I want to major in Biology/Animal Science and was denied from my first choice.
My second choice is a three way tie between
UC Riverside (Biology)
UC Santa Cruz (Biology)
Cal SLO(Animal Science)
I want to eventually attend Veterinary School at UCDavis what is the best route?
SLO would be your best choice since you got the admit into the Animal science program.
Thank you @Gumbymom my friends tell me you are one of the most helpful and insightful users!
@Thelittlepebble: Thank you. Since you plan to go to Vet school, SLO and the Animal Science major seem the most obvious choice. It may be the best choice academically, but make sure it is the best choice personally. You will be there for 4 years and you really need to like the school you attend. Good Luck to you.
Vet schools are very selective. The admit stats for UC Davis confirm that. See: http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/students/admissions/ClassOf2018Statistics.cfm
What especially matters is your GPA and GRE scores, particularly in the sciences/quantitative subjects. Last year of the 28 applicants from SLO only 2 were accepted, and none from either UCR or UCSC.
It would be prudent for you to have a backup plan in case your GPA will not be up to the vet school level, and to pick the college that would offer both readiness to apply to vet school 4 years from now as well as preparation for an alternate career. By that measure UCSC may be the best choice. I encourage you to talk this through with your high school counselor and one or two practicing vets.