<p>Hello. I am thinking about applying to UCLA, UCSD, UC Davis, and UC Irvine this fall. After researching each of the UC schools on numerous websites, I've narrowed down my choices to these four. Unfortunately, I doubt I'll make it into UCLA, but from what I've heard the other three UC schools are amazing schools as well. So I'm deciding between UCSD, Davis, and Irvine. I'm planning on majoring in philosophy (not positive yet) and taking the premed requirements so I can apply to medical school. I was wondering if anyone could maybe inform me about each of the schools, I'm looking for personal opinions about stuff like: which school has the best philosophy program (I don't care about ranks, I mean more like which one is most interesting or fun), what the environments at each school are like, what are some pros and cons about each school, what are some fun extracurricular activities at each school, are there plenty of hospitals to volunteer at to prepare for med school, which one has the best med school (obviously this is just an opinion but I'm open to all opinions), and which school is just the best mix of academics and social life and success (again, opinionated). If it matters, I've lived in Southern California my whole life so I'm pretty comfortable here, but I'd be more than willing to go to Northern California for college. Any and all opinions are appreciated :)</p>
<p>UCSD and UCD are among the top UCs, UCI is more of a midtier UC. For premed Davis may have a slight edge; they have amazing biology and medical research opportunities and b/c they are so close to UCSF there are plenty of interships to take advantage of. When it comes to philosophy they are pretty much the same. Neither is known for their philo programs. I don’t know much about UCI other than it’s not as well respected and known as SD and Davis.</p>
<p>Thank u so much for the advice! Again I’m not sure about philosophy it just seems the most interesting thing to major in since it’s so different from what u learn in high school. And I know all 3 schools have amazing science programs so my premed requirement classes at any of those schools will be high quality. I think my primary concern is the environment at each of and around the colleges.</p>
<p>Well I can only comment on that in respect to Davis. I really loved the campus and feel (it was my favorite UC, even beating out UCLA, a close second). It has a great community feel and does a good job making the big school feel personal. But Davis is a small town and if you don’t like that you won’t like the school. I thought it was a nice and safe place to spend 4 years. My biggest concern with UC’s are that they are pretty impacted and facing budget cuts. Other than that Davis is awesome!</p>
<p>Yeah ive read really great things about Davis’s environment. I’ll make sure I visit each of the schools myself since that’s the best way to see which one fits me best. It’s just so hard cuz all three are really good schools with their own medical school programs and plenty of majors for me to choose from. I really appreciate your opinion, it really makes UC Davis sound like a well rounded school which is really important to me.</p>
<p>I’m a big fan of Davis. It is well known for it’s friendly community. I don’t know much about it’s philosophy program but I do know that the school itself is friendly and fun, so I’m sure it applies to the classroom as well.</p>
<p>For social life, I believe UC Davis gets the best reviews. Davis is a true college town, it has great school spirit, and the campus (in my opinion) is amazing. Although if you don’t like the small town feel, it may not be for you. UCSD has the best bio program, but it’s also the most competitive for premed. I personally liked the UCSD campus of all the ones I visited, but it’s located in La Jolla, a rich beach town that’s not particularly welcoming to UCSD students. Also, UCSD doesn’t have as much school spirit at UC Davis, and the school is said to be “socially dead”, although I assume that stereotype is highly exaggerated. Davis also has a good bio program, but the premed is not known to be as competitive, although it still won’t be easy. I don’t particularly like UCI that much, but other people do. Nothing about UC Irvine, academically, socially, or aesthetically, stands out to me. I also don’t find the town of Irvine too exciting. I think the philosophy program at each school will be about the same.</p>
<p>Quick rundown (my personal opinions):
Social life: Davis > Irvine > UCSD
Campus: UCSD > Davis > Irvine
Surrounding area: UCSD > Davis > Irvine
Academics (premed): UCSD > Davis > Irvine (although if you’re looking for less competition, UCSD might be more difficult)
Academics (philosophy): UCSD = Davis = Irvine</p>
<p>Don’t try to decide on one yet. You still have approximately 9 months before you have to make this decision. Visit all of your options and wait until decisions have been released to have a true first choice. And be careful about ruling any schools out. I was basically 100% positive I would not be going to UC Davis, but I applied just to add another safety, and now I’m going there 
I also regret ruling out UCSC, because it looks like an amazing fit for me.</p>
<p>Wow thank u JeSuis for the advice! I absolutely agree with u, I’m not going to make any decisions yet until I know which schools I get accepted into and after I visit each of them. Also I’m not entirely sure what im even going to major in since I have a wide variety of interests (I’d be willing to major in philosophy, psychology, political science, maybe even economics or sociology; they all sound interesting). However, in case I don’t happen to get into med school (since many applicants don’t) I’d still want to enter the health care field since helping people for a living seems like something I’d definitely want to do. Would it be possible to become, say, a nurse practitioner with a bachelors degree in philosophy (or any of the majors I listed above)? And thanks again to everyone kind enough to help me plan this out :)</p>