Pros and Cons of Each UC

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - GENERAL
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I KNOW there have been threads with the exact purpose of this one, and trust me; I have read well over 15 of them and watched a plethora of Youtube videos. But I want a “current” running list of the pros and cons of each UC school. I only applied to SD, Irvine, Davis, and SB, but anyone should feel free to post about any school so this can help other people looking for this information as well, as tomorrow is March and we all feel the weight of UC admissions.

I’ve never had the time to visit any of the campuses (I live in California too…), so I don’t know anything about any of them aside from the things I’ve read. Here are some things I’m looking for:

Dorm size and quality (I’m so claustrophobic - cluttered spaces give me headaches).
Food (the deal breaker, let’s be honest).
Social scene (I actually am not and do not hope to be a huge partyer).
Beauty of the school
Which school is best for which major
General quality of life
Accessibility to shops, like supermarkets (not tryna deal with the freshman 15).

If you feel there’s anything else important to mention then please do so!

Again, I realize there’s so many threads like this. I’ve read many of them. Please don’t post that. Thanks!

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I am interested in knowing more about the UC’s as well. My D applied to a bunch of them but we have only visited SD and SB. From what we experienced, SB is a beautiful school, with mountains and the ocean both visible from the campus. SD is not as aesthetically pleasing but the library was really cool and is named after Dr. Suess. There are a few interesting and whimsical aspects to the campus. SB seems to have more of a party reputation and many people joke that SD stands for socially dead. I feel that at any school you find all types and can make of it what you want.

It would be great to hear from current students or parents of students who have more of an inside scoop.

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The very best dorms, and the best campus food, are both found at UC Davis, though the new dormitories just built at Riverside are also excellent, and have a great buffet. Irvine’s food is the worst, though UCLA gives it a run for its money, even at the faculty club.

Atmospherically, it is hard to beat the linked-treehouse style of Santa Cruz, particularly for those who are in creative fields, including digital media and writing. Irvine feels like an industrial park. UCLA, Davis, and San Diego are all hit-or-miss, arts wise, though it is kind of fun to recognize so many UCLA buildings from film productions. Berkeley’s campus is essentially clinging to a hillside: there, or Santa Cruz, expect to tone your calves.

Much is made of Santa Barbara’s lagoon, which I found to be kind of a swamp. Neat location, on the bluffs overlooking the ocean though. Nice views. The inland view, not so much, as it is wrapped by strip malls and cheap dives.

Those who have gone to UC Merced are very happy with the brand new, high-tech facilities, but there is no escaping that it is out in the middle of a cornfield. Your nearest neighbors are cows. It is a several miles drive to get to the town. For students who get their entertainment and socializing virtually, that is no barrier, and many people think that this isolation creates a tightknit community.

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bump

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Yes, this is already a good thread, but more is better. I would love to hear more opinions/observations.

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We toured all of the UCs except for Riverside. These are just our perceptions so take them with a grain of salt. You really need to go and visit yourself to see which school is the right fit for you.

UCM - The campus is beautiful and modern with a lot of ongoing construction. You would think the Univ of CA would take some of their property surrounding the campus and add some social life for the students - pizza places, movie theaters, hang out spots, apartments, etc. Unfortunately, after 10 years, the college community around the school hasn’t developed. They do, however, have a shuttle to Yosemite.

UCSC - Unique campus in the redwoods (note: not on the beach). Students seemed to have a bohemian vibe to them. Has a unique college system without a central hub on campus. To us, the campus seemed dirty. It could be because the room where we sat for the admissions information presentation looked like it hadn’t been swept in months. It was first thing in the morning and the bathrooms were also dirty. It is sad to make an impression based off of that but the tour didn’t take us into any other buildings so first impressions stuck. We know lots of students who go there and love it. It is a huge hit for some and a huge miss for others.

UCI - Nice clean campus with large central green. Has a town center with restaurants, movie theater, Trader Joes, Target (coming soon), etc. Lots of social areas to study. They even have outdoor tables with solar umbrellas that provide energy to a charging station at the base of the umbrella. Multiple large parking structures across campus support the stereotype of a commuter school. Students who currently attend say that you need to force yourself to stay and not go home until Thanksgiving. Friendships develop between those that remain on campus over the weekends.

UCSB - Beautiful campus location. UCSB is a biking school. Isla Vista, the student community adjacent to the campus has kind of beachy, bohemian student slum type feel to it. The on campus dorm food is award winning. They were the first college campus to have a salad bar. Definitely more of a party school. There is always something going on. You are in charge of your own destiny. There are plenty of people who party and plenty that don’t. The university seems to be buying up a lot of the apartment complexes in Isla Vista to create more university housing.

UCD - Spread out campus with a central grassy hub where students hang out in between classes. The community around the campus is virtually all students or people associated with the university. Just like UCSB, UCD is a biking campus. Farmers markets once or twice a week. Farm fresh food is served in the dorms. They are finishing up building new dorms which should open in 2017.

UCSD - Very large spread out campus. Unique college system that you should look into before making your decision. Community around UCSD is very affluent, La Jolla. Lots of buses transporting students to and from campus. Vibe we got was very studious, very competitive.

UCLA - Beautiful campus with lots of school spirit. It can be very crowded and very competitive. Large Greek system. Has Westwood just off campus with restaurants, movie theaters, coffee houses etc. Very close to just about any social scene in LA.

