<p>So I got accepted to both, and I really like UCSD and the housing that they put me in. However, the net cost for UCSD is ~$38,000 (out-of-state resident) yet for Davis, it is ~$30,000. If I go to David, then my parents could save ~$32,000 for my undergrad education. Do you think I should go for the cheaper option, or the school I like better? Which university would you pick?</p>
<p>Well - for most majors, the schools have pretty comparable reputations. The weather and surrounds are much nicer in San Diego. Davis is a nice town and there’s always something going on but, you are nearly 100 miles from the ocean. Is the beach worth $32k? That’s yours to determine.</p>
<p>I often agree with @NCalRent, but this time I’d have to say I’d go to Davis unless UCSD was significantly better in my major or something. It has nothing to do with money. I just like college towns better for college. I don’t know if that is important to the OP, though. Have you visited Davis?</p>
<p>It is true it is a distance from the beach if you are a beach person in particular, but it is only a few hours from San Francisco, and they have a bus that goes to Berkeley every Saturday (so you can BART into the city), and San Francisco is fun. It will get hot around summer though. (Davis will get hot, that is. Mark Twain said the coldest winter he ever endured was a summer in San Francisco, and he wasn’t kidding!)</p>
<p>Honestly, they are both great schools and I think it is a personality thing where you would like most to go. </p>
<p>What major? </p>
<p>did you apply to ucla or berkeley? wait until those decisions come out.
I think ranking wise, UCSD might be better in engineering and sciences but Davis is pretty well known in the biological sciences. </p>
<p>(taken from another link askville, the direct link did not work)
University of California-San Diego --</p>
<p>Pros: academics, location, activities offered, great library, great shuttle system
Cons: large class size, no football team
Bottom Line: The campus is extremely large and spread out, being split up into five different colleges. </p>
<p>Neighborhood: The University is located in La Jolla, a very upscale community, and is walking distance from the beach and 15 minutes from downtown San Diego. Due to the fact that UCSD lies in La Jolla, it is not allowed to have fraternity or sorority houses anywhere near the campus. The campus is very strict about parties in the dorms or the on campus apartments. They hire rent a cops and CSO’s(campus security officers) to issue tickets to students who disobey. They have FREE shuttles that drive around campus and go from campus to other UCSD affiliated venues such as the Scripps Institute or to the Medical Center near downtown San Diego. When holidays come, students can take a free shuttle to and from the airports! The service is awesome, and sure make life easier when you have a 30 pound back pack full of books and a class all the way across campus.</p>
<p>University of California-Davis --</p>
<p>Pros: university town, walkable downtown, bike friendly, peaceful small-town atmosphere, renowned professors, medium size classes, fast paced, new material
Cons: isolated, campus not that attractive, you are in a small town, at a rural university, surrounded by fields, Huge student body can be a little overwhelming
Bottom Line: Isolated campus but great education especially in psychology, environmental subjects, agriculture.</p>
<p>Neighborhood: The University of California at Davis is a large, rural campus in a university town. The campus and the city of Davis have a close, friendly relationship. Davis only has 50,000 inhabitants, and fully half of these are students, faculty and staff of the university. The city caters to the university. The city has housing that is appropriate for and geared to students. It has all sorts of restaurants, lunch dives, numerous used and new bookstores, and weird clothing stores that are haunted by students. The business district (which is only a few blocks square) has a large student clientele. Davis also discourages malls and chain stores, so the downtown is charming, small, and totally walkable… which is unusual for an American city. I love it. Of course, this lack of department stores means that you have to go to another city to buy a toaster or some underwear, but to me it is worth the price. You can get everywhere in Davis – on campus or in the city – on a bike. Biking from end to end only takes about half an hour. The campus is bike friendly – it has converted many of its streets to bike-only traffic. The city has wide bike lanes, greenbelts, ample bike racks, and occasional stoplights just for the bikers!</p>
<p>@fall2016parent.</p>
<p>That was an excellent summary.</p>
<p>I went to Davis for my Master’s and I just loved the campus, and city due to it’s bike friendliness.</p>
<p>I now live in San Diego, and have connections with UCSD.</p>
<p>If I were advising my kid, I would say:
If you are going to Biological Sciences, go to Davis
If you are going to Engineering, go to UCSD.</p>
<p>If you love the beach and surf, go to UCSD.
If you want to bike every day, go to Davis. If you like small town/university town go to Davis.</p>
<p>Please note that overall the 2 schools are ranked about the same (due to averaging what they are better at with what the other is better at).</p>
<p>UCSD is more competitive to get in (check entering class stats), probably due to the allure of San Diego.</p>