Full disclosure: I attended Riverside City College and University of California, Riverside from 2017-2021. So if you’re wondering what homework is like while attending there (esp. as a potential business major), this article is for you.
I’m going to explain the homework scenarios in both schools so you would know what to expect. Of course, many of the concepts will apply to general community colleges and universities. Still, you will know what to expect in your transition out of high school into college, especially if you’re in the UC system or a community college around LA.
Let’s dive in!
Riverside Community College Homework
In case you missed it at the top, here’s proof I really did attend Riverside Community College:
For RCC homework, I would receive article based questions and/or textbook based questions in general education courses. In some classes, students would turn homework in physically to the professor or turn it in online.
For math, I would be assigned 10-15 questions per chapter. In most cases, the math homework chapters were being done in an online format to be turned in directly. For extra assistance, I would take advantage of the resources my community college offered such as their free tutoring service.
For other subjects, I would make an appointment online to meet with a tutor for help in a span of one hour. But the only disadvantage is that the time slots can be filled up quickly, so plan accordingly!
RCC also offered their Math Learning Center (lots of people need help with that) where I could just walk in without making an appointment. Check to see what your school offers, but if you’re going to RCC you’ll definitely want to take advantage.
I would attend my professor’s office hours as well. Most profs conduct office hours for only 3-4 hours a week. I would come in and ask questions and clarifications for a certain homework concept after an in-class lecture. The professors always made sure that I got the material right. Overall, these resources were definitely beneficial in my community college success.
University of California-Riverside Homework
I just graduated this year so still waiting on the degree, but here’s a picture of me with Scotty Highlander after finishing my homework last semester:
When I transferred to UCR, the last two years of my Undergraduate journey were focused on my major of Business Administration. In my Senior year, the classes I took were focused on my concentration classes (finance) as well as business electives. Students get to take important core business classes such as:
- Business Writing
- Information Systems
- Business Ethics
- Marketing
- Decision Analysis
- Management Science
- Supply Chain
- Finance
- Organizational Behavior
All of these classes can be done in your junior year. Lastly, you’ll take a Strategic Management class for a senior capstone class. All university students have to take it at UCR before graduating.
The type of homework questions I would receive for all the core business classes are textbook-based questions. So the homework is pretty straightforward. In rare instances, I would get article-based questions as well.
For help, I would attend professor office hours every week for 3-4 hours a week. I didn’t attend as much as at RCC, but I was better at studying by then too. In cases where I didn’t understand the material quite as well, I would come to them for clarifications and I would write down questions in my notes beforehand.
Teaching Assistants are also helpful, but tougher to reach!
I would attend their office hours for extra homework assistance to learn important concepts and materials. This was especially important since most core business classes have 100-150 students per class at UCR. Each of the core business classes have 3-4 TAs depending on how many students are enrolled in the class.
A little context on TA roles:
The TAs are 2nd-Year MBA (Masters of Business Administration) students. Some of them are also Ph.D. students in the UCR Graduate Business School. They are responsible for conducting weekly 1-hour discussions. Like profs, they also offer weekly office hours ranging from 2-4 hours a week, but like I said they aren’t as accessible.
The only possible disadvantage of office hours (TA or otherwise) is that you may have to wait for a while to speak with them. But for me, I never experienced that! The Professors and TAs were helpful in making sure that I am on the right page. Overall, attending office hours of both my Professors and the TAs were beneficial in my success at UCR.
Conclusion
You’ve made it to the end! Taking advantage of the resources that your school offers while speaking to your Professors in their office hours help achieve your educational goals.
So take advantage of those study resources on campus! Whether it’s in-person or online, the effort will help you better understand your class materials and your professor’s expectation of you.
If this was helpful to you or you have something to add for tips to other students, please leave a like or comment or share it with others. Let’s go Tigers/Highlanders!!! 🐯 🐻
About the Author
Gus Estebar is a summer intern at StudyGate and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of California-Riverside. You can learn more about the StudyGate internship program and apply directly by visiting our Partners page.