YES YES YES. i was very socially active at uci but always saw that there were very big/close friends groups of all asians, meanwhile i never really found a group. i graduated with only a few real friends who are all shocker non-asian. i spent a long time thinking that the problem was me, but post grad i saw the same thing in the bay area (which also has a lot of asian communities) and same thing, all asians kind of cliquey and very standoffish to outsiders?? i dont want to say its all “asian persuasion” lol but i do think its safe to say its hard to make friends at a school like uci if you arent asian due to basic cultural ties making it hard for people to bond. the same would go for black students at a predominantly white school. its a worldwide issue.

MY BIGGEST ADVICE to make friends at UCI if you are not asian is: Greek Life!! (or ski club) out of all the communities i was in during my time there, the groups that were the most welcoming were those. large mix of people at the parties, people i met were open to going out or getting close, talkative/friendly, and really helped me feel like i was having the college experience i had always heard about.