I loved the size of the university. It's small enough that there's room to create new clubs and to leave your mark, but it's also large enough to make lifetime connections and be able to apple to amazing internships.
My sister attends UC Merced and I was able to stay with for a week. I really love the campus and the food it has. I really loved the dorms and wouldn't mind living there. One thing I would change, however, are mattresses; they are really hard and uncomfortable to sleep on. I do love the area around the campus, and I did attend some of my sister's classes to get a taste of a college class environment, and her professors were extremely welcoming and allowed me to participate on the activities.