I am a high school senior who is graduating this upcoming June.
Cal Poly SLO and UC Davis have been my top choices since my junior year and I got accepted to Cal Poly SLO. I am currently waiting for UC Davis to release their admissions letters.
I love both schools but I am curious about this: I would like my school to be diverse and I know that UC Davis is more diverse than Cal Poly. I am an Asian. I love Cal Poly SLO because it is closer to my house and the campus is amazing but I am kind of afraid of being a minority. My family wants me to go to Cal Poly SLO. I also love the agricultural environment that UC Davis has and the diversity there. May I get some opinions on how I should choose between Cal Poly SLO and UC Davis?
I would visit both campuses on the admitted students day or open house. You get a feel for the types of students that have been accepted and it may will help with your decision. Both schools seem diverse but SLO will have a much smaller percentage of Asians than Davis. I do not think you will feel out of place at SLO, just pick the school that fits you. Remember you will be there for 4 years.
It depends on what you want from a college and what major you’re applying to. I’d personally choose Davis because of the diversity and better academics. Try to visit both, and see which one you like the best! Congrats on getting into SLO!
I’ve been accepted at Cal Poly SLO also and am waiting for UC Davis to release their decisions. It will be a difficult choice for me if I get into UCD! I’d love to hear what people have to say about these two schools. @imthereal why do you say the academics are better at UCD?
@imthereal Thank you for your help. I have several more questions. Does UC Davis have better academics than Cal Poly SLO? I know that the class sizes are significantly different and that Cal Poly is more of “hands on” education.My major is under agriculture and environmental sciences. I am not really sure about the accuracy but I heard that Cal Poly has higher job employment rate of those students who graduated from that school.
@Hello17: Older son is a 2nd year at UCD in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (ESM). He chose UCD over Cal Poly SLO for several reasons but it came down to the overall Environmental program at UCD which has 7 different majors along with 6-10 emphasis in those majors. Cal Poly SLO is a great school, but their Environmental program is very limiting only offerring 2 majors. Yes, you have the large class sizes but mainly for the Prereq and GE’s, but he has found opportunities available such as internships, volunteering and research through his college. You do not state your major, but you should look at the course requirements for each school. He has found UCD’s ESM program, more challenging, very flexible and overall a more rounded program so far. Which has better academics?? I think that will be up to you. Good luck.
@Hello17 No problem! To answer your questions, Davis has great agricultural and environmental science programs; they are consistently ranked in the top 10 on the US News and World Report. In fact, Davis actually began as an agricultural major extension to Cal, hence the use of the term “Aggies” (Agricultural students). I agree with Gumbymom in that it also has many more options for Environmental/Agricultural sciences. I also agree that the GE’s will be much bigger. I think when it comes to the “hands-on” stuff, you’ll find a lot of opportunities if you’re willing to search for them. Also, Davis is extremely established in the agricultural/environmental science world, which will benefit you in the long run when it comes to jobs, internships, etc.
@cerisesunsets Congrats on your admission! It really depends on the major, but I feel that Davis is a better name overall; it’s one of the better UCs, and the UCs are very well established universities. Not that Cal Poly isn’t established, of course. The caliber of students admitted to UCD is higher than those admitted to Cal Poly. I’d personally go to Davis over Cal Poly SLO as an in-state engineering major (though my top choice is UT Austin, lol).
One thing to keep in mind about Davis is that the housing is VERY expensive. If you do go to UCD, you would have to probably live in Sacramento. However, it is very nice to be able to bike everywhere, and there is a great downtown!
Davis housing is not any more expensive than other UC’s off campus housing. Try to find a 2 bedroom apartment near UCLA for 1100/month? Housing costs at SLO are comparable to UCD and in some instances even higher. You just look for a few roommates to split the costs. Also you are guaranteed 2 years on-campus housing although many students move off campus after the first year. There is plenty of housing within the city of Davis. No student would need to go to Sacramento 20 min away for housing unless they are local.
My DD at Davis pays $350 per month in a shared apartment. Last year, she paid a little less. As California residents, we consider this price to be inexpensive!
