Academics
University of California—Merced is quickly building a name for itself as a cuttingedge research university with a focus on sustainability, and it has acted as a boon to the San Joaquin Valley since it opened. Undergraduates can avail themselves of twenty-four “new, groundbreaking majors” and twenty-five minors. The campus has several specialized research institutes and centers and plenty of further opportunities “for growth and creation since it’s such a new school.” Students find that “the school is great at supporting you on every single level.” In fact, “there are multiple programs to help support students mentally and educationally.” That educational support is nowhere more apparent than in the fact that “no faculty or staff will ever turn down a question, comment or concern.” As such, professors “are always there for students,” and it is “extremely easy to make an appointment when necessary.” One student comments, “They all go out of their way to make sure every question is answered.” Therefore, students find it’s easy to “connect with your professor on a personal level and get advice from them for your career path and educational goals.” Plus, “they bring their love for the community and the material into the class.” Overall, “class sizes are kept reasonably small” and “even in a lecture class, it’s a discussion.” More generally, the school “is always ahead of modern technology,” which “gives the students a feeling of importance and relevance to the growing research” at the school. UC Merced “always displays and announces any new project they are launching”; it “has all the benefits of a research school as well as the benefits of a small college.”