<p>My parents are making a huge fuss for me turning down SD for Davis. I listed out my reasons, and they stubbornly stuck to their claim that “no one turns UCSD down for Davis.”</p>
<p>I know that schools aren’t always about prestige, so I wanna how many other people made the same decision and why. Anyone else out there?</p>
<p>I did! Yea, at first my parents were calling me crazy. But I did it for several reasons. I got into UCSD for undeclared and I wanted to do something biology related. But as we all know, biology is extremely impacted at UCSD and I was worried I wouldn’t get my major whereas in UCD I got biological sciences as my major. UCD is also a lot closer to home for me and it’s more convenient. I also didn’t want to go to UCSD because I got into Sixth College and I really didn’t like the feel of it there. Many people I know who go to UCSD are unhappy there and I hear a lot about how many people are very into studying and that a lot of students are extremely competitive. I think it was a miracle how I got into UCSD and that is another reason I don’t want to go. I will be in the lower tier of the people there, I’m sure of it. And in math and sciences classes where grades are based upon a curve, I do not think I’ll thrive there. Overall, some of my reasons could be argued but I am choosing UCD and I’m totally happy with my decision 
Good luck!</p>
<p>My son turned down UCSD and UCLA for UCD.</p>
<p>Yes! UCSD was actually my dream school (I damn near passed out when I got in. Some of you have probably seen my all over the UCSD forum.) But after admit day, I realized it wasn’t the place for me for various reasons. After a painstaking week deciding between UC Davis and UCSB w/ honors, I concluded that Davis was an amazing fit for me.</p>
<p>I turned down Cal, and UCLA for Davis (didn’t apply to UCSD)</p>
<p>I turned down UCSD (biochemistry major, Revelle College) for UC Davis because I felt the fit at Davis was much better and after visiting a couple of the out of state campuses, I couldn’t imagine myself living anywhere else besides Northern California (lived all of my life in Northern California). I also turned down UCI, UCLA, UCSD, Wesleyan, Amherst, and Swarthmore for Davis. In the end, it turned out great as now I am headed off to my top choice medical school after 4 years at Davis!</p>
<p>Congradulations bmb2011!</p>
<p>My son also felt his best fit at David (w/ Regents) over the other UCs (did not apply UCB). He likes the people at UCD and the opportunities for his pre-med path. We live in Southern Califorina, but my son wants the experience be a little further away from home.</p>
<p>I find it rather dumb that people make a big deal about someone choosing one school over another, when the schools are ranked so close together. OMG ucsd is like 7th, UCD is 9th, its not gonna help you or hurt you when getting a job hahah.</p>
<p>Your parents are crazy. Last year, and in years past when UCSD was NOT ranked #3 as far as UCs go, people did not say such things, and many people turned down UCSD for UCD and other campuses. </p>
<p>Seriously, it’s like buying a pack of M&Ms (the big pack) and getting 53 M&Ms instead of 54. Maybe you know that the milk chocolate ones have 5 more than the peanut ones, but the people buying the peanut ones just want a $@#% bag of M&Ms. Besides, peanut BUTTER ones are like crack, totally the best version!</p>
<p>When you graduate from a UC, your degree will say it was presented by the Regents of the University of California. It maaaay have a line saying: “Presented in: Davis” in small print on it, but uh…the University of California bit is in far larger writing. </p>
<p>Also, check this:</p>
<p>[Public</a> Ivy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Ivy]Public”>Public Ivy - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>It includes the entire UC system aside from UCM ;)</p>
<p>I will (most likely) choose UC Davis over UCSD. I’m not sure though. If I end up choosing UC Davis, it will be because of UC Davis’ proximity to my family and because of financial reasons. I got almost identical financial aid packages at both schools (except I got federal work study at UCSD and I did not get that at Davis), but the cost of rent in the areas surrounding Davis is MUCH cheaper than the cost of rent in the areas surrounding UCSD. For instance, I’ve found some two bedroom apartments in Woodland that cost ~$800/mo but in the area around UCSD it seems like rent will more than likely cost at least $1200/mo for a one bedroom. </p>
