Top 10 things i need to know about davis

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Davis
1

<p>what would you say are the top 5 best things and top 5 worst things?</p>

<p>or in general, the top 10 things i should know before enrolling (if i decided to enroll)?</p>

2

<p>my take would be: </p>

<p>top 5 best:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>ease of getting around without a car</p></li>
<li><p>no crime</p></li>
<li><p>cheap off-campus housing</p></li>
<li><p>wide variety of majors</p></li>
<li><p>easy to graduate in four years </p></li>
</ul>

<p>top 5 worst:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>sports aren’t that well known yet</p></li>
<li><p>no malls or major chain stores</p></li>
<li><p>gets a bit quiet on the weekends</p></li>
<li><p>some classes can be oversized</p></li>
<li><p>many stores and restaurants close early</p></li>
</ul>

3

<p>thank you! :slight_smile: </p>

<p>so what’s the town of davis like? i’ve heard it was a great college town.</p>

4

<p>haha, sorry to leech off your post, but how is the social scene? I don’t know anything about it.</p>

<p>a positive is that if you really like peaceful/tranquil places, then Davis is the place for you. I have not seen a more peaceful college town. Especially at nights, it’s really something out of this world.</p>

<p>of course that could be a negative depending on what kind of person you are haha</p>

5

<p>Well my D loves UCD!!! Her second year there is as great as the first —doing the Greek thing and Davis Honors Challenge -she is a campus tour guide–and clearly enjoying the social life. She met lots of friends in the dorm–by not staying in her room–GO TO THE LOUNGE!!! Davis is a big school with tons to offer. Parties if you want them, study groups if you want them, and a darling college town atmosphere!(I wish they had a Pluto’s where we live!) I went to SDSU–okay so there is no beach in Davis — but what a great place —and relatively cheap housing compared to locations for other UC’s!! Advice from an old college grad —happiness in college does not come knocking on your door—you have to go out and grab it!</p>

6

<p>UCD is a college town. Everything (and there is a ton of stuff to do) can be reached by biking, walking or the campus and public transit system. Driving by and checking out Davis from the freeway doesn’t give you a clue. Not enough to do in Davis? Sure it has a friendly, laid-back atmosphere, but I challenge anyone to find any other university, UC or otherwise that offers what UCD offers in the way of recreation or entertainment. </p>

<p>The Mondavi Center, is a new state of the art venue, with hundreds of world-class events per year. Check out the big names - from Yo-yo Ma to Bill Clinton (check out the mondavi center - [Mondavi</a> Center](<a href=“http://www.mondaviarts.org/]Mondavi”>http://www.mondaviarts.org/)</p>

<p>The ARC (activities and recreation center) is a 140,000 sq. ft. recently built fitness and recreation building and is THE best facility of its kind on a college campus. [UC</a> Davis Campus Recreation](<a href=“http://campusrecreation.ucdavis.edu/cms/]UC”>http://campusrecreation.ucdavis.edu/cms/)</p>

<p>UCD is home to the Schaal Aquatics center, an Olympic size venue for world-class swimming & diving meets. Again, developed to be the best facility around. [UCD</a> Conferences & Events > Schaal Aquatic Center](<a href=“Conference and Event Services”>Conference and Event Services)</p>

<p>Division 1 UCD is home to a recently built football stadium. All home games are free for UCD students. [UC</a> Davis Aggie Pride Magazine: 1-1 Aggie Stadium](<a href=“http://athletics.ucdavis.edu/aggiepride/1_1_stadium.html]UC”>http://athletics.ucdavis.edu/aggiepride/1_1_stadium.html)</p>

<p>UCD is home to the Aggie Pack one of the largest school spirit organizations in the country. [The</a> Aggie Pack](<a href=“http://ica.ucdavis.edu/aggiepack/structure_sport.php?sport=W%20Water%20Polo]The”>http://ica.ucdavis.edu/aggiepack/structure_sport.php?sport=W%20Water%20Polo)</p>

