<p>Hey, I wanted to know if anyone has any ideas about the differences between the math and chemistry departments at UCD and UC Santa Cruz? I’m a junior transfer math major interested in a chemistry minor. Which one is “better” and why? How are the professors? Are they actually good teachers or are they more into their research and don’t actually care about teaching? Is one school more competitive than the other (will the students try to one-up and get ahead of other students/use them for their own benefit)? How “easy” are the departments? I’m not a competitive guy, which is why I didn’t even bother applying to Berkeley as I wouldn’t be able to work with the cutthroat nature of the school. So I’m trying to figure out which would be a better fit for me UCD or UCSC?</p>
<p>I know for O-Chem, Lievens and Nasiri (if you can get past her accent) are great professors. My roommate had Lievens for O-Chem and loved her, and I had Nasiri for CHE 118A and 118B (I’m taking Lievens for 118C, mainly because Nasiri’s style of teaching didn’t work for me and she doesn’t podcast her lectures like Lievens does, which I desperately need since my auditory skills are really bad and I can’t take notes and listen at the same time). Many of the professors here DO care about teaching.</p>