Down to the wire and my D still deciding; waitlisted at several UCs.
Oops, not done…
Davis pros:
It’s a UC, good reputation
Much to do, diversity
Davis cons:
Can’t have her car and we live in SoCal
Very large and less personal
Far from home; less easy to see friends and family
Chapman Pros:
Close to home and coast ;which she lives)
Personalized programs, with small class sizes;
Profs get to know students—advocate for internships and jobs;
CHAPMAN cons:
Small campus; 6500 students
Will it feel like college
Less diversity, possibly some elitism
ADVICE??
Big difference between an LAC vibe and a big, impersonal UC vibe. Chapman is going to give your child smaller classes and more interaction with professors and fellow students, especially in the beginning. It will be easier to get prof recs and undergrad research opportunities. OTOH, UCD will offer more classes and majors, and more clubs, along with a big campus feel. There will opportunities to pursue research, though the competition might be fiercer.
Forget about waitlisted schools. Those are not an option and are unlikely to happen. What type of environment does your child want?
IMO, 6500 students is a big campus. LACs often have only a couple of thousand students. Yes, ?Chapman will feel like college, probably more so than Davis.
I cannot speak for Chapman as I didn’t visit but UC Davis is a great school and one your D should consider
@12together .There are so many pros. The reputation of UCs nationwide, the pretty campus, the lower cost of living (to the OC), a close knit community feel to the campus, lots of bike riders, great campus life, picnic day, super diverse, quintessential college town, relatively close proximity to Sacramento (city) and the Bay area (SF and East Bay) for culture, food and fun. The Sacramento Airport makes getting in and out of town simple. It is larger campus but if you get involved in student government, your major, greek life, sports, intermurals, clubs, get an on-campus job, or just hang out in the residence halls you will find your tribe. No car means you meet more people especially those who stay on campus most weekends. You can get to know your professors through office hours making even larger classes feel immediately smaller. UC Davis is a gem
I completely agree with @readthetealeaves assessment of why UCD would be a good choice however, seeing that your D is Undeclared and leaning towards Journalism or Social work, I think Chapman might be a better match for her prospective majors but UCD would offer a wider variety of majors in which she could pursue.
Regarding UCD, the campus may be large but the students are very collaborative. Taking Southwest Airlines from Sac airport to Ontario, Burbank, John Wayne is an easy 1 hour flight so getting to Southern California is not a problem.
My older son did not take his car up to UCD until middle of Junior year since the Unitrans bus gets you around Davis with no problem, the Yolo bus will get to the near towns and Sacramento. Most students ride their bikes or take the bus to classes since parking is expensive and the lots are not conveniently located near the classrooms.
Best of luck with her decision.
From just initial impression, it sounds like she would be happier at Chapman. Adorable school - the housing is awesome at least the first year. We spent a lot of time there - any chance she would have any interest in law at some point? Mine was a CS major and man they woo’d her, but the new science building was just starting and we worried the department head that loved her wouldn’t be around much as he had to plan a new department and facility. And there were like 2-3 girls (no kidding) in CS total. So not a good fit for her, but two of her best friends went there - def a Socal vibe school. Is staying close a positive for her? Or good to get away? Nothing wrong with staying closer to home, and some real perks to doing so. And perks to going away too.
You are down to the wire fo sho! Good luck, let us know where she goes!
You don’t need a car at Davis, everyone rides their bike, year round. Davis will be a lot more diverse both financially and racially. It really comes down to what type of experience do you want?
When I was at Davis, many kids from LA and Orange counties came to this college to escape the wealth, Hollywood, elitisim that they grew up with. Let’s put it this way, I would never full pay for Chapman over UC Davis.
Intended Major. Cost of Attendance of each?
US News & World Reports readers gives them both 5 stars but
UC Davis is ranked # 38 in NATIONAL universities and Chapman is ranked # 5 in the West Region
UC Davis $14,463 (2018-19) for tuition and fees, public large university, northern california
Chapman U $52,724 (2018-19) for tuition and fees, medium private university, orange county ca
My guess is they are comparable based on her gpa/ACT and knowing what Chapman gives in terms of auto scholarships - so I assumed cost is not an factor.
@12together So which did she choose? Inquiring minds want to know 
Davis all day, every day.