Hi everyone,
I am currently an incoming first year student committed to UC Davis. My dream schools were UCLA and UC Irvine. I was rejected from UCLA and waitlisted by UCI, so I decided to commit to UC Davis. My major is currently undeclared.
For a while I was convincing myself I would be happy at UC Davis and I guess I convinced myself really well because I just got admitted to UCI off an appeal and I’m feeling conflicted! Of course when I got the news I was overjoyed to the point of tears, but I do have a tendency to overthink. Of course I’m leaning towards UCI, one of my dream schools, but a voice at the back of my head is telling me I should think about this some more since I’ve been getting attached to UC Davis for the past five months. For the record, I’m considering deferring until next year due to COVID-19.
If any of you attend UCI or UC Davis, please let me know what you consider the pros and cons of your school. What is the campus life like and how are you enjoying your studies? I would appreciate any feedback/advice! Thanks.
More explanation:
When I toured UCI I thought the campus was pretty, nice, and organized! I liked the big buildings that were all centered around the beautiful Aldrich Park. As someone from NorCal I was very interested in going to SoCal for a change of scenery. There seems to be a lot of interesting things around the area like Newport Beach, LA, and Disneyland. It seems that Greek life there is better.To be honest, if I got into UC Irvine initially I would have committed and never even considered Davis.
I had not toured UC Davis prior to getting in, but when I did visit campus I thought it was charming and quirky (and a bit on the older side). I think the college town is cute and welcoming. I heard everyone is very friendly there. I would be a short drive from my family, which could be good and bad. It was a big adjustment for me to see myself going there because I had always envisioned myself attending UCI, and the campuses have completely different vibes.
Prior to applying, I had daydreamed about being a student at UCI. After decisions came out, I scrapped those dreams and spent months hyping up UC Davis. Now I am not sure what I should do.
As a parent of a UCD grad, my advice is go with your gut. CC posters can give you the pros and cons of each campus, but it really comes down to you since YOU are the one that will be attending. We are from Southern California and understand the allure of something different but in these uncertain times, being near family can be an advantage.
So are you deferring also at UCD? What is your intended major?
Studies have shown that the majority of students do well where ever they land so pick the school where you think you would be most happy academically, socially and financially.
Happy students= Successful students.
My son was also second guessing where he should attend and UCI was one of his options. UCD seem to fit him the best and he was very happy there after he got past the homesickness Freshman year (mainly due to his roommate dropping out).
Best of luck.
They are both excellent schools, I am surprised they are still working through the wait list, I mean school starts in a month. IMHO, it’s kinda mean to dangle a spot in front of you at this juncture - I mean they know you have committed financially and emotionally to another path. But, I guess they gotta fill their seats. (rant off)
Normally it would be really late to make a switch but, this is an unusual year. With remote learning, not sure what implications are for housing, class availability etc. I’d probably stay the course at UCD, like you said, you got the Aggie gear and psyched yourself up for it but, I am not you.
If you really have doubts, I’d visit both campuses this week and take an objective look at what the student experience is going to be like. If you really want to go to UCI and can get your required classes and have a place to stay when on-campus instruction begins -and its not a financial burden to your family - then go… you are the one who has to live with the decision.
good luck.
Are you sure you will be able to defer at both schools? Are there any conditions attached to the wait-list acceptance saying that you can’t defer?
@NCalRent @lkg4answers I forgot to mention that I was waitlisted by UCI, then rejected, then I appealed because I had left some important info out of my application. Shortly after appealing I got accepted. I wasn’t expecting the acceptance, but I felt I had to do the appeal for my own peace of mind. I wanted to make sure UCI knew the info I left out by mistake, because I spent months wondering “what if I had put this in my application?”. Only then could I accept the rejection and move on… but I actually got accepted. Plot twist.
The process of deferring for a year at UC Davis seems pretty straightforward but I guess I will have to research more about UCI. I’m just really conflicted because UCI was my dream school for a long time! Thanks for your feedback.
You hadn’t considered UCD before and UCI was your dream prior to the pandemic. Now that you have looked more into UCD, can you write a list of pros and cons of each school? In your re-evaluation, look at how UCI has changed (because of the pandemic) - consider the fact that Greek life as well as social activities such as Disneyland will be different for quite some time. Finally, do you feel comfortable flying? If you wanted to get home from UCI and couldn’t fly, it would be a 6-7 hour drive.
@lkg4answers Good points. Thank you for the advice!
“They are both excellent schools”
This is my opinion. I do not think that there is a bad choice here.
However, if you are going to defer for a year due to the pandemic, I would expect this would need to be arranged either already, or at least very, very soon.
@DadTwoGirls yes, I’ve decided not to defer! I realized it wouldn’t be worth it.