Should I go to UC Davis?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Davis
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Hi, I’m having the absolute hardest time picking a college right now and am hoping anyone can help me out :frowning:

My dream school was UCSB and I was waitlisted, yet I don’t want to wait for the waitlist just because I know how hard it is (and that some people didn’t even find out until July!!!)

Anyways, I got into UC Davis and to those of you who go there/have gone there, what do you think of it?
I am a Bio major who wants to eventually go to optometry/pharmacy school, but I really want to have a fun time at college and do plan on rushing. School work obviously is very important to me but I really want to party/meet new people on weekends.

Is UC Davis for me? Or should I just go to Chapman or LMU , even though they are so expensive :(((((

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Are you able to visit anytime soon? It is really important that you visit and make sure it is a good fit. UC Davis is an excellent school for Biology but you have to like the more laid-back small town social vibe. If you plan to rush, there are plenty of Sororities from which to choose and the Greek life does like to party.

No one can tell you which school to attend, since this is a very personal decision so you should try to talk to students on campus and find out for yourself.

Best of luck with your decision.

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@Gumbymom yes I am visiting on the 1st of April! Thank you so much

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I agree that you need to visit campuses while they are in session and you can see the students. My daughter and I stood outside a cafeteria and checked out the students at Davis. Decision UC Davis (day for admitted students) is on Saturday, April 8. Did you receive the email?

The other thing is that it’s a huge campus so you will need a bike.

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half the kids who are bio majors at Davis end up working for Genentech the second they graduate-if you graduate from Davis with a bio degree, you can pretty much get any job you want in the industry. In terms of my personal Davis experience, 30% of the girls in my sorority are bio majors who already have job offers to work in the industry so you can definitely balance having a social life and working hard academically.

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We just attended Admitted Students Day on April 8. Have you visited the school? I highly recommend visiting the school to see the campus and students. On Admitted Students Day it was almost all immigrants—Hispanic and Asian. This is not a racist rant, as there is nothing wrong with that. It’s just that we aren’t immigrants so we felt out of place. I only saw a few whites, and rarely, an Americanized Asian. This was Admitted Students Day. We visited on another day and saw more diversity.

We love Chapman. The Hispanics and Asians there are Americanized and the students are super friendly. You don’t even need to go Greek to have friends. The faculty and administration REALLY CARE and want their students to succeed, while Davis is a huge, public school, you’re on your own—it’s always a fight to get classes, to get food in the cafeteria (lines), to get a seat in the cafeteria, get to class on that huge campus, etc.

UCSB had really friendly students too and a beautiful campus, but they don’t have my daughter’s major.

“but I really want to party/meet new people on weekends.” I suggest you avoid Davis, then. There is absolutely nothing to do in Davis and with a 4.0 GPA requirement, you aren’t getting the fun-loving partiers.

“I am a Bio major who wants to eventually go to optometry/pharmacy school”. UC Davis will be overkill. Bio majors there are pre-med, pre-lab, hardcore bio fields. I don’t think you will need that much hardcore academics for optometry/pharmacy. Sorry if this sounds snooty—just want to state the truth. My husband did pre-med there in the 80s and it was Hell. He says the students now are totally different than back when he went—they were much more social back then.

As far as finances for private schools, perhaps you can get financial aid? We are in the 6 figures income, yet, Chapman still gave financial aid. If you become a pharmacist, that’s a good, stable income to pay back debts.

You might also call Chapman and ask to be connected to a bio student, then interrogate that student. Also, visit Chapman and sit-in on classes. Get to classes and ask students what they think of the bio program. You want to be sure that the program will be good enough to get you to optometry/pharmacy school. Do the same with LMU. You might try to do this at Davis too, but since it’s a huge public school, unsure that they will be of assistance. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but it’s totally worthwhile to find the right school for the next 4 years.

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We also visited on the 8th. We had a different experience. I felt there was a lot of diversity. I definitely didn’t see that it was “almost all” Asians and Hispanics.

Davis is ranked really well. Our son stayed at UCSB with a friend who attends and after visiting both UCSB and UCD he by far prefers UCD.

@collegegirl5824 did you visit? What did you think?

