<p>Sigh… These are the only two colleges that I’ve been accepted to. They both were my safeties… I didn’t even get into my match schools. The story behind it all is quite long and very personal, so I’d rather not go into details.</p>
<p>I really dislike Davis because it is very rural and I’ve always looked down upon students attending Davis. Everybody at my HS looks at Davis as the place where dumb people/losers go. I know that’s not true and that Davis has top-notch bio programs, and being premed, that’s a great thing. I got accepted as a bio major but am planning to change to NPB. Welcome week was discouraging… Davis is all that I imagined it to be. Very calm, quiet, and few distractions. I’m more of a city type. I love the hustle-bustle and all the urban, trendy stuff.</p>
<p>St. John’s, located in NYC, isn’t that great in terms of academics, but it’s in NY! Their sciences are great but I haven’t heard too many good things about their pre-med advising.</p>
<p>Any insight/advice?</p>
<p>I have some advice for you: PLEASE DO NOT GO TO DAVIS.</p>
<p>^why not? </p>
<p>I think you decided your choice of college already. It seems that you can’t stand Davis how are you going to do well there? I mean you’re doing pre-med so you’re going to need that high GPA :D. Though personally all the negatives are positives for me :D. I think you should just pick the place where you are happy so you don’t feel depressed being there which can have negative effects on your GPA. I think you should also take into consideration that, I’m pretty sure, Davis is ranked higher than St. John, unless I’m mistaken and if I am just ignore the following, then are you sure you can feel that it gives you the academic level you are looking for since it seems that Davis doesn’t seem to fit what you are looking for. I would also take into consideration cost if that is a factor for you since you’re going to be going to Med School and that gets expensive.
Also I don’t know anything about St. John so you need to find out if they will provide what you need to make sure your Med School application strong.
Also if you don’t mind what were your stats? This year’s admissions were very strange, so many high achieving students were rejected from schools. </p>
<p>Good luck with your decision and best of luck with whatever you choose.</p>
<p>Hmm… any specific reasons, lexmar?</p>
<p>And yeah, I’ve taken much consideration in the whole med school application aspect. Financially, Davis and St. John’s are about the same for me. Also, nobody on the East Coast has really even heard of UCD while St. John’s is pretty well-known… and I’m planning to live in the East in the future. I know people say med schools don’t really care about where you go undergrad, as long as you have a good GPA, a good MCAT score, good recs, and some research experience, so that shouldn’t matter too much. </p>
<p>I just don’t know what to do! I’m such a city type… </p>
<p>Maybe I’ll just go to Davis and try to transfer out during my sophomore year if I really find the rural setting to be unbearable.</p>
<p>If you think getting good grades at Davis is a walk in the park you are sadly mistaken. In terms of academic rigor, UC Davis is not easy, at least in the General Sciences (Bio, Chem, and Physics). If you’ve “always looked down upon students attending Davis” then why even attend? From your posts, you seemed to already have made your decision. If St. John is where you want to be, then go for it. Why go to a school where you know you’ll hate?</p>
<p>I’m trying to convince myself into attending UCD because deep down, I know it’s the better choice. I personally do not think it is a bad school. However, everybody around me seems to believe so. It’s just so hard to get past all of the stigmas my peers have applied to Davis. I know sciences are difficult everywhere and I do not think that UCD is ‘easy’ by any means, but that’s what I’ve been raised to believe. I know that UCD’s community is pretty close-knit and therefore, students are more passionate and less ‘competitive’. By less competitive, I don’t mean less eager. I mean that they aren’t in the spirit to cheat their way through college by pushing down on others for the sake of their own grades… In other words, UCD students are friendly.</p>
<p>Is there anything in particular about UCD that you love?</p>
<p>The City of Davis is a beautifully well-planned City. If you are looking for a major metropolis like NY, then Davis will definitely not fill your expectations. </p>
<p>I liken Davis to a small picturesque City that has a wonderfully intelligent community. Although it is not a “large” City, it is located near Sacramento and the Bay Area.</p>
<p>You really are talking about two schools that are almost diametrically opposed to each other in every sense of the word.</p>
<p>Why not go to St. John’s? If you are really not pleased with your experience there, transfer out. </p>
<p>I am sure that if you apply yourself you will succeed anywhere you go.</p>
<p>Well I’m going to UC Davis next fall 
