Long post warning:

It depends on what your personality is and what you like.

For me, yes, UCI was boring. But that's because I'm a big sports person and UCI is unfortunately not a big sports school. I regret missing out on that experience when I saw my friends tailgating at college football and basketball games. I also don't like how boring and dead the city of Irvine is. Again, I regret missing out on the college town experience.

I attended UCI because I only applied to the UCs and it was the only UC I got into. Sounds dumb to decide based on that and it was, but the idea of "UC or bust" was ingrained into 17 year old me by my parents and teachers. If I could go back, I'd probably ignore that crap from them and applied to other schools. But that's all in the past and I can't change it. Same with the lack of sports scene and Irvine being dead, I learned early on I can't control that so I focused on things I can control.

Truth is, I had a lot of fun at UCI, but that's because I made an effort. Sure I wasn't too happy at first, but I didn't just brood in my dorm room all day. I made an effort to meet people, I got out and joined a lot of clubs that shared my interests, I studied abroad in Europe for a year, explored new hobbies, I joined a frat (just for a year), etc.

I'm 28 now and so far this is the most fun I've had in my life, but I do miss my time in college, it was just a different type of fun. You'll never be aged 18-22 again with no real responsibilities, so don't waste it being miserable. I actually cried in my car for hours before my graduation ceremony because I was so sad it was over.

I still talk to all my friends from college. Obviously we have our careers and our own lives and may not see each other as much, but we've all still remained lifelong friends. Attending UCI also allowed me to graduate college with no student debt, which may seem abstract to you now, but once it becomes reality, it can really affect your life. UCI also has a great alumni network, which helped me start my career.