My daughter got UC Davis - Biochem & Mol Bio and UC Irvine - Evolutionary biology. Her first pref was UCSD but she got waitlisted there. She want to either go pre-med or research path on biochem. We Dublin so UCD is close to home of course.
Will really appreciate views on UCD vs UCI from the community here.
@jainja1, do you want to also share the offers (or some of their content)?
1 Like
Are costs equivalent? Have you visited both? Some people prefer the town of Davis for college over Irvine as well as the reciprocal. In terms of academic rigor, I think all the UC’s are basically the same. I think within the college of biological sciences at Davis, it is pretty easy to move around in different majors, I’m not sure if that is true at Irvine-- it is worth investigating. Biochem & MolBio is a different field than EvBiol it is worth investigating the curriculum details to see which most aligns with her current interests.
2 Likes
Academically both schools are comparable. Which major does she prefer to pursue?
As stated, changing majors in the College of Biological Sciences at UC Davis is not difficult. Changing majors at UC Irvine has more restrictions depending upon the target major.
If she is leaning toward “Pre-Med”, UC Davis has one of the best Pre-Health advising center. I have heard UC Irvine’s Pre-Health advising is not responsive and lacking in resources but I do not have any first hand experience.
If she has not visited both campuses, I suggest that should be a priority. The student environment for each campus is very different and it helps to get the “vibe” by physically being present on campus.
I have a bias towards UC Davis due to the down to earth, collaborative students and the small town feel. UC Irvine has a “commuter” feel reputation since many students that attend live nearby and will go home for the weekend but still there are plenty of students that remain on campus and there are many options for activities in and around the campus.
In the end, your daughter should select which school best fits her priorities: Academically, financially and socially.
5 Likes
I agree. The way that Davis was planned, looks and feels more like a college campus.
2 Likes
I agree with the UC Irvine has a commuter feel. The campus itself is my personal favorite of all the UC campuses(except for the library, it was small and musty). However, I have visited on Saturday and Sunday, and Irvine is literally a ghost town. As in I saw like 5 students outside. After visiting UC Irvine, we were not feeling the campus vibe for weekends. I would encourage a visit if possible.
1 Like
I visited both with my daughter. We thought Irvine’s campus was beautiful, walkable, and you can’t beat the weather there. Davis campus felt bigger and like you need a bike to get around which was a deterrent for my daughter. Both very nice campuses.
1 Like
I think the location is amazing as well. Orange County has everything.
@pashtun Were the Saturday and Sunday visits to UC Irvine while school was in session (vs. on a break)?
Of course that’s a matter of personal preference; my kids don’t like the warmer So Cal winter, but others might prefer it!
Here’s a comparison of the climate at both locations. Compare the Climate and Weather in Irvine and Davis - Weather Spark
2 Likes
For someone who’s contemplating a biochem PhD, a biochem/molecular bio major is a better fit than the evo/eco major at Irvine.
Not to say she couldn’t go that route, since the bio majors at Irvine all take the same core so she’ll have a good chem foundation. But her other courses will be pretty constrained to evo/eco which is usually light on the biochem.
The Irvine school of biological sciences offers several other majors that would be a better fit for her interests: plain old bio, BMB, micro/immuno, developmental/cell, genetics, and neuro are all better fits. Could she not do a different major at Irvine?
I don’t know much about bio at Irvine. But I do know that it’s fantastic at Davis.
2 Likes
They were in session. There were a decent number of students in the dining hall, so there were kids actually on campus.
UCI is very quiet on weekends. Some students really like that. Others feel lonely when their roommates and hallmates leave.
UCI is a beautiful campus. It is walkable, but there are just a couple of strip malls adjacent to campus. To do anything else, you would need a car. UCI is less than 5 miles away from John Wayne Airport (SNA).
Davis is much more spread out. It is a biking community. Plenty of students walk or take the bus, but the majority ride bikes. There is a lot happening in and around Davis on the weekends, but it doesn’t have the party focus that other schools have. Davis is less than 20 miles from Sacramento airport (SMF). There are free buses that run from campus to the airport and back.
Thanks. We had visited UC Irvine the Wed prior to Thanksgiving 2022 during the TA strike. It was definitely not as populated as UC San Diego and UCLA on Mon and Tue of that week, but I had attributed it to being the day before Thanksgiving.
We also visited UC San Diego on a Saturday…it was poppin! There was a nonstop revolving door at their library, student center was packed, kids everywhere on campus… My daughter actually said, “That did not look socially dead”
2 Likes
I think that reference is more about the lack of Greek life and central party scene.
Probably. My daughter was just impressed with how alive UC San Diego was and how barren UC Irvine was.
2 Likes
My daughter went to Irvine and it was completely dead on weekends. I know they are trying to convince people that it’s not a commuter school but her experience says otherwise. I visited several times on weekends, Halloween weekend and didn’t see hardly any kids. It was shocking to me as it wasn’t my experience at college. I would highly suggest going on a Friday night and Saturday to see. It works for some kids but not social kids.
4 Likes
It is probably more “suitcase” than “commuter”, meaning that it has mostly residential students, but with many of them leaving for most weekends.
Yes, that describes it better!