UC Davis v. UC Santa Barbara

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - GENERAL
1

I have been accepted and visited both UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara. I am having trouble deciding which one to go to as both offer me the same amount of financial aid. I want to go into Political Science and hopefully law school, although I know it is very likely I will change my mind when I get to high school. Is there any way you guys can help?

UC Davis Pros
-Close to home (30 mins)
-Law School on campus
-Weather that I am used to (I live close)
-Better Political Science program
-Beautiful campus
-Environmentally Friendly
-Lots of different clubs and activities
-On campus farmers market
-UC Davis Pantry
-Good community inclusion (Women’s center and LGBTQA center)
-No need for a car
-Easy to change major
-A lot of niche things on campus (rainbow roof on the library, egg heads)
-Multiple libraries
-People from my HS go there
-I like to stay in and study a lot, so the limited social stuff would be ideal

UC Davis Cons
-Really close to home (Will it really feel like HS)
-Farm School (My HS was a farm school)
-Huge Campus
-Cow Poop Smell (I am kind of used to it because of my HS)
-Larger class sizes
-Didn’t really feel like home

UC Santa Barbara Pros
-No need for a car
-Ocean views/beautiful campus
-Awesome weather
-Good academic standing
-No impacted majors
-Small class sizes
-Smaller Campus
-Environmentally friendly
-Friendly People
-Plenty of on campus jobs
-Isla Vista
-Private Beach
-Might be interested in earning my teaching credential (They have a program)
-Easy access to on campus dietitian (I have an allergy)
-A library with both ocean side and mountain side views
-Better explanation of the residence halls on tour
-Really supportive of the campaign to conserve the ocean
-Free Buses to downtown
-Lots of clubs on campus
-Greek life
-Right next to the airport
-Far enough away from home that I get my space whilst close enough (6 hour drive) that I would be able to get home if something happened

UC Santa Barbara Cons
-I’m really worried that because it is a party school I wouldn’t fit in because I do like to focus on my academics
-Not as close to downtown as Davis
-Seems like there is a lot of social pressure to be fit and beautiful that I feel like I couldn’t match up to
-Takes about a week to change major over the 2 days at Davis
-I feel like my personality/ academic focus puts me at Davis but I feel \closer to Santa Barbara

2

Go to where you feel more comfortable. The differences between schools won’t be that great, academically.

3

Go to SB. You can avoid the partiers by heading to the library to study.

Going a few hundred miles away is a good learning experience in itself.

4

Well, Davis is close to Sacramento so to me that would be a nice thing for PoliSci majors. Based on your pros and cons it sounds like the safer bet is Davis.

5

So everyone’s in agreement? ?

6

Class sizes at the two schools are similar. PoliSci classes at Davis tend to be small and I think being close to Sacramento will be more valuable than having a law school on campus.

Your lists are basically the same. Changing majors within L&S is pretty easy at both schools - I wouldn’t lose sleep over 2 days vs 1 week. Both schools have attractive campuses, are environmentally friendly, are biking communities, offer free buses, have lots of on campus jobs, have lots of clubs & activities and have one main library (Davis’ other libraries are specialty libraries). It comes down to whether you want to stay close to home or venture out and try something new.

7

Two days versus one week…seriously. It can take a year at Cal Poly.