<p>i dind't turn down anything special. Santa Clara, Seattle U, Creighton, and Gonzaga, and also Univ of Hawaii as backup.</p>
<p>If I do go to Davis (it's looking more and more like it... 80% chance), well, I'll be rejecting Berkeley, LA (+free $$!), and SD (Regents) from the UCs. And Rensselear and Creighton University (both with lots of free money, because the tution is so f***ing expensive!). e__e;; And since I was WAITLISTED, I supposed I get to count rejecting Rice, Dartmouth, and Pomona College. D<</p>
<p>... I'm just procrastinating from turning in my SIR because IDK if Davis is right for me. To sound a tad snotty, I worked SO hard in high school... to go to Davis?!</p>
<p>You don't get to explain to people "I go to Davis... BUT I made a clean sweep of the UCs!"</p>
<p>So yeah, it's the prestige factor, really. I'm Chinese, and well, you can imagine. My parents aren't too thrilled with me going to Davis... they'd much rather have me go to LA or Cal.</p>
<p>Actually, you'd be surprised how many people swept the UC's and decided not to go to the top tiers. My friend said she didn't even tell her parents she got into Cal because they would force her to go when she absolutely did not want to. Her sister went there and she's never had doubts about choosing UCD over Cal. Another friend of mine turned down Cal because his parents would have made him stay at home and commute instead of being at Davis and having the dorm experience. If you haven't already SIRed to Cal/UCLA by now, then there must be a strong feeling against going there =P</p>
<p>
[quote]
If I do go to Davis (it's looking more and more like it... 80% chance), well, I'll be rejecting Berkeley, LA (+free $$!), and SD (Regents) from the UCs. And Rensselear and Creighton University (both with lots of free money, because the tution is so f***ing expensive!). e__e;; And since I was WAITLISTED, I supposed I get to count rejecting Rice, Dartmouth, and Pomona College. D<</p>
<p>... I'm just procrastinating from turning in my SIR because IDK if Davis is right for me. To sound a tad snotty, I worked SO hard in high school... to go to Davis?!</p>
<p>You don't get to explain to people "I go to Davis... BUT I made a clean sweep of the UCs!"</p>
<p>So yeah, it's the prestige factor, really. I'm Chinese, and well, you can imagine. My parents aren't too thrilled with me going to Davis... they'd much rather have me go to LA or Cal.
sutoroberrii is offline
[/quote]
I think you'd find that, for undergraduate anyway, the academics at the schools (UC) are fairly close. Now, for graduate school, that's where you'll want to go to a very prestigious one.
Let us know if we can answer any questions for you, good luck!</p>
<p>I'm in the IS Honors program at Davis, and the majority of people here (including myself) got into UCB and UCLA in addition to many other schools of greater "prestige," but still chose Davis over all other schools. Personally, and I know this view is shared by the majority of the people in my program, at least, I believe that Davis really is better in many respects than either UCB or UCLA. The biggest difference (and this is often misinterpreted) is that the level of academic competition at UCB and UCLA may be greater than at Davis. This does NOT mean that academics at UCD are less rigorous than at these other schools, but illustrates the fact that the cuthroat attitude that seems to exist elsewhere is not pervasive here. People are more than happy to help each other and collaborate at Davis, and I think the end result is that students end up understanding subject material in greater depth than they would otherwise. Like anywhere else, math and science classes here are intense and certainly not easy, but it's comforting to know that there's always a handful of friends willing and able to help explain things to you (and then you feel like you can reciprocate when they need the extra help). This is something, if not unique to Davis, that is certainly harder to find elsewhere. Also, I think the campus itself is easier to handle; it's more open, with quite a few grassy expanses and tree-lined streets, and is also home to quite a few new facilities. I think the rather eclectic assortment of buildings on campus (compare: Death Star vs. Dutton Hall) is fun, too. I don't know if this is something unique to the honors program, but I have felt like there exists a real sense of community here, of which there is apparently (according to friends at other schools) a distinct absense elsewhere. I enjoy the fact that one can hop on a bike and ride for 30 or 40 miles on a (flat!) country road to get away from exams/chem labs for a while and be back by dinner time. I suppose that Davis might not be the place for someone who really wants an ultra-urban life, but then again, Davis is really only a "cow town" to those who venture a bit outside of the generally frequented areas. The intensity and urgency of Berkeley or LA is replaced by a more relaxed (but not complacent!) atmoshpere, which is conducive to making lasting friendships and more generally being thoughful and deliberate about things. That has been my experience here, anyway...</p>
<p>If I were going Bio/Pre-med, I'd choose Davis over Cal any day. Davis has one of the best Bio programs in the nation (not to mention the #1 undergraduate Genetics program).</p>
<p>fooshy</p>
<p>rejected:</p>
<p>CSU:
-long beach
-sonoma
-san diego
-pomona
-slo
-san fran</p>
<p>UC:
-LA
-SB</p>
<p>Privates:
-Duke
-Dartmouth
-Dominican</p>
