UC Irvine vs UC Davis

<p>Im choosing between Davis and Irvine at the moment. My major is Business Economics at Irvine for Managerial Economics at Davis. I plan to def. get my MBA and possibly a 2nd grad degree in econ or my PhD. </p>

<p>What school is better and why? Davis has been around longer, but it seems that Irvine is the fastest growing UC and one of the fastest Universities in the nation(Usnews has them ranked in the up and coming national universities) Also i MIGHT consider UC santa barbara but seems behind irvine and davis</p>

<p>I know Irvine is probably a better place to live and better weather, but i am just talking about the school only.(dont care if im with all asians or not :P)</p>

<p>thanks!</p>

<p>totally the same situation with you!!! hope some people can help out!!!!</p>

<p>I, too, am in an identical situation to you guys.</p>

<p>As far as I can tell, UCD, UCSB, and UCI are all pretty much the same as far are rankings are concerned.</p>

<p>I personally am not going to UCI because I grew up in Irvine, so I want a new experience (plus, I've already been there a few times for non-college stuff).</p>

<p>UC Davis is a small, enjoyable college town. Most UCD students are very happy with their stay there.</p>

<p>I don't think I need to explain UCSB. ~_^</p>

<p>Davis has more of a college town feel. Irvine is a lot more suburban, and nearby housing is expensive. As a result, some students rent houses in Newport Beach and commute. Weekends in Irvine are pretty quiet.</p>

<p>Weekends, weekdays - even Obama's election victory - are all quiet times in Irvine.</p>

<p>but which one has a better business/ economic program?? I heard UCD is not very good, and UCSD is pretty good!!! just have no idea~~</p>

<p>UCI and UC Riverside are the two UCs beyond Berkeley to have full-fledged business schools offering undergraduate business programs. UC Davis and UCSD both have graduate schools of management (not offering under undergraduate programs). If you are trule interested in broad-based business program UCI and UCR are good choices.</p>

<p>Be careful in selecting business economics. At some campuses this simply means Economics + Accounting. So please investigate both business econ. and managerial econ. carefully to see if that is what you will enjoy. Remember, if your objective is to do an MBA, you don't have to do business economics. You might be better off getting a good grounding in economics or more broadly in social sciences. Business schools, like law schools, are agnostic on your undergraduate studies. The top B-schools value diverse undergraduate backgrounds and look at the quality of work experience and motivation in admitting candidates.</p>

<p>yes, but which school is better? hehe, i feel like this debate is like talking about religion or politics</p>

<p>really hard to say, isn't it?? I concluded that UCD UCI UCSD in my list, some people said UCD is good......but many people said it's not~~~I just kinda want sb. tell me exactly it's good or not~~~haha~~
and stnfrdstd kinda rise another question--if I'm gonna study for a MBA, and I wanna stay in the same school, which UC's better??</p>

<p>Irvine is good but it seems that Davis is ranked higher(although Berkely and UCLA are in the top 15)</p>

<p>Different UC's have different strengths. A business major has very different priorities from an engineering major, who has very different priorities from a pre-med student.</p>

<p>Generally speaking, here's the generic ranking:</p>

<ol>
<li>UCB</li>
<li>UCLA</li>
<li>UCSD</li>
<li>UCI/UCD/UCSB</li>
<li>UCR</li>
<li>UCSC</li>
<li>UCM</li>
</ol>

<p>...UCSF not included. Again, these rankings don't really mean much. For example, lots of students don't really enjoy their time at UCSD; meanwhile UCD and UCSB students generally love their stays there. Why spend 2 to 4 years being some place you don't like? That's why I personally am skipping UCSD, even though it's "higher ranked" than my other choices.</p>

<p>I grew up and have lived in Irvine for most of my life. It's a very conservative and very quiet, rich city. Also, I know that a LOT of students commute to UCI, so it's not as noisy and college-like as say, UCSB or UCD. You may want to consider those factors before making a decision. Also, UCI, as notoriously known, has a lot of asians there.</p>

