<p>Posting on this thread so we will get an unbiassed opinion. My son was accepted to both schools but is leaning towards UCSD based on their rankings. We are fine w/whatever he chooses but worry that in light of all the rumors, he will be bored stiff!! UCD sounds like it offers so much more than just the academics & from reading the threads there seems to be a lot of horror stories about UCSD. Background, he is a white male, accepted into Marshall Thurgood. He isn’t into the party seen but does enjoy hanging out w/good friends, going to movies etc…He is very athletic, into tennis, & may possibly play for UCSD (been in communications w/coach) which is div II. Davis is Div I but don’t know much about team. However they have awsome club teams from what we hear, as well as great gym, food etc… He would be the first to join in ultimate freesbee out on the lawn etc… & our fear is that there is none of that @ SD. We walked around the school a couple of weeks ago and it was like a ghost town!! Beautiful day and nobody outside!!! He is a math/science major problaby leaning towards med or research. which school would be in his best interest!? We don’t want to get the phone call half way through school that he made a terrible mistake and wants to transfer out!! We hear of people transfering out from SD a lot so want to make sure he is fully informed!! He feels that SD is way more prestigious and will open more doors for graduate school etc… but will he go crazy there??? Sorry for the long thread,appreciate any comments! Thanks</p>
<p>ucmomhopeful:</p>
<p>That is a very legitimate worry for your son. I'm only in high school still and I was recently just accepted into Thurgood Marshall too. I'm actually an international applicant from Asia. I have many friends that go to UCSD that absolutely love it there. This is just what I have experienced though from my friends. </p>
<p>My dad also told me it's great because it's:
- close to the beach
- near Mexico
- great area economically
- great school</p>
<p>That's what I know. Hopefully it helps you a bit! Maybe I'll be seeing your son at UCSD!</p>
<p>My sister and her husband went to UCD. Now there daughter goes there. She is a junior. We also have neighbors who have both their son and daughter going there. Obviously a well liked school. They would all choose UCD if they had to do it all over again.<br>
Their majors range from Poli Sci to Aero Engineering. A few of the above like a good party and a few are perfectly fine just hanging with friends.</p>
<p>If your son has friends at both campuses try and arrange to have him go and stay for a day or two. Ideally you should have him go on a Thursday night and come back home on Saturday. Make sure he visits a class. This should give him a pretty good feeling for both the social and academic environment at each school. My d was accepted into both schools and initially wanted to go to UCSD. After visiting both schools she chose UCD over UCSD. She LOVES it at UCD and also would make the same choice again given the chance.</p>
<p>Everything in the original post sounded like UCD would fit him the best. As a competitive person, your son would absolutely want to do intramural sports at Davis, which is the largest IM sports programs of the UCs, if not the country.
Being DI in sports means that the teams UCD plays are very competitive. This makes for much more intense games, keeping in mind that Davis is just in its first year of being DI.
A great thing about Davis is that it is a college town and bikes are the main transportation everywhere. The campus is located in the heart of the city; next to downtown where all the eateries and theatres are. There's also an arcade on campus with bowling, pool, air hockey and of course various games. For example, on a typical Friday night, my friends and I will find a place to eat downtown, get some dessert, go bowling, go to the U-Mall to get some late night snackage (Ohana Hawaiian BBQ closes at 1; Old Teahouse ([Chinese cuisine + Boba drinks] closes at 2) and relax at a lounge while chatting and watching TV. Some find this really boring, but as a non-drinker/smoker, it's how I have fun.</p>
<p>That being said, I do not want to undervalue UCSD's social scene as I haven't been there to experience it. It can't be that bad though. I hear it's a commuter campus so a good portion of students go home for the weekend, as opposed to Davis, where most students stay. The way I see it is your son will find a way to have fun in any school he chooses because I'm positive there are people who share the same desires as your son in either school.</p>
<p>P.S. It's funny how you mention ultimate frisbee, my friends and I were doing the EXACT image you were mentioning last Friday!</p>
<p>UCSD is not "way more prestigious" than UCD and UCD will open just as many doors for graduate school etc. UCSD is more of a commuter campus, and many students who transfer out of UCSD do so because of the campus atmosphere i.e. too many kids who choose UCSD because it is close to the beach and close to Tijuana. I know a number of UCD students and alums and all of them rave about their experiences at Davis and the opportunities that came their way because they went to Davis.</p>
