Written by Yingjie Yang
There are a lot of activities on campus that you can be a part of, whether you would like to work out at the gym, enjoy high-quality concerts or art shows, or getting involved for public causes. When not in classroom, graduate students can also attend talks or seminars of renowned scholars, participate in classes offered by the Graduate Resource Center, join various outreach events, or just chill at Aldrich Park and enjoy the California sunshine.
The Anteater Recreation Center is a great resource for students looking for physical activities on campus with well-equipped gyms and walk-in times for different sports. Club sports, outdoor sports, and intramural sports are fun not only for professional players but also for other players interested, such as climbing, hockey, soccer, volleyball, sailing, and kayaking. Various recreation activity classes are also offered, as well as wellness and fitness sessions. They have cool subjects such as martial arts, cooking classes, and dancing classes for leisure, as well as CPR training if you would like to get a certification. Check out the website to get more information: https://www.campusrec.uci.edu/index.asp.
The Claire Trevor School of the Arts offers a wide range of events, such as chamber and jazz concerts of the Spring Soiree series, symphony orchestra performances from the Department of Music, the Digifilm Festival from the Department of Art, the Dance Escape performances from the Department of Dance, and so on. You could sign up for their weekly email updates to learn more about their upcoming events. Students can also audition for the band or the orchestra, check out the website of the Claire Trevor School of the Arts if you are interested: http://www.arts.uci.edu/events.
Out of the events offered through the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, one thing I would definitely recommend during the summer is the New Swan Shakespeare Festival. Every year, they collaborate with UCI Illuminations and the Department of Drama to put on two classic plays. OC weekly commented it as such: “the intimate nature of New Swan put the cast right in our laps”. The stages are usually built near the Langson Library, and as intimate as it is, the setup always leads you right into the scene with captivating music and lighting. As UCI students, we can watch the plays for free if there are seats available before the play starts. The line usually starts 15 min before the play does, and seats are offered on a first-come-first-serve basis. This coming summer, starting from July 3rd to August 31st, “The Merchant of Venice” and “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” are showing and I look forward to it very much.
Diverse volunteering or network opportunities are offered through the university and through each department, it is always a good idea to get in touch with the graduate student association of your department, to learn more about specific programs. You could also refer to the UCI volunteer programs for more information: https://volunteer.uci.edu/.
If you would like a hang-out spot or a study space, there are plenty of places on campus that you can spend time at. There is outdoor seating near the Starbucks on campus, at the Java coffee shop, around Student Center, on the plaza near Engineering Tower, and so on. You can always find a cozy spot to talk with your friends, or just to listen to the birds sing. Aldrich Park is also a favorite hang-out space for students, just imagine sitting under a tree, reading a good book, running into a cute hummingbird, and enjoying your day. The inner and outer ring roads are not only your pathways to classes and events; they can also be the perfect tracks if you like running or walking at night. There is generally sufficient lighting and fewer people at night, hence you will be able to enjoy the evening breeze perfectly while working up a sweat.
If you are a resident in one of the three on-campus graduate housing communities, Verano Place, Palo Verde, and Campus Village, your community will also offer opportunities for networking or hanging out. For example, Campus Village routinely offers movie nights of the latest films, board game nights, and yoga exercises. You would also have access to the community centers equipped with barbeque grills, pool tables, study rooms, gym equipment and other facilities.