I have been accepted to both UC Davis and UCSB… I am still waiting on my response from Berkley and have been waitlisted for UCSD…
So for now, I am trying to decide between Davis and SB as, hopefully, a pre-med student (I am currently admitted as undeclared in the college of letters and science and will probably major in like biology or something).
In terms of finances, they’re relatively equal, and I am not too picky about class sizes, campus size, student to faculty ratio, etc.
So…
Please help?
UCSB Pros:
-UCSB is four hours away from my hometown
-I heard it is an awesome college city
-The location is great (the ocean is right there!)
-It is a really good school (ranked #8 on usnews!)
-Strong Greek Life I may want to be a part of
-Really nice people and plenty of Facebook pages and group chats
-Not as competitive as Davis in terms of pre-med, but still has plenty of opportunities (like volunteering!)
-THE WEATHER
-Reaaalllyyyy cool intramural clubs (like surfing!)
-I have been able to directly contact a few current UCSB students because they reach out to prospective students more
-It is a party school, so I would definitely be forced out of my comfort zone (and hopefully make some friends)
UC Davis Pros:
-A really good school
-Strong pre-med programs and volunteer opportunities
-I have friends who attend UC Davis (comfort)
-I have never been in NorCal (which may be interesting)
-IT IS SO GREEN!!! (In terms of both nature and environmental friendliness)
-It isn’t a party school so I would be forced to focus on studies more
-BUT, it is still college… so I am bound to have some fun
-The Greek Life seems absolutely adorable and friendly, and kind of what I am looking for…
-The weather (snow is pretty awesome ^.^)
-Great online resources (honestly, they’re really helpful)
UCSB Cons:
-It is a party school, so I would definitely be forced out of my comfort zone…and may end up feeling completely out-of-place (I am relatively shy and antisocial… but don’t want to be haha)
-I could get caught up in the nightlife and end up with terrible grades (considering I have spent my adolescence in complete shelter from all things “fun”)
-I don’t know anyone who attends the school
-A lot of the online resource videos and youtube videos I found were primarily concerned with displaying either the Greek Life or party scene
-SO MANY ATTRACTIVE, MODEL-WORTHY PEOPLE (I don’t want to feel like I am still in high school comparing myself to the “popular kids” #immatureinsecurities)
-4 hours is still kind of far…
UC Davis Cons:
-Davis is about 8 and a half hours away from my hometown…
-Location (it’s a farm school… and I don’t really like the smell of cows)
-The weather (it seems like it rains–hard)
-It may be a little more difficult to be social (I would have to find the parties… I am sure the parties won’t find me haha)
-It is ranked lower than UCSB (barely) and I want to get the best education possible (although the two schools may be relatively equal)
@Rexybby I think Davis is way better than SB because-
Davis has better social sciences and pre med program than SB
I think Davis is well known than Santa Barbarra…
Talking about rankings, I think it depends on ur major. If u wana go to pre med, then Davis is better…Also, if u wana stay in social sciences, Davis is better than SB in every aspect.
Davis is overall better than Santa Barbarra…but if u wana do parties and stuff…u should opt for Santa Barbarra.
Snow? It snows in Davis about once every 10 or 20 years.
If you prefer the beach go to SB, but Davis has a great location because it sits half way between the bright lights of the Bay Area and the ski slopes of Tahoe.
Davis, hands down.
They have their own med school, which means access to MD shadowing and potential internship possibilities: both critical
elements when applying for med school.
Whichever school you choose, be sure to find the pre-med or pre-health advising office as soon as possible.
It will be in your best interest to work with these folks from your freshman year on.
Go to UCSB. But I’m biased because it’s my alma mater. UCSB often gets bad press for being a “party school.” However, even kids at MIT and Harvard party it up. Not everybody at UCSB gets blitzed every single weekend. If you want to go out and have a good time, there are definitely plenty of opportunities at UCSB to do that. But if you want to NOT go to raging parties every weekend, there are a lot of other things to do there, too. And there will be other students there like you who won’t necessarily want to party all the time.
If it weren’t for the expensive cost of living, I would still be living in Santa Barbara. The weather is seriously awesome. In October, it’s beautiful and balmy, whereas in other parts of the country, it’s cold and windy.
You can study on the beach. I lost count the number of times I did that.
There’s a good bus system in Goleta and Santa Barbara so you can take the bus from campus all the way downtown and it’s very convenient and very safe.
The library on campus has a study room that’s open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. So if your roommate ends up being a tool or if you need a quiet place to study, there’s one available.
UCSB is an excellent school and you’d get an excellent education there OR at UCD. You won’t go wrong with picking either one.
