<p>I’m deciding between UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz. If I were to go to Santa Cruz I would try to transfer to UC Berkeley which was my #1 choice but I got rejected. If I went to Santa Cruz I would need to take pre-requisite classes for the Cognitive Science major at Berkeley, but I have heard from UCSC students that you can’t take classes that you aren’t majoring in…does that mean as a freshman/sophomore I can’t take a CogSci class, a Computer Science class, and an Engineering class? Also what is the maximum amount of classes you can take per quarter? I’m leaning towards Santa Cruz and then transferring because I feel very comfortable on the campus, everyone is very friendly and laid back. Since the academics are less rigorous the first two years than other UC’s I feel like I’d have extra time to devote to organizations or research, creating a competitive transfer application for UC Berkeley. Another plus of attending Santa Cruz is my boyfriend of two years is going there. Stupid reason, but I can’t deny it. Has anyone else been in a situation where they think they may be leaning more towards a school because of their significant other? Where did you choose?
UC Davis is known to be a much better school, and strong in the biological sciences. I’m thinking of doing a Neurobiology major there. Is anyone doing it- How hard are the classes (I have a 3.96 weighted GPA). If I went to Davis I would stay, not transfer, because it isn’t that far down the list behind Berkeley. I don’t like the campus very much though, and when I went to visit everyone seemed miserable and there was no energy. Did I go on a bad day (Thursday)? I want to get a good education, which Davis can definitely offer, but I also want to have fun and enjoy being young which I haven’t been doing in high school. I do smoke weed, and I know Davis has a strict policy on alcohol and drugs. Do people get away with smoking weed? Do you have to join a fraternity to go to parties? Do the police officers in Davis/ Campus security perform a lot of arrests/write-ups for underage drinkers?</p>
<p>Basically I don’t know where the **** to go. And I feel like it may be a gamble to go to UCSC because it is very hard to get into Berkeley as a transfer student for the Cognitive Science major (33% acceptance rate).</p>
<p>Really? Davis’ campus is a lot nicer than UCSC’s and the people in Davis are more outgoing and friendlier. UCSC is known for their drug scene and gloomy days. Transferring from UC to UC is not very hard and there are many posts related to it. What I don’t get is if you want to go to Berkeley so bad then why aren’t you considering transferring to Berk from Davis? Regardless of their ranking if you want to go to Berk then transfer… you also mention if you can survive at Davis with your gpa in highschool… Berk’s competition and classes are much harder than Davis is. First two years of UC, everyone takes GE’s so it wouldn’t really matter where you go if you’re planning on transfering. </p>
<p>You seem to be attracted to UCSC and it’s more like excuses to go there… weed, bf, easier classes, then “going to transfer to berk”. You can enjoy being young and having fun anywhere. Davis’ isn’t a strict school… it’s just doing what a school is suppose to do. </p>
<p>The way you think about this whole college thing is ridiculous & it doesn’t make any sense. You want to choose SC over Davis because of personal reasons but in the end you want to transfer to Berk when you state you want easier courses.</p>
<p>I’m not using easier classes as an excuse to go to Santa Cruz I just meant if the classes were easier I could take an extra class and get a higher gpa than I would at Davis which would help me transfer to UC Berkeley easier as I’d have better scores. Berkeley is my #1 school but If I went to Davis I wouldn’t transfer because the major I would be doing is a lot different from the one at Berkeley and Davis is not that far from San Francisco which was a main attraction for why I liked UC Berkeley in the first place. I never mentioned weed as an excuse to go to Santa Cruz…read carefully.</p>
<p>And I know that Berkeley’s classes are really hard but the particular major I’d be doing at Davis is extremely difficult and probably trumps the one at Berkeley.</p>
<p>UCSC is not at all gloomy; I think the campus has a very “national park” feel to it. The people at both UC Davis and UCSC were warm and helpful to me when I was visiting those respective colleges, but the more laid back atmosphere at UCSC appealed to me. Both schools have strong academics, and you should go wherever feels right to you (as clich</p>
<p>I have to agree with crabbie; if you want to eventually transfer to Berkeley, why waste your money going to a UC for the first two years? All you’re doing is general education, and it is TREMENDOUSLY cheaper at a community college. </p>
<p>I went to a community college for my first two years. When I was ready to transfer, I was accepted to every university I had applied to–including Berkeley. I actually chose Davis over Berkeley because it’s a much more mellow, laid-back atmosphere (versus the campus in a busy city) and I like the quarter system much better. </p>
<p>Whether you intend to go to Berkeley, Davis, or Santa Cruz, consider going to junior college first. You’ll save so much money, get some life experience, and choose the right major for you BEFORE entering the UC system. You’ll be so much better prepared for the homework load, too. </p>
parents would freak. but thanks for the replies!</p>