UC Davis v. UCSB

College Search & Selection
1

Hey guys I’m stressing out a lot choosing between ucd and ucsb. I hope that you guys can help me make a choice. Here’s what I have right now.
UCD (Atmospheric Science)
Pros:

  • One of 3 UC’s that has the major I want besides ucla and ucb (rejected)
  • visited it and really liked the campus
  • talked to the professor/ major advisor and he seems nice
  • Like the huge biking campus
  • Can become more independent since it is in norcal and i’m in socal
  • the dorms are pretty nice especially tercero
  • Filled with nice and diverse people (coming from a predominately asian community, so it won’t be a drastic change)
  • best friend is going there too

Cons:

  • Really far away from my home (Los Angeles)
  • Heard that it is really competitive (like getting classes and such)
  • do not know how it ranks among other schools since it is not a popular major

UCSB (Earth Science)
Pros:

  • 8th best public school in the U.S (3rd best UC I believe?)
  • heard that the social scene is nice
  • Earth science program 23rd in the nation; Physical science program 28th in the world
  • Pretty campus (visiting it this upcoming saturday)
  • huge campus with bikes

Cons:

  • scared of the drastic change since sb is predominately Caucasians and I come from a school with 70% asians
  • can’t seem to find a person like me as a roommate
  • Party scene IV
    -down to party a few times but not constantly
    - I understand it’s the people you hang out with but maybe youtube videos (ucsb vloggers) really affect how I see the students
  • not exactly the major I want but it’s somewhat related to it
  • pretty old dorms

MAJOR CONCERN: I was for sure going to go to ucd before getting accepted to ucsb. After going to decision day for ucd, I realized that I really liked the campus, but I can’t say the same for ucsb since this saturday is going to be my first time visiting it. As of now, I really don’t know which one to choose. UCSB and UCD are such great schools. I know that ucsb is harder to get in and I was rejected by ucsd and waitlisted by irvine which have higher acceptance rates. The gpa and sat scores are similar for all 4 schools, but knowing that ucsb picked me, I dont want to reject them??

I feel like if I pick ucd, I’m letting such a golden opportunity away BUT if I pick ucsb, I’m scared I won’t be able to fit in, find friends, get used to it, and regret it later.

Sorry for this long post I really hope you guys can help me out.

2

dont worry about what your friends think - seriously, they don’t know jack. Academically, they are essentially a coin toss. The student experience is where they differ. SB has the ocean and IV. Davis doesn’t. Go where you want and make the most of the opportunities that school represents. I also wouldn’t put too much stock in the reported ethnicity of students - since it can’t be a factor in admissions, it isn’t validated and more and more students decline to state.

Go to both schools on a weekday, take an official tour but, then hang out on campus for a couple of hours, eat a meal and talk to some students about their experience. Go where you think you’ll fit - but, the whole point of going to college is to have a different experience, interact with people you wouldn’t otherwise run into and have your beliefs challenged while you learn about your chosen topic. So, a little outside your comfort zone is a good thing.

3

My advice, look for academic, social and financial fit.

Financial - Should be about the same at both schools. It is a bit more expensive to live off campus at UCSB than UCD but not as high as schools like UCLA or Berkeley.

Academic - It sounds like UCD is a better fit as it offers a program for what you want to study.

Social - It really comes down to this. From your description above, it sounds like UCD is a better fit but you are hung up on which school is harder to get into. Acceptance rate doesn’t equate to your education or experience - especially since you are looking at overall acceptance vs acceptance into a specific major.

I agree that you should spend time evaluating after a tour. Grab lunch at the UCen (UCSB) or Memorial Union (UCD). Look at the students who are coming and going see if you can feel yourself fitting in at one school better than the other. Step away from campus and get dinner in Isla Vista and in Davis so you can get an idea of what life is like off campus in the evening.

