<p>What would you do? I submitted my SIR to Davis but was just admitted on appeal to UCSD. The only thing is that I don't have guaranteed housing. I really like the Davis campus but I have really bad allergies so Davis may not be the best place for me. I'm not ready to have to live in an apt and cook/clean/grocery shop. Still need Mom for that!!! :) I don't think that I can handle that my 1st year when I'm just getting adjusted in college. So, what would you do, go to UCSD with possibly no campus housing or Davis and potentially suffer with allergies. I take allergy shots and could load up on allergy meds but I'm not sure how much they will help.</p>
<p>If it's really a toss-up with regards to your major, I think I would opt for freshman guaranteed housing. Those first few weeks when everyone is looking to make friends is invaluable, and the dorms provide a great opportunity for lifelong connections. BTW, I lived in Davis for a few years, and didn't find it to be any more allergy-inducing than the Bay Area!</p>
<p>Thank Willsmom. Where in the Bay Area do you live? I live in Castro Valley and while there are alot of grassy hills I think Davis is a lot worse. Also, how bad are your allergies. I have a appt with my allergist tomorrow and I'll see how he thinks I will do there. My parents are really concerned about my allergies because they are bad (asthma and eczema) but they are just as concerned with the housing situation at UCSD.</p>
<p>I live in Solano County-- (Vallejo). My allergies aren't severe, but I do find that certain conditions (like the wind coming off of the straits) exacerbate them. What I remember most about living in Davis is the smell of alfalfa that permeates the air when it is being grown. There isn't a whole lot of empty grassland up there anymore; lots of crops and fruit trees. I would think that the grassy hills of Castro Valley may actually be worse for you.
I love Davis-- we just visited there last weekend, for the Whole Earth Festival. What a comfortable campus and nice people there.</p>
<p>That's what I'm hoping my allergist will say, that Davis won't be worse than Castro Valley. Thanks again.</p>
<p>I gather that the UCs are not big on individual exceptions but if you would prefer to go to UCSD you could contact admissions and tell them that if you could get guaranteed housing you'd go there. No reason not to try.</p>
<p>The bit about life-long friends from the dorms is a bit of a hype. Sure, that happens for some people, but is not a given. I think it is more important to spend the next 4 years at the school that has the best fit for you. </p>
<p>Suggest you call UCSD housing and admissions and find out more details about the housing. When would you know whether you are in a dorm? What alternative options do they suggest for housing? For example, in Berkeley there are the co-ops.</p>
<p>good luck</p>
<p>I called UCSD housing today and they would release any info at this time. They are still compiling info and can't even tell me how far down I am on the list. They are telling me to make my decision based on not getting housing. I guess that way I'll be prepared for the worst.</p>
<p>Iluvmusak, don't know if this will give you helpful info. My son is at UCSC now, finishing Jr year. For the past two weeks the soph's and jr s have been finding roommates and putting in their housing requests for their junior and senior year. Its done on a point system with more points for those who have been there longest. (Tranfers get hurt a little here). They have in the newer apartments reserved for jr and sr students 130 openings and 170 (169 now) students who want a newer apartment. Anyway if UCSD is any where near the same in method they are still assigning rooms to current students. Our son has food restrictions( really serious ones) and the UC was less than acceptable to us in accomodating his kitchen needs even though he would be a senior. He will be off campus cooking his food in a decent kitchen.
