By, El Seabern | Writer
February 4, 2016
With the first semester quickly flying by and coming to an end, our new second semester seniors have a lot going through their minds. Acceptance and rejection letters beginning to come in daily, the question arises; where do I really want to spend my next four years?
This article will take you into an inside look at the University of California, Irvine and why it may be the perfect choice for you or a friend.
UCI, located only half an hour driving distance away from us, is a well known public research university. It is one of the 10 general UC campuses, and the closest to us geographically which may be very appealing to some.
UCI is often called a “public Ivy League” due to the fact that it offers more then 170 undergraduate and graduate degrees and is also one of the highest universities that partake in research. Yet still is significantly lower tuition fees then other well known universities.
A little fun fact: students recently found a way to UNboil an egg, this being the first university/ research center to be able to do this.
UCI is home of the Anteaters and its school colors are blue and gold. It is a division one school and has phenomenal athletic teams to keep their reign going, notably men’s baseball, men’s basketball, and women’s water polo.
There are roughly 24,000 undergraduate students currently attending, but with 38% freshman acceptance rate, each student is there for a reason and shows great potential.
I sat down with a San Clemente alumni and current freshman student-athlete attending UCI, Dylan Riddle. He explained to me that, “UCI has definitely lived up to its hype. It is very challenging and the atmosphere is great. The campus is amazing and I definitely feel like I belong here.”
He explained that being a student athlete is very rewarding and you do get a lot of help and benefits when needed. But he also mentioned that every student has a lot of opportunities and if you are struggling there are so many amazing staff members ready to help. There is a sense of equality between each student, whether or not they play a sport or have a scholarship. Everyone has worked for their right to attend this school and each student treats each other with respect.
As we walked around the campus, he explained to me it is one of the most safe places he has ever come across. The campus is surrounded by a very safe and supportive town which really helps. It is also noticeably more clean compared to other campuses I have visited.
There is also a lot to do on and off campus regularly and you are rarely ever bored. There is a great campus village located near the dorms that many of the students hangout at, and Irvine’s students regularly hold events for all to attend.
UCI is truly a great place and I think every San Clemente student should think of it as a viable option. It is in a great location and not too far from us, but just far enough to have the college experience.
For more information, visit: http://uci.edu/
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