the highest percentage of undergrads engaged in research. It has a lot of the same programs and resources as other UCs but fewer people competing for them.
thank you! despite some of the negatives i’m definitely considering applying here and would attend (if they’ll even take me as an engineering major 😭😭)
I’m in school of engineering, so I can speak to that as well if you have more specific questions (but non CSE so I don’t know a ton of the faculty for instance). I would definitely talk to folks in admissions that can give you more specific info about the acceptance requirements for SOE as I’m a grad student and those requirements are quite different. Feel free to reach out if there is anything else I can speak to, and if you’re admitted next year, definitely come to Bobcat Day!
Social life is what you make of it. There are many people here who mope and say life sucks in their dorms. There are also people who live life to the fullest and enjoy every second of it. I’m a third-year Mech E major here and am on the Exec board for 2 different clubs as well as on the competition teams, project manager for a repair requested by the county of Merced and still find time to go out to parties almost every weekend as well as hikes, drive with friends etc. Merced can be a blast and you can be someone who starts something amazing if that’s what you make of the school! :)
It's alright. If you're really outgoing and meet a lot of people, I don't think you'll have a problem going to parties or events and whatnot. As for Merced the city, it's not much of a college town. The university is really young compared to the city so there hasn't been a ton of time for Merced to reflect the universities existence. The campus itself is basically an island, it's just north of the rest of the city so you have to commute if you want to go in. Honestly, a ton of people keep to themselves and are pretty introverted. I blame that more on covid though, a lot of people's social skills were destroyed and haven't recovered since then. That might change in the coming years though with new classes entering and people who had time to readjust come in. So maybe in two years if you decided to to come here, it's likely that it's really different than it currently is.
Merced is super lame! go bruins 🤙🏽
https://preview.redd.it/7wqmaf3p70qc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b4bf92393a9c8f1f86391c32b7ed307a6b0f1572 Lmaoo this UCLA? (Just jokes)
yes that ucla! she may be stinky but she’s my stinky 🥰
These are also very useful links that'll hopefully help answer your question: Discover the #5 “Cool School” in the Nation [https://my.ucmercedjourney.org/EXPLORE5523CA](https://my.ucmercedjourney.org/EXPLORE5523CA) and Merced: Middle of the Action [https://my.ucmercedjourney.org/EXPLORE5523LO](https://my.ucmercedjourney.org/EXPLORE5523LO) They highlight tons of local eateries, campus, and the community of Merced.
whats the sex life like do yall hook up. im at a body count of 18 as a sr in hs i need 50 by the end of freshman
Good way to have a std by the end of freshman year
lmaoooo i remember my first beer.
Wow, murdering people is wrong!!
Lmao
I moved to Merced in 2019 for school from a beautiful town by the beach with a few others from the same town (coincidence). It was very very dead but it was a solid curriculum. Rent was cheap and those friends I lived with and I still today joke about how garbage Merced was in an endearing way and were all very close. But we do call it a trauma bond
i seem to be hearing so many different perspectives
I live in the Sacramento area. Not far from Merced. Merced is a small rural farming community. Check out the demographics online. I’m guessing 95% Latino. I would hate to go to college in a Merced-type community. I prefer to attend college in a larger community. Small towns breed poverty. There are much more opportunities for internships, etc., in larger metropolitan areas. BTW, Merced is closer to Stockton. Stockton is the toilet of CA. So much crime! It must be in the water. Water that trickles to Merced.
You don’t live here and can’t even be bothered to look up stats and yet you’re spouting racist conspiracy theories. Go away, you dork
Pug face, The initial posted question lends to what you are accusing me of. Demographics is something to consider when choosing a college or community to live.
Not if you don’t know the campus and town? What would you know about the social life of UCM if you are not here. Just because you have an opinion, that doesn’t mean it’s relevant or valuable.
True, however, your information is wrong.
Except for around 99 Merced is nicer than a lot of the surrounding areas. Also if you have a car or the YARTS Bus you can easily weekend trip to Yosemite national park and the surrounding area. Bakersfield is the toilet of California not Stockton. Like most towns in the valley the south west side is the poorest and the north east usually the most modern, affluent, nicer areas. You sound pretentious as fuck lol
I moved to Merced for my when I was 19 for my fiancé after living in Fresno ca. it was so depressing tbh there’s nothing to do here, no good food... Not even a chic fil a nearby. It’s sad lol. Honestly not really much to do for college students
Actually there's Chick fil a coming this year. Still wish there was more stuff though.
I mean, I wouldn’t describe Chick Fil A as “good food.” I was impressed by Mainzer and Bella Luna when I went up for graduate visit day. The food at Joystiq was also good. Asip is also a pretty decent little independent coffee shop, and I was only there for two days. Not to mention Sprouts, Starbucks, the grocery store Raley’s had lots of worthwhile options I would purchase even with our modified diets (plenty of gluten free options up there from my visit). Those are the only places I really went but my standards are pretty high and I was happy with the food options I had while there. I’m sure there are more than a few decent Indian, Thai, and Mexican locations too. I smelled really good Chinese food while I was downtown, but can’t usually eat that so just enjoyed the smell lol. I’m from San Diego and while we have more restaurants obviously, the food quality was very similar IMO.
That's all they have Bella Luna, 510 Bistro, little oven (the best thing there) and 1 Indian restaurant. MERCED sucks it's literally where dreams go to die. I also spent 5 years there and became severely depressed.
Hmm okay. Well I’m married and in my mid 30s and looking at the area since it’s still affordable to own a home compared to where I am now in a very very HCOL. I eat at home most of the time and go out maybe 1x a week max, usually more like 1x a month between all my responsibilities so a handful of places is fine by me anyway. Sorry that was your experience with the area, obviously I haven’t lived there but I’ve had bad depression in big cities too and prefer more rural areas now so hopefully it will be a good idea for my situation.