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D is a Sophomore at Davis. The university is very diverse, and Caucasion is one of the majority demographics at Davis as well as Asian descent. D is a pre med neurobio major. Davis is a bit of a sleeper town from what D has told me and from what I have observed the 10 times I have been there the past 3 years. However, if you want to party, you will be able to per my D.

Davis - due to its size and location - is completely different than Chapman or LMU. If the cost of attendance is not an issue, LMU would probably be the best location of the 3 universities and with a solid biology major. It also has no shortage of parties. Chapman is in a sleeper town, Orange, but close to a lot of action in other cities. I say this as a mom who lives close to Chapman, and who is an LMU alumni with friends whose kids now attend LMU (and most likely my son will attend there in the Fall as he got a scholarship that brought the cost of attendance to a UC level and he learns better in small classes).

If money is a factor, then you can’t beat UC Davis. it is a nationally ranked university (top 40’s), and 14.5K in tuition is a bargain. Also, the cost of living is lower in Davis than West LA or Orange County. My D is renting a one bedroom shared apartment in Davis for $900 a month. It is impossible to find rent for that low of an amount near LMU or Chapman.

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@NoSoccerMom @ManyXsBlessed thank you for your replies! a lot has changed since i made this post… I’m now 100% going to UC Davis in the fall. i visited on april 3rd (not decision day) when students were in session and i actually saw a lot of diversity, but of course it’s going to be more hispanics or asians immigrants than there would be at a chapman or lmu, but thats with any UC. i met with two friends who are in sororities at davis when i visited, and they said they absolutely love it. one friend said multiple frats throw parties every weekend, and even the sports teams throw parties too. they basically are never bored on weekends. within the one day i visited, the quad was booming with students, downtown looked like a great place, and frat row had multiple parties happening in the middle of the day on their front lawns. (LOL) therefore, to soccer mom, i disagree that there’s “absolutely nothing to do in davis!” i’m super excited to attend in the fall. i do agree that bio classes may be overkill for me at davis, but because Davis is well known for its amazing bio program, it of course will help me in getting into school and when applying for jobs. also, who knows- i may end up changing my major completely !

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@collegegirl5824: Thanks for the update! I am so happy for you that you checked it out and are happy with your decision! Good luck in your future endeavors.

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@collegegirl5824: The post by @NoSoccerMom is the reason I recommend that every student should visit the top school choices since other’s people’s opinion should be taken with a grain of salt. What is important is your opinion which you found completely conflicts with the above poster. My son-Senior at UCD finds plenty to do in around the Davis/Sacramento area and plans to stay after graduation if his job opportunities pan out. He has had a great experience so best of luck and Go Aggies!!!

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@collegegirl5824: Thanks for your follow-up. That’s fantastic news for you! I know so many students who just blindly go to a college based upon reputation without even visiting so it’s great that you figured it out. As I mentioned, we did visit several months ago on a weekday and there were more than just immigrants, but our Admitted Students Day must have been a skewed view. And it was Saturday so we didn’t see all the current students. Best wishes.

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@collegegirl5824 so glad to hear you’ve made a decision you are excited about! My son will be starting in the fall with you.

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Congratulations on a great decision!

Conveniently, UC Davis’ pre-health advisors have a website that lists the pre-reqs for many health science careers. http://hpa.ucdavis.edu/prehealthrequirements/ If you click on the profession to the right, you will find the pre-reqs.

Optometry: http://hpa.ucdavis.edu/prehealthrequirements/folder-not_used_by_navigationadvisingsheetblocks/optometry_final%20Sheet1.pdf

Pharmacy: http://hpa.ucdavis.edu/prehealthrequirements/folder-not_used_by_navigationadvisingsheetblocks/pharmacy_final.pdf

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@collegegirl5824, my dd also found a similar experience to yours when she visited. She attended Davis based on her experiences with visits to the campus. She loved DAVIS!! and had a blast and has mentioned that she had NO regrets! She had a variety of friendships from all over the country and got to do lots of outdoor activities in SF, Berkeley, Tahoe, Yosemite, Napa.

She graduated last June and was admitted to ALL of the pharmacy programs (7) that she applied to and will be going to UCSF.

Have a GREAT time at Davis!!! (Visit Burgers and Brew and Crepeville.)
Remember to get a back fender on your bike to avoid the freshman stripe!