<p>I would love to go to Cal given the opportunity. However, I feel there are so much negatives as well: i got into undeclared major, hard to get into wanted classes, intense competition w/ weeder classes and hard to maintain gpa, stressful life, a lot of competition in the impacted majors. But also a lot of positives: intellectual environment, prestige, good location, good weather, opportunities w/ the brand name (although not sure how many considering this is undergrad and i plan to go for grad) :/
Davis, however has a friendly more laid back environment, people are happier, less stressed out, very strong bio program (i might possibly do pre-med), invitation to honors program which comes with the best dorms (miller hall), cheaper, and PRIORITY registration for classes. Cons include bad location, bad weather, lack of prestige, some departments are just lacking
GAH this is so hard. I wish one school had it! But unfortunately one doesn't. ANY suggestions will be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Where would you be happier? What does your gut say?</p>
<p>Weren’t you just deciding between Cal and SD?</p>
<p>You got into Cal, almost everyone who got into Cal also got into SD and Davis with honors/regents invitations and almost everyone in SD and Davis did not get into Cal. You would just be chickening out by going somewhere else.</p>
<p>You do realize that nearly everyone but the engineers gets in undeclared, yes?</p>
<p>my gut says i’ll be happier at Davis, but I also don’t want to miss opportunities at Cal
@ flutterfly, yes I was but b/t SD and Davis, I’d rather go to Davis :] But it wouldn’t exactly be chickening out, more like choosing smartly - choosing a place where I know I can excel (davis) versus a place where I’ll probably be left behind (Cal). I’m not in the top 5% of my school (who can actually handle Cal)
@amarkov, i did not know that o.o</p>
<p>haha Flytowardsthesun it looks like you already made your decision!! Go where you will be happier!</p>
<p>@amarkov, except those who get in engineering-undeclared, lol. (It doesn’t seem like that many do, vs. specific engineering majors).</p>
<p>I live really close to Davis, and I have never got the feeling that there was actually a college there. To this day, even with going all over downtown davis and other parts, I have not actually recognized any part of the campus. I don’t know if that matters to you, but I like the idea of a college town (In Berkeley the street is called University, you follow it you find a University).</p>
<p>If you want to do pre-med it might be advantageous to go to a place that is easier than Cal to succeed. I know people who are choosing to go into pre-med at Davis for that reason, and I know people who are planning to go into pre-med with MCB and a double major at Cal. They are very different people. The person who wants to go to Davis has an idea that they want to be a doctor, but they don’t want to get caught up in the things you mentioned about Berkeley, whereas the other person wants to do the most rigorous work.</p>
<p>It would be a false dichotomy to assume that those are the only two types of people, but if you’re leaning more towards challenging coursework and academics I’d choose Berkeley, otherwise Davis is probably a safe bet.</p>
<p>I agree with Ramblinman… you got into Cal, which is a major achievement on it’s own - why turn away all the opportunities that go with it? Especially if you’re considering grad school (instead of med school), Berkeley would carry a lot of advantages w/ great departments and research…</p>
<p>I feel like those who turn away Cal for Davis are not living up to their fullest potential… (unless they have really good reasons for it). Yes the classes here are hard, but it still drives you to become more hard-working, intelligent, and in the end - more successful. Anyway, the point is that all the cramming, stress, and the cons you can think of are worth it when you know you’re getting a top-notch education in a place full of resources which makes you grow.</p>
<p>I’ve lived in Davis for all of my 17 years, and both of my parents are faculty members at UCD. In my experience, the main difference between UCD and Cal is the quality of the students that will be around you. While I’m sure there are some highly qualified students at UCD, and that there is nothing wrong with the professors and/or the teaching at the university, the vast majority of the students that I’ve seen would not be able to succeed academically at Cal. When students from my high school take courses (such as Linear Algebra or Multivariable Calculus) at UCD, they notice that a large number of students seem unenthusiastic about the work and just don’t seem like top students. Professors are often disappointed by the lack of interest in the material they’re teaching. </p>
<p>I’m not saying that UCD is a bad school, but I just think that if you were academically good enough to get into Cal, you would probably find the curriculum there much more intellectually challenging, and you would be surrounded by many more students that share your passion for learning. I guess if you think that you simply can’t handle the work at Cal, then UCD might be a good option, but going to Cal would give you a greater chance of being successful if you tough it out.</p>
