UC Davis vs. Cal Poly SLO

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - GENERAL
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I’m a current senior who was just recently admitted to UC Davis and Cal Poly SLO. I’m out of state and only got a chance to tour Davis in the summer when there wasn’t really that much going on and the majority of the student body was not on campus. I am visiting both Davis and Cal Poly within the next month, but would love to get a discussion going comparing the two…I am going into both schools as an arts major (an area I know some may no nothing about, and some may know a lot about).

I am very curious to know the “truth” behind both campuses, as the tour guides I will probably talk to might say something completely different than current students (ex: the night life and party scene, housing, social, etc). Obviously, everyone has different experiences at any college, however, I would love to get input and or advice on Davis and Cal Poly. What are some of your experiences at either Cal Poly and Davis?

I think I am going to join greek life, I love the outdoors and good weather (which is why I am just focusing on California right now). I also want to get the best education possible, which is why I am mainly considering both Davis and SLO. I am curious how they are as college towns in general, as I have heard mixed things from a lot of different people.

Please please please feel free to comment anything!!! I need as much input as possible… it won’t make my decision for me but it would make me feel more informed!

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Can you afford the out-of-state list prices without financial aid? (CPSLO is less expensive than UCD, though)

What other options do you have, at what prices?

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In terms of location, I think it’s really hard to beat SLO. SLO, and the central coast as a whole, is beautiful. Great weather, beautiful beaches, a fun city, LA isn’t too far south, etc.

Davis is … well, Davis. It’s kind of close to Sacramento and close enough to SF, but not much is really happening in Davis.

I’m not a student at either, though my wife went to Cal Poly before we met and she absolutely loved it. I’ve been to SLO several times and it’s hard to beat. I live fairly about 45 minutes from Davis and I guess it has some small town charm, but there’s just not a lot going on.

I’ve applied to Davis and Cal Poly (and have been admitted to Cal Poly) as back up schools and for me, it would be no question between the two.

But take that with a grain of salt as I’m really speaking more of the locale and the lifestyle, and not academics … but both are great academically in their own ways.

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@ucbalumnus yes, fortunately I am able to afford out of state tuition. As of right now, it is coming down to UC Davis and Cal Poly. Setting the financial aspect aside, I am trying to understand and fully explore everything that each school has to offer

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@briank82 thank you! Super helpful… I think the thing i’m having the most difficulty with is ranking system. UC Davis is apparently better academically, but the location is not what I wanted. Cal Poly, however, has a great location, but isn’t as good of a school (according to recent rankings…) I’m totally torn between the two and don’t know what to do!!!

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What rankings are you looking at? Many of the rankings do not put them in the same category, as CPSLO does not offer doctorate degrees. Many of the rankings are also based on graduate school, not undergrad.

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Both are small college town schools but SLO is more so due to being slightly more isolated than Davis. Since you from OOS, flying home may be an issue from SLO. No large airports in town, you would have to probably go to Santa Barbara in the south 2 hrs away or San Jose several hours north. There is The Amtrak train which could take you to both locations. Weather wise you cannot go wrong at SLO. What is your major? My older son, CA resident, was deciding between SLO and UCD. He chose UCD, for the convenience of flying home (Sacramento to SoCal), more flexibility in changing majors and the strength of his academic program. Definitely visit SLO since most students I talk with either love it or hate but that could be said for UCD also. Both are great optiions plus SLO will leave you with a few more dollars in your pocket.

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Perspective of a graduating senior at UCD:

Night life: Frankly I’m not one that actively participates in the night life, so I can’t say from experience.

Party scene: It’s most definitely there if you want it, but is also easy to avoid if you don’t. Basically, if you want to find a party you will. If you don’t want to, you’ll be in good company.

Housing: The dorms are decent, and we have some buildings that opened just a couple years ago in the largest dorm area. They’re also building another dorm across the streets from those, where a smaller and older dorm building used to be. You can choose between a single (limited though), double, and triple, and can choose to have a traditional dorm or a room in a suite. The traditional rooms and suite rooms cost the same amount.

There is very limited on-campus housing available to sophomores; only a few hundred beds for a few thousand people. There is also no on-campus housing available to juniors and seniors, unless you’re an RA. Because of these factors, people usually get an apartment off-campus with a couple other people after their freshman year. This has the benefit of being significantly cheaper than the dorms, and Davis has one of the lower rental costs of the UCs (not sure if it’s the lowest or not). Most complexes are within 10-15 minutes biking or bussing distance, so while it may be annoying to pop onto campus for something quick, it’s not a huge hassle.

Social: Entirely what you make of it. If you want to hole yourself up in your room and be asocial, go for it (though I don’t recommend this). If you want to be going out whenever you’re not studying or sleeping, you’ll find people to hang out with. If you want somewhere in the middle, you’ll find people like that too. I’m not a social butterfly by any means and am one that doesn’t like to party and such, and I have a group of close friends that I’ve been hanging out with since sophomore year. You’ll definitely find a good core group if you take the time to meet people.

Oh and with regards to the “Davis is boring” stereotype: The general consensus among people that actually go here is that Davis being boring says more about the person saying that than the school. I will say this, Davis isn’t a school where the social life is just put right in front of you. If you want the social life to come to you, Davis isn’t for you. If you’re one that will actively go out, find things to do, and find ways to make your own fun though, Davis may be for you. Basically, it’s only boring if you let it be.

