<p>As background, I'm a poli-sci major (considering double-majoring with philosophy) and I'm considering law school.</p>
<p>I really love the Davis campus. I am a bicyclist, and so I love the idea that the school is bike friendly. I dislike big cities, so I love the college town feel. And, I just like the relaxed atmosphere.</p>
<p>However, UCLA is obviously a very prestigious school, and I love the poli sci program which has five different sub categories. I'm especially interested in the emphasis in political theory. What I dislike is the location (I seriously dislike Los Angeles and I want to live in northern california.) I also dislike what I sense is a cut-throat attitude among students. Now, I want a school which is academically rigorous and competitive, but at the same time I want to go somewhere where I feel like the students are looking out for each other.</p>
<p>Does the prestige of UCLA outweigh my distaste for the area? Will I grow to like it?</p>
<p>Yeah, I hear Davis is beautiful and the environment is so much more laid-back and chill.</p>
<p>But.</p>
<p>Based solely on your major (that is, if you’re looking for better programs and opportunities), UCLA is the way to go. I don’t hear much stories about people disliking LA after they’ve lived there for a while. When I moved up, I hated the place. But once you meet people and get used to it, you’ll run around with I<3LA shirts. (Kidding, but you get the gist.)</p>
<p>I wouldn’t disregard Davis for their poli sci major. Davis is located pretty close to Sacramento and you can really leverage that location in terms of government internships. This can become very useful for your resume and when applying to grad schools.</p>
<p>However, UCLA does have the whole prestige factor associated with it. You may grow to like it, but that’s completely up to you. Have you visited both campuses enough?</p>
<p>I have visited UCLA numerous times (I live somewhat close by.) Each time I try to convince myself that I really like it there, but I just hate Los Angeles.</p>
<p>I visited Davis one time. I didn’t go on an official tour; I just walked around the campus sort of aimlessly. However, it was really beautiful.</p>
<p>“Each time I try to convince myself that I really like it there, but I just hate Los Angeles.”
^I think you just answered your question right there.</p>
<p>If you hate Los Angeles, why do you want to spend ~2 more years there? Go where you will be happy and where you think you’ll do better at. I know it’s hard to turn down prestige (I’m facing a similar case), but you just got to think about it.</p>
<p>I live an hour from LA and It’s grown on me. I hate certain parts and specific things but I think anyone could find things they like about the place. UCLA is in a very nice area as well, so I wouldn’t worry that much about the location. People are going to be nice and mean in any environment, you just have to learn how to deal with that for anytime in your life. I would choose UCLA. Prestige set aside, they have a great poli sci program! </p>
<p>I’m in a similar dilemma: It’s UCSD vs Cal for me. I’m a poli sci major as well.</p>
<p>three people in my family went to davis. my dad went there for chemistry (his parents wouldn’t pay for it otherwise) and then got his masters in poli sci from yale. my aunt went there and then went to their law school too and loved it. and my cousin is there right now and he’s ex-military. you will meet tons of like-minded people and davis is a great school with lots of potential. trust me, don’t stay somewhere you hate just for the prestige. davis is excellent for poli sci and the person above was right about lots of internships in sacto.</p>
<p>I’m not sure where you live, but I’ve lived in LA my whole life. I get why you don’t like it - I’m not a big fan myself(my top pick was back east), but I’m a believer that there is a place for everyone here. if you can deal with a huge student body, I think you will get over the general distaste and enjoy your time. however, if you choose UCD, I respect that. I have the same problem convincing my mom about UCSD. for whatever reason, she thinks it’s a really subpar school. remember that this is ultimately your choice, and that you should go where you’ll best be happy.</p>
<p>I can’t really blame you for taking UCLA in the end just for prestige. I’m still in the process of deciding a school and I kinda like the fact that I can tell someone in the future that I “graduated from UC Berkeley” or “graduated from Cornell.” I know I won’t really get that same feeling if I told someone I graduated from Davis, but that’s a completely shallow feeling on my part. </p>
<p>I love Davis, their campus, the people, the courses/faculty, and location. I had some issues telling my parents I was considering Davis, but in the end, even they said “go where you will be happy.”</p>
<p>My friends SIRed to two schools (UCSD and UCLA).</p>
<p>I’m thinking of SIR to both UCB and UCLA. I have only visited UCB and want to visit UCLA before I make a decisioin. Plus it would give me an extra 2 months to decide.</p>
<p>I thought maybe Davis would give me more money, but I talked to the financial aid office and it looks like they’re actually offering me slightly less.</p>
<p>^^ I agree, I’m choosing Davis and saving Berkeley for grad school. Just go where you feel comfortable and happy; if you’re happy, it’ll help you succeed.</p>
<p>The whole thing is beginning to really depress me, so that I feel like no matter which choice I make, I’ll end up regretting it. I want to make what is the objectively right decision (there must be one, right?) but I’m unable to objectively evaluate my own problem.</p>
jk.</p>