I have a passion for working with animals as well as biology and research. I go to a small high school so I know the benefits of that (more personal connections and individual attention etc.). I appreciate that USD provides research opportunities and experience for all the science students while at Davis there is only a chance I will get to do those same things as an undergrad. But Davis is one of the best schools for animal science and I would get more physical interactions with animals (it seems). I am an out of state student so I will have to pay out of state fees for Davis but even so they are about the same expected cost of attendance. Although the atmospheres are different I greatly enjoyed both and would enjoy living on either campus.
HELP
OOS tuition at UCs isn’t a compelling value.
Davis is a HUGE and impersonal campus - which doesn’t sound like a great fit.
Assuming budget isn’t an issue, I think you are right to choose USD.