Picking through your pros and cons,

  • both are biking campuses
  • Tercero is nice but the food isn’t as good as Segundo (Note: they changed food vendors this year)
  • UCD is more ethnically and culturally diverse than UCSB but there are more than enough Asians at both schools. UCD has more other (non Asian) ethnicities which might be an adjustment if you went to a predominantly Asian school.
  • I would put “best friend” as a con as it is easier to meet new people if you aren’t living or hanging out with a high school friend.
  • There are MANY people from Los Angeles at UCD. You will be surprised. There are MANY people not from Los Angeles at UCSB. You will be surprised.
  • At UCD, freshman winter and spring registration is done by lottery. You are just as likely get an early pass time as a late pass time. Upper class men and honors/regents get first choice. After spring quarter, registration pass time is based upon how many units you have completed at UCD. Note: AP credit does not give you earlier registration. For freshman classes (math, physics, chem, etc) you will most likely get the class but not necessarily with your first choice for professor or time. At UCSB they make an effort to have enough room in classes for those that want to take them. They claim to send out in interest survey of sorts so that they can get an approximate idea of how many students are planning to take each course. Again, you might not get your first choice for professor or time. Registration might have changed in the past 5 years but, at UCSB you need to sign up for the lab separate from the lecture so you risk getting a lecture without the lab. At UCD you sign up for them at the same time. I don’t think this is a deal breaker.
  • UCSB definitely has a larger party scene. This is something that you are going to have to figure out for yourself. When you visit, walk (don’t drive) around Isla Vista in the evening. It is very different than Davis.
  • Instead of You Tube and vlogs of strangers, do you have friends who are at each school? Ask them about their social experience or check out their social media.

Finally, ask your parents what they think.

Just my two cents

4

Hi @thunderrain123! UCSB alum here! I’m going to paste my response from another post in hopes it helps answer some of your questions.

My time at UCSB were some of my favorite years. Really friendly kids and easy to meet people. The incredible weather and beach location were icing on the cake. I found there was something for everyone there. You’re surrounded by really smart students however it’s collaborative and never felt cut-throat. There are lots of students involved in intramural sports, outdoorsy-type clubs, etc. Really, there’s a club or way to get involved for just about any interest (including more academic oriented/professional clubs). The men’s soccer and basketball games are super fun and well attended (UCSB I believe still holds the record for men’s soccer attendance). Partying in Isla Vista is there for those that wish to partake, although there’s one common party street (Del Playa), so it’s easy to “choose” your housing based on interests (ie, choose a different street to live on than Del Playa if you’d rather avoid the weekend party goers). UCSB is definitely not a commuter school— so the weekends are just as fun and active as the weekdays, with the majority of students living on campus their first year and in apartments in Isla Vista, the neighboring college town, for years 2-4. There are on-campus options for years 2-4 also. People, Academics, Social Scene and Food all score high. The Freshman dorms could be viewed as a con because many are triple occupancy, however many also have ocean views— so there’s a trade off :). Also, the dorms are such a great way to meet people and make friendships for roommate options following years. Have you visited the campus/Isla Vista? Good luck to you!

5

What are some pros and cons of ucsb?

  • People
  • Academic scene
  • Social scene
  • dorms
  • food

Thank you

6

Thank you to everyone who gave me suggestions. Im gonna visit ucsb tmr and once I make my decision I’ll be sure to update you guys on it!

7

@BayAreaRecruiter Are freshmen dorms really hard to get first choice? I have looked at the dorms on the website and I’m really confused by it. I want to live close to campus (preferably like the ones on campus) but is it hard to get? since it is only two stories and many people want it.

8

Go to Davis! It has the specific major that you want, which is really the bottom line. Davis is an engaging college town with a lot going on. It is farther from your home, but you will find friends to grab rides with up and down the 5. The difference in “prestige” between Davis and UCSB is nil.

9

Where did you get your UCSB rankings from? According to US News ranking of National Universities UCSB 37 / UCD 46. College Niche ranking of top Public Universities has UCSB 18 / UCD 26. IMO, after UCB & UCLA, the two UCs are in the second tier and are both great schools.

You say you are worried about giving away a “golden opportunity” but not going to UCSB but it doesn’t even have your exact major like UCD. Also, both UCs have 1,000’s of asians (and I’m guessing your STEM science major will have a disproportionate number of asians as well). You will be fine at both campuses. Lastly, a flight from Sac (20 mins from Davis) to Burbank is easy and cheap on SW if booked in advance if you are worried about being so far home. With traffic SB, could be 2.5 - 3 hours from LA.

I loved my time at UCD and my little sister went to UCSB and also had a great time. At the end of the day, you will have a wonderful college experience at either college Good luck!

