<p>I’m looking for a reason to go to UCD instead of UCB besides environment, etc. If there is a strong enough reason then I’d try to explain it to my parents, because I don’t really want to go to UCB. </p>
<p>Any majors that would put out UCD over UCB? Maybe if I want to go to med school UCD would be better? Or what other reasons?</p>
<p>Look at all the threads/posts under the UC Davis forum. Seriously, there are tons of positive things about Davis discussed there! (btw, I'm in the same situation as you)</p>
<p>"Or what other reasons?"</p>
<p>The simple fact that you don't really want to go to UCB is enough. There's no point in going to a college that you don't like for 4 years.</p>
<p>That will not convince parents.</p>
<p>I was talking to some friends at Berkeley and they said, if I plan to go to graduate school, going to an easier school like Davis will help my chances at a better graduate school. And also, undergrad school doesn't really matter once you go to graduate school..</p>
<p>I was thinking of taking on biochem and going to pharmacy school since engineering doesnt seem to be my thing. Would that be reason enough to go to Davis? Better resources and an easier school to get a high GPA than Berkeley/UCSD?</p>
<p>I'm a parent. Your last post sounds solid. Sell it with stats of undergraduate admissions (which I am sure can be found somewhere) and your sincere desire to protect your future by getting into a better grad school. Do not go to a school you do not like. Good Luck.</p>
<p>your friends are correct. Cal is extremely competitive, but Davis is less so. Thus, you have a better chance at a higher gpa at Davis than at Cal. Med schools care about gpa first, mcat second.</p>
<p>Just because a university's admission is competitive doesn't necessarily mean the academics are. From a little research for Davis, I would choose that school over UCB when it comes to agriculture and veterinary.</p>
<p>This is very simple: if you don't like the college environment, you won't perform well academically. Go somewhere you will be most happy.</p>
<p>Berkeley is an amazing place and located in a thriving urban environment, and some students have trouble getting use to it. If you prefer a more laid-back environment as my UCD describes it, UCD would be preferable.</p>
<p>However, VISIT!</p>
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This is very simple: if you don't like the college environment, you won't perform well academically. Go somewhere you will be most happy.
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<p>This is not true. I hated Irvine my freshman year and got a higher GPA than I did in HS weighted. </p>
<p>OP, please go to Davis if you don't want to be a berkeley. You're the one who's going to be living four years through it. Four years of misery is really really sad.</p>
<p>Two reasons:
1. Follow your heart, not your parents' dreams.
2. I heard Davis has TONS of internships and research opportunities that will really help you when applying to med school and grad school.</p>
<p>when it comes to the sciences, the competition is going to be nearly the same, nearly. It is that way at every UC, even UCR</p>
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when it comes to the sciences, the competition is going to be nearly the same, nearly. It is that way at every UC, even UCR
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<p>LOL
LOL
LOL</p>
<p>NO.</p>
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when it comes to the sciences, the competition is going to be nearly the same, nearly. It is that way at every UC, even UCR
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<p>Not so.</p>
<p>In eleventh grade, my chem teacher also told us something like that; she said that if you haven't had at least 2 AP science classes by the end of junior year, you won't get into a UC under a science major. I actually believed her for a while...</p>
<p>I chose Davis over Berkeley because I think that it is a better school for students who want to pursue a career in the medical field (more research opportunities is the biggest plus).</p>
<p>Here's a post I stole off another board:</p>
<p>*I will give another plug for UCD. I had an amazing 4 years there and wouldn't trade it for anything! I will admit athletics were not that important to me, although I went to a few games/meets. UCD recently went D1 and games are popular (free) events for students and the AggiePack and Band-Uh are pretty darn good. Greek life does exists and I think around 25-30% of the student body are in a frat or sorority (at least special interest, not necessarily Panhellenic). So if you WANT those things, you can still get them (but if your life revolves around them, maybe you do want a different school.)</p>
<p>Other stuff...the work I did with my sorority at UCB and UCSC made me really appreciate being pre-med at Davis. Neither had the advising, clinical or research opportunities that I had taken for granted at UCD. When you go back to visit, make it a point to check out pre-med advising so you know what they have to offer. Another note, there are SO many different biology majors to choose from so you can really find what you're interested in most. I did bio with NPB emphasis (if you do NPB by itself you have to take more labs and with my double major I chose not to do that.) You'll be taking mostly upper div classes when you transfer in and I can't say I've ever taken a bad upper div bio class at Davis...even the ones I really wasn't interested in (ex/ Wildlife Ecology) I still enjoyed. I'm not going to say science at Davis is easy b/c I saw a lot of people who struggled, but the classes are fair and manageable and there is help available (professors, learning resource center, etc). Although you will get some "gunner"-type personalities in your class every once in awhile everyone, including the profs, know who they are by the 2nd week of class with all their attempts to suck-up. As far as competition, I've never seen anyone jeopardize another student and like others have said curves are typically employed only to help, never once did I ever have a grade go down b/c of a curve. </p>
<p>Location...I wasn't from CA, nor from a big city, so I found Davis had a ton to offer...plus SF is a little more than an hour away if you really need the big city scene. I had a great social life (especially my last 2 years).*</p>
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LOL
LOL
LOL</p>
<p>NO.
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<p>Lets see, people can choose to believe the words of an ignorant undergrad, or take the general consensus of several TAs that have attended ivy league schools and UCB and are now at UCR for grad school.</p>
<p>BabyBlue, how did your parents feel? Was it difficult for your parents to see you pass up a higher ranked school?</p>
<p>
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Not so.</p>
<p>In eleventh grade, my chem teacher also told us something like that; she said that if you haven't had at least 2 AP science classes by the end of junior year, you won't get into a UC under a science major. I actually believed her for a while...
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<p>And this means what in relation to my comment????????????????????</p>
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And this means what in relation to my comment????????????????????
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<p>Here is something that relates to your comment:</p>
<p>As far as the UCs go, my grades were pretty bad (3.1 GPA, 1740 SATs). I still got into UCSC under (insert drum roll) a science major. So either I was one of the lucky ones, or you are wrong.</p>
<p>southpasadena, I know that you are a defender of UCR; but there is no need to be hostile (like calling someone an anonomous forum an 'ignorant undergrad'). By the way, you should know that not all UCs are created equal, especially when it comes to admission stats. I know that this doesn't seem fair to you, but life seldom is.</p>