<p>Both an exceptional Baseball stadium, and dedicated soccer stadium were built a few years ago. UCD has the largest NCAA sports program of any UC featuring 26 mens and womens teams. [UC</a> DAVIS, The Official Athletic Site](<a href=“http://www.ucdavisaggies.com/]UC”>http://www.ucdavisaggies.com/)</p>

<p>Want to participate in sport for the fun of it? UCD has one of the largest intramural programs in the United States. Every year more than 14,000 students play on over 2000 teams, in 26 different men’s, women’s, and coed activities. [UC</a> Davis : Intramural and Club Sports](<a href=“http://admissions.ucdavis.edu/studentlife/im_club_sports.cfm]UC”>Undergraduate Admissions)</p>

<p>There are 450 student groups and organizations in support of just about anything one can think of: [Center</a> for Student Involvement, UC Davis](<a href=“http://spac.ucdavis.edu/]Center”>http://spac.ucdavis.edu/)</p>

<p>Want to get an internship? UCD has one of the largest internship programs in the country.
<a href=“https://iccweb.ucdavis.edu/[/url]”>https://iccweb.ucdavis.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Not sure what you want to major in? UCD offers 104 undergraduate majors.
[UC</a> Davis : More than 100 majors](<a href=“http://admissions.ucdavis.edu/academics/majors.cfm]UC”>Majors | UC Davis)</p>

<p>Want to join a sorority or fraternity? Want to have a frat row in walking distance to where you live?
Russell Blvd Fraternities.
· Theta Chi
· Sigma Alpha Epsilon (“SAE”) 521 Russell Blvd.
· Pi Kappa Alpha (“Pike”) 101 Russell Blvd.
· Chi Phi: 217 Russell Blvd.
· Sigma Phi Epsilon (“Sig Ep”) Oxford Circle
Russell Blvd Sororities
· Alpha Phi
· Chi Omega (“Chi O”): 5th and A
· Delta Gamma (“DG”)
· Kappa Kappa Gamma (“Kappa”)
· Pi Beta Phi (“Pi Phi”)
· Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi (“Sigma AEPi”)
Non - Russell Fraternities
· Alpha Gamma Omega (“AGO”): Parkway Circle
· Alpha Epsilon Pi (“AE Pi”): C st, across from Farmers Market
· Theta Xi: 1st and E
· Delta Sigma Phi (Delta Sig): House next to Kappa Alpha Theta
· Sigma Chi: House next to Delta Sig and Kappa Alpha Theta
Non - Russell Sororities
· Alpha Chi Omega (“A Chi O”): 2nd and C
· Kappa Alpha Theta (“Theta”): Parkway Circle, next door to Sigma Chi
· Delta Delta Delta (“Tri-Delt”): 1st, between A and B </p>

<p>Davis is a quaint college town, however, Sacramento ( a fifteen minute drive away) has all the nightlife of a metropolitan area. Sac nightlife not enough? San Francisco is only an hour drive away (just don’t hit the traffic). Two big malls are within a 12 minute drive and you can also take public transit. [Arden</a> Fair | Home -](<a href=“http://www.ardenfair.com/]Arden”>http://www.ardenfair.com/) [Westfield</a> - Downtown Plaza Shopping Mall](<a href=“http://westfield.com/downtownplaza/]Westfield”>Westfield United States)</p>

<p>Take the Berkeley/Davis shuttle between the two campuses A one way ticket is $8.00. [Davis</a> Berkeley Shuttle - Davis Wiki](<a href=“http://daviswiki.org/Davis_Berkeley_Shuttle]Davis”>http://daviswiki.org/Davis_Berkeley_Shuttle)</p>

<p>Davis is one of, if not the only, California campus with an Equestrian center. [UCD</a> Equestrian Center - Davis Wiki](<a href=“http://daviswiki.org/UCD_Equestrian_Center]UCD”>http://daviswiki.org/UCD_Equestrian_Center)</p>

<p>Like the outdoors? This is the closest UC to great skiing at Tahoe. Hiking, fishing, etc can be done on campus even (it is the largest UC in area), or just head to the outskirts of town. </p>

