<p>The fact of the matter is, the OP asked, “How big of a factor is the essay in the decision at UC Riverside?” You answered, “I have a 2.5 GPA. I can spell my name. I would like to attend. TTYL!”. It’s this kind of elitism (not to mention the inaccuracy of the post) that really bothers me. The OP was simply asking an academic question about Riverside and you felt the need to bash the school for who knows what reason.</p>
<p>Ok, I’ll take bake the references of race and class, but the fact remains that UC Riverside is an important system in the campus that does provide the opportunity at a UC education for first generation, minorities and low income students who otherwise would not have a chance at the other campuses. </p>
<p>Sure, you probably don’t have a good view of the student body and campus and think they’re dumb and third-rate or whatever. However, like I mentioned, the campus does have a place in the system and I don’t see why when someone asks a question about about essays he has to get the responses like the ones in this thread.</p>