<p>I know, I know, I know... you guys are probably like "omg why would she even ask?! Emory ftw!"</p>
<p>BUT, I'm still debating because I want to major in some sort of environmental studies. Davis has more choice in majors and a wider variety of classes, but something in me can't pass up the opportunity to go to Emory. </p>
<p>Is my debate between these two schools even justified??</p>
<p>CurlyQe1,</p>
<p>As you can surmise by my user name, I’m in No. CA, in the Bay Area, and live about an hour from Davis. Being so close, my daughter and I toured the campus fairly early on in her junior year in HS (she’s now a junior at Emory). Her high school typically sends about 20-25 people each year to UC Davis, and frankly I think people who go there seem to be happy. My daughter never considered Davis seriously, but I think she just didn’t like the “flatness” of the topography, and Davis is about 95% Californians in its student make-up, so it’s not very diverse.</p>
<p>To make the comparison to Emory and UCD, though, is really a somewhat odd comparison. First, Emory is one of the top national research universities in the country, and UCD is probably middle of the pack of the UC campus, behind Berkeley, LA, SD and probably in the pack among Irvine, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz, with Riverside and Merced near the bottom of the UC’s. That said, Davis has some distinct advantages. Certainly inn the areas of Viticulture, Enology and Agricultural Sciences, Davis stands out among the UC campuses. </p>
<p>If your interest is Environmental Studies, I think you could do well in either school; however, I don’t think that UCD compares well vs. Emory in its available resources. The department is up and coming, focused and well-connected with opportunities around the world. There are opportunities to apply for scholarships/grants specific to Enviro Studies, and the study-abroad programs are great. You don’t mention the cost factor, and as you know, the COA is different between the two schools.</p>
<p>The experience of living in Atlanta vs. Davis is hard to compare – it is different in almost all ways, and you will have to decide what suits you best. Much of Davis is “student-oriented”, and a lot of the social scene has an active Greek component. The contrast is so great, that I think this is the first time I can recall ANYBODY choosing between the two – it’s really THAT different.</p>
<p>One thing about picking a school is to understand that most students will go in as one major and/or intent, and then choose something different later on. It happens – all the time. With Enviro Studies, there are different paths to choose, which even when you’re an upper classman will still be difficult to decide upon. About a week ago, I had coffee with a current senior at Stanford who is nationally recognized in her work in Environmental studies, sustainability and biology. She was recently honored with one of the top academic awards for soon-to-graduate seniors at Stanford. Additionally, she has already attained a very large fellowship for graduate school. Yet, as focused and accomplished as she is, she said that she will be working in Washington, DC this summer on a paid internship, but then to take time during the next year to think about what she really wants to do before applying to grad school. (This is somebody that I have know well since she was in 4th grade, and she’s one of the most focused people I know.)</p>
<p>My point is that there’s so much to learn; so much to apply to your knowledge foundation; and so much critical thinking that you must exercise to understand that you have all your assumptions correct. In Enviro Studies, the implications are huge and important. Impact can be across the board – biodiversity, eco-development, sustainability development, human health issues, economic/industrial balance, etc. Your interest is worthy of pursuing… and it’s worthwhile to think about where you feel YOU can best discover what kind of contribution you can make to the world.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your response!</p>
<p>I want to make an impact on the world. Though I agree there will always be a possibility for change, I am confident that I want to be involved in the environment and the formation of government policy. I just don’t know where I would be best suited to do that… closer to home in Cali where all the “action” is (when I say action, I mean innovations in energy, policy, etc.), or in bustling Atlanta where opportunity is at my fingertips?</p>
<p>Both schools allow me to focus in something environmentally whether it be policy, resources, etc. </p>
<p>As a Cali girl, I love the prospects of going to Emory, I loved almost everything about it, it was fantastic. I work extremely hard and the thought of the academic rigor excites me. </p>
<p>But in the back of my head there’s still something intriguing about the focus of Davis on environmental studies, the spirit, and the diversity…</p>
<p>sigh.</p>