University of California-Davis Top Questions

UC Davis is in the ideal location. Situated right next to Sacramento provides students the ability to live in a small, safe town, yet intern in the most politically dynamic place in the state. Although small towns don't appeal to everyone, living in Davis often feels like being in a larger town due to the size of the campus. UC Davis boasts the largest campus in the UC system as well as being known for its cutting edge medical research, advancement in agriculture, and politically active students and faculty. In fact, the most controversial subject to reach the UC Davis campus has to do with politics. Due to prospective budget cuts and increases in tuition, students and faculty have united and have begun protesting against these issues. I think this just exemplifies how much the students and faculty care about the school.

UC Davis is in the ideal location. Situated right next to Sacramento provides students the ability to live in a small, safe town, yet intern in the most politically dynamic place in the state. Although small towns don't appeal to everyone, living in Davis often feels like being in a larger town due to the size of the campus. UC Davis boasts the largest campus in the UC system as well as being known for its cutting edge medical research, advancement in agriculture, and politically active students and faculty. In fact, the most controversial subject to reach the UC Davis campus has to do with politics. Due to prospective budget cuts and increases in tuition, students and faculty have united and have begun protesting against these issues. I think this just exemplifies how much the students and faculty care about the school.

Whether you are looking for a big party scene, or somewhere quiet to study, or huge open spaces to play sports, or building to do research in, UC Davis has it all. When I tell people that I go to UC Davis, they sometimes assume that I study cows all day and don't ever have fun, but that couldn't be farther from the truth! As a member of a fraternity as well as an active member on campus by previously working for Aggie Pack (the student spirit organization) and having jobs on campus, I have so much fun outside of the classroom as well as in it. Because UC Davis is located in a small town about 1 hour from San Francisco and 20 minutes from Sacramento, Davis is the quintessential college town. By that I mean that with out the city of Davis, UC Davis couldn't exist and without UC Davis, the city of Davis couldn't exist either. It is a perfect symbiotic relationship that benefits both parties. The students get to experience a town, specifically downtown, that caters to them while the city gets the business from the students as well as energy that the students bring (especially in the fall and spring quarters).

UCDavis is a place for opportunities. I moved from a US territory 3500miles away just to come here. Though I left everything behind, I do not regret it because I have been given a top notch education and many research and performance opportunities(I am a Neurobiology and Theatre Major). UCD has changed my life, for the better.

The best thing about UC Davis is the overall school spirit and connection with others you feel on the campus and in the town. In a city of 60,000, over half are associated with the university. Davis defines the word community.

UC Davis is HUGE. You get used to it, though! After you have ridden your bike just about everywhere, things start to seem closer together so it makes it more confortable. When I tell people I do to UC Davis, they say congradulations because they know it is intense (or so they've heard) and that many people have done and continue to do great things at the University. I also get a lot of "Oh so you're not too far from home, right?" PSH! I am the PERFECT distance away. Not too close, not too far. Who cares if it's more widely known for it's medical achievements, there are plentyyyy of other things to study :) On campus, I spend most of my time at the CoHo which is short for Coffee House. Besides the fact that they have food, it's fun running into people you've met the weekend before ;) haha.. Another food/study place is the Silo. Named for it's figure, there are plenty of places to get food, and lots of room for studying or chatting in between classes or meeting up with friends to get a Crepe! Most recently, someone was though to have a bomb on campus! I think they exaggerated things but my friends from that dorm area had to sleep in the recreation hall ALL night. Some had papers due the next day and they were allowed extensions because of the tragedy or being locked out of the dorms. School pride! Are you kidding? I only know ONE person who doesn't like it there and that's only because his girlfriend goes to SB and he wants to be with her. I think he's coming around, though. We have Aggie Fridays where students only wear AggiePack shirts (Given free! at the first football game you attend) to show school spirit! Also, the AggiePack is the largest student-run student cheering section in the WORLD! (JK I don't really know) But they give out free food at games, throw beads into the crowd, and even candybars and coupons for local food venues! I have no opinion of the administration, just that they want all the feedback they can get, and send out a campus-wide survey. I should learn more about that. I'm glad they accepted me, though! <3 I will always remember my first roommate and how I hated her so. Luckily! She moved out before Winter Quarter ended, and Spring was awesome with a new roommate of a less-uptight mindset. You become really close with hall-mates. We all used to just go over to the neighbors' whenever, and walk right in. (We had suite-configurations) and no one minded because the visitors mattered to them. Also, bonds are extremely tight when you stay up ALL NIGHT writing a paper with someone! You soon begin to try and take classes together, go to parties together, etc. It's awesome. PS: Obviously, I love people :) Some student complaints are that the freshmen have the latest "pass time" in which they choose their classes. If you go to summer orientation, this willbe solved. All you have to remember to do is WAKE UP EARLY! AND TAKE ALL PLACEMENT EXAMS! lol. I missed my pass time and registered later than everyone else. Another complaint is about the food. I DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND THIS ONE!?!?!? I LOVE THE FOOD! We have one of the best dining hall facilities in California. It's just that people complain about the monotony of it all. DON'T WORRY! There are PLENTYYYYYYYY of awesome local restaurants AND chains like In N Out! <3333 Lot's of late night trips there :) I want everyone I know to come to Davis and have as much fun and I am having.

