University of California - Irvine Reviews

"My experience at the University of California, Irvine was wonderful overall. The campus is beautiful and has a diverse student population. The courses offered within my major and school were many and covered a plethora of topics and subject matter. You could be as broad or as specific as you want with the classes you took. I took courses on both the theoretical and the practical side of my field. For example I had courses on political theory based on the discourse of philosophers from the 18th and 19th centuries as well as courses comparing the modern politics of governments in North American and Asia. These two sides of learning provided me a more balanced education. An additional plus, the faculty were always available to meet with you if you needed the extra help or if you just wanted to discuss a certain topic more."

"UCI is an amazing school, just as all the internet articles and surveys mention. The campus is small enough to become well connected with students and professors, but still big enough for you to run out of breath on the way to class. There are plenty of research opportunities and internships to become involved with during the four years of undergraduate studies. The people and the environment make UCI a very welcoming environment for all ages and ethnicities."

"UCI is a large public university. Class sizes on an undergraduate level especially intro classes are several hundred students. The positive of such a large research oriented school is that there are a number of research opportunities and a number of opportunities to TA. The downside is that students can and do get lost in the shuffle and each TA is responsible for 60-100 students which makes it difficult to balance the teaching load and your own coursework plus research"

"Great place to study computer science! Good selection of classes"

"The staffs were very helpful and the class is small enough for you to interact with everyone and get to learn things you're focusing on."

"Having been employed in a business related occupation for nearly 20 years and most recently managed my own business, UCI's Paul Merage School of Business solidified the five pillars of business; finance, marketing, management, accounting and information systems into my daily business operations. UCIs instructors and curriculum were well balanced with theory and practical application. It's central location to neighboring Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego were a perfect match. I encourage you to take the UCI challenge. Go Anteaters!"

"UCI's MBA program is a bit of a joke. The students in the FEMBA program by-and-large do not take the academic work seriously. I'd say, apply, you'll get in and then know that you'll get through it. Mostly, UCI just wants your money. What I've heard from alum is that the alumni network really isn't there and if they had to do it over again, they'd go to USC. Disappointing.."

"The University of California, Irvine is great school to attend if you are interested in a career in STEM and/or government. The school offers many opportunities for students to do research, as well as present their findings at conferences, research symposiums and during class among your peers. The school is in a safe location, that is constantly rated among the top 10 safest places to attend school and goes above and beyond to make sure students feel supported both academically and professionally. Students interested in government have a range of extra curricular options including mock trial, pre-law societies, study abroad legal programs, UCI Law Forum, Global Connect, running for office through UCI student government, plus more more opportunities!"

"UCI was a great school that continues to thrive in academics each year. The campus is beautiful, which was a major deal breaker when deciding where to attend college."

"I thought college was a great opportunity to explore what I had a passion for and solidify what I wanted out of a career. I got to take classes on things I was interested in as opposed to things I was forced into learning and it was a really enlightening experience to explore who I am as a person in society."

"A great source of knowledge. An opportunity to interact with highly educated professors and learn from them. Students from various diversity interact friendly and exchange ideas. Has good reputation and job opportunities."

"UCI is a clean, safe, attractive campus, geared towards the sciences and environmentally friendly. There are many opportunities for everyone, however, not just those going into the STEM field."

"The career center is amazing with its tailored approach. The classes are intimate yet very diversified."

"Great location, environment, and diversity. Campus is beautiful. Lots of interesting research opportunities. Terrible quality of education. Complete lack of pedagogy for my first quarter of classes. Professors spent majority of class time reading lecture notes off of pdfs. No critical thinking activities in class. Formative assessments did not lead to summative assessments."

"Pros- A great reputation that is well deserved. Faculty are leaders in the field and make time for students. Grad students in most social science departments are well organized and support each other. There is also a lot of support for students with families. Cons- Irvine is not a fun place to live. It is in driving distance from beaches, mountains, and LA, but you need to have a car to access those things. A lot of students are rent-burdened. It is slightly cheaper to live on campus than off campus, but even on-campus rent is a high percentage of student stipends."

"The campus is mainly a commuter campus and there are many undergraduate events taking place on any given day. As a graduate student, there's enough to keep you engaged but also enough to make sure that you are working towards greater goals. Overall, the faculty are very responsive and care about their students."

"Pros: Great location and housing options. Cons: Lack of school pride, too many commuters"

"Good school, small program, allows for good interaction with the professors however there are also fewer opportunities for research and there are definite biases towards certain concentrations than others"

"The Paul Merage school has grown in rankings significantly helping the prestige and network that you'd want from an MBA - however the faculty are one of the most down to earth groups in any MBA program. They make the application process a joy and truly work to make a good mix for each section. Reading case studies is the norm for MBA programs but the professors all have PHDs and truly engaged in dialogue about the cases as opposed to talking 'at you' or lecturing in a patronizing way."

"It is a very big school which is both a positive and a negative. There are tons of great resources, a very wide variety of classes, extensive study abroad options, and a large beautiful campus. The downside is that it can be difficult to get to know professors, but if you make an effort it is definitely possible."