<p>So, yeah, those are my reasons. There really isn’t too much of a difference between the two in terms of prestige. Like PerfectSky pointed out, it is only a few spots (UCSD is the 7th best public school and UCD is the 9th. UCSD is 35th best national university and UCD is the 39th). Also, there isn’t too much of a difference between the median starting pay for graduates of both schools. UC Davis’ grads have a median starting pay of $49,000 and UCSD grads have a median starting pay of $48,700 (source: [Best</a> Schools in California By Salary Potential](<a href=“http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/best-schools-in-california.asp]Best”>Best Colleges in California | Payscale)). (Note the link that I listed as a source also shows mid-career pay. The median mid-career pay is higher for UCSD grads)</p>
<p>I’m not sure what your educational goals are – but if you plan on attending law school, I know U of Michigan at least does not view the two schools very differently. Both schools are in the category of schools that send 5 or more students to the law school (can’t find the link that I saw this on). As far as medical schools go, you cannot go wrong with either schools. I know that UC Davis has a lot of internship opportunities for students interested in medicine which will strength a student’s medical school application. </p>
<p>For other grad programs, your undergraduate institution will not matter as much as your grades and research experience.</p>
<p>I turned down UCSD (human biology) for UCD (neurobiology,physiology, & behavior; and psychology). I’m happy with my decision.</p>
<p>I turned down SD for Davis last year. After my whole freshman year at Davis, I regret my decision and wished I had picked SD instead. I don’t like Davis at all :(</p>
<p>It seems like most people chose this decision because Davis is an “easier” school. and its easier to get a higher GPA and its less competitive.
Dragoon6181, why do you regret it? Why don’t you like Davis?</p>
<p>@pinkpixiedust93: The notion that Davis is “easier” played no role in my decision; I simply like the atmosphere at UC Davis more than at UCSD (which I suppose does include the less competitive atmosphere, but that encompasses much more than just grades.) Davis, from what I can tell, has more school spirit and is more liberal that UCSD. I prefer Northern California over So Cal (aesthetically and mentality-wise), I like the weather in Davis more (call me crazy, but I like it to get cold and rainy sometimes), I like the arboretum more than the beach, I like the bike-friendly town. Honestly, the only thing I can think of that I dislike about Davis (mind you, I’ll probably find more things once I actually go to school there) is that there may not be a ton to do in the surrounding area. But realistically, anything I would want to do is within a reasonable distance from UC Davis; I’ll just have to get by without a car my first year.</p>
<p>@Dragoon: I also would like to know what you dislike about Davis.</p>
<p>If you are expecting UC Davis to be easy don’t kid yourself. I know many freshman who have done really poorly this year (one is a student with a 2200+ SAT). Just remember to work hard wherever you go and don’t take any school lightly.</p>
<p>i turned down berkeley, la, and sd for davis. i was offered regents at sd as well. </p>
<p>i know a lot more kiddos who did the same thing. so no, you won’t be the only one running around campus who chose davis over the other UCs. :P</p>
<p>i chose davis because, yeah, money was a huge deal for me. also, i liked davis’s campus + campus culture better than UCSD’s. </p>
<p>anyway, in the end, it’s really up to you. it’s really about what YOU want and what fits YOU best because YOU’RE the one who’s going to be here for four years. not them. :)</p>
<p>My son turned down ucsd, ucsb, and ucd for Minnesota. His sister will graduate early at ucsd and he was turned off by 50% asians. See Ya cali.</p>
<p>^ Ummm… relevance? I see none.</p>
<p>I turned down UCSD for Davis, but technically it wasn’t the same since I got into SD in Undeclared Biological Sciences due to impactment and heard that I could take my classes for the major I wanted and not even get it, but I got my specialized major for Davis automatically since I was ELC. </p>
<p>I also went to Picnic Day every year since I was like 10 since my dad went there so I already and a large idea of what the campus was like. </p>
<p>Only other college I applied to was Cal. Rejected lol.</p>
<p>i got into sb and davis, but denied by sd. but either way i wouldn’t have gone to sd. ucsd seems very boring and quiet. im going to sb. i really like davis too though.</p>