Ask a UCD Student

fooshy · 04-01-2007, 02:18 AM

Hey everybody!

I'm a freshman at UC Davis, and I'd be more than willing to answer any questions you might have about the school-- classes, social life, etc. I've tried a huge variety of classes already (which I highly recommend btw), including: English, Economics, Political Science, History, Math, Biology, Psychology, and Computer Science. So go ahead, ask away!

Also, I'd like to point you to www.daviswiki.org, which has TONS of great information on the City of Davis as well as UC Davis.

- fooshy

turningblind · 04-01-2007, 02:52 AM

1. how big are classes? i know it has a high student to faculty ratio, but i'm sure that alone does not determine average class size as some teachers can be part-time. are they as big as UCLA's? is it hard to get into classes?
2. how are the psych and math programs? i am thinking about majoring in one of those or maybe both.

fooshy · 04-01-2007, 03:16 AM

It really depends on the classes you take. For example, classes like American National Government, Math 16, and Bio 1B, which are requirements for their respective majors, usually have a class size of about 200-300. Other classes, like English 3 and History 10B sometimes have class sizes of 50 or less. It really depends, but the higher up you get, the smaller class sizes tend to get.

The psych program is awesome-- there are lots of great professors, and you definitely learn a lot from them. You're also required to participate in research projects, so you get to see how psych research is actually done.

The math program is excellent, however when you're taking the introductory courses, some of the professors aren't that good. That's not to say that there aren't any good professors, but you should definitely choose your professor carefully. Once you get past the intro math courses, however, the professors are excellent and they really try to get you involved in research etc.

cbf88 · 04-01-2007, 04:03 AM

How much does the university and faculty support undergrad research for those who are willing to undertake it?

bandislife · 04-01-2007, 01:37 PM

What do you do on the weekends?

j0ey0ey · 04-01-2007, 03:15 PM

Is it a better choice to dbl major in comm/polsci or comm/psych

also which dorm area is better i didnt like cuarto because its seperated and spoiled but between tercero and segundo besides tercero smelling MOO

ILikeGiants · 04-01-2007, 03:43 PM

How common is it for people to opt out of bringing a bike? I'm not much of a biker myself so I'm afraid, if i don't bring a bike, I will have a hard time getting around campus. Are the buses sufficient for a person without a bike?

Pearlinthemist · 04-02-2007, 05:14 PM

"How much does the university and faculty support undergrad research for those who are willing to undertake it?"
- From my experience, most faculty will take on undergrads for academic credit (as opposed to getting paid to do it, you'll get class credit instead). There are also a ton of programs out there that are designed to help you get involved with undergrad research, if you are any sort of minority - BUSP (Bio majors), MURPPS (physical science & math majors), and MORE (engineering).
I started undergraduate research spring quarter of my freshman year in the chemistry department.

"1. how big are classes? i know it has a high student to faculty ratio, but i'm sure that alone does not determine average class size as some teachers can be part-time. are they as big as UCLA's? is it hard to get into classes?"
Class Size depends on the class. The classes that are prerequisites for almost everything else are going to be huge just because so many people have to take them. Gen Chem (the 2 series) will generally have 3 different sections at about 450 students each (so that's over 1300 students taking it every quarter). But usually classes that large are broken down into smaller sections of 25-30 students who will have an assigned TA & discussion time to help you with the material. If the idea of a large class scares you, just sit up front so that you can't see how many people are behind you. If anything large classes are curved well, usually the average is put at around a C. Once you get into the upper division courses the class size will drop to around 30 or less. The smallest class I ever took was 12 students. It's usually not that hard to get into classes, as long as you aren't super picky on times. An afternoon class will be sure to fill up faster than that 8am class

"How common is it for people to opt out of bringing a bike? I'm not much of a biker myself so I'm afraid, if i don't bring a bike, I will have a hard time getting around campus. Are the buses sufficient for a person without a bike?"
Buses are for bringing people TO campus. The bus system isn't really designed for getting from one spot on campus to another, you might as well walk because most bus lines only come twice an hour. You can get around campus just fine without a bike. You might have to sprint a bit if you have back to back classes across campus from one another, especially if one professor likes to talk too long. I brought a bike my freshman year, rode it a lot, but then didn't ride it so much my sophmore year & sold it my junior year. The main thing you'd have to consider is social outings. Since freshmen can't get parking permits, you probably won't know anyone with a car. So, if you want to go out with friends, they might all want to bike & you'll be the one pushing to go somewhere on the bus lines.

What do you do on the weekends?
Homework, reading, etc.. everything I should have done during the week. But I'm a lowly grad student now so I have no life.

fooshy · 04-02-2007, 06:19 PM

cbf88: UC Davis is ranked among the top 15 universities in terms of research spending. As long as you take the initiative to find a research project that interests you, the possibilities are endless, even as a Freshman! Here's a link that talks a bit about UG Research: http://urc.ucdavis.edu/

bandislife: The parties don't come to you, unfortunately. =P Thursday is party night, and there are tons of frats that have parties every Thursday. There are also parties on Saturday. Over the weekend, I usually study Sunday, and just hang out Saturday: go to Arden Fair Mall in Sactown, go to the City by Amtrak, or just hang out in downtown Davis! If there's nothing that interests you during the weekend, I've gone to Berkeley by train and you can hang out there!

j0ey0ey: You should definitely talk to a major adviser when you get here, but the general rule is you can double major in anything as long as no more than 20% of the Upper Division courses overlap. That being said, you'd have to take a look at those majors at UC Davis's website, and check how many of the courses overlap. Link: http://registrar.ucdavis.edu/UCDWebC.../programs.html

ILikeGiants: I used to bike everyday during Fall quarter because I didn't figure out the bus schedule, but you can definitely take the bus pretty much anywhere on campus. Sometimes the bus will drop you off a maximum five minute walk away from your class, but that's not bad since they usually arrive 10 minutes early at the destination. It's always useful to have a bike though, since buses don't run on Sundays, and sometimes you find yourself in a situation where you've missed the bus and you need to rush to class.

Pearlinthemist: Thank you for answering the questions =D, I was getting started on some hmwk...

collegemom16 · 04-02-2007, 06:39 PM

fooshy do you like sports? My d goes to watch various UCD games all the time. Also lots of students go to Tahoe on the weekends to ski. Have you come to Sacramento for Rivercats (baseball) or Kings (basketball) games or to attend a concert?

NorCalLove · 04-02-2007, 09:43 PM

How far away is tahoe?

Do a lot of students use laptops or desktops? Do they bring them to lectures(laptops)?

What is your favorite part about Davis and what is your least favorite?