Alright so kiddo committed to UCD today!
He had a choice among 4 UCs (SD, SB, Irvine, Davis), narrowed it down to UCSD vs. UCD, and chose the latter based on personal/ fit reasons (rather than relative rankings and prestige for engineering, which is what my Indian Tiger Mom brain has been obsessing about )
Really glad he decided on where he’ll be happiest overall and not based on bragging rights - a lot of people on these CC forums as well as our admissions advisor said there’s basically no difference in outcomes - job prospects, grad school admissions - across the four choice, so it really should come down to fit. And that’s how he chose Davis!
Proximity to the Bay Area - so 1 hr 15 min bus/ train ride home vs. taking a flight from SD;
materials engineering at UCD vs. Nano engineering major at UCSD (the latter IS very new and rare, but I think part of the issue was not understanding what exactly it is and whether it’s too narrow a specialization); and finally,
relative ease of switching majors/ getting into minors or dual majors of his choice at UCD. I think this choice/ flexibility will be of huge value and allow him to explore a variety of fields. Eg UCD has a cognitive science offering which my son might want to explore as a dual major option
All in all, setting aside my cultural wiring, I am super happy he’s made the choice that’s right for him!
ps He is disappointed about Berkeley. I told him getting in there takes walking on water, and let’s be realistic he doesn’t walk on water
Having said this, is there ANY chance of transferring into Berkeley in the future? I’m guessing everyone and their sister wants this transfer so probably not?
I don’t know what the chance is of getting in as a transfer.
I do think it is better for our kids to let go of the idea of transferring to a different school, and really commit to the schools they are attending. Davis is a great school in itself
Will UCD allow one cc class this summer? D is thinking of calc 3 at SFCC our local one unless we can find one online. Back in 2020-2021 more were online but it seems more schools are now meeting in person. She really liked the administration and professor at Pasadena as well as Rio Hondo.
I agree with @tamagotchi that any student should not attend a college with the mindset of transferring. Definitely go in with a positive attitude and take advantage of all the wonderful resources and opportunities available at UCD. If after a year, the student is not happy with their decision, then they can consider a UC to UC transfer but just so they know that CA CC transfers have priority over UC transfers. Also completing all GE’s at UCD and getting the UC GE reciprocity is important.
UC Davis offers an intercampus exchange program if the student would like to take classes at a UCB for a semester or another UC Campus.
Intercampus Visitor Program
The Intercampus Visitor Program (ICV) enables qualified undergraduates at the University of California to take advantage of educational opportunities at other University campuses. Students may take courses that are not available at their home campus, participate in special programs or study with a distinguished faculty member at another campus.
As a participant in ICV, you may enroll at another campus, called the host campus, for only one term.
Consult with your home campus academic advisor about the courses you wish to take at the host campus. Information about these courses can be found in the host campus’s General Catalog. You may also want to consult with an advisor at the host campus to find out if there are special prerequisites or requirements for any of the courses you plan to take.
If you are a senior, it is particularly important that participation in ICV does not prevent you from meeting the academic residency requirement of your home campus.
To qualify as an Intercampus Visitor, you need to be an undergraduate who has:
Completed at least one year of residence at your home campus and is currently a continuing student.
Maintained a grade point average of at least 2.000 or the equivalent and is currently in good academic standing.
Obtained the approval of the Dean or Provost, or a designee, of the college or school in which you are currently enrolled.
Thank you! I was planning to call them tomorrow, though not sure what office as we’re kind of overwhelmed with the website.
Not to put you in the spot, would it better to call or send an email if I need to revise the FAFSA so that we can essentially not accept financial aid as we will not qualify by the end of summer? Plus we don’t need to it as we can pay for a UC tuition.
My daughter had these same 2 choices last year and chose Davis after she did a deep dive into the actual program (UX/UI Design) and what she would be studying. The flexibility that Davis offered and the ability to add a 2nd major, Cog Sci (which she has already done) was also a big selling feature. She is LOVING Davis and this is someone who wanted to be in a big city. Good luck to your daughter - both are great choices!
May I ask which track of cog sci? D is planning to major in this but we’re not sure which track, probably neuro though I think computational might be better for getting internships. We’re trying to see why there is this major and then a different one called neurobiology in a different college.
It depends on what your student is interested in. If they aren’t great at math, or aren’t interested in CS, then don’t do computational.
The prep work for Neuro and Computational are similar except that Neuro requires the BIS2 and PHY 7 series and Computational requires PHI 12 and ECS. Your student might try PHI12 and ECS to see if it interests them. If not, they can move to neuro. Warning, the BIS 2 and PHY 7 series are both year long courses so you wouldn’t want to wait until year 2 or 3 to change.
I have a concern, so I was accepted to the UC Davis but on my application I accidentally duplicated a dual enrollment course into my High School grades. I just realized this error today. Can this lead to my application being rescinded?
I would contact admissions and explain the error before you send your final transcripts which are due in July. It should not be an issue but be proactive and let them know now. UC’s do not like surprises.
That’s the other side: there are so many interesting subjects and majors that it’s hard to be decisive. I didn’t know there was a graduate side on this forum, thank you!
Where did he end up deciding to go OOS? As I recall he was interested in MSE-- my kid is interested in this as well and will be applying in the next cycle, as we live in CA we are compiling a list of OOS schools to apply to for many reasons.
School fit and what it alllows you to accomplish while in school is way more important than prestige. In fact I would rate prestige as not even important enough to consider on a priorities list when choosing a school, especially for STEM subjects. Your kid made a wise choice.