But i think even if you lived off campus you could get the meal plan, I know UCSC offers that.</p>
<p>Thanks sweetkidsmom!! I have serious allergies (food and environmental), asthma, and eczema. I already accepted my admissions to Davis but one of the major reasons that I reconsidering going there is because of my allergies. That place is allergy central! I am allergic to almost everyfood group out there and have to watch what I eat. Peanuts, nuts and seafoods are potential killers. The other food allergies are less serious and do trigger my eczema but I'm pretty good on watching what I eat.</p>
<p>How does your son like cooking his own meals? Ideally I don't want to do this my freshman year because I would like to focus on my studies and not have to worry about cooking/cleaning/grocery shopping. But, if that is my only option I guess I don't have a choice. This housing thing is really causing my mom some anxiety.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>First, he is a junior so getting a dorm with a kitchen right in it with a fridge was easiear to do than if he had been a freshman and thats because of where UCSC puts their freshman at this college. He transfered in and it was the only one they had. And it was so old.</p>
<p>We are 45 minutes from Santa Cruz, so we prepare many of his meals here, freeze them and he has a fridge/freezer that he keeps them in. We bought a thing called Food Saver,(Bed Bath And Beyond has them) it sucks the air out of the plastic bags and seals the meals. You can keep a brownie or bread slices fresh for I think ten days on the counter that way. Just freeze them first.Then you can put them in the food saver. I make some of his food here, he makes some therelike easy stuff : rice and refried beans or potatoes and steak. We also buy aluminum foil pans(cheap at the grocery store) and when we make dinner at home we make more of it and fill two or three of those pans with meals and freeze them. When he comes home he takes these back, or I go over , not very often, and take them to him. His roommate has a truck and he can get to the grocery store for milk and other foods. He keeps a list of what foods at Safeway he can eat, and there is a Trader Joes and health food store in town where he can get food he can actually eat. I called UCSD this week and talked to the disability office, they told me that at least one coop run by students on campus had glutin free food and wheat free foods he could get there.( my younger son is looking at UCSD and LACs) She also said there is a Trader Joes and Whole Foods market close by. The kitchen at his dorm that he was given is very tiny and he has a lot of kitchen stuff plus food. It doesnt work that well.</p>
<p>We also got a letter from his doctor stating his medical condition and that a special diet was required. We registerd him with the school disability office and they got in touch with the housing people on campus to tell them what was needed in terms of accomodations. We knew from taklking to the cooking management that because of the way they contract out for food purcases from wholesalers that we would never know if the food put out had hidden glutin in it, since this is a survival kind of situation we were able to get a waiver from their required meal plan. It just meant we and our son would have to make sure he had a steady supply of glutin free food. Its been working pretty well, but because they would not guarantee a situation where he would get the kitcchen he needs, with out too many students also using it and the fridge space, he opted to live off campus. The search for the apartment starts in June. The school has an off campus housing office and web site where he can find an apartment, house or roommate looking to share same. Runs about 500-800 a month depending on what he gets. Since e were putting out 2500 per quarter this works out. The bus system is excellent. and we will be giving him his own car. However, he is 22 now, not a freshman and not new to college life. Many of his HS friends are also at UCSC and they started out in apartments right near campus with a bus stop just across the street. But they could also drive thier car if they could get a parking pass. Parking at this school is a big deal. Not much there.</p>
<p>I do regret not getting this into a section 504 agreement, which might have required the UC to do more, but given the way they buy and prepare food he could never eat in the cafeteria. some of the cafe's may serve food that is safe, but its on a case by case basis. I do understand your concern about the amount of work it would require of you to undertake this as a freshman. i have been trying to get my younger son to see that plus he has diabetes to manage with carb counts, insulin, etc.He also has to be on this strict diet. We are looking just at campuses served by a great company called Bon Appetite. They have very high standards and package peanut free stuff with labels. I talked to Wilamette U. and this is what the admissions person relayed to me. They serve UCSB at Tropicana Dorm aand lots of other schools but I did not here either of your schools mentioned. For our kids the diet accomodations/kitchen need etc is the deal maker or breaker.</p>
<p>Ilu, you also asked how he likes cooking his own food. He doesn' mind it. the trick is getting up and giving yourself time to put it together. He can eat McCans oatmeal so he makes it every morning. Once on a Sunday he went to brunch on campus and got an omelet for a break. He was struggling with adjusting to the noise level and his roommates late night study habits, that caused him to sleep into late and not get enough time to eat. But now the other students habits are adjusted to and he just does what he does. His lunches are done with pre made store bought energy bars or rice bars, and bottled drinks. Sometimes he goes back to his room and makes up a batch of mashed potates from the box. His dinners are a combo of what we cook and freeze for him and what he wants to cook. then we get over there and take him out to lunch or dinner on weekends about once a month. We love Santa Cruz ( Keep Sant Cruz Different)</p>