<p>Personally, I feel UCD is the strongest out of the three mid-tier UCs. Why? Because the University of California System is trying to make UCD a flagship campus like UCB/UCLA. It has decent programs in nearly every discipline, unlike say UCSD which has a slight lean in favor of technical programs. UCD also has stronger name recognition than UCSB/UCI. How do I know this? I currently go to school at GaTech and there are more people here who've heard of UCD than UCI/UCSB, at least as far as engineering is concerned. Now, I'm not saying UCSB/UCI are bad schools, they have some great programs there, and both are in the UC system. UCSB in particular has some great engineering programs (especially Chemical, in which its very famous for).</p>

<p>However, I think it still boils down to this: visit all 3 campuses and then make your decision. The difference between each campus, academically, isn't going to be that large. They're all solid campus with great programs. I have a slightly biased view of UCI (in the bad way) since I grew up in Irvine and never wanted to attend UCI, but that doesn't make it a bad school.</p>

<p>
[quote]
I have a slightly biased view of UCI (in the bad way) since I grew up in Irvine and never wanted to attend UCI, but that doesn't make it a bad school.

[/quote]

I'll drink to that. :)</p>

<p>It's a shame, because Irvine is so "convenient" for those who live there. Elementary school, middle school, high school. If you're a higher achiever, you can go to UCI. If you're less ambitious, you can go to CSUF's Irvine campus. If you want to wait a bit or save money, you can go to IVC. After college, you've got a city full of business prospects. Then, when you retire, you've got plenty of retirement communities right there.</p>

<p>Too convenient for people like me, who want to travel the world and explore the far reaches of the earth. :)</p>

<p>*How do I know this? I currently go to school at GaTech and there are more people here who've heard of UCD than UCI/UCSB, at least as far as engineering is concerned. *</p>

<p>My former roommate in SB, an electrical engineering major from Texas said that people there knew about Cal Poly and SB but not Irvine and Davis.</p>

<p>I worked in Texas. And believe me nobody heard of Cal Poly in comparison to UCD/UCSB/UCI.</p>

<p>Haha, I guess it's different everywhere. More people here know what Cal Poly is compared to all the UC's except Berkeley/UCLA/MAYBE UCSD.</p>

<p>Feez, would you happen to be Hafeez Alam from Northwood High?</p>

<p>I just want to say that the people in my high school tend to SAY that Davis is more presitigious but the BULK (mainly asians) of them go to Irvine despite being excepted to UCD as well.</p>

<p>I personally feel that UCD is slightly more prestigious than UCI and UCSB nationwide, but around here where I live, UCI seems to be gaining more steam. </p>

<p>I've seen that among my asian friends, UCI seems to appeal more because of its newer facilities than UCD and because many of their asian friends are going there or already are there(something like a positive feedback cycle). UCSB appeals more to my white friends for similar reasons. UCD appears to be a middle of the road choice.</p>

<p>@UCantTouch9Feet - yes. who are you? lol</p>

<p>UC Davis is a good school, but UCI will surpass them in the rankings in 2009 (prediction) and will continue to rank ahead of them in the future. I must admit I am a bit partial because I received my MBA from UCI, but Orange County is in much more demand in terms of population growth than is Davis. Outside of the current down turn, Orange County will be back on track as an economy on the move. More recently UCI's student profiles have matched those of USC's. UCI ranked higher than UCD in the past but fell due to career center stats. The career center has been overhauled and the school is on the move. Also, UCI is one of the youngest schools in the top 50. </p>

<p>Look at it this way - schools are ranked based on student profiles and employment stats. UCI competes with UCLA and USC to attract top flight students. Davis has less competition locally. Yet UCI remains in the top 50. My long term prediction is UCI enters the top 30 and remains. UCD will be lucky to remain in the top 50. </p>

<p>Lastly, Cal Poly's are not on the same level as a UC.</p>