<p>Outdoor Adventures is one of the largest outdoor activity programs in the country. It is an incredibly well established, mostly student run organization, sponsoring outdoor activities of all kinds, from white-water rafting, to kayaking in Baja over break, to cross-country skiing, you name it. [Outdoor</a> Adventures - Davis Wiki](<a href=“http://daviswiki.org/Outdoor_Adventures]Outdoor”>http://daviswiki.org/Outdoor_Adventures)</p>

<p>Like Crafts? The Craft center offers more than 100 classes per quarter - jewelry making, ceramics, you name it. State of the art facilities in just about any craft [Craft</a> Center - Davis Wiki](<a href=“http://daviswiki.org/Craft_Center]Craft”>http://daviswiki.org/Craft_Center) </p>

<p>Bowling, billiards and game center [MU</a> Bowling Alley - Davis Wiki](<a href=“http://daviswiki.org/MU_Bowling_Alley]MU”>http://daviswiki.org/MU_Bowling_Alley) </p>

<p>Want to go to the movies? <a href=“http://daviswiki.org/Movie_Theaters[/url]”>http://daviswiki.org/Movie_Theaters&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Want to go paintballing? [Davis</a> Paintball Center - Davis Wiki](<a href=“http://daviswiki.org/Davis_Paintball_Center]Davis”>http://daviswiki.org/Davis_Paintball_Center)</p>

<p>Skydiving anyone? [Skydance</a> Skydiving - Davis Wiki](<a href=“http://daviswiki.org/Skydance_Skydiving]Skydance”>http://daviswiki.org/Skydance_Skydiving)</p>

<p>Like to eat out and want a big variety? [Restaurants</a> - Davis Wiki](<a href=“http://daviswiki.org/Restaurants]Restaurants”>http://daviswiki.org/Restaurants)
The best part is you don’t need a car.</p>

<p>Want to just swim and hang out? 2 pools are available - and the weather is great! [Rec</a> Pool - Davis Wiki](<a href=“http://daviswiki.org/Rec_Pool]Rec”>http://daviswiki.org/Rec_Pool) [Community</a> Pool - Davis Wiki](<a href=“http://daviswiki.org/Community_Pool]Community”>http://daviswiki.org/Community_Pool)</p>

<p>Like the unusual stuff? How about the salsa, merengue ? from yoga to tai chi, drumming to bike repair., body massage? Experimental college probably has something for you. [Experimental</a> College](<a href=“http://asucd.ucdavis.edu/experimentalcollege/]Experimental”>http://asucd.ucdavis.edu/experimentalcollege/)</p>

<p>Interested in contemporary music - check out [Davis</a>, California music scene - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davis,_California_music_scene]Davis”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davis,_California_music_scene) <a href=“http://daviswiki.org/Music_Scene[/url]”>http://daviswiki.org/Music_Scene&lt;/a&gt;
or the student-run radio station where you can be a DJ!
[KDVS.org</a> / Freeform Radio / Davis, CA](<a href=“http://www.kdvs.org/]KDVS.org”>http://www.kdvs.org/)</p>

<p>A better question is what ISN’T available at Davis?</p>

<p>UC Davis offers something that is special, look how many of the students look happy, try to live in Davis after they graduate, or who turnout to support numerous campus activities especially their teams. 91% of UCD alumni would recommend their school, just ask them!</p>

<p>A great resource for all potential UC Davis students:
[Davis</a> Wiki - The definitive resource for Davis, California](<a href=“http://daviswiki.org/]Davis”>http://daviswiki.org/)</p>

7

<p>^wow, thank you!! davis does sound great. i wonder what those kids at my school who say “davis is a boring school” are talking about! well, joke’s on them i guess if they don’t do their research and find out how much davis has to offer. :)</p>

<p>three more questions though: how “intellectual” is davis? are people there generally excited about ideas, learning, etc?</p>

<p>although there are so many things to do in davis, is the overall atmosphere extremely laid-back? cuz i would prefer a little more of a lively, on-the-go kinda atmosphere i think.</p>

