rdsull89 Posted February 14, 2014 Posted February 14, 2014 Hi all, I just wanted to make a thread for UCR admits to say hello and ask questions. I'm a current grad student and would be happy to answer any questions you may have (and, feel free to PM me if you'd prefer). Look forward to talking to/ meeting you all! Fearful at UCR 1
Fiz Posted February 14, 2014 Posted February 14, 2014 I think I know u! Id say the last name if this werent the internet!
arober6912 Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 rdsull89, thanks for starting the thread! I have been accepted and am hoping to attend (mainly waiting to hear some information about my partner's job status) in the fall. I know it seems like a basic question, but we have been trying to begin the apartment search and I was wondering what your thoughts are on places to live in Riverside. We hope to walk/bike/ride the bus for the majority of our outings, if possible. Any advice? I hope to see you in March at the open house.
mmorrison Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 I'm very torn right now, and I'm waiting for campus visits before deciding, but if I was the gambling type, I'd say that Riverside probably has a slight edge given the package and some family considerations based on location. I'm really looking forward to the open house. Have any of you heard back from the department after the initial recruitment letters? I emailed Tina Feldmann (asking if she could help me connect with current grads to ask a few questions) and Heidi Brayman Hackel (thanking her for the detailed letter), but I haven't heard back. I imagine they're swamped right now, though, of course. In addition to program considerations, I am really hoping to get a sense for the family experience in Riverside. Schools, neighborhoods, where do people with kids live, that sort of thing. I'd like to live close to campus, but I am afraid that the schools might be better a bit farther afield. It's hard to weigh those things out without being local. Fearful at UCR 1
arober6912 Posted February 20, 2014 Posted February 20, 2014 Mmorrison, glad to meet another potential student. I have not heard anything further than the initial decision email, then the email/letter from Heidi Brayman Hackel. I'm hoping to hear soon so I can begin making travel arrangements for the open house.
rdsull89 Posted February 22, 2014 Author Posted February 22, 2014 Hello and congrats to both of you! Good questions--so, regarding apartments and places to live with families: generally, I'd say the "Canyon Crest" area is your best bet (around Canyon Crest and Central there are a lot of apartment complexes--a lot of grad students live there, but not many undergrads). It's not too expensive, it's definitely walking/biking distance from campus (there's also a bus), and there are a lot of grad students that live there. It's generally pretty safe, and one of the nicer parts of Riverside (it's fairly big and spread out, so it is very different in many different areas). I wish I could say more about schools, but I can't think of any students who have school-age children who live in Riverside...I would say there are probably better options closer to campus than further away though. As far as hearing back--if you haven't heard from Tina or HBH recently, maybe just send a nice reminder e-mail. Or, alternately, you could call Tina--she's there Tues-Friday and would be happy to answer questions, I'm sure. But if there's anything else I can answer or address, please feel free to ask away or PM me! Excited to see you both at open house! Fearful at UCR 1
rdsull89 Posted February 22, 2014 Author Posted February 22, 2014 I also wanted to add, here, based on your posts in the other Riverside thread, the teaching load is always 1 class per quarter. Fearful at UCR and arober6912 1 1
Kamisha Posted February 22, 2014 Posted February 22, 2014 Hello and congrats to both of you! Good questions--so, regarding apartments and places to live with families: generally, I'd say the "Canyon Crest" area is your best bet (around Canyon Crest and Central there are a lot of apartment complexes--a lot of grad students live there, but not many undergrads). It's not too expensive, it's definitely walking/biking distance from campus (there's also a bus), and there are a lot of grad students that live there. It's generally pretty safe, and one of the nicer parts of Riverside (it's fairly big and spread out, so it is very different in many different areas). I wish I could say more about schools, but I can't think of any students who have school-age children who live in Riverside...I would say there are probably better options closer to campus than further away though. As far as hearing back--if you haven't heard from Tina or HBH recently, maybe just send a nice reminder e-mail. Or, alternately, you could call Tina--she's there Tues-Friday and would be happy to answer questions, I'm sure. But if there's anything else I can answer or address, please feel free to ask away or PM me! Excited to see you both at open house! In terms of not having heard back yet, I thought I’d throw in that I emailed Tina a few days ago and she told me all acceptances have gone out and all wait list notifications would go out before February 21st (yesterday), so it sounds like those of us who haven’t heard will be getting rejections shortly! kstee001 and Kamisha 1 1
mmorrison Posted February 23, 2014 Posted February 23, 2014 I'm sure they are up to their ears right now, and I'm not in a hurry other than wanting to book travel. I can wait for the questions I was wanting to direct to Tina. I did hear from Dr. Hackel today when she sent a rough itinerary for the open house. It sounds like they're planning some worthwhile activities; I'm looking forward to it. She said she'd been negotiation with the Grad Division for travel funding, which is A-ok with me! If you haven't heard the details yet, she said they're putting us up for two nights and can contribute up to $400 toward air and ground transport. Tickets from here are over $400, even into LAX, but I can swing the difference. The "official" stuff starts at 2 on Wednesday. I might fly in the day prior because of the weird flight schedules from here, so if anyone wants to get brunch before showing up, maybe we can make a plan.