I actually have no idea what school you go to because I know people in many schools of different areas and they all see UC Davis as a top-notch school, I mean not like LA, Berkeley and San Diego but right after that. I haven’t actually visited the campus but the whole not being in a a busy city is something that seems nice. If your friends really think bad about UC Davis they should the rankings, personally no idea why you even would look at the rankings…I really want to know where you go to school. If you really need to convince yourself to go with lots of effort it may not be worth going there. At the same time if your friends think UC Davis is easy what do they think about St. John? I still don’t understand people who are like I’m a city type. I mean no offense but you should be able to adapt to different environments. If you really want to live in the east coast then why not just go to St. John. You should know for a job they might not know UC Davis as an individual but the UC system is highly regarded. At the same time I would say don’t use the whole I want to live in New York thing to make a decision since you’re what 17/18? You don’t know where you want to live or anything at all. People change a lot in 4 years and as a Med Student you shouldn’t worry so much about the city life. In no way am i trying to convince you one school is better than the other since you have to decide where you can be happy…just don’t make regrettable choice based on what your “friends” say. The thing i find pretty offensive is you said “you always look down upon students…” you should never look down on another student just because they may not go some number one school like Harvard. You don’t know why someone chooses the school they do and you don’t know the person attending the school. Just because someone doesn’t go to a school that you think is considered “good,” which is in fact an opinion and can not be backed by anything, doesn’t mean you can look down upon them. When you get out of college and move on with your life no one cares if you went to UC Davis or UC Berkeley or St. John. The only thing about going to a top school is it helps open a few more doors earlier than other school and that again depends on the student and the effort they put. I’ll say it again Med School is no work in the park. You will work very hard and you can bet your competition will be the cream of the crop. Make sure where you go it doesn’t drag you away from keeping up your grades and everything else required for Med School. I mean I’m not saying don’t have fun because that would the worse thing you can do…but don’t have too much fun that you start to slip which will hurt you in the long run. I don’t remember what the percentage was but many students who want to do med do not get it, if someone has the percentage please post.</p>
<p>Again just pick where you fit into best, because if you have to always convince yourself that this place is good you will not enjoy it and miss out on the better things.</p>
<p>Edit: wow didn’t notice it was a wall of text :D</p>
<p>I wholeheartedly agree with your statement on how “you don’t know why someone chooses the school they do and you don’t know the person attending the school. Just because someone doesn’t go to a school that you think is considered “good,” which is in fact an opinion and can not be backed by anything, doesn’t mean you can look down upon them.” This applies to the way things have worked out for me. Some people turn down great schools due to personal, financial, and other reasons. You shouldn’t judge a person by his/her school. I’m just saying that the culture/environment I have been raised in is very quick to judge solely based on whether or not you’ve gotten into a ‘name brand school’. I know that UCD is a prestigious school, ranked 8th public uni in the nation and has earned many high rankings in other respects, so I just don’t know why I can’t get over this stigma…</p>
<p>And the thing about the city type, it really does matter. I know many people who are unhappy with their lives because of where they live. Rural settings make me uneasy and the slow pace triggers me into thinking negatively… which in turn affects my physical health. The matter is complicated and difficult to explain.</p>
<p>I wish I could be proud of going to UCD. I know the kids in other schools in my city are beyond ecstatic when they get accepted into Davis. They’re pampered with congratulatory remarks and such. I’ve never really felt like I’ve ever belonged to my high school. Maybe it’s just me, but the kids here are cutthroat, condescending, manipulating, and insulting. Okay, maybe not all, but the kids I’ve been in classes with. The AP/Honors kids. I’ve always hated this elitist type of attitude the kids at my school hold. I guess the friendliness of Davis students could mend my broken heart. </p>
<p>I think I’ve made my decision. UCD it is. It’s nice to know that a prospective freshman like you has plenty of invaluable insight in such matters. Thanks. I’ll be seeing you in the fall, FutureEEMajor!</p>
<p>See you in the fall just make sure the environment doesn’t make you depressed :D</p>
<p>Haha. You should go and visit sometime! I’ve been there plenty of times. Sacto is nice too. Lots of outdoor activities in the vicinity. Whitewater rafting, skiing, hiking, camping…</p>
<p>somehow, i can’t help but detect a hint of eau de trollette here…</p>
<p>^no idea what that means i think its french but all my french went in one ear and left the other.</p>
<p>Why would you think I’m a ■■■■■? To what benefit would somebody lie about something like this? I was trying to get some advice and insight to make a better informed decision about my future, thank you very much.</p>
<p>Hey OP, I know I’m kind of late but I would like to say a few words. First, congrats on your decision. Second, you shouldn’t really care your current friends at your high school say. They’ve never been to the campus and yet they make very ignorant remarks about the school. I really hope when you come here you’ll come to enjoy what Davis has to offer. Sure, we’re not a big city, but we have many great opportunities and especially for premeds. Anyways, what really sold me when I made my decision was the calm atmosphere of Davis (I got into all the UCs including Berkeley). I like friendly people and Davis really seemed to give me that vibe when I came and visited.</p>
<p>Ignore the person calling you a ■■■■■. Now a days any where on the internet you have people saying ■■■■■ ■■■■■ ■■■■■…its rather annoying but what can you do. It’s as though you can’t ask a simple question without having someone call you a ■■■■■…just because the question may not make sense to you doesn’t mean it isn’t a legitimate question…</p>