This campus is definitely the life blood of the city of Davis. UC Davis has a variety of activities that students can partake in but it does not seem to take into account that most students are under pressure from the 10 week schedule most of the time. For a research campus it is not completely wireless accessible, which is bothersome at times. I bike everywhere so I am fairly familiar with the campus structure, more so than students that tend to keep to their campus of specialization. The administration is as helpful as the students who utilize their services but would be even more helpful and resource filled if more students took advantage of such services.

Classes are big. That's annoying, especially if you are the kind of person that needs professor-student interaction. Also, the undergrad discussion sections are pretty deadbeat--it's hard to find anyone who cares enough to participate in a legitimate discussion. It's a good school though. I am enjoying it, and there are awesome people if you connect with the right crowd. The town is perfect, a cute downtown but practical and spread out outskirts, with only 2 hrs to san fran or tahoe. Best place to be! But not if you're a city person. Be comfortable with open spaces.

I love that Davis has a somewhat small-town feel, less urban and quiet. No that there aren't any parties, because there are a lot, just that you can have quiet time and relax without feeling too threatened.

It's a college town. Everything in the town is centered around the campus, which is great because college students college everything! I love the bikes too because I dont' need a car!

school is too big, they should just compress the whole campus too much school pride, 3 out of every 5 ppl wear davis stuff

-I love the environment at UCD-the campus, ARC, and the way it is set up. -The one thing I would change is providing more classes for students especially for the majors in high demand. This places a bad situation for many, including myself, in waiting to take higher division courses by next quarter or next year because of the overload of students. I hate being place in this situation because it postpones my graduation date. -I think my school is just right -People react in a good way and think highly of UCD, which I love. -I spend most of my time in the lounge or study rooms at the MU area. -The community at Davis is very supportive and dedicated. There are banners all over the community and the stores around there also support the students and gives great deals. -There is school pride but wished it was much more involvement that took place like Standford.

Most of my time is spent at the library or at my apartment studying....studying takes a lot of my time. I do like to spend time at the arc.......its a great gym with a great atmosphere. You can take classes there...group fitness classes as well as work-out by yourself. There isnt a pool there but there is one in hickey gym or across the street called the rec pool that is available. A variety of machines are available as well as racquet ball courts, basketball courts, and badmitten area.

The best thing about UC Davis in my opinion is the diversity of people. You could ask me to summarize the typical UC Davis student and I could not come close to narrowing it down to even five or ten different types of people. People of widely varying age and ethnicity can be found at any moment anywhere on campus. This pretty much just keeps things interesting and gives you the feeling that it is a serious, non discriminatory, academic community that serves to reach all people. As far as size goes, the UC Davis campus and student body are enormous. The enrollment is somewhere around 35,000 students, and the campus is by far the largest of all the UC campuses if not the largest in college campus in California. This benefits me though, because I prefer a sense of anonymity in my education; I got enough close quarter education in high school and I prefer this much more. Overall, Davis is a diverse, all inclusive, fun, interesting, stimulating place. Every facet of college life is covered here.

The best thing about UCDavis is the tight knit community in the small college town atmosphere. The town is so accommodating to the students that it makes it easy to have a community of students. The town itself is so proud to have the university in their town that they are welcoming to all students. It is a large school but seems small because there are so many ways to get involved and find your niche on campus.

the big picture is: davis is a great place to go to college. i was hesitant to go there at first, but now really enjoy it. the whole community is very friendly to students and is built around the college.