<p>wow these are all very valid arguments for going to Cal. I really would like to go a college that had many intellectual students and professors, a major plus for Cal. I just don’t know if the stress associated with the tough work at Cal will be worth it in the end. Sure I might learn to be more hard-working and tough, but would I be happy with life in the end? Will I be able to discover myself and learn life and social skills not academically related? Would i love life and not just be a complete nerd, engrossed in studying? I’m not saying all Cal students do not have these qualities, it’s just something I wonder will happen to me. :/</p>
<p>Neurobear10: your are wrong medical schools do not care about prestige. a 3.8 from UCR will trump a 3.3 from Cal anyday provided MCAT, EC’s, LOR are relatively the same. OP obiviosuly said that he/she will be happier at UC Davis because it will not be as tough as Berkeley. </p>
<p>On a side note Davis is great for premed, i heard that you can do internships in the medical center and medical research with doctors too</p>
<p>I had the same problem. I chose Cal. Davis’ Bio program is good but it doesn’t compare to Berkeley’s.</p>
<p>FutureENT: you did not read my post correctly. I said that if she’s considering GRAD school, a degree from berkeley would be seen more highly. Grad school does not equal med school… please do not advise me about what med schools care about, I still have a couple more years of experience being a premed than you do ;).</p>
<p>FlyTowards, what major are you considering? If it’s not something like MCB, you still can have an academically balanced life with good social skills… It’s not impossible to be both acadmically driven, but still be socially relatable.</p>
<p>Why would you go a worse school when you got into a better one?
Why did you even apply to Cal?</p>
<p>I’m SO stressed out with work right now - organic chemistry is absolutely killing me. I can honestly say that I’ve never been so stressed out in my life…but I’ve also never been so happy in my life. All the amazing friends I’ve made and people I’ve met, the unique culture, the diversity (not for diversity’s sake, but for opinion, culture, and individuality), the professors I’ve had, the events I’ve took part in - I can finally say that I love what I do every day, along with the life that I live.</p>
<p>You seem like the type who would take advantage of all that Cal has. If you can do that, you will love it here, for Cal - the students, the professors, the opportunities, the organizations - has so much to offer. </p>
<p>And my grades aren’t terrible too. I have a 3.47 (Molecular Environmental Biology). Could be better, but I have some of the best of both worlds, at least.</p>
<p>u said that ur parents work at ucd. i was wondering which depatrment at ucd is most rigorous?</p>
<p>“Gah this is so hard”</p>
<p>That’s what she said.</p>
<p>I’ll provide my own bit of insight to the actuality of the situation here at Cal.</p>
<p>While classes are difficult to get into, the situation is not that bad. All this means is that you’ll get used to eventually getting off waitlists and having long lists of backup classes in case you don’t get into all the classes you want. The course registration system, Telebears, is done through two phases, where everybody signs up for approximately half of their classes in the first phase, and then they fight for the rest of the classes in the second phase. Since most of the classes only have short prerequisite chains and professors are usually quite accomodating, getting into classes isn’t as bad as it’s made out to be.</p>
<p>Having similarly-minded students can really do a lot to boost your morale and world view. I met a lot of amazing people here at Cal, and in my opnion, this is the best aspect of Cal. You can find similar faculty and opportunities at other UCs, but meeting smart/open-minded people and collaborating with them has benefitted me in ways that words can’t describe.</p>
<p>Sure, the dorms suck at Cal, but the reality is that you’re most likely to make meaningful friends in clubs and classes instead of on your dorm floor. In fact, dorm friends often tend to fade after you move out. Most people here only stay in the dorms for one year, with a minority staying for two. Almost every junior/senior lives off-campus because it’s almost three times as expensive to live in the dorms vs an apartment. The cheapest dorming option is where you cram three people in a small room for ~$1100/mo. In contrast, there are friends who have their own room off-campus for $700/mo. Living in a dorm feels immature, and this will be an issue as you gain more and more life experience.</p>
<p>As for competition and harder classes – this is Cal, not CalTech. Classes are difficult, but they are not cut-throat. The fact that you are admitted means that the admissions office has determined that you are likely to succeed here. Admissions is very competitive, and they have to reject several weaker applicants who are also qualified. You will be able to handle the work, and you will collaborate with peers to get through the challenge. On the other hand, you might be bored at Davis. :)</p>
<p>Have you visited both campuses? If not, I suggest you give a visit during a typical day and explore around. Email a few professors, and if you know a few students, try to schedule a lunch with them.</p>