UCI or UCD?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - GENERAL
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<p>So I’m trying to decide between UC Irvine and UC Davis. [I suppose I am also considering USC…but it is &lt;em&gt;so&lt;/em&gt; expensive ._.]</p>

<p>I honestly don’t know what field I am interested in - I applied Undecided to Irvine and Undecided -Social Sciences to Davis [There was no more general Undecided category to pick]</p>

<p>I visited both UCI and UCD and I really liked both campuses. Some short/general impressions: UCD - I loved the openness of the campus, the Shields library was amazing [and I saw the cows next to the dorms but I I thought they were kinda cool]
Drawbacks - When I visited it was a weekend, and the silo bookstore and some eating places on campus were closed, so we ended up eating lunch at a sushi place just across the street.
UCI - The buildings are in general more universityish. [The buildings at Davis have more of a quiet charm] I walked past a street with people campaigning and there was a girl with a kendo sword advertising a club. I like the convenience of a mall right across the street and then another mall with a grocery store a little down the road.</p>

<p>I’m Asian and from a SoCal suburb, so Davis may be a [slightly] more different experience, but I think I could go to either one and probably love it. But I have to pick one.</p>

<p>Since I’m undecided, I can’t compare specific programs. What I’d like to know is which school has generally stronger all-around academics. If I were to major in bio, I should probably go to Irvine. Environmental/agricultural studies -> Davis. But what about their buisness programs, economics, math, physics, history, etc? Can any Davis or Irvine students expand a little on specific departments? </p>

<p>[And if I’m undecided social sciences in the College of Letters and Science, does this mean I’m restricted to majors and/or classes within the my subgroup and/or College?]</p>

<p>Also I plan on going to grad school, and so I do want to get fairly good grades. I’m not looking for an “easier” school, but I have heard some very scary things about it being nearly impossible to maintain above a 3.5 gpa at Davis. Apparently classes are on a curve, so someone has to be getting A’s…but it’s very weird and I wonder if anyone can explain why and how it’s so hard to get good grades at Davis, [and whether this applies to Irvine] if it’s the professors or the material or just people slacking off because of college freedom?</p>

<p>[Also random unrelated question…I’v heard that Organic Chemistry is a really really hard class. I took part of it as an AP Chem unit sophomore year and it didn’t seem that bad? What makes it more challenging?]</p>

<p>Sorry for the long post, but thank you for any responses. If you have any other insights/answers/questions please post, as I am pretty curious and personally invested in this matter.</p>

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<p>Here’s my little spiel on UCI Bio:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-irvine/1107968-uc-irvine-cut-throat-people-make-seem.html#post12238788[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-irvine/1107968-uc-irvine-cut-throat-people-make-seem.html#post12238788&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Sorry I have nothing to offer for UCD (I’m sure it’s super competitive and that those rumors are not without merit), but I can say that no matter which UC you go to, the curve is going to be a reoccurring theme. Instead of thinking its a barrier you have to get over in order to get a high grade, why don’t you think of it as a sort of safety net? Trust me, you might have to stress a little over the fight for that lucrative A, but you’ll probably never have to worry about getting a D as long as you do adequate work :slight_smile: At UCI, O-chem is pretty much notorious for being a weed-out course. I have yet to face the horror so no advice there :(</p>

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<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>I actually found Davis to have more of a college feel than UCI. UCI is known to be a commuter school and that can be good or bad. Lots of Asians at UCI that can also be good or bad. And I heard you can’t do much at UCI unless you have a car & being that you’re a college student shopping isn’t always good haha. </p>

<p>Almost all of the school will have their pros and cons, but for what I know UCI is a very good well rounded school meaning that it’s safe to go there without knowing what you want to do in life. UC Davis has their strengths in Agriculture, Vet, Ecology, and Environmental programs. I heard if you come out of Davis with a BA/BS in anything Environmental you don’t really need to go to grad school because it’s that credible. </p>

<p>Almost all science classes are difficult. I really don’t think people are “cut throat”… just competitive. You’ll find competition everywhere and it’s your job to do well. Overall, I think Davis is a better school than UCI. Davis has a lot more to offer and I REALLY don’t think it’s hard to maintain 3.5+ if you work hard. UC Davis is the bike central of California and offers lots of various programs. </p>

<p>Here’s a link to a previous thread on UC Davis vs UCI. Just get the feel for everything
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-general/596234-uc-irvine-vs-uc-davis.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-general/596234-uc-irvine-vs-uc-davis.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;