<p>This school was not really on the radar till D was admitted. We have never been to Davis nor do we know anyone who has gone to school there in the last 15 yrs.
Pros- it is in state, we could afford tuition. They would give my D credit for her CC classes, several majors she is interested in.
Cons- The major concern is the school is Huge.
Questions- She is not a heavy science kid but would major in something that would require some of the basic science courses.She would be in the school of Agriculture.With so many majors requiring Chem and O Chem are they extremely competitive. weed out classes?
From those who have experience with Davis is it hard to make a large school small?</p>
<p>I think that you’ll have better luck posting this in the UC Davis forum. There might even be some questions like it in one of the “Ask a Davis student” type of threads.</p>
<p>From our personal perspective, it’s far and away the largest school that my daughter <em>really</em> liked when we visited. I also know several people who either are students there or whose kids go there, and I have yet to hear anybody say anything other than that it’s a great place to go to college.</p>
<p>This may not tell you much, but I know someone who is unable to graduate from UC Davis
with a Master degree this Spring, because of being unable to get one class needed to graduate. It will be taken over the summer. The undergrad degree was also from UC Davis. However, in the Fall this person will be entering another one of the top privates for the next graduate degree.</p>
<p>It is a big school, yes, but certainly not the biggest UC. i think the size is about average for a state school.</p>
<p>They are the Aggies, after all, so Agriculture is a good bet there.</p>
<p>Are you comparing this to a small, private school? Frankly, I think UC Davis is a great school. The campus is big, but the town is still fairly small. Great for bike riding, being outdoors. </p>
<p>I know many that have graduated there in the past few years, really have liked it. (My H went there, but many years ago now!)</p>
<p>UCD has an outstanding Agricultural department. IMO the two best universities in California for those interested in agriculture are UCD and SLO.</p>
<p>Definitely visit. Davis is a great college town. My daughters (college freshman elsewhere and high school sophomore) have many, many (undergrad) friends there, and they’ve all been happy. People do seem to find community. </p>
<p>If you go up for a visit, stop at Pedrick Produce on the western edge of town. They have an astounding array of unique and addictive snacks, and the best tortillas I’ve ever had in my life. I’d have been happy for D1 to go to Davis just so I’d have an excuse to go to Pedrick’s :)</p>
<p>mom60 - Congratulations to your D on the UCD admission. I don’t have a kid there, but know quite a few kids from SoCal who are attending and are happy there. Two of D’s friends are majoring in some kind of science or pre vet as they both hope to become vets. D2 also knows a girl who use to ride at her barn that is in her third year in the equine vet program specializing in radiology.</p>
<p>Just some random thoughts. I graduated a long time ago from the Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and one of the best features of the college is the size. It has far fewer students than L&S and you are able to get administrative support much easier. My son was admitted to Ag at Davis and on the admitted student day he had a one on one lunch with a dean in the college. Probably not going to happen in L&S. Ag is more than just planting crops. I only took two Ag courses, one on Agricultural history and the other involved how to drive and repair tractors. Class size is an issue. Only your daughter can decide the importance of that. First class I ever took Chem IA had, I think, 460 students and you are on your own unless you seek out help. My son decided that was not for him and ended up at a small school. It was between that school and CAL. Though the sticker price is much higher the Fin Aid polices made the private school less expensive for us than Berkeley. A large school does provide more opportunities in both class offerings and external offerings. But living in CA you are well aware of the budget constraints placed on the entire CA education system. Getting classes when I was a student (pre computers) involved camping out in front of Mrak Hall to get a low reg number. I took community college classes in the summer so after freshman year I was a year ahead of my cohorts in credits thereby insuring I got the classes I wanted when I wanted them. In the end I think Davis is a great school. I worked for the University for over 30 yrs. My wife was a Davis graduate. Yes the campus is huge both in the number of students and the physical size. But there are many opportunities for a student to be part of a small group. Best wishes and Go Ags.</p>
<p>Showmom- thank you. She was shocked at the Davis admit after being shocked at being Denied at UC Santa Cruz.
Thank you for all the feedback. She got in touch with an old barnmate who is a senior. She gave positive feedback. D’s friend is graduating this June in 4 yrs but I do have my concerns about Ca public education.
Class size is an issue that she will have to decide if she can live with. The other two schools she is seriously considering are much smaller. One with only 1,200 students and the other with around 10,000.</p>
<p>S2 is a sophmore at UCLA. What they said at admitted students day is that you can make a big school small, but you can’t make a small school big. The tour at Davis was one of our best tours. The campus was great, lots of bikes, the town was cute, it was close enough to the Sacramento airport. The problem for S2 was they had tons of olive trees (they even bottle and market olive oil) and he is VERY allergic to olive trees, so it would not have been a good fit.</p>
<p>My daughter graduated from UC Davis in June with her degree in English (minor in education). She loves the school. We live just up the road, so for the first 2 years she lived at home and the last 2 she lived in Davis. She never had a problem getting a class she needed (probably because of her major). She actually could have graduated in 3.5 years, but decided to use the last semester to take a couple of “fun” classes. She really likes the town of Davis and loved the campus. She is still at UC Davis, getting her teaching credential and Master’s in English.</p>
<p>H graduated from UCD with his Ph.D in the 80s, and we still enjoy visiting Davis. The town has kept its charm, considering it has grown a lot. Great school and great town! (We had a mini dachshund that ran one year in the Dachshund Races on Picnic Day…)</p>
<p>UCD has been the perfect university for my D. I look back on the tears that were shed when she did not get into USC…but she was so lucky to have landed at the school that was truely a perfect fit. She will graduate on June 16th right on schedule. If your student is able, she would recommend applying for the Davis Honors Challenge. She has participated all 4 years. It requires a few extra classes and projects, but BIG perk…you get priority registration.
Her fairy tale undergrad story is coming to a close…she is so bummed!
definitely go on the tour…it was the factor that made UCD amazingly appealing to her!
congratulations on getting into UCD!</p>
<p>Thank you! You are all putting me a bit more at ease over her considering such a large school. She can’t make it on picnic day but she will visit.
Anyone have any recommendations for a horse barn up in Davis?</p>
<p>I have not been addmitted yet so all I can say is that it has an amazing campus. I went on a campus tour and it did show a lecture hall class room, but idk how many of the classes are like that. I am in love with the school it is my dream school</p>
<p>Sent from my SPH-D700 using CC</p>