The best thing about UC Davis is the homey and comfortable atmosphere. I feel like everyone can find their niche on campus and find their own personal favorite study spot. If I could change one thing it would be a heightened sense of school pride on the large front. I wish there were more student traditions that had a large hype every year. I don't think Davis is too large at all. I seem to run into the same people over and over. What typically happens is you start taking classes with the same people and sort of go through everything with them. One thing I'll never forget is picnic day. I got to milk 2 cows and thats just not something that everyone can do on their college campuses.

The best thing about Davis is that after you are here for a little while, you get to know a lot of people and you see people you know everywhere...or people that know people you know. Many people spend a lot of time in Davis rather than outside of it because everything here is college student friendly and that means that you get to know PEOPLE really well. By your fourth year, you will be out at the bars downtown and everyone there will be people you know or have seen around campus. Everyone is really friendly. This is an environment that you will not find anywhere else. The people you will meet here and the connections you will make will make your college experience really great. However, you do have to take some initiative. UCD is a big school (although by the end it wont feel that way at all) and you need to make some effort to be a part of SOMETHING to make your experience worthwhile. Join the greek system - its fun and not as crazy as it is at other school, or join student government, or get an on campus job. There are a lot of opportunities. Also, pre-professional sororities or fraternities are a great way to go. Again, being a large campus you will find that many of your intro classes your first year or two will probably be pretty big. But they go way down in size after that. Once you get into your major you will get to know people in your major that will be in most of your classes and you will get to know professors. The best thing to do is to take initiative to sign up for multiple classes with the same professor so they can get to know you. And go to office hours! Talk to people in your classes. Sit in the front row or near the front if you can. It gets easier by your 3rd and 4th year and with some majors you will feel just as connected as you did in high school. I spent most of my time near the Quad area (by the memorial union) on campus. Actually, this is where most people spend their time. There is the well known coffee house right in front of the quad where you will be guaranteed to run into people you know if you walk through there or sit there to study. That is one of two main gathering areas on campus. Also, I spent a lot of time at the Activites and Recreation Center (ARC). This is one the BEST things about campus. It is a newly built huge two-story fitness center complete with a spacious main workout room (with new equiptment), indoor track, indoor raquetball courts, indoor basketball court, machines on the second floor, and great group exercise classes that are just for students! There are also some computers you can use for free near the entrance to check your email on the way into or out of the ARC, a snack shop, and two study rooms. You can practically live there if you wanted to! Again, Davis is definitely a college town. Its very bike friendly...lots and lots of bikes here! Also, you will see some of your professors biking or walking to class. After your first year you can have a car but there are buses that are free to students provided by the student government that come by many areas of davis every 10-15 minutes and take you to campus, so you dont really need a car necessarily. Most people take the bus or bike to school. Davis's administration can be a handful sometimes. It may take a while to actually get what you want or figure things out because the campus is big and you will probably get re-directed a time or two. But thats to be expected of a large campus. This is a downside. There is a lot of school pride, more than you would expect for sure. People ride around on golf carts with signs promoting different sports games. Basketball is big, as is football. Football is actually really big now, especially after the new stadium was built last year. We also moved up to Division I in football I believe so we are very competitive. Some students complain that there isn't much to do on weekends. This can be true. You have to take initiative to plan things out but there are always concerts or entertainment events of some sort going on. Most of the time you will be at a house party or out at the bars downtown...its a unique experience though to be in a city where almost everyone is your age. Once you turn 21, it gets a whole lot more fun as you can go dancing and drinking at the bars.

its definitely a college town the city is mainly made up of students and you make friends very easily everyone in the same major basically know each other it pretty cool. there is definitely a lot of school pride....i medan who wouldn't be proud to go to one of the top 50 schools in the world.

It's really hard to really give someone who has never been to Davis an idea of what it is like. The campus itself is pretty big, but Davis is also the bike capital of the US, so getting around the town or the city is never an issue. Since I live on campus, I spend most of my time on campus, and I get the feeling that most students do, regardless of where they live. When I don't have a lot of homework or studying, I usually bike over to the Coffee House, right next to the quad to get something to eat and hang out with my friends. The only complaint I really can think of is that the weather here changes all the time. We don't get snow, but we get lots of rain, wind, or heat, depending on if its winter, fall, or summer. But most of the time the weather isn't an issue. One thing I didn't expect when coming to Davis was that there is such a big social community. Not everyone chooses to party in college, but at Davis I think a pretty big percentage of students go out on the weekends. There's at least one big party going on almost every weekend, most of which occur at fraternity houses. I think around 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the students on campus join a fraternity or sorority which is a life changing experience.