<p>how is school pride/cohesiveness? how are the football games? i don’t particularly love sports but think it might be nice to experience “college football”. so do people have a lot of aggie pride and show up to both the games and campus events?</p>

<p>thanks for all your help!</p>

8

<p>social scene is good; you kinda have to bloodhound parties sometimes but they’re good if you find them.</p>

<p>intellectual… i’ve only been here a short while and i havent experienced much of the intellectuality but then again i haven’t been looking for it.</p>

<p>the overall atmosphere is pretty laid back, but a lot about davis is how you shape it in terms of workload, extracurriculars, friends etc. it can easily become lively if you make it.</p>

<p>yeah, a lot of people show up to football games, theyre good to go to every once in a while.</p>

<p>i’ve found that if you want to do anything fun you have to actively search it out. not much will come to you unless you try to find it.</p>

9

<p>Aggie pride is huge!!! UCD students love their school, and residents love their town.</p>

<p>There is always fun to be had, be proactive. If you are ever bored it is your fault. Davis is “chill” because the people are “chill.” It is truly one of the most friendly places I have ever been. Visit and see for yourself. With 30,000 students you can always find lively, but what makes Davis special is that you can also find peace and serentity.</p>

<p>As to the intellectual environment… it is a UC, so yes you will find an intellectual environment! Your classes will be challenging.</p>

<p>Editing to mention, the campus is stunning!</p>

10

<p>Best:

  1. Downtown Davis is integrated with the campus.
  2. A lot of school spirit, especially at sports events.
  3. Wide variety of affordable and new apartments off campus.
  4. You can get anywhere on a bike
  5. Some really legit facilities, such as the ARC and Student Union.</p>

<p>Worse:

  1. Few on-campus restaurants. Those that exist in the silo are mostly crappy fast-food.
  2. Lack of an accounting program
  3. Not a great bus system to get around… hard to go grocery shopping.
  4. Your in the middle of Davis. There isn’t too much around :slight_smile:
  5. No nearby mall</p>
11

<p>Regarding nearby malls: there’s a Westfield in Sacramento… kinda dumpy compared to the one in SF, but you can get there and back for free taking the 42B/42A bus line.</p>

<p>And they opened up that big new Target (also accessible by bus)! yayyy</p>

<p>There’s only so much shopping a poor college student can do.</p>

12

<p>Top 5 :slight_smile:

  1. Very laid back atmosphere & people are very friendly.
  2. Tons of majors to choose from.
  3. Farmer’s Market :slight_smile:
  4. College town!
  5. Environmentally friendly (one of the top in the nation)</p>

<p>Top 5 worst :frowning:

  1. Everything is a little far apart :frowning:
  2. It gets really cold in the winter and it gets really hot in the summer.
  3. Has a big greek life scene
  4. DC food is great but it gets redundant.
  5. Campus is dead on the weekends.</p>
13

<p>out of curiosity, why would the campus be dead on the weekends? since there’s no big city really to flock to, are students just studying on the weekends or what?</p>

14

<p>Only freshman are on campus all the time due to the dorms. This means that 3/4 of the other students are not (not including Grad students even). So you can see why it would be so quiet during weekends when there is no school. Of course this is disregarding large events and such, I am just describing what a normal weekend on campus is.</p>

15

<p>so where does everyone go on the weekends?</p>

16

<p>I enjoyed my time at UC Davis. The town of Davis provides pretty much everything you need - it’s all right there.</p>

<p>Also, when you go on campus for the first time, do not be intimidated by all the numerous buildings. When you graduate four years later you will find that you have never stepped foot in about 90% of them.</p>

17

<p>

I am coming to realize that more and more.</p>

18

<p>Everyone does a little something different on the weekends. You can head out to Sacramento quite easily if you want to hit up a shopping mall. Or you can stay in Davis and party at a fraternity (there’s usually some party going on) or a dance club (KetMoRee, Grad). Or at an apartment! :)</p>

19

<p>so do you guys like sacramento? are there plenty of fun “city-type” things to do there?</p>