10

@thunderrain123 Most live on campus their freshman year— several dorm options…though I’d talk to housing when you visit to learn more. As others have mentioned, the rankings are negligible— choose the campus that fits you best after visiting. Best of luck to you and congrats on having great options! :slight_smile:

11

Are you referring to FT or Santa Catalina as it is called now? I believe it is lottery at UCSB so some students get first choice an some don’t. There are high rises - San Nic and San Miguel on campus as well. Maybe choose a living learning community to better your chances. The Asian/Pacific Islander community is in Anacapa. http://www.housing.ucsb.edu/residence-halls/living-learning-communities

12

I went to UCSB back in the day. It was great. UCSB for AGES has had a reputation as a huge party school. The major parties will be along Del Playa (the street next to the ocean in Isla Vista) but it’s not a weekend long rager all throughout IV every single weekend.

UCSB is NOT a commuter school. This makes it EASY to make friends.

If you are a partier, there’s plenty to choose from.
If you’re not into that, there are plenty of non-partiers, too. My roommate was a non-partier. She had plenty of fun. She just didn’t drink nor did she do drugs. There’s a large enough community of students there that there’s a tribe for every type of student.

When I was attending UCSB, the school most definitely was primarily a Caucasian student body. However, there is a special interest group for just about every racial & ethnic group you can imagine. More than 1 Asian student club or association. If you practice a particular religion? There’s a group for that, too. You’re Jewish? There’s a Hillel group on campus that does seder dinners on Friday evenings. Christian? There are a bunch of Christian student groups of various denominations. My next door neighbor in the dorms would attend Gaucho Christian Fellowship every Friday evening instead of partying in IV and she had a great time. Muslim? They have student groups for that, too. Buddhist? We’ve got you covered.

Etc., etc.

I would bet you $50 that UCD has the same thing.

Both schools are very bike friendly.

The weather in SB can’t be beat. You can study on the beach. Anacapa dorm has ocean views (well, part of it does). The weather in October in SB is pretty darn fabulous. In June and July, it’s often overcast the first part of the day and then it burns off (June gloom).

If financially both schools are about equal for you and both are affordable, then you need to decide based on a couple of things:

  1. Your major - UCD has it. UCSB does not. If you decide to go to UCSB, are you satisfied with Earth Sciences? Only you can decide that.
  2. Could you envision yourself living there for 4 years? Don't just tour the UCSB campus. Walk into IV and get some pizza from Woodstock's.
  3. Housing - how hard it is as a freshman, sophomore, etc. to get on campus housing? Is on campus housing guaranteed for all freshmen or are you going to end up in a housing lottery? Frankly, it would kind of suck to end up having to rent a room from somebody as a freshman vs living in a freshman dorm on campus.

If you’re a fan of Hamburger Habit, you should go to the original one that’s in Goleta on Hollister Ave.

re: UCD being far away from home - Only you can decide if this works for you.

re: UCSB being closer to home - If you do decide to go to UCSB, I’d recommend that you arrange an understanding with your parents such that they’ll treat it as if you are farther away from home.

13

Do you mean actual Caucasians (from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, etc.) or white people?

https://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg06_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=635 says that UCSB is 37.5% white and 22.5% Asian.

For comparison, https://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg06_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=650 says that UCD is 30.6% white and 34.6% Asian.

14

@socaldad2002 Oh I forgot to mention public schools haha! but you’re right they are both good schools. Thank you so much for your tips and I think after tmr’s spring insight I’ll have my answer

15

@tucsonmom This also helps me a lot. I still need to decide with I’m fine with Earth Science and I think I’ll look more in-depth into the professors.
Speaking of the Original Habit… I’m gonna tell my family to eat there tmr for lunch during the spring insight!

16

@lkg4answers I’ll definitely look into API LLC! Thanks!

17

@ everyone!! Thank you so much for all the posts and taking your time to respond to every single one of my concerns. All these answers have definitely helped me realize which college I want more. Thank you again and I wish you all the best!

18

@thunderrain123 you may know this after visiting today but I read the following which was posted on the UCSB page.

“Yes, there is a matchmaking process. I went on an admitted students tour and there is a new process this year, where you can actually choose which dorm you want to live in and you can also see who else is in the room and what their sleeping habits are etc.”

19

Hey everyone! I finally visited the school yesterday and really really like the campus. It definitely wasn’t like how I imagined and IV was not as bad as I though and I think I might choose there. I’m still currently researching more on the professors and courses. I also asked one of the student who is taking the same major as me and she said to also major in geography which I’m also pretty interested in.

However, I do want to get my masters in Atmospheric Science in ucla. So How should I transfer and is it hard to transfer? Or should I wait until I finish getting my degree then apply for graduate school? Which one seems easier and more beneficial? Thank you!