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My dd is a senior at Davis and loves it!

If someone has never attended Davis, how would he/she know the campus?
Dd is always doing something in the area. She loves the town of Davis for its college town feel. She’s traveled often to SF and the Sierras and “whitewater rafts”, bikes and hikes whenever she can. They trek to Yosemite and Napa. The train comes into the center of Davis. Everything is relatively close by, hence the 40k bikes on campus and Sacramento is 20 minutes by car. SF and Berkeley are an hour away. They have an active athletic student body and Greek system. There’s always something going on, and getting to businesses like Silicon Valley and SF for internships won’t take a full day. My dd has had on-campus jobs and clinical internships. You really need to visit.

As for Cal Poly, it would be less expensive and it is a good school. It has an active student body. My son’s friends really like it. It is in an area of the state that isn’t as easy to access, because you need to take the coast highway to get there. You’ll see what I mean when you visit. LA is a good distance away. It is very similar to Davis as an Aggie school. You need to visit.

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@Gumbymom makes a great point about both being small towns. Davis is small and, in my opinion, doesn’t have a lot going on … yet it’s pretty close to a major airport. SLO is much more vibrant and you really feel like you’re part of a scene while hanging downtown, but it really is a bit more isolated than Davis as the closest major city (and airport) is a few hours away. A $40 Amtrak ticket and a couple hours gets you to LA though.

@“aunt bea” bea also makes a great point, about how the greater area of Davis does offer a lot, i.e. Sacramento, Gold Country (Calaveras, Amador, etc), Yosemite, Napa, Lake Tahoe, etc. A 1 to 1.5 hour drive gets you to some really neat areas, and San Francisco is close enough to go spend a day out there.

In terms of rankings, keep in mind that in most cases Cal Poly and any UCs are looked at differently. US News has Cal Poly SLO ranked #1 for “Top Public Schools - Regional Universities - West.” CSUs are on this list, but not UCs, as it’s based on things like the types of programs offered, i.e. PhD’s, etc.

I don’t believe you’ve mentioned your major, but Cal Poly has some top programs, some of which are very hard to get into, like engineering. They also have a great business undergrad program, among other things. Davis has some programs that are world renowned, and plenty others that are very good.

Again, take everything I’m saying with a great of salt, as these are just my observations on the areas themselves, not the schools, but San Luis Obispo really is hard to beat if you’re looking to experience the California life for a few years.

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@calmom2016 i’m looking at undergrad rankings! I’m majoring in art but i’m hoping to double major in art and marketing or psychology

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@Gumbymom thanks! yeah I was definitely thinking about the fact that Cal Poly is really hard to get to… I am majoring in art but hope to end up double majoring in art and psychology or marketing

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@PhantomVirgo thanks for your input and sharing your experiences! I’m definitely looking at the nightlife/social scene and taking that into consideration because i’m someone who likes to go out with friends but I also really take school seriously, so finding the happy medium would be ideal. I did hear that Davis was boring, but I personally think you can always find something regardless of where you end up going to school.

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@“aunt bea” thanks for contributing to this thread! I am visiting both campuses next weekend and that following monday (the 2nd of April and the 4th of april). My goal is to pick somewhat soon after I visit both.

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@briank82 Thanks for all of your help and input. I’m definitely considering Cal Poly’s atmosphere and weather… I have a beach weakness… But i’m trying not to have that contribute to my decision making process. Its so hard!

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I live in SLO and I am very familiar with CalPoly, both my kids were accepted but being from SLO they wanted to go to Colleges outside the area. The school is very good and highly regarded by many especially for engineering; I don’t know anything about the art program. SLO county is beautiful!!! Lots to do if you like the outdoors, from surfing, biking, and hiking. SLO airport is small and easy to get in and out of, can connect through Phonenix to East Coast destinations. 3 hours to LA and 3 hours to SF by car, train station in town and campus. Active Greek community, maybe a little too active! Davis is a cute college town but landlocked, no ocean. Mountains close though and state capital. Also a well regarded school. Bottomline, both good schools but SLO, in my opinion, beats Davis hands down as a location regardless of small airport.

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@fgw805 thanks for your input! Even though Cal Poly isn’t extremely close to an airport or major city, it’s not a deal breaker at all. Although Art is my major right now there is definitely a possibility that could change, or I will end up double majoring (as I said before).

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@njclass2016 …more info to think about…Cal Poly is about 4-5 hours by car from both San Francisco and LA, and 1.5 hours from Santa Barbara, making weekend trips to art galleries, museums, major travelling exhibits, etc. pretty easy (especially as most CP students have no classes Fri afternoons). As an art major, you’ll probably want that exposure. Otherwise, the campus cultures of CP and UCD are pretty similar. (Also note, if you are a skier, Davis is <2 hours from great skiing at Tahoe.)

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Hello so I was wondering what college you picked and why. I am the same exact position and just need an sign to push me to the right school. @njclass2016

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well… i’m in the same situation, i got accepted to UC Davis and CalPolySLO for civil engineering.