<p>I'm a currrent second student of MEng Civil Engineering at Bristol Uni in England and want to take my third year. My uni has links with lots of UCal campuses and some others shown here.</p>
<p>Purdue
University of Washington, Seattle
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, San Diego
University of California, Davis
University of California, Irvine</p>
<p>I'm pretty much 100% that Berkeley is my first choice and California generally looks attractive from my English point of view. What shall I choose for my second and third choices? I'm thinking it's between San Diego and Davis. I want to have a fun American experience equally as much as a good academic experience and so a nice place is important. What's Sacremento like? San Diego seems more attractive for me but I have (almost) no clue.</p>
<p>As good as UIUC is I really am going more for an interesting, fun and different experience. I think that California will provide what I want in terms of enjoyment but I would like some help ranking the different campuses. Thanks for the advice though.</p>
<p>I you are not aware, California is in a financial mess. Funding for the university system is being slashed. I am concerned that on your program you would be registering for classes after the local students and may be shut out of some of the better courses. Is there a way to find out if you would have priority over a third or fourth year student?</p>
<p>And just a reality check - the rest of the US is pretty nice too. We don’t all pine to be in California.</p>
<p>It might help if you were more specific about what you are looking for. People have different ideas about what is “nice,” “fun”, and “interesting”. </p>
<p>Davis is a town of about 60,000, extraordinarily flat, surrounded by farm fields for several miles in all directions. It’s “nice” in the sense of being safe and friendly. If your idea of “fun” involves bicycling or organic vegetables, then Davis would be an excellent fit. If you were thinking along the lines of bars, loud music, or parties, then Davis will disappoint you. Also, Davis does not have the pleasantly mellow climate that Europeans often associate with California: it goes from hot, dry, and dusty in the summer to cool, foggy, and rainy in the winter. </p>
<p>Sacramento is not far away; however, Sacramento largely revolves around state government and is not usually regarded as one of California’s most exciting metropolitan areas. The principal draw for Europeans seems to be Old Sacramento, which combines 19th-century cowboy-era buildings with 21st-century Starbucks-era shopping.</p>
<p>OP, i’d stick with California schools if I were. California is quite different from the UK and all those UC schools in your list housed a good mix of students from all over the world. The California sky is blue, not gray. The place is vibrant and offers a lot of amusements and amenities that are remotely available in the UK. California would be a totally different place for you; I’m very sure about that.</p>
<p>Go to Berkeley so that it would complement well with your Bristol education. If not, UCLA or UCSD would be nice alternatives.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the replies. Sorry for sounding like I don’t really care about the rest of the US, I’m not trying to offend anyone. I’m from London so a city that bands and djs go to is good for me. I’m not really that outdoorsy (apologises for the terrible word) so maybe Davis wouldn’t be for me. I hope you guys understand that as this is a year out I am approaching it from a slightly less academic angle than I would if it was my actual 4 years. Here in England I’m on a civil engineering course that is probably only bettered by Oxbridge so I would like to think I will be leaving uni with a good degree regardless. Sorry for being difficult but your comments are really helpful.</p>
<p>FWIW in terms of climate and atmosphere, I’m British and did some summer courses at UC Berkeley and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was concerned I’d miss the buzz of London but even outside of normal term time I really enjoyed my time in Berkeley, mostly as it’s so different to home. Proximity to San Francisco is a big plus. The weather in the Bay Area is surprisingly similar to the UK, though, in case that’s a big factor. I spent some time in LA and I’d go there if you want a massive change of scene.</p>