<p>So I got accepted by these with majors in environmental studies.</p>
<p>I would specifically like to focus on environmental policy and law. So maybe I could major in something like polisci? </p>
<p>I am also interested in human development studies and I definitely want to study abroad. </p>
<p>I would like to double major if possible in these two areas, but I just would like to know what school would be best for me academically.</p>
<p>but I am also worried about social life and dorms and stuff. Davis seems nice because it is a small town, which is what I am used to. I live in santa barbara, so I don’t really know if I want to keep living here for another four years. San Diego and Berkeley, although these are more prestigious schools, I think the large towns would be overwhelming, with higher crime rates, etc. </p>
<p>I would like to submit my SIR as soon as possible, but I am stuck on a college.</p>
<p>Muir UCSD is good because of its environemtnal focus</p>
<p>Go to UCD. It's close proximity to Sacramento will allow you opportunities in Poly Sci you can't get at any other UC. Since you are interested in influencing law regarding the environment you will be able to do an internship and make contacts for your future career. Davis has a medical school as well and will be able to address both of your areas of interest and supply you with opportunities.</p>
<p>berkeley or san diego, especially if you are interested in politics. their poli sci departments are far superior to davis'. plus the schools are better respected. being close to sd or sf would be far better for interning than uc davis.</p>
<p>The state capitol is in Sacramento, not SF or SD.</p>
<p>UCSD and UCB are a required taste :P. If you want more than just a prestigious reputation pick davis or sb - both aren't desperately trying to impress US News Rankings. Any UC you pick will be exceptional.</p>
<p>UCB and UCSD are undoubtedly overall the top public universities in several areas. However, collegemom16 is correct. UCD, due to its proximity to the state capitol, offers the ideal location for that level of governmental experience. Also, UCD has reputedly one of the largest internship programs with a reported 70% of students participating in interships with 6000 placements per year. It is the only UC with 5 professional schools ( med, law, business, educ, vet med).</p>
<p>If you were most interested in the biology side of env studies and liked the idea of so cal, UCSD would be a good choice. But since it sounds like you are (at least for now) interested in policy/poli sci, Berkeley or Davis would be good choices. Davis has great human development/services opportunities. The flavor of the two schools is very different. Visit the campuses. If you want non-stop action, you can't beat the variety of people, the entertainment, the food, and the cultural richness of Berkeley. Davis is much calmer and quieter as a town. Also, if you care, the weather is a bit different. Both schools offer great programs.</p>
<p>UCSB has a great Environmental Studies program. In fact, a lot of students apply to the Environmental Studies Grad school here.</p>
<p>"you were most interested in the biology side of env studies and liked the idea of so cal, UCSD would be a good choice. But since it sounds like you are (at least for now) interested in policy/poli sci, Berkeley or Davis would be good choices. Davis has great human development/services opportunities."</p>
<p>Right... i believe berkeley's poli sci is 4th in the country, and ucsd's poli sci is 7th in the country. but yeah... uh for politics choose davis. come on... these are just davis people trying to rep their school. its not even in san diego or berkeley's league, plus davis' poli sci program isnt either. and davis' location is worse. so why on earth unless he/she specifically loves uc davis would he/she go there. there is no other reason. make a smart choice and listen to those who are unbiased and choose ucsd or berkeley, unless you love something specific about davis.</p>
<p>ucchris:
You are clearly unknowledgeable about anything to do with UCD. You suggest it is in a poor location, but I doubt you have ever been there. There is a reason so many students like Davis. It is listed in the top schools in the nation, so for you to suggest it is somehow inferior is ridiculous. As far as why consider UCD, I do believe anothercollegemom already answered your questions:</p>
<p>"UCB and UCSD are undoubtedly overall the top public universities in several areas. However, collegemom16 is correct. UCD, due to its proximity to the state capitol, offers the ideal location for that level of governmental experience. Also, UCD has reputedly one of the largest internship programs with a reported 70% of students participating in interships with 6000 placements per year. It is the only UC with 5 professional schools ( med, law, business, educ, vet med)."</p>
<p>Also please give a link to the statistics you quote.</p>
<p>ya listen to collegemom and don't diss ucdavis!! she's a mom for christ's sake. i think she knows a thing or two! a lot more than you ucchris</p>
<p>I think you should go to UCSD John Muir college....it caters to environmental people like you. The crime rate at UCSD is lower than at UCB because UCSD is located in a rich beach community while UCB is kind of located in a urban/downtown setting..... You will actually see homeless bums when you walk out of UCB.....very common unlike UCSD</p>
<p>I say 4 years at UCSD for undergrad then transfer to UCDavis for grad school......you can always transfer after your 4 years of undergrad work....</p>
<p>Regarding rankings UCSD is a better school than UCDavis overall.........#7 best public university in the nation (US World News Report)...