<p>cyclone, jesus no wonder u got into the honors program. Wanna write my papers for me when we get to davis?</p>
<p>"Davis has one of the best Bio programs in the nation (not to mention the #1 undergraduate Genetics program)."</p>
<p>I've always wondered where this is coming from. There are no undergrad biology rankings, so what makes people, primarily students from UCD, say this?</p>
<p>I mean, even at the graduate level, Davis' genetics program is not ranked that high.</p>
<p>Source: phds.org</p>
<p>i posted on this thread a month ago, when the notion of going to davis, where i had always pictured myself being, started emerging again after being accepted to all the top tier uc's. and i can now happily say that i followed my heart and chose davis. it is sooo nice to know that there are more people who have done the same. suturoberri, i feel the exact same way: that i worked so hard to get into those top schools, and in the end im just going to davis. but, my friend put it into a nice perspective: i worked hard to have those OPTIONS, so that i could choose to go to school whereever i really wanted to go, and not feel as though i was going to college somewhere that i didnt want to be simply because i didnt get in elsewhere.</p>
<p>while im still coming to terms with it (i cant bring myself to actually click the denial button on la and cal), i know i won't regret it once im at davis. the way cyclone put it, it seems like its going to be a fantastic experience that ill never regret.</p>
<p>cyclone, i have a question for you. how are the honors programs at davis? i think theres two of them.. ive heard that the seminars arent all that great. is this true? i was thinking about applying for it, but i wasn't quite sure how great of an experience it would be.</p>
<p>I'm in the Intergrated Studies Honors Program, so I can't say much about the Davis Honors Challenge. I've posted on here before about the ISHP, but I want to convey that the program is more than worth it simply for the residential community that comes with it. Miller Hall is a great place (one of the nicest buildings on campus, I daresay) and it is truly amazing to have so many like-minded people in the same place. The classes for IS can be interesting--not always, but generally--but the real reason to join is for the people you will meet, the friendships you will make, and the place where you will get to live. IS is invitational, but even if you haven't gotten an invitation yet, don't give up: they send out a second wave in late May or June. Remember, there will be plenty of opportunities to take classes that are interesting to you in your four (plus?) years--try to do other things as well your freshman year. Take advantage of living on campus--sophomore year, you'll already be living off campus in your own apartment...</p>
<p>UCM+Honors
UCR+Honors
UCSC
UCSB
UCI</p>
<p>If only my parents knew more people like you guys.</p>
<p>They're hitting the roof right now. I logged on around an hour ago to turn in my SIR, and my parents are freaking out. My father especially.
"Davis is not prestigious. You must get A's," yada, yada, yada. I don't know how to tell him that just because Davis isn't prestigious doesn't mean that it's not hard. It's a F-CKING PUBLIC, if he wanted me to get As, then he should've prepped me for an IVY!</p>
<p>No, they're hell-bent on sending me to Berkeley. Or LA. I hate both places. The INDIVIDUALS there are fine, but the academic climate overall sucks. Or SD. Anywhere but Davis. Anywhere.</p>
<p>(I don't think they realized that I was serious about going to Davis.)</p>
<p>And they keep dismissing me. My dad doesn't believe me on the point that if I go to Berkeley, I don't get any academic advising... I'm basically left on my own, as opposed to Davis. He keeps dismissing my reasons for wanting to go to Davis.</p>
<p>I guess I'm writing all of this because I'm frustrated, and I need some help.
Can someone help me explain to my parents that Regents + Davis >>>>>>>>> UCB, UCLA, and UCSD, please? >__________<;</p>
<p>dude sutoro, thats pretty insane. if you're dad wont listen to you, then i suggest you find someone who he does listen to and pass on the information through that person. </p>
<p>my dad was pretty stubborn with my sister when she decided to turn berkeley down for la and she had to tell her counselor, who in turn discussed it with my dad. </p>
<p>i hope the best of luck to you.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Someone did try to tell my dad the perks of Davis.
Another Regents Scholar.
And when I told my dad about the fact that Davis seemed just right for me, my dad was like, "WELL DON'T PUT OUT BERKELEY AND LA!"</p>
<p>... I should've known THEN that something was up.</p>
<p>ghagjgj. I'm so frustrated. Like, my dad doesn't understand that "HEY I STILL HAVE GRAD SCHOOL... I'M GOING ON PAST UNDERGRAD LOL & I DON'T FEEL LIKE BURNING MYSELF OUT DURING MY UNDERGRAD YEARS!".</p>
<p>hjaklghsjkh9211h3oihkoghehjhe.</p>
<p>(Yeah, I just keep on procrastinating... la. La. La. La.) </p>
<p>My parents are just so disappointed... e__e.</p>
<p>What major are you?</p>
<p>B -- Undeclared
LA -- Biology
SD -- Human Bio
D -- Bio Undeclared</p>
<p>I'm a bio major, so I know that I can't go wrong at either SD or Davis. Iffy on B. Dunno about LA.</p>
<p>Are you pre-medical?</p>
<p>Yep.
I believe I saw you in my thread once... "Pre-Med: SD vs. Davis?!" :]</p>
<p>So. Hello again.</p>
<p>Pre-medical advising at UCD is excellent and that is a very big deal.... Go over to the pre-medical forums. Hello again...</p>