For UC Irvine, I was so so lucky to interview Tiffany, who is the sweetest human being ever and provided some AMAZING responses for students who are planning to apply to UC Irvine! She is so sweet and was generous enough to introduce me to other UC Irvine students to provide multiple perspectives from different graduating years and majors! I will be publishing new responses soon, so stay tuned! Thank you so much Tiffany!
how would you describe the weather at UC Irvine? Does it frequently snow? What would you advise students to bring when coming to UC Irvine?
"I love the weather here at UC Irvine! UCI is right in the middle of Orange County, CA and Orange County rarely ever gets cold. Most of the days are sunny and gorgeous on campus (especially in Aldrich Park) and walking to class is literally a walk in the park. As for rain, you could bring an umbrella, but be prepared to only use it maybe 10 times throughout the year. During my time at UCI, I think the temperature has only ever gotten to around the mid-50s in the middle of winter or if it’s rainy. For warmer temperatures, I’ve seen the temperature get to around 80 degrees during the school year. If you’re coming to UCI, I think the heaviest item you should bring are items with the thickness of a hoodie or a typical fall jacket for the winter quarter. Other than that, just bring what you would wear for around 65-75 degrees!"
what makes UC Irvine so special to you? Was it your first choice and your dream school?
"UCI was actually my second choice. I think one of the big reasons as to why it wasn’t my first choice is actually because of my high school. I went to a high school that was super close to UCI. I know (at least at my high school) that a lot of high school seniors just want to get out of where they’ve been living from K-12 by graduation, so UCI was ruled out for lots of students because of its location! Although I love Southern California, I went with the crowd and didn’t look into the school until really late (my mistake!). Then I realized that UCI was extremely underrated at my high school. UCI has a great reputation and really strong academics. We also have lots of opportunities for undergraduate research and internships. In addition, UCI’s also in a prime location in Southern California. We’re about an hour from Los Angeles (with LA traffic) and about two hours from San Diego, so there’s always something new to try! One thing that was big for me personally is the fact that I wasn’t 100% sure of what I wanted to do yet. UCI is so well-rounded that I could go into practically any major offered here and still receive a very strong education! I love being at UCI because it’s a great place for me to grow and the opportunities are endless. I really wish I knew about everything that UCI had to offer much sooner than I did."
would you say your classes are very rigorous and require work outside of school, or is it more laid back and you have time to go out and hang out with friends?
"I would say that it really depends on your major and the courses that are required for the major. Being an undeclared student, I’ve taken courses from biology to psychology to education, so I’ve had a little taste of what some majors of different vigors go through. IN MY OWN EXPERIENCE, I can personally say that courses in the STEM category have the harder side of the workload and non-STEM courses are fairly manageable depending on the course. But overall, I would say that it really depends on the course’s emphasis (for example, the organic chemistry courses are a killer for many students, but other science courses are much easier) and the professor (some provide lots of study materials to work with and some just give the basics)! With my courses, I’ve still been able to hang out with friends, join on-campus clubs, and do work outside of school. I also have many friends who are STEM majors and they all have time to hang out and have a social life as well! It all depends on you!"
What is your major and is it what you wanted to study since high school?
"I am an Undeclared major in the UCI School of Social Sciences! Throughout high school I had no idea of what I wanted to do. I just assumed I wanted to be a pediatrician because I like working with kids and it’s a good paying job. I was accepted into UCI as a Biological Sciences major but later realized that it wasn’t for me. I became Undeclared and was able to take a wider variety of courses to figure out what I wanted to do. Counselors soon eased me into a specific college within the university but did not pressure me into declaring a major just yet. I’m still figuring things out, but advisors here have helped guide me in my own direction. I’ve just been taking each quarter after the last one and figuring it all out step by step! UCI has been a great place to help me figure things out and grow."
What is one thing you wished you did more research on before applying to colleges? Should students pay attention to how good the food is, whether the college is prestigious, or if it’s a good college for their major?
"I really wish I hadn’t listened to my high school peers as much as I did. Lots of them were focused on reputation and location so I just kind of applied to whatever schools had a good reputation or wherever I could see myself living. Biiiiig mistake. I wish I tried to figure out what I wanted to do academically sooner so I could apply to schools that were strong in my desired specialty. With UCI being so well-rounded, I knew that if I wasn’t going to be my original declared major, I wouldn’t have to worry about switching because nearly all of the majors at UCI come from strong programs. So it’s totally fine to not be sure of what you want to do yet! I’m still in the same boat. Some advice I’d give is to avoid solely relying on a university’s reputation and prestige. Don’t focus on what others will think of your university. While it may be cool to say “I graduated from ___________,” it isn’t everything. Focus on whether or not a school will help YOU grow! Go to a school that you can see yourself best growing and succeeding at. I know it’s cliche but do whatever you think is best for you and your own future. Good luck and maybe we’ll see you at UCI! (zot zot zot)"