Top Public National Universities</p>
<ol>
<li> University of CaliforniaBerkeley</li>
<li> University of Virginia</li>
<li> Univ. of CaliforniaLos Angeles</li>
<li> University of MichiganAnn Arbor</li>
<li> U. of North CarolinaChapel Hill</li>
<li> College of William and Mary (VA)</li>
<li> Univ. of CaliforniaSan Diego</li>
</ol>
<p>UC Davis is in #14....but for the UC system UCSD is considered in tier 1 and UCD is in tier 2</p>
<p>UC Davis is still 25-30 minutes from Sacramento..... I checked it on yahoo maps and if you are into the small town environement go to UC Davis if not then go to UCSD.....you actually see cows there and the freeway that you take that passes by the UC Davis water tower to Sacramento only has two lanes going in one direction. It is kind of like a cow town but I heard it is pretty social there because the college basically runs the town since there is nothing to do there. It is considered one of the best college towns in the UC system...</p>
<p>So, let's see if I have this right....a rich beach school is great for someone who hopes to become a dedicated environmental or political activist? And a good college experience is one in which the homeless are out of sight, out of mind? Yah, we're in trouble now.</p>
<p>collegemom16, i am quite knowledgable about uc davis and other uc's. and i can cite countless rankings of universities and political science departmental rankings. you are ranking a top tier uc versus a mid tier uc. you can argue all you want, i also feel uc davis is a good school, but not on the level of ucsd or berkeley. if you dont feel this way, fine, however it is general knowledge. for the poster's major, davis is clearly not the way to go unless she likes something specific about davis. berkeley and ucsd are simply overall better institutions, and in political science, superior. you can argue all you want, but i was not dissing uc davis, just simply stating a fact that academically it is not in the league of uc berkeley or ucsd, especially not for political science. do not take it personal, but it is clear your bias is affecting your recomendation of schools, and that is not fair to the poster.</p>
<p>leonsdaughter: you obviously have not visited ucsd, bums were everywhere when i visited. i have visited both davis and ucsd, and there were far far more bums and homeless individuals at ucsd than davis. trust me in san diego, especially in la jolla, which is part of the city of san diego, there are plenty of bums, im sure far more than in davis. and bums in berkeley, also far more than in davis. furthermore, an aggie school, which many people consider out of civilization, is not generally considered a good place for political science. i will look up davis' poli sci ranking and get back to you, but i doubt it is even ranked in the top 50. how can davis people honestly be argueing that davis is the best choice for the poster over berkeley and ucsd, especially for political science where both those schools are ranked in the top ten. god, stop the bias. i love davis, but that doesnt change the fact that it is not the caliber of ucsd or uc berkeley for overall academics.</p>
<p>i was browsing through berkeley and ucsd's sites, and i found this recent article, which is specifically about poli sci, international relations, and policy making. both berkeley and ucsd were in the top 10. </p>
<p><a href="http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/thisweek/2005/oct/10_31_international.asp%5B/url%5D">http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/thisweek/2005/oct/10_31_international.asp</a></p>
<p>if you check us news you will also see ucsd and berkeley both in the top ten in the country for political science, and as high and #2 in the country for certain political science emphasis' such as international relations, comparative politcs, theory, and american politics.</p>
<p>show me anything documenting davis' strength in political science and policy making relating to poli sci.</p>