So I had planned on attending UC Davis this upcoming fall semester, but recently UCSD has accepted me off of their waitlist. I have visited Davis, and I plan on visiting UCSD tomorrow. I plan on majoring in poli sci. or history and eventually going to law school (I’m still uncertain about what I want to do). Here’s where the issues lie:
UCSD is known for being better academically and is ranked higher. However, many have claimed that the campus life is disappointing.
UC Davis also provides good programs (I believe) but is ranked lower. I do enjoy the college-town feel, but some claim that Davis is too “in the middle of nowhere”.
UCSD is about 2 hours from home while UC Davis is about 6 hours. (Driving)
Now here’s where things get complicated: My girlfriend will be attending UC Davis, I’ve already settled my housing and chosen a roommate, and everyone is expecting me to go to Davis beside my parents. I’m fairly serious with this girl, but she understands that I shouldn’t choose college based off of a girl. Unless Davis is utterly dull and boring compared to UCSD, I’d easily take the campus life of Davis because she’ll be there.
Here’s where I need help: I care about my education and the opportunities for future careers over having some super party-like college lifestyle. UC Davis is apparently good for poli sci. majors because it’s right near Sacramento which means it’s somewhat easy to get shadowing or internship opportunities. Will these same opportunities be easily available at UCSD? Is undergrad education super different/important between these two schools? Does ranking really matter between these two schools for jobs, internships, and grad school? Does the joy of being with my girl in a good college outweigh going to a slightly(?) better college alone? I’m torn apart trying to think this through so any help/info about these schools is much appreciated. Thanks.
Do not even consider rankings. Those are completely irrelevant and any future grad/law schools or employers won’t care.
Sounds like the internship possibilities being near Sacramento would be a plus.
You will likely break up with your GF if you go to different schools. NOT saying that you should choose D for that reason, but it’s a VERY likely scenario…as it should be. Your lives would be “on hold” during a time when you should be dating, etc. So, that’s why these long-distance relationships usually end once the two go to two different schools.
Actually, I know of some cases where the SOs were separated for a while because one of them attended a distant (graduate) school or did residency in a distant place while the other was working, but that did not cause them to break up.
UCD’s location may be better for studying state government politics in nearby Sacramento. UCSD’s location may be more helpful if you want to study things relating to the international border nearby. You may also want to dig deeper into the offerings of the departments of your prospective majors to see if either is stronger in your subarea interests. The small ranking difference does not seem to be relevant.
Law school admission does not require any specific major (political science appears to be the most popular pre-law major, but makes up only about a fifth of LSAT takers), but college GPA and LSAT scores are highly important:
http://lawschoolnumbers.com/
Here are some tips for undergraduate preparation for law school:
http://lawschoolnumbers.com/application-prep/ugraduate
Note that law school graduate employment prospects tend to be highly correlated with law school ranking:
http://www.lstscorereports.com/schools/
I concur with the posts above noting Davis’ location close to Sacramento and the internship opportunities with state government. Also, UCD has a law school while UCSD does not which may give you opportunities for mentoring from current law students, alumni and faculty.
I graduated from UCD and found the “middle of nowhere” to be a plus as there were minimal distractions from my studies.
No offense to the people in the above posts, but they have no idea what they are talking about. The UCs share a center in Sacramento and those from all campuses get an equal shot at these internships and shadowing. The only benefit Davis would provide is a smaller distance. UCSD’s political science department is supposed to be of better quality as well. As far as student life goes, San Diego is probably the best place for off-campus activities. Whether you want to go to the beach, take a hike, grab some sushi or Mexican food, or go to a bar, San Diego is the place to be. I’m a San Diego native. Message me if you have any other questions.
UCSD has an awesome polisci department, although I’ve heard that it’s better preparation for a career in policy research than politics itself. Its strengths include immigration studies and Pacific policy. Davis’s proximity to Sacramento is definitely a plus but local government does exist in San Diego, most internships are going to be at consulting type firms anyway (which San Diego has more of), and as RoundGenius said you have access to the UC Sacramento Center from either institution (and a change of scenery for the summer might be nice).
Additionally, I’m not sure how having a law school on campus gives an advantage in the way having a med school would (since med schools have advanced research labs for premeds to join). For prelaw mentorship and preparation, SD has really active and visible prelaw organizations and societies that can help you with that.
UCSD does have a less active social scene, though I wouldn’t call it disappointing. On the flip side, San Diego’s a fantastic city and Davis really is a very small town. I’d advise you to put your girlfriend out of your head completely when making this decision so that she’s neither a pro or a con for either school.
Love is being out of your mind. Besides the how many relationships last from high school speech, your future is dependent on you, not your sweetheart. It is not a social setting only. It will be one of the best times of your life. It will also be the hardest. Remember you are there to get a future not help your girlfriend yet. You can help both of you when you provide her with all she deserves after you graduate. If you are still intent on going, I suggest spending time studying and balance your personal and education. Otherwise, one or both of you will fail. That is a horrible fate for being in love but poor.