I am officially an Aggie!!! I just committed to UC Davis as a Biological Science major!! 
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For end of the year grades, does UCD want the final transcript or just the spring grades? D’s school only gives out annual grades so one grade per subject at the end of the year. If only needing spring grades, she will have to ask them to create a special one.
Do they want us to upload to the portal? Or have the school send in an official copy?
Normally the way that it works is that you tell your high school where you are matriculating and they will send a formal transcript to the university on your behalf. The colleges want to see your full, final HS transcript as well as any other transcripts from other institutions you attended (like through Dual Enrollment).
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Got it thanks! We’re about to request DE grades, APs, and SAT scores.
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Hi, can anyone speak from experience or knowledge of the BUSP (Biology Undergraduate Scholars Program) program? Our incoming first-year was invited to apply - it appears to be an Honors program…just wanted pros/cons, recommendation etc? Student would be an NPB major with possible pre-med track and/or research. Just didn’t want to overload their plate going in, wasn’t sure much about BUSP and if worth the extra work etc. How selective it is or what it all entails. Thanks!
In October D put down beginning linear algebra as one of the potential classes for math but the school offered game theory instead in April. She’s finished calculus already.
Is there a reason to let UCD know of a change in math class?
Yes, UCD needs to be notified of any schedule change prior to final transcripts.
You are required to notify us through MyAdmissions immediately of any changes regarding:
- Courses in progress or planned, if different from information reported in your application
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Thank you!
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I don’t nave personal experience with it but it sounds like it is supportive and not meant to overload a student. The Chem Intensive, BIS 11 and BUSP lab skills sound like they are intro type classes to help students succeed in CHE 2ABC and BIS 2ABC.
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If D’s school only gives one final grade per subject for the final transcript, will this be a problem for UCD? Should we ask the school to create a special one for UC for the final transcript?
The school does not need to make a special final transcript for UCD. Each school is different on how they post transcript grades so just have them submit the transcript as is.
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Is there anyone planning to commute to UCD from Sacramento by car pooling, or by any other mode of transportation? Looking for any topic already started on it, or any useful group where parents can discuss about.
I haven’t seen much discussion about it on College Confidential. You might reach out to the those on the UC Davis Parents Facebook group.
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Hi. Here’s a response you can actually use… yes, he has an excellent chance of transferring to Berkeley, particularly if he is a California resident. He will need outstanding grades (at least a 3.8) and stand-out essays. Also in 2025 there may be a new entrance exam which he can also explore when/if it comes to fruition.
While it’s great to go all in as a freshman to your second choice, even first choices can some times not work out, which is why 38% of freshman end up transferring to a new school after their first two years.
There’s nothing wrong with entering a school with an intent to transfer. He may end up loving Davis and staying all 4 years, but even if he doesn’t and his heart is set on Berkeley, he has a great chance given the stats I mentioned above. Good luck!
@lkg4answers My D23 is accepted into Davis for molecular and microbiology and she just got off UCI waitlist for bio sci. Do you know which program is better? She’s considering med school. We are visiting Davis this Sunday, 5/21 on self-guided tour, so any recommendations of “must see” on or off campus is appreciated! Because most of the on campus restaurants are closed on Sundays, we are gonna eat a meal at one of the dining halls 
.
(FYI, you answered similar question when she got off UCSB waitlist for pre-bio 
. She declined UCSB)
This is my opinion. I’m sure others will feel differently. Academically, the two schools are very similar. Both have strong Bio Sci departments. Both schools offer resources and advising for a variety of healthcare fields (medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, optometry, PT, OT, etc.). I feel that is important.
Socially, I think Davis wins out. Based on my children’s friends at both schools, STEM students at Davis have more of a mindset of “we’re all in this together.” You’ll see more kids forming study groups, sharing notes and working on projects together. The professors encourage it. Irvine STEM students tend to be a little more solitary. Personally, I hear UCI students referencing finding out about jobs/internships/opportunities through the student-run pre-professional clubs. I don’t hear many UCI students talking about pre-health advising. That could just be the students that I encounter.
Thanks for reminding me that I posted about Davis on the UCSB waitlist thread. I’m going to bring some of that post over here for others who might be interested
Regarding advising, I feel that the pre-health advising at UC Davis is better than UCSB. That said, advising only helps if a student takes advantage of it.
Davis pre-health advising offers a pre-health conference , med-school boot camp , application and interview prep , a MCAT mock exam and much more. Davis also has a health sciences LLC in the dorms (note: more students apply for it than there is space).
UC Davis Pre-Health Advising https://hpa.ucdavis.edu/
UCI Pre-Health Advising https://undergraduate.bio.uci.edu/pre-health-professional-advisement/
I poked around a bit on the UCI pre-health advising. They have a couple of videos that explain where students can go for resources. The videos are a few years old and still reference the campus being shut down for COVID. They have links to a lot of documents where students can read about different health careers. They don’t seem to have many live, in-person events. I looked at the list of “Clinical & Community Volunteer Opportunities for Pre-Health Students” and found that it hadn’t been updated since 2018. 
That might explain why UCI students use their student-run clubs as a resource rather than advising.
Regarding visiting this Sunday, have you looked at this thread with Davis suggestions? Are you a member of the Davis Parent FB group? I’ve seen current parents and students volunteer to meet with prospective students and show them around. The UCI parent group won’t let parents join until their student commits.
@lkg4answers Thank you AGAIN for the great feedback and information! I requested to join the UCD FB page so hopefully we can meet up with someone tomorrow ! And I also read the Davis suggestions!
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Housing for students who are accepted of waitlist
Are they late or can they still find room mates?
Will they get housing of their choice or not?
Same question.
Not even the regular admits are guaranteed their first choice housing request. As a waitlisted admit, you are guaranteed Freshman housing. When you fill out the housing application, you can submit a request to live with roommate(s) of your choice. Student Housing will attempt to honor roommate requests based upon available space and the amount of roommate requests received. Housing assignments do not happen until Late August, so you have time to find roommates and make your requests until sometime in July/Early August. You would need to check the Housing timeline once you submit the application.
My son found 1 roommate during Freshman orientation in July when he attended.
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