arober6912 Posted February 23, 2014 Posted February 23, 2014 Mmorrison, I found it cheaper to fly into Ontario. Around $350 from my area (south GA) I think, though I'm not sure, it's possible to get from Ontario airport to downtown Riverside without renting a car by some sort of shuttle so you might want to look into that. I'll be out there Tuesday evening (it was cheaper and easier than getting there Wednesday). mmorrison 1
rdsull89 Posted February 23, 2014 Author Posted February 23, 2014 In regards to travel, DEFINITELY come to Ontario, not LAX. LAX is a nightmare, and Ontario is only about 15 minutes away. If you don't want a rental car, typically a grad student pick up is always an option. I'm sure Prof. Brayman Hackel will work that out soon. If you do need to get here early and need any advice about places to go, or want any company, feel free to e-mail. Yes--things are a little hectic right now. Our open house has always been almost a month later, so there's some transitioning; also, open house has typically been 1 day, but now they are making tons of changes and turning it into a 2 day event. But, it should be really useful (and hopefully fun!). As far as notifications, I'm sure they will be on that as soon as possible. We did just have a job search (last week was the last visit) so that has taken up a lot of time, and I'm sure they will get too it as soon as possible. Fearful at UCR 1
mmorrison Posted February 23, 2014 Posted February 23, 2014 I checked Ontario, and it's a bit more from here. I think I will probably suck it up, though, and go that route. The flight schedule is not ideal; I was really trying not to miss both meetings of my T/R class right after our Spring Break. It looks almost unavoidable, though, even through LAX, so it might be a moot point and I might arrive late Tuesday, too. The only way to arrive on time for Wednesday is to get up at 3 am, which of course is midnight the night before, Pacific time. I think I would probably look like a drowned cat, perhaps not the ideal first impression! I am planning to rent a car so that I can check out the area, but I might hold off until Friday for that if there is a shuttle or possible ride option. Good suggestion. By the way, thanks so much, Ryan, for the insight on neighborhoods. I am trying to decide whether or not buying a condo might be a better idea for me than renting, maybe after the first year. I think I just have rent sticker shock, having lived in a super-cheap area the last three years. Before that, I owned. I would seriously consider the UCR family housing, which look like adorable little low-maintenance bungalows, except that they don't allow pets. :-/
mmorrison Posted February 23, 2014 Posted February 23, 2014 Mmorrison, I found it cheaper to fly into Ontario. Around $350 from my area (south GA) I think, though I'm not sure, it's possible to get from Ontario airport to downtown Riverside without renting a car by some sort of shuttle so you might want to look into that. I'll be out there Tuesday evening (it was cheaper and easier than getting there Wednesday). I'll let you know if I end up coming in at the same time; maybe we can get breakfast/brunch before the craziness starts Wednesday afternoon.
rdsull89 Posted February 23, 2014 Author Posted February 23, 2014 The big thing about LAX is (beyond the actual airport) traffic around it is pretty horrid at most times. If you want to save some money, I think the 1-day car rental is a good idea--we do have grad students who can probably give rides from/to the airport or to campus etc. so you don't absolutely need a car the whole time, if you want to save expenses that way. And yeah, the cost of living can seem a bit high--you may also want to look at Moreno Valley. It's pretty much part of Riverside, and the section North of the 60 freeway and east of the 215 is fairly nice/good for families. It tends to be a bit cheaper and it's still only a few miles from campus. I don't know personally, but I have heard some not so great things about the family housing options through UCR (mostly regarding the area). Fearful at UCR 1
rdsull89 Posted March 6, 2014 Author Posted March 6, 2014 Looking forward to seeing everyone next week! Fearful at UCR 1
rdsull89 Posted March 15, 2014 Author Posted March 15, 2014 I hope everything went well for you all--it was a lot of fun getting to meet you all. (Aspire--sorry I didn't get to meet you in person!) Feel free to post here or message me if you have any questions--I know it's the difficult decision time and there's lots of decompressing to do. Fearful at UCR 1
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