<p>As a Davis student myself I will say that I'm very happy with my choice of going to Davis over SD. I have some friends who go to UCSD and much of what I've heard have confirmed the rumors. This isn't to say that everyone who goes to UCSD hates it. Make sure son visits both schools, and as mentioned above, it would be even better if he could go for a few days and stay with a current student. This would give him a real close look as to what day to day life at each school would be like.</p>
<p>Also, if you or your son have any specific questions about Davis, feel free to ask.</p>
<p>I'd take Davis over UCSD anyday. I visited both campuses last year and really liked Davis but wasn't too fond of UCSD. Sure, UCSD is right on the ocean and is in a beautiful area, but it just seemed so dull and boring. Granted, I know a few kids who go there and love it and a few who absolutely hate it. We visited Davis and I loved it. Had I got in that's probably where I would've ended up going. The college town is great, campus is really nice, and everyone seemed so happy. I know a ton of kids who've gone to Davis and they all have nothing but good things to say about it.</p>
<p>Sure, UCSD might be a slightly better school, but Davis will open the same doors UCSD would.</p>
<p>My parents pressured me into going to a school I did not want to attend. Three years later, I had partied myself onto the probation list and was asked to leave. He'll be succesful where he wants to be successful. </p>
<p>Remember, this is his education. The decision should be his.</p>
<p>I think you should let him have an overnight at both places (w/friends, if possible) and then have him make a pro's & con's list for you to review with him. Tell him it is his choice and only he can make it, and that you support whatever conclusion he comes to. Lots of kids run into problems of one type or another throughout their four years of college... that is precisely when you DO NOT want to hear anything about how he really wanted school A, but felt pressured to attend school B and he now knows that without your pushing him into school B, he would be much happier, have better grades, avoid depression, have more friends, etc. My eldest son, who loves his school, has had some tough times during his first two years. I told my husband that I was very thankful we did not influence his decision, as in times of stress, it is easy for kids to blame the parents for their misery. We told my son we trusted him to make his own decision and that we felt it would probably work out, but if it did not work out down the road, we would support him if he chose to transfer. </p>
<p>Regarding Mexico: Read the news. They are having shoot outs on the streets these days and several Americans and their families have been car jacked and left to die. One woman was brutally raped in front of her children. We used to go there frequently, but now it is off limits. Even my family members who have business concerns down there refuse to take the company jet over for a day because of all of the violence. So, if anyone is listing that as a PRO for UCSD, you might want to rethink it.</p>
<p>Good luck to your son.</p>
<p>Won't your kids blame you for their misery no matter what you do?</p>
<p>bessie makes a very good point. The Mexico problems are very public now but have been an issue for many years. I won't list the "stories" of bad things across the border, but suffice it to say, now is not a good time for college students to whoop it up there. This should not effect the decision about UCSD, though. Just have fun this side of the border for now.</p>
<p>Wow. A parent urging their kid to go to UCD instead of UCSD because of the social scene? And I thought I've seen everything...
LOL, maybe it's because I'm Asian.</p>
<p>I haven't heard a negative thing about Davis from anyone who went there. UCSD however...
Well, let's just say that I met a kid who transfered out of UCSD to UCR. He loved UCR more than UCSD. And from what I've seen from UCR, that's really saying something.</p>
<p>You're totally right though, their experiences matter just as much if not more than the education itself. College is a place where these kids are going to mature, and become independent adults. The enviornment they're put in is very important. </p>
<p>That being said, you should really let him decide where he'd be happier at. Like the previous advice, let him stay at the campuses. Maybe lack of a really active social scene is something that he wants. Maybe he'll see that UCD is better.</p>
<p>I'm at UCSD, bio major, and love it! Athletics are big for me - there's lots to do here but the beach is the best. There's no ocean at UCD.</p>
<p>Your son will figure it out after a visit.</p>
<p>Congratulations to your son! My two-cents :</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Try to visit both campuses and take an official tour. That may be all you need to make a concrete decision.</p></li>
<li><p>My niece attends UCSD and daughter is at UCD. They are both very happy. There is quite a difference in the atmosphere comparing southern to northern California in general. Which area/lifestyle does he prefer?</p></li>
<li><p>If he goes to UCX and it doesn't work out, it is not unheard of to apply for a transfer to another UC campus, so don't feel like the choice is a life sentence.</p></li>
</ol>