By the way, greek life isn’t as big a deal at UCSB as it may seem. Most students are not in fraternities or sororities. So you can get involved in 1 of those organizations if you want, but you will still have a robust social life even if you don’t join the greek system.
If you do decide to go to UCSB, make sure that at some point during your 4 years there, you go to “downtown” Goleta and have a burger at the original Hamburger Habit location at 5735 Hollister Ave.
So have you visited both? Talked to current students? Checked the surround town/city?
UC Davis Cons: The “essence of cow” is not noticeable unless the wind is blowing in a particular way near the Tercero Dorms.
Not sure where hometown is, but Sacramento airport is only 20 minutes away by shuttle, friends or Yolo Bus (longer round trip)
Yes, Greek life is associated with many parties, but my son parties with his friends (not Greeks), so make friends and have a party.
Rankings are negligible. Difference of a few spots means nothing. Employers will not care if you went to the #41 or #47 school. Employers are interested in the job skill set you have to offer, not the name on your degree.
UCSB Cons:
4 hours away from home. Santa Barbara airport is just down the road and there is also the Amtrak station if you prefer a coastal train ride.
Party school- Any school can be a “party school”. It is up to you to find like friends that prefer to keep a balance between school and play…
Do not know anyone- That is what makes college a great experience. Meeting new people and making friends.
Attractive people- Every school will have “attractive” students, so what. Be yourself and you will find your tribe.
Pick the school that meets your needs, academically/socially and financially.
Really? Dang I thought it snowed more there… and I am definitely an ocean-person… but the Davis campus is absolutely gorgeous and I LOVE it there as well…
If weather is a concern, please note that Davis (and the whole Central Valley) gets very hot in the summer/fall. It is not uncommon at all to have several days in a row with over 100 degree heat. And as someone who grew up around there, it only snowed once that I remember, and it was at night, and it was melted and gone by 10am. If you want to go to the snow, it will be about a 2 hour car ride up to the Sierras for any snow. If you want to head to the beach, you will have about an hour and a half ride to the Bay Area, provided that traffic isn’t bad that day (which it often is).
Davis is not considered to have particularly nice weather, relative to other UC campuses.
Winters tend to be gray, foggy, and rainy. The tule fog can make driving difficult. Snow is extremely rare, maybe once every 10-20 years as stated above, and would only be a light dusting that would quickly disappear. On the other hand, Davis is relatively close to ski areas in the Sierra.
Summers are hot, dry, and dusty, often uncomfortably so. The coast is not particularly accessible from Davis, and anyway the northern CA beaches tend to be rocky, with very cold water. The Sacramento or American Rivers are closer and better for summer recreation.
The Davis area can be very “green” during rainy winters (like this one). However, the vegetation will turn brown as the rain stops, and will stay that way for the rest of the year (unless irrigated).
I went to Davis and my brother went to UCSB. I definitely like the Davis campus and community better. Davis is a quintessential college town- when I attended, about half of the city’s population was students (that was a long time ago, of course). I love the quirky nature of Davis- they have the coop where you can live and raise chickens and Baggins End where you can live in a dome and have your own garden. The smell of cow isn’t noticeable except in certain areas of campus. The Coffeehouse (student run eatery) is amazing with wholesome and homemade soups, etc. Yes, it is hot in the summer and dreary in the winter (UCSB wins for weather, hands down), but I think it’s worth the weather to live in Davis. You are close to Tahoe and close to the Bay Area and really close to Sacramento. I hope you choose UCD! Go Aggies!!
I loved my time at UCSB and the community of students was wonderful. Weather of course was great, and resulted in a very active community. Students outside studying at the beach, hiking, live music, picnics, etc. I loved how walkable the community was…you either bike or walk to everything! Very friendly student body, and I had some great professors. There is a street called Del Playa where you can certainly find parties, however, I spent most of my time with friends at smaller gatherings, but enjoyed some fun nights on Del playa as well. I was part of the Greek system, which I enjoyed. It’s small by comparison to other schools, but certainly a strong group. I transferred to UCSB from USC and at USC you really only hung-out with your sorority/fraternity or whatever group you were affiliated with. This was definitely not the case at UCSB. Students are friendly and it didn’t matter if you were part of the Greek system, Ski club or played a sport-- you would be greeted with a smile. I chose to transfer to UCSB because it felt right. They are both great schools, and you need to visit both and choose which feels right to you!
On a side note, my roommate from UCSB is a urologist. She studied really hard (like the rest of us), but found a great balance at UCSB. She participated in some great research opportunities and internships locally. I mention this because, as a transfer student, I can’t underestimate the importance of finding the right environment (I focused too much on rankings, etc). Put aside rankings, etc…they will both open the same doors, and focus on which environment seems to be the best fit for you.
