<p>My D and I attended Scholars day at UC Davis and were really impressed; Impressed enough to put UC Davis in the number one UC spot although she probably has a shot at UCLA and UCB. As a parent, this is because it seems to offer a smaller school feel and a ready made group of like minded peers that I think would be realy helpful. Does anybody have any insights into this, especially boosting the odds of acceptance into the Integrated Studies Program? At the presentation she was told “don’t be shy; let us know your interested”, and work something into the essay, but I’m not sure how successful she was at the latter.</p>
<p>The IS program at Davis is open to those who receive invitations. Regents' Scholars, Wakeham Scholars and Jastro Scholars are guaranteed a a slot in the program if they choose to participate. This year, a little under half of the people here in IS are Regents' Scholars. The rest, all from the top 3% of the incoming class, received invitations to fill the remaining slots. The residential aspect of the program is great--Miller Hall is awesome, and it's really nice to have a built-in group of like-minded people right outside your door. Some of the IS classes are pretty interesting as well. If you recieve an invitation, definitely go ahead with it. It is certainly worth it...</p>