<p>As in faculty accessibility, atmosphere, housing, campus safety, student life, participation and internship opportunities, etc.</p>
<p>They call UC Berkeley the “mothership” and they call UC Davis the “friendship” (if you don’t protest that is). </p>
<p>The decision is yours.</p>
<p>Ok…</p>
<p>I’m a student at UCD and my brother is a student at UCB (and so was my dad). They both think that Davis is much more student-friendly. Berkeley places greater emphasis on their graduate students, not on their undergrads. I’ve found that many UCB students echo this sentiment. Actually, I asked one of my professors at Davis for advice on transferring. He did his undergrad at Davis and his PhD at Berkeley. He told me that it is much easier to get involved and make connections at Davis than it is at Berkeley as an undergrad.</p>
<p>At Berkeley you work much harder for your connections, but then you have Berkeley connections. Kill it at Berkeley and you’ll be in a stronger position than at Davis. It’s all about how much effort you’re willing to put in. I know it’s easier said than done, but I really do think persistence is key and that the payoff is greater at Berkeley than at Davis if you play your cards right.</p>
<p>Atmosphere? Depends on whether you prefer a relaxed, small college town or a (very) quirky city. Student life? Depends on YOU. Campus safety? Davis. Housing? Davis. Faculty accessibility? Davis.</p>
<p>It was an extremely difficult decision, but I’m transferring from Davis to Berkeley. Half the people I’ve told think I’m crazy and that I’m ruining my chances for grad school. The other half think that I’m making the best decision for myself. Go with the choice that you will have less regrets with. For me, I didn’t want to stay at Davis just because things are going great, only to wonder two years down the line whether I could have done just as well at Berkeley.</p>
<p>tl;dr Both are awesome universities. But since you’ll be starting on a clean slate with no connections at either campus, don’t shortchange yourself before you’ve even started.</p>
<p>So you felt that UC Davis didn’t challenge you enough?</p>
<p>It’s hard to tell for me, since my behavior and student persona change with the environment. I am very adaptable, but I understand that crowded conditions can put me at unease easily. I have some anxiety issues and even on meds for it.</p>
<p>I think I’m just afraid or just feel guilty for turning down such a great opportunity that other people kill for. On the other hand UC Davis is part of the same elite group of 65 universities that UCB and Stanford and Irvine and UCSD are in. </p>
<p>UCSD has more variety of Psycho classes BUT UCB has long classes due to semester system, UCSD is going to throw more requirements at me which may slow down my graduation but UCD is more relaxed on that but the variety of Psych classes concerns me BUT I will have room for other classes and I was told by a counselor that if I am an active student my learning will not stop and what is taught.</p>
<p>the may deadline passed Why are you asking so late?</p>
<p>I do think I underestimate myself a lot. I tend to stand out to my professors a lot and get individual attention from them because of that, then again that was in community college.</p>
<p>How about building connections?</p>
<p>I still need to submit my SIR by June 1st</p>
<p>I didn’t say I don’t feel challenged at Davis. Rather, I’m applauding how easy it is for students to excel outside of class. In class, it really depends on the course and the instructor, but my science courses have been challenging without being mind****s. I believe that the quality of education at Davis and Berkeley is equal content-wise and that the reason Berkeley is considered more difficult (at least in the hard sciences) is because the students are more competitive. </p>
<p>As for prestige, there’s not much comparison. Yes, they’re both part of the UC system, which is prestigious. However, Berkeley is very well respected internationally, whereas people outside of California don’t usually know Davis unless they’re animal science/agricultural people. Berkeley’s psych program is consistently ranked top five in the country, so making connections and getting LORs from these researchers will be beneficial if you plan to continue.</p>
<p>Well UCD does have the MIND institute and all and is highly ranked in Psychology.</p>
<p>Also how is the UCD quarter system vs. UCB semester system?</p>
<p>Davis is ranked highly in psychology, but not to the degree that Berkeley is. Then on top of that, Berkeley is ranked much higher overall.</p>
<p>The MIND Institute is an excellent place to get an internship, true. Especially if you’re into neuroscience or autism research. It’s a bit difficult if you don’t have a car, though, or at least that’s what I felt. The Center for Mind and Brain is also great. The offices feel very professional; Berkeley’s facilities are definitely not as nice. But at Berkeley you get you to work in a building named Tolman. :P</p>
<p>I don’t know what a university semester system is like. It probably allows you to go a lot more in depth in your courses, which is a big advantage if you enjoy the material (which you probably will because you’ll be taking upper divs). The quarter system is fast and you have multiple midterms per course most of the time; it can be stressful if you don’t manage your time well. I’ve had quarters where, with four classes, I had a midterm every week. However, the plus side is that you get to take a few more courses during your time at Davis (12 courses a year versus 10).</p>
<p>How crowded is the Berkeley campus vs. the Davis campus?</p>
<p>Davis has a much larger campus. Berkeley is more crowded.</p>
<p>How were you able to switch campuses? I’m already a transfer student so I don’t think I can do that.</p>
<p>I started as a freshman at Davis and applied as a junior transfer to Berkeley. Luckily, things worked out. :)</p>
<p>Where did you end up choosing?</p>
<p>I haven’t choosen yet, I have less than 24 hours left to decide. </p>
<p>How hard is is to get upper division classes in Berkeley especially for capped majors?</p>
<p>Do you feel like you had more free time in Berkeley or Davis?</p>
<p>I was in a popular uncapped major at Cal (political science). Most upper-division students declared PS majors could get 2 PS classes per semester (though frequently not their preferred options), but 3 was nearly impossible.</p>
<p>I think the situation would be somewhat better in capped majors, but I don’t have any direct experience.</p>
<p>Flip a coin. If you’re disappointed with the side that comes up, then your decision is made easier for you. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t wait until the very last moment to send in your SIR. Last night I wanted to double-check if my SLR went through, and the server was down.</p>
<p>Hmm good advice</p>
<p>nick-Why would it be better in capped majors?</p>
<p>So where’d you end up picking?</p>