UC Irvine applicants

[oopalfrootz]

<Early apology to admins: wasn't sure whether this belongs in Chemistry or Interviews/Visits forum>

 

Hi everyone! I was accepted to UC Irvine and am visiting on the 15th. I said I'd stay with a current student on the nights of the 14th/15th March, and then spend the day of the 16th in LA *how exciting* before flying back from LAX to London that night!

 

So... I assume it's mostly chemists who will be visiting that day. Anyone want to come and hang out in LA with me?! A couple of online friends have given me some rough pointers of the best places to go. Got to be better than doing it on your own...

 

I'm 21 year old female, nerdy, enjoy organic chemistry, Twitter and animals; just really want to see the city as I've never been there before. In case any of you feel weird asking.

[prolixity]

<Early apology to admins: wasn't sure whether this belongs in Chemistry or Interviews/Visits forum>

 

Hi everyone! I was accepted to UC Irvine and am visiting on the 15th. I said I'd stay with a current student on the nights of the 14th/15th March, and then spend the day of the 16th in LA *how exciting* before flying back from LAX to London that night!

 

So... I assume it's mostly chemists who will be visiting that day. Anyone want to come and hang out in LA with me?! A couple of online friends have given me some rough pointers of the best places to go. Got to be better than doing it on your own...

 

I'm 21 year old female, nerdy, enjoy organic chemistry, Twitter and animals; just really want to see the city as I've never been there before. In case any of you feel weird asking.

Hi,

 

I attended UC Irvine for my undergrad.  UC Irvine is approximately 40 km south of LA and is about an hour to an hour-and-a-half drive depending on traffic conditions. I would recommend exploring Orange County rather than Los Angeles, as Orange County will be your stomping grounds if you choose to attend.  I am totally serious.  I probably traveled to Los Angeles fewer than a dozen times during my undergraduate career.

 

In Orange County, if you travel south along the coast, you'll encounter a ton of beautiful beach towns with amazing cafes, museums, art galleries, bars, boardwalks, and otherwise awesome locations.  Places like Dana Point, Laguna Beach, San Clemente, etc.  Newport beach is a bit too bro-tastic for me, but if you're into that sort of thing, it will accommodate you.  There are a ton of cool independent music venues in Costa Mesa and the best mexican food I've ever had (Taco Mesa).  

 

When you're in Irvine, be sure to eat at Veggie Grill (100% vegan fast food) in the shopping center accessible by pedestrian bridge from the campus, explore the Anthill tavern (where I would order pitchers and study Pchem), and check out the graduate student housing options (Verano Place is quiet, safe, and cheaper than the other options).  

 

Keep in mind that life in Irvine will require you to own a car.  This is absolutely a necessity (I was so happy to sell mine when I moved to Boston for grad school).

 

Good luck, and don't forget to check out AirUCI (which has a great reputation and awesome faculty) when you're thinking about advisors.

[oopalfrootz]

Thanks so much for all the tips! I guess I'll see how it goes wrt LA. I'm flying out of LAX, but flexible on whether I'll head that way early or late in the day. 

 

ESPECIALLY thanks for letting me know about Veggie Grill - I am vegan at the moment, but after my experience in Illinois, was expecting to have to become vegetarian when I got to America. I'm also one of those vegans who is not a great advert for how healthy it can be as I love my junk food a lot more than I should - looking forward to the place! 

 

Heard good things about Verano Place from other people too - for the benefit of any other applicants who may read this. Despite being the only one which provides for families with kids (I think), everyone seems to claim it's the quietest.