Hello! I am sure this question has been brought up a lot, but for other majors. I am deciding between UC Davis or UC Berkeley as an international relations or public health major. There are several pros and cons of each school, but I cannot decide. Any advice would be appreciated.
UC Davis
Pros:
Accepted into UHP/Honors Program: This includes priority registration, tighter knit community, greater access to research/alumni opportunities
About ~3k cheaper (but less scholarship granted than Berkeley)
Laidback atmosphere
Cons
Less prestigious, so maybe less access to opportunities, research, internship, and alumni connections?
Social scene may not be as vibrant as Berkeley
UC Berkeley
Pros
Prestige (research, internships, alumni connections may be greater)
Close to Bay Area
Social scene may be more lively
Cons
Not accepted into honors program so no priority registration, overfilled/difficult classes to get into
City is not as safe
Impacted majors are difficult to get into as well
Housing crisis (but I think that applies to many other colleges as well)
Much as I love Cal, I would go with Davis. The pros you list are real pros and I don’t think the cons are that significant (Davis is plenty prestigious and there are many opportunities there, imo). The Berkeley pros you list are not that compelling to my mind and the cons are real. So I’d personally go with Davis.
I agree with @worriedmomucb that your cons for UCB outweigh the cons for UCD. UC Davis is plenty prestigious and prestige for many careers means very little. There are plenty of job/internship opportunities available at both schools especially since they are fairly close to the same target job market areas.
Social scene for most students is what they make of it. Many things to do in and around campus at both schools. Safety and having access to housing are a big concern which at the moment will not go away.
Select the school which makes sense financially, academically and socially. Priority registration in itself is one of the best perks for UCD.
What’s prestige have to do with it (and you’re making a lot of assumptions).
Clearly, you prefer Davis and it’s likely the better fit.
When you use words like “may” which you did - that’s opinion but not fact. Do you have anything to back that up? I mean, how do you know research or internships are greater, etc,?
You will be on campus, four years, day after day. Both schools are fantastic.
This I think is key. Priority registration and greater access to research and alumni can make a huge difference at UCs, which can be large, impersonal, and difficult re: scheduling. Plus Davis is a very pleasant place to attend school, and still not too far from the Bay Area.
That said, they are both excellent choices and you can’t really go wrong either way. Congratulations!
Our daughter (now “Doc”) loved Davis! She wasn’t in HC but she still performed really well.
She didn’t apply to Berkeley because of upper classmates/sports teammates who were not thrilled with Berkeley’s competitive nature. Her friends from Berkeley camped in our daughter’s room, and later, in her townhouse. Housing was not an issue at Davis. Go where you think you will thrive.
As others have already noted, you can’t really go wrong with either university – congrats on having 2 great options. Hopefully you were able to attend Davis’ “Aggie Day” earlier this month and go to Berkeley’s “Cal Day” this Saturday, just to be able to compare both campuses and see how they roll out the blue-and-gold carpet for admitted students.
As the original poster may know, UC Berkeley offers a bachelor’s degree (major) in public health vs. UC Davis offering a minor at the undergrad level, if that matters.
Pro: Honors at Davis would presumably give the student easier access to the opportunities available there.
Con: Even though the student would have easier access, the universe of opportunities at Davis is presumably smaller or weaker in some way compared to Berkeley?
I get the feeling that the OP isn’t sure whether the pro would override the con or vice versa.
Personally I think they are both wonderful options and I’d go with whatever school felt like a better fit.
I don’t really think that’s the case. They have a strong pre health advising team. Because they are in farmland, they have access to lots of clinical experiences, not only in the local area but also in Sacramento and the Bay Area.
As for international relations, Sacramento and the Capitol are 20 minutes away. California is a world economy in itself. Lots to do at the Capitol. If the student chooses to go towards the coast, the Bay area and Silicon are accessible and deal constantly with world trade. There are lots of internships in SF and the surrounding area. Students tend to stand out at Davis and are given plenty of opportunities to intern everywhere. Professors are accessible and utilize their experiences to advise their students.
(Napa vineyards provide local grads with travel to Europe for vintner meetings and techniques of trade.)
Thanks! Sorry if I was unclear. I wasn’t expressing the opinion that opportunities are fewer at Davis, I was just giving my interpretation the OP’s post.
I also want to know if the OP has visited both campuses? My son also had to choose between Davis and Berkeley. Our visit to Aggie day helped tip him over to Berkeley actually. Very specific situation for us, but my son’s department didn’t show up to open house. There was no department presentation at all, no panels, department visits, information, nothing. It left my son feeling like the major wasn’t prioritized at Davis, while comparing it to a world class program with world class facilities at Berkeley. He’s already really excited about all the department events scheduled for Cal Day. Now my son didn’t have honor college to sweeten the pot, but even still, Davis didn’t put their best foot forward with him.
I attended Aggie Day, but unfortunately cannot attend Cal Day! I had a great experience with UC Davis and their honors presentation, so that is something that I had considered.
Yes! Sorry for the lack of better wording, but this is what I meant. I am afraid that employers or others who are running internships would prefer the Berkeley student over me if I choose Davis.
I would find a way to get a visit in to Berkeley before decision day. Even if you can’t go to Cal day, try to get to an admitted student tour. If anything, having seen and felt the vibe at both schools, should make you more confident in your choice.