I just got off the waitlist for Cal and if I do decide to attend I would have to be in the Fall Program for Freshmen for the first semester. I am already committed to UC Davis for their honors program. I plan on majoring in biology, minoring in international relations, and going the premed route or the law school route. Which school would be better for me to attend?
You can do great things coming out of either school. Cost and personal fit should be big considerations. The honors college is also a big advantage. Cal will feel much less user friendly than an honors program at UCD. Cal has the global rep and is universally recognized as an elite school. But UCD is not second rate either.
Try to figure out where you want to be for 4 years — the FPF can be a positive or negative – and it is an added expense — but it’s only for one semester — and in the end you are at Berkeley. But Berkeley & Davis are very different environments. Academically, I think Davis is more undergrad-friendly - especially with the honors program. But another difference is that Davis is on the quarter system, while Berkeley is on a semester system. So worth considering pros and cons of that as well (I’m really not a fan of Berkeley for undergrad — but it really is a matter of individual preference.).
The UC Davis Honors College is really terrific – small-scale and designed to get students interacting with research faculty quickly and deeply. Davis faculty are very available to undergrads, too. I am the parent of a student who will someday go to college, but I also teach at UCD and I think Davis is a great environment for undergrads seeking to do high-level work.