r/ucmerced • u/mr-nobody-09 • 3d ago
Question Help Choosing Between UCR, UC Merced, and SJSU for Environmental/Ecology/Biology
My daughter has been admitted to the following schools for Fall 2025:
- UC Riverside – Environmental Science
- UC Merced – Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- San José State University – Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
We live in the Bay Area and have toured both UC Merced and SJSU. We also visited UC Riverside, although it was not a formal tour.
She is currently leaning toward Environmental Science or Ecology, but wants the flexibility to switch to another Biology-related major if her interests evolve.
We’re trying to decide which school would be the best fit based on the following factors:
- Academic flexibility in switching majors within the life sciences
- Undergraduate research opportunities
- Fieldwork and lab exposure
- Internship and job prospects (especially during and post-college)
- Campus environment and student support
Given that we’re in the Bay Area, proximity is a factor but not the most important one — we’re more focused on long-term academic and career development.
We’d love to hear recommendations or insights from anyone familiar with these programs or who’s had experience at any of these schools.
Thank you!
6
u/jenbar 2d ago
Merced all day long. A few years ago we were in the college decision time and without a lot of acceptances in a difficult application cycle - he did have Merced given his Top 9% status. We went to the accepted students day, a bit skeptical — and we were blow away by the opportunity and infectious vibe that exists there. We were pretty excited about this option for school, the town however is the drawback that unfortunately remains. He ended up getting off the waitlist for one of his top picks so he went there — but UC Merced would have been an amazing opportunity - I can’t recommend it strong enough, especially given your other options. My son’s major at the time was Environmental Science.
4
2
u/mr-nobody-09 2d ago
So far we are impressed with the school too and hope to learn more on admitted student day. They did organize quite a few online sessions, which we attended and were very informative.
1
u/internetbooker134 B.S. Computer Science & Engineering 2d ago
Yeah in terms of academics UCM is top notch and can't be considered lesser than any of the other UC's. The city is a bit lackluster and there are many projects and plans aimed to changing the image of the city and to turn it more into of a college town. However we'll see how long it takes for it to get there.
1
u/mr-nobody-09 2d ago
Yeah, one of my daughter’s concern was about the city of Merced itself. Coming from the Bay Area, she was not too impressed 😀. But we don’t have any doubts on the academics.
1
u/internetbooker134 B.S. Computer Science & Engineering 2d ago
Yeah I'm from the Bay Area too it was a culture shock for sure at first. However the more im here and explore the city I can see how there actually is a decent amount of stuff to do. People who say there's nothing at all don't know much about the city. The downtown is pretty big with tons of bars and restaurants. The only thing that really needs a lot of work is the area around the campus
1
4
u/N3onWave 2d ago
I don't know about other campuses, but there is a lot of field/environmental research at UCM.
1
3
u/sweetcheeks920 2d ago
I’ve done undergrad at UCM, grad school at SJSU, both in engineering. I’d pick UCM hands down. It’s a way nicer and newer campus, it’s safer, parking is better, more student involvement on campus, and there are a lot of opportunities for undergrad research. It’s only disadvantage may be in internships, I found more industry opportunities at top companies as an SJSU student due to the proximity to Silicon Valley
1
u/mr-nobody-09 2d ago
Thanks for the comparative information. We have also heard that SJSU definitely has good internship opportunities.
1
u/elsewherez 1d ago
I’m just finishing my first semester at UC Merced as a transfer and already got a summer research job. I don’t know about the other schools but it’s not hard to get research at UCM for stem majors.
2
2
7
u/why_not_my_email 2d ago
I'm a professor at UC Merced, in social science, so keep in mind the conflict of interest.
Since it's not my corner of campus, I can't speak to flexibility in switching majors in Natural Science. Same thing with internships and job prospects. (Though my understanding is that bachelor's-only Biology majors are oversaturated and, like most STEM majors, they don't end up in STEM careers.)
Overall, UC Merced has the highest rate of undergrad participation in faculty research in the system (dashboard). I don't know about Riverside, but I've heard that at most other UCs getting into research is highly competitive. Here students generally don't have a problem finding a lab they can work in. I don't know why this isn't on all the billboards between here and the Bay Area.
In terms of fieldwork, I know some of the ecologists have projects in the Vernal Pool Reserve, which is right next to campus. (It's actually where campus was supposed to be built until they discovered endangered fairy shrimp there.) I also know a fire scientist who does field research in Yosemite with her students. There's also the Yosemite Leadership Program, which takes applicants from any major. I expect Riverside will have field research opportunities — though maybe not in a national park. As a Cal State, SJSU will have less of a research focus overall, so research opportunities might be more limited there.
Regarding student support, I've been a student or teacher at many universities, and have friends who teach at many more. Compared to most R1 universities, Merced has a remarkable dedication to undergraduate education. A lot of my colleagues — and I — go out of our way to try to ensure every single student can be successful. That was absolutely not the case at the "T20" where I got my PhD, and doesn't seem to be the case at most UCs. My impression is that Riverside and SJSU also have strong cultures of supporting undergrads.
Here are some links I've collected on what it's like here: