<p>I have been accepted into UC davis with the regents scholarship. I visted Davis and loved it, the professors treated me great and i loved the atmosphere. However, Berkeley has one of the best programs for my major-Chemistry. I was wondering if anyone here had experience with the Chemistry major at UC Davis and could give me any feedback about hte school in general. Also, because of the scholarship, I have guaranteed admission into the Integrated Studies program, but after reseraching and talking to some people, I found that I don’t really like it, but I’m not completeley convinced. Anyone have any feedback about that progam? I would appreciate it. Thank you!</p>
<p>“I visted Davis and loved it, the professors treated me great and i loved the atmosphere.”</p>
<p>Seems like enough to me, but what makes you say Berkeley has a great chem program? I think for undergrad you’d be just fine at Davis. I’m not a chem major, but the classes I have taken seem great.</p>
<p>well, I say it’s the best because it is rated as number 1 in the country, according to my research, and I’m not sure if I want to go to grad school or not, but you’re right, the atmosphere will definitely play a part in my decision.</p>
<p>Right, but the main goal of that question was to get you to think about a bit more than that. If you loved the atmosphere/teachers, that should be your decision. Ranked #1 according to what? Grad or undergrad? What were the major factors?</p>
<p>If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask. Best of luck.</p>
<p>Considering all things, it wouldn’t be all that bad going to Davis for undergrad. The chemistry department is pretty good and if you as a chemistry major want more challenge, you can always take Honors classes for it (the Chem 2 series has an honors course). It’s really the graduate program you will want to go to Berkley for of course, but for undergrad, it doesn’t matter as much.</p>
<p>rankings matter a LOT more for graduate level study than undergrad. The quality of education you’ll receive at the undergraduate level should be fairly consistent throughout the UC system… Davis, Berkeley, LA, San Diego… it shouldn’t really make much of a difference at the undergraduate level.</p>
<p>Good points on the undergrad v. grad argument, but also, wouldn’t a degree from UCB fair a lot better when trying to get accepted to a prestigious grad school? Or does UCD (withthe regents scholar on my transcript) fair just as well?</p>
<p>Thanks for all the responses!</p>
<p>Grad schools are much more concerned that you simply got a decent GPA and completed a bachelors. Also, in the coming years, the Davis and Berkeley rankings are likely to become closer, and I would point out that already there is only about a 10 place difference between the two, not a huge factor in graduate admissions.</p>
<p>Think of it this way, if you’re set to go to grad school, are you absolutely sure that you’ll be able to be maintain a great GPA after, let’s say, four years in the notoriously competitive Berkeley? GPA matters a lot in the grad school admission. I’d say that if you want good GPA, considering that you actually got regents, UCD might be a better place for you.</p>
<p>I am having an EXTREMELY hard time deciding, while Davis seems to provide some sort of a good balance between social and academic life, Berkeley’s prestige (especially with the possibility of maybe not going to go to grad school)is still so tempting! I am confident I can succeed at both, but am only held back by the perhaps different quality of life I would experience. AAH :[</p>
<p>You need to decide what will make you happy. Life is too short (especially the part of it you spend in college) so go where you will be happy. That said you need to determine how you define happiness.</p>
<p>Is money at all an issue for you?</p>
<p>If you like Davis more, go for it. Don’t let Cal stand in your way. You should be proud of getting into both schools, but choose the one that will help YOU most.</p>
<p>I visited UCSD once for Admit Day (April 4) and UC Berkeley twice - once with some of my friends who go to Cal and another time for Cal Day (April 18). I was pretty much stuck between the two schools for quite a long time, but in the end I chose UCSD. I had several friends who chose UCSD over Berkeley, but there are others who would do just the opposite.</p>
<p>Some people (classmates, friends at Berkeley) were shocked at first, but that all goes away in a few days. I know I’ve made the right choice by picking SD, and I have absolutely no regrets.</p>
<p>However, keep in mind that prestige and high school friends shouldn’t determine which school you want to go to. Choose the school that you think will positively affect YOU the most.</p>
<p>In the end, it’s YOU that matters most - your skills, your life experience, what you’ve learned, the connections you’ve made, etc. Prestige, in the very end, won’t really matter that much. Think about which place where make you a more confident, prepared, and mature person at the very end. Berkeley and Davis are both very prestigious schools with relatively similar rankings (it’s not Berkeley vs. CSU East Bay), and both schools have their pro’s and con’s. Also keep in mind that Davis DOES have an amazing reputation, especially for the sciences. Both schools also have awesome students organizations, and you’ll most likely fit in well for both schools.</p>
<p>Good point Andy, thanks. The problem is, I can definitely see myself being happy at each school…=/
Still the one main thing that attracts me to Berkeley is the fact that since I am not sure exactly which major I want to go into-it could definitely change from Chemistry into something completely different- it is reassuring to me that whichever program I find myself in at UCB is probably one of the best in the nation.
I am not so confident in Davis’ ability to provide such a reassurance in its non-science, liberal arts fields. </p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your feedback!</p>
<p>I also chose between UCD and UCB for undergrad. I had been accepted to both, and after visits and research, UCD was the choice. I absolutely LOVED my time at Davis. I was definitely attracted to the prestige and name-recognition at UCB, but ultimately the beauty of UCD’s campus and the college-town feel of Davis was amazing. In addition, while more people as a whole may know Berkeley, anyone in education/graduate school admissions, etc, know that UCD is one of the top schools in the country. After Davis, while applying to grad school to become a doctor, one of the things that the admissions departments recognized was the school I received my Bachelors Degree at. When going over plusses and minuses, one of the plusses was UCD.</p>
<p>Anyone in the world also recognizes UCB as the #1 public university, so having that title is still better, especially if you want to go into chemistry.</p>
<p>If you are honestly happy at both schools and like the campus/environment of both schools, I don’t see what is so bad about choosing UCB. The only matter in which I could see UCD being better is if you were honestly happier there, in which case I would definitely recommend going to the school you are happier at.</p>
<p>Obviously I am Cal bound so I have some bias, but all this talk about UCD possibly being a better school in general is BS. It might be a better school for AN INDIVIDUAL if they loved it, but seeing as how you love both schools, I don’t see how UCD being > UCB as a university overall is even a valid comparison. </p>
<p>[List</a> of University of California, Berkeley alumni - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_University_of_California,_Berkeley_alumni]List”>List of University of California, Berkeley alumni - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>Hi Jenny! hahaha
good points. hahaha :)</p>
<p>You have to be crazy if you think UCD chemistry is on par with UCB Chemistry. Sure the graduate chemistry is amazing, but so is the undergraduate. UCD is good for biology and that’s it. UCD doesn’t come to mind when say Chemistry. You know what does? The university that has been affiliated with 7 chemistry Noble Laureates and various other famous chemists. The university that has an element named after it and has discovered various other elements. Not only does Berkeley chemistry by far has more prestige, but will also give you a strong foundation and send you places.</p>
<p>Here are grad schools that UCB sends there chemistry undergraduates:
[Career</a> Center - What Can I Do With a Major In…?](<a href=“http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Chem.stm]Career”>http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Chem.stm)</p>
<p>About the Chemistry major:</p>
<p>A Faculty Perspective
One of the things that makes UC Davis’ chemistry department unique among major research universities is our faculty’s commitment to encouraging undergraduate students to participate in research projects. My own research focuses on topics in photochemistry, astrochemistry and laser chemistry; I encourage any undergraduates interested in these topics to contact me about potential research opportunities. In addition to research, our department is dedicated to undergraduate teaching. Our class sizes are decreasing as we add more faculty, and students are enjoying more opportunities than ever before for close contact with their instructors.</p>
<p>~ William Jackson, professor
[UC</a> Davis :: Academics](<a href=“Majors | UC Davis”>Majors | UC Davis)</p>
<p>[UC</a> Davis Department of Chemistry - Faculty Info](<a href=“http://www.chem.ucdavis.edu/faculty/cf-info.php?id=15]UC”>http://www.chem.ucdavis.edu/faculty/cf-info.php?id=15)</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.chem.ucdavis.edu/faculty/cf-alphabetical.php[/url]”>http://www.chem.ucdavis.edu/faculty/cf-alphabetical.php</a></p>
<p>calbear2012, you have to understand that none of that really affects undergraduate education. Prestige and grad school? Sure. However, for the most part, the undergraduate courses in Chemistry consist of the exact same material, and will likely be taught by similar teachers. In undergraduate, the most important factor is if you like this school. As collegemom16 said, there are also great research opportunities here.</p>
<p>I chose Davis :)</p>