@ swimkarenna, where did you get your information?
I won’t bore you but the city has been anti-growth forever - meanwhile the University has grown 2-3x so, Davis simply has demand driven pricing, at least it is a nice place to live (not knocking others listed above) .
Students simply pack in more residents per bedroom. The same is true at SLO, UCLA and UCSB, many kids stuff 3 to a room. A 2/1.5 a short walk from Sac State - rents for $600. Why share a room at that price? Sac is a smaller school in a large urban area and lots of students commute from their family home so, there are many more options.
I agree with @gunbymom, very few students live in downtown Sac and commute to Davis.
hotpads.com is a great tool for quickly assessing the rental market in almost every area.
Hello17: you have to visit on accepted students day at both campuses.
My daughter goes to Davis. She lives in South Davis. She loves being on the bike path. The path is right behind her apartment. It is tree-lined and goes directly to the campus. Last year, she shared a large townhouse with 2 bathrooms, a full kitchen and a washer-dryer area and loft. The bedrooms were large and the girls put in 2 to a room; they were so busy with their classes and activities that most of the time, all they did was sleep there. Total rent was $1200 split 4 ways. If you rent a townhouse, by yourself, it will be too large and too expensive. @swimkarenna, I think this is what you meant. Most people don’t rent in Sacramento to commute into Davis. The cost is more expensive with transportation if you commute from Sac.
Thank you @gumbymom and @imthereal for the academic information on UCD and Cal Poly slo. I would like to visit the campus on a week day so I can get the feel of the campus. I also love biking but I am just a bit afraid of being too far away from home. I think since my major is under the agricultural and environmental sciences, both schools have lots of opportunities that are offered! Have any comments about Cal Poly SLO please? @"aunt bea" @NCalRent are there lots of housing offers around Cal Poly SLO and UCD? because I know that UCD is located in a small city near Sacramento. Thank you so much for your help everyone!
There is a lot of housing around both campuses and both schools have the equivalent of a ‘room-mate wanted’ board. Places closest to campus (at both)come at a premium price, but, are available.
@Hello17 If you think about it, it’s not too far… you’re still in California! My tour guide at Davis said that many people arrange ride-shares to the Bay Area; I’m sure it’s similar if you want to go to SoCal. Everyone bikes at Davis. It’s actually insane how many bikes I saw while I was there. If you like biking, Davis would be an awesome place for you to be.
@Hello17: UC Davis is really not that far depending upon where you currently call home. My son takes a shuttle to SAC airport, hops on a Southwest flight and is home in an hour. We live east of LA. For SLO, it would a 3-4 hour drive or more depending upon traffic or 6 hours by train. If you live in the Bay area, Amtrak services Davis with the Capital corridor service.
@Hello17, there are 40k bikes at Davis. The town has more bike parking than car parking!
It is a very green campus and the whole town of Davis is very ECO-friendly. They have varied eateries and vegan choices. There is a plastic bag ordinance.
Learning to “drive a tractor” is an actual class that is really hard to get into. Also, the most popular professor teaches classes in beer-making. He is hysterical and was our incoming parent speaker. Napa Valley is close, so Davis has some huge new buildings donated by the wineries. The Mondavi Center is a cultural events center completely funded by the Mondavi Company.
Davis doesn’t do “plastic” water bottles, so having a Contigo bottle works. My dd loves it. We were supposed to visit SLO but neither of my children could visit. My children’s friends like SLO and it really depends on your needs, so you have to visit each campus.
The campus is a 9 hour drive from San Diego, so, with advanced notice, the plane ride runs from $69 to $80 one way. The first year was hard for my dd, but she is now a junior going into her senior year.
Visit both campuses and visit the surrounding areas. Learn how to get to the Target in each town. Learn how to get to Costco. Good Luck!
A lot that has been posted about UCD applies to SLO, too! Tractor driving class (available at SLO), lots of bike riders (applies to SLO). Spend time visiting both and see where you’re most comfortable. You will have excellent academic opportunities at both colleges – congratulations!