<p>Hey there! I am an incoming freshman to UCR and I was wondering if I should buy a bike. My parents won’t allow me to bring a car, so I thought about the next best transportation. I’m looking at bikes around $300 at a bike shop or would a $100 or less bike at Target, Walmart, etc be better? But I was wondering if I would actually need it for college or would it just be better to walk around. With things like getting around the campus, going to hang out with friends, and just interacting in general would it be worth while to buy a $300 bike? Or is walking around from place to place just fine for the next 4 years.</p>
<p>Another question and trouble I have is the fact that I’m going to UCR. UCR was my backup college and I was rejected to other colleges like UC Irvine and Cal Poly Pomona. I keep hearing terrible things about how UCR isn’t a good college in terms of lifestyle, education, quality, environment, etc. I am planning to major in Computer Science and in later years if I stick with it decide whether to become a programmer or an animator (or any other branches I can do). I’m worried that in the future my degree wouldn’t be worth anything at all because it was from UCR compared to schools like UCLA, USC, UCI, CalPoly, etc in terms of the Computer Science field for a career/job.</p>
<p>Also, I’m wondering if I should do work study to get some spending money. The problem is for the fall quarter my 4 classes are spread out through the day so I have classes from the morning with 1-2 hour breaks or more between with my last class ending around 8-9 PM. Should I do work study to help my parents with the college costs and get some spending money myself? I’m thinking it would be a good reference too for future jobs as work experience.</p>
<p>Summary of Questions:
Is it worthwhile to buy a $300 bike (Or should I look for cheaper Target/Walmart alternatives) for college to commute to class and hang outs with friends</p>
<p>2) Is my computer science degree going to be worth anything to employers since I’m from UCR?</p>
<p>3) Should I do work study to get spending money and help parents with college bills? While I have 4 classes spread out throughout the day with 1-2 hour breaks in between. Or would it be ill-advised?</p>
<p>I don’t know much about the marketability of computer science degrees from various schools.</p>
<p>I can’t speak to whether or not a bike is worth having at your school either. If you do get a bike, though, I wouldn’t buy one from Target or WalMart. I’ve been looking at bikes as a possible Christmas present for a teenager, and I really do think the extra hundred dollars is really worth it for the quality.</p>
<p>As to whether you should do work/study, I think you should talk to your parents and try to figure out how much they can use the help and how much you’re going to want that time for studying. If they can afford it, it might make sense for you not to do work/study your first semester while you’re adjusting. On the other hand, there are work/study jobs that leave students with a lot of time to study on the job.</p>
<p>For college go for a cheap bike. A more expensive bike is one thing if you have your own secure home and are using it a lot. For getting around campus and leaving it around campus go for cheap. And get a good cable lock.</p>
<p>When you guys say “cheap” how much is that? Because I dont really see cheap bikes at bike shops, only at places like walmart.</p>
<p>I’m still wondering if it would really be worth the money to buy a bike. I want to know if a college person would actually end up using it. Would it really break even in terms of what I pay for to the amount that I use it.</p>
<p>Is computer science a good major money wise? My friend says he is doing CIS major and not CS b/c of the way the economy is going and how jobs are going off shore for computers. Would I really even be able to find money coming out of college? I understand that in the future what would really matter is the work experience and references, but what about in the beginning after college when you look for a job so you can actually get experience?</p>
<p>I’d never have spent $200 on a bike at my old school since bike theft was so common there. Pretty much the only bikes that survived four years on bike racks were ones not worth stealing.</p>
<p>It’s up to you if it’s worth buying a bike. I used to walk 30 minutes each way to and from school, but I enjoyed the work and the terrain was really hilly, so biking would have been miserable. I had friends that lived considerably closer but chose to bike because they’d rather spend the extra few minutes sleeping in instead of walking.</p>
<p>bump to look for answer to previous questions</p>
<p>When you guys say “cheap” how much is that? Because I dont really see cheap bikes at bike shops, only at places like walmart.</p>
<p>I’m still wondering if it would really be worth the money to buy a bike. I want to know if a college person would actually end up using it. Would it really break even in terms of what I pay for to the amount that I use it.</p>
<p>Is computer science a good major money wise? My friend says he is doing CIS major and not CS b/c of the way the economy is going and how jobs are going off shore for computers. Would I really even be able to find money coming out of college? I understand that in the future what would really matter is the work experience and references, but what about in the beginning after college when you look for a job so you can actually get experience?</p>
<p>A good bike will definitely be handy in college. Just make sure you get a nice lock because it does become a target to thieves.</p>
<p>Your CS degree will be worth something, but it will be a little more difficult finding a good job when you’re competing against people from other good schools. However, as already mentioned, it’s your work experience that’ll land you a job years down the line–not your school.</p>
<p>Buy a used bike. Something good. You can get like a 500 dollar bike for 150-200.
Usually bikes lose half their retail value after just one year, and 10-20 percent per year after that.</p>
<p>That way you have something nice to ride, and you won’t be afraid of beating it up.</p>
<p>Get a good lock with insurance. You will only be able to get a good lock at a quality bike shop.</p>
<p>It might be a good idea to start two threads, one about biking and one about computer science. You could put the latter in the majors forum or the UC-R forum, where people who actually have experience in CS can give you some advice. Just some advice on getting advice.</p>
<p>I decided not to bring a bike. I’ve heard too many horror stories on people bringing $200 mountain bikes to university and having them stolen right off bike locks after three weeks (hint – bike locks do nothing if you have a screwdriver and the know-how).</p>
<p>My D needed a bike to get between classes. On Monday, we bought her a $65 purple bike at WalMart.</p>
<p>Its a college of 50,000 students. On Tues, the police newsletter reported two stolen bikes. On Weds, the police newsletter reported two stolen bikes. Thurs, just one. That’s the last report I’ve read.</p>
<p>She is keeping it securely locked but what we mostly hope is that no one WANTS a $65 purple bike from WalMart.</p>