UCB - East Coast look to the campus. There are no dorms on campus. Housing shortage is a big issue.There is talk about building student housing at People’s Park (homeless camp). Community around campus is pretty dirty. We got a bad vibe because admissions department treated students who were there for tours like herds of cattle. Lots of complaints in the Daily Cal about how crowded the school is and how difficult it is to get classes, reservations at RSF, etc.

Regarding majors, dorm size, etc., you should probably research that on the schools’ web sites.

I went to UCSB for undergrad and UCB for grad school. The schools couldn’t be more different yet I enjoyed them both.

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@lkg4answers wow thank you so much. this was so helpful

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I attended UC Davis and loved every minute of it. It’s not just the school, the town itself is great- -a true college town with a huge farmer’s market and low crime and independent bookstores and coffee shops. Currently, I live 5 minutes from UCLA (and I worked on campus for years) and although the campus is pretty, you definitely don’t get the college town feel. I would move back to Davis in a heartbeat if I could get my husband to agree to it.

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I will agree with @Professor D that UC Davis has very good food and nice dorms especially the newer dorms completed in the Tercero area.
Tercero dorms tend to triples but large rooms with shared bath rooms for every 4-6 dorm rooms.

Segundo area dorms can range from the traditional dorm rooms with one large shared bathroom at each of the hall to a similar layout as Tercero.
Curato dorms are just off campus and are suite style with 2-4 bedrooms and 1-2 shared bathrooms including a living room area. These are considered the quiet dorms.
Loved how the campus and town are integrated. Great small town atmosphere with plenty of restaurants, shops and activities going on. Love the Arboretum on the south end of campus. Great place to chill and enjoy some nature. If you are craving City-life, Sacramento is only 20 mins away. Known for the Science, Agriculture and Environmental majors. UCD does have a Medical School, Law school, Vet school and just opened up an Nursing school.

The dorms we toured at UCSC seemed very claustrophobic with narrow Hallways. Beautiful campus among the Redwoods although very hilly, so biking is not a good option. Also spread out and using the bus system to get around campus and town was seemed inconvenient. My sons’s did not like the campus/town vibe: Bohemian/Beach bum.

I like UCI’s campus layout with the Central Park area. Also found the campus very clean. When we visited, the campus very busy due to Valentine’s Day celebrations so difficult to gauge how the activity would be on weekends. The town center looked like a convenient area for entertainment and shopping. Even with the parking structures, heard many complaints about parking. UCI is known for science and business majors.

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This is based of personal experiences/ I’m not an expert… Just opinions…
My brother goes to UCI (4th year mechanical engineering) and likes that campus’ layout. I’ve also toured it with him and can say that the layout makes the campus seem not as huge and overwhelming, which is always a plus. It is very easy to know where all the buildings are because they are all located on one circular path. Although Irvine might seem to be in the middle of nowhere, It is actually like a 10min drive to the beach, a quick car ride to LA (AND DISNEYLAND :D), and an hour or so drive to San Diego. Irvine has the feel of a little homey community though. Best of both worlds! My Bro says raccoons are everywhere on campus, which is so freaking adorable… I personally think :smiley: Good engineering and drama there. Newer campus doesn’t have much art there

UCSD is my top choice so I’m a little biased. If you are going to a school for psychology, UCSD all the way!!! No other UC compare to it in that field. Yeah the campus is of 2 worlds: one being all types of vegetation have become extinct and the only material that is supplied to the students is a mountain of concrete which are turned into shells of buildings.And the other being that of an artistic museum overrides by a swamp of eucalyptus trees. Ah a lot of people say the campus is ugly, but I like to look on the positive side and notice the buildings with unique architecture. BTW right in La Jolla, near the beach and San Diego.

I remember UCSB having a nice campus focused around bikes. Nice college town? I forget… it has been a long time. Right next to the beach but has a reputation for being a party school.

Haven’t toured UCD but my peeps who go there say it is a really nice college town and the friendly environment is welcoming. They are all really happy there. COWS TOO!!! so cute

hope this could help, although I’m not an expert!

Does anyone have more info regarding UCD, UCB, UCSB, UCI, UCLA, or UCSD?
I’d love to hear, as those are the UCs I applied to

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UCB actually has great dorms I’d say within walking distance to campus. Our student has had 3 great apartments as a Regents Scholar. Clark Kerr campus is a hike but the apartments (2 BR suites) are huge. Clark Kerr used to be a separate school for the blind until UCB took over the campus. UCB is beautiful and it has a Cambridge (as in Cambridge, MA) feel. Berkeley and Cambridge are “sister” towns, very much alike. Lots of places to eat both on and off campus. You can’t go wrong. View from Bell Tower onto the Pacific and GG Bridge is stunning.

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@jocassee, the dorms are not on the main campus. They are on university owned property that is located just off campus. This map has a zoom feature so you can see how close/far they are from campus. http://www.berkeley.edu/map

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The main campus ends at Bancroft. Unit 1, 2, 3 have been around for years and are a close walk to campus.

Over the years, as the school has grown, they have had to expand into Berkeley. For instance, Cowell Hospital used to be on campus but when the business school built Haas in 1993, the hospital was demolished and Tang Center (University Health Center) was built on just off campus.

Here is more information about the housing crisis at UCB. http://www.dailycal.org/2017/01/26/peoples-park-targeted-uc-berkeley-student-housing-site/

and

http://abc7news.com/education/cal-students-struggle-to-find-affordable-housing-/1725149/

“In the report, the campus housing task force found that of all UC campuses, UC Berkeley has the lowest percentage of beds for the student body, at approximately 22 percent for undergraduates and 9 percent for graduate students. The system wide average is 38.1 percent for undergraduates.”