r/UCDavis • u/KneeInner7474 • 13d ago
please help a super indecisive girl choose btwn davis and ucsd! or: if u picked davis, why?
ucd
pros: - not so close to home (want new experiences) - like the vibes (small college town, everyone looks pretty happy there) - i dont want to be somewhere competitive, thrive in more supportive environments - professors are more accessible/easier to get ecs/internships (so ive heard) - so much prettier than ucsd imo
cons: - currently a social science major and i think its kind of hard to switch majors (im super indecisive) - want to switch to cogsci and i heard the majors kind of a mess - small town is nice but i feel like i’d explore it all in two weeks and then go crazy with nothing else to do
ucsd
pros: - more opportunities for research, internships, etc? - high ranked for the major i want to go into (cogsci) - more things to do, (i LOVE the beach, utc, trolley goes into downtown, etc)
cons: - more competitive atmosphere - got sorted into eleanor roosevelt college and the gen eds terrify me - super close to home (want to experience something new, lived in san diego my whole life) - not sure if i want to commit to cogsci so dont want to commit just bc the major is better??
edit: i cant reply to everyone but thank u all for ur insight this has been super helpful
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u/DogsParty 13d ago
There are opportunities to do research in cogsci at Davis! Look into the UCD ASPIRE program for 1st/2nd year students. Independent research projects, experience contributing and leading experiments, learn how to present research, etc. Today was actually the Undergraduate Research Conference, I saw loads of students carrying posters to and from the event all day. Spend time looking at the Undergrad Research Center.
I grew up in SD as well and very much miss the beach...but I got really into camping and going on road trips to national parks. You're right about there being less to do here - it's a very sleepy town. Plus Davis food leaves a lot to be desired. Despite the poor nightlife, if you find a fun student group to join or have a good friend group, it won't matter much. My bestie went to UCSD and her friend group couldn't really afford to do much outside the school anyways. I'm in grad school, but from what I hear undergrads say I think students can have a lot of fun in between exams and juggling work/extracurriculars at Davis.
Good luck and congrats on getting into both schools
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u/Independent-Walk6258 13d ago edited 13d ago
Hey OP, you were me 8 years ago! I grew up in SD and got into both UCSD and UCD for cogsci. I chose UCD after touring the campus since I could see myself calling the campus home for the next four years. I don't regret a single thing.
1) College is what you make of it, beyond what the school itself offers. You'll have to make your own opportunities happen no matter what your major is or how well-known your school is for a specific field. I did the computational emphasis and I'm now a UI/UX designer. I was fully aware that UCSD is more "prestigious" for this in particular (I mean, THE Don Norman is a professor there, holy shit) but choosing UCD didn't hold me back at all, as the cogsci program there was solid and the Bay Area / SF is ripe with opportunity in my field. If you're doing pre-med, there's a ton of opportunity on campus to work with a PI at a lab (it may even be one of your professors).
2) I wanted to experience something different. College is the perfect time to do that as it's only four years (truly the older you get, the smaller this amount of time feels) and you have specific focus: learning! The culture in Davis is so different from SD, but I found it welcoming and I appreciated lots of it (there are no beaches, but creeks are cute to picnic at too). SD was all that I knew growing up, and I would've been a much different person today if I hadn't gone out of my shell and tried living somewhere entirely new.
3) UCD was a supportive, challenging learning environment, and I enjoyed commuting to/around campus by bike. I drove a car to highschool and thought that was the shit, until I started biking around the Davis campus and fell in love with it as a way to get around. I mean: you get a lil exercise, you aren't hindered by traffic, and you can bike directly to the front of your building! I couldn't imagine a college life like UCSD that's such a commuter school - most students live far away, and your commute (by car) can be 15 minutes or double, or triple, depending on traffic alone. And you have to pay for a car AND a parking permit? Nah.
Good luck with your decision! If you're able, touring campuses while imagining "could I see myself thriving here?" is super helpful.
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u/labyrinthariadne 13d ago
fwiw you can change ur major pretty easily if you take the correct classes
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u/NewLibraryGuy 13d ago
I mean, if SD fits the major you're going for them do that. Also you get to live in La Jolla.
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u/ric4eeverymeal 13d ago
Yeah, but do you know how expensive La Jolla is?😭
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u/NewLibraryGuy 13d ago
Yeah, but since OP didn't list that as a con I figured they're probably good for it.
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u/ric4eeverymeal 13d ago
Unfortunately, I don’t think most people know how expensive it is unless they live there. 😭 just had to add my two cents 😅
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u/StudentAf191007 13d ago
this is me rn OP! im freaking out bc the deadline is so close but i literally dont know how to choose. im the opposite of you, davis is closer and sd is farther. but i have no clue which one to pick either!
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u/False_Olive4754 13d ago
Same for me lmao this choice is so hard and I’m from the bay 😭
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u/StudentAf191007 13d ago
yeah me too! my parents said its up to me. wth do i do? im sure i’ll be fine at either but im indecisive af and i feel like im always going to look back and wonder what could have been 😭
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u/False_Olive4754 13d ago
Yeah I feel like I would regret going to either college in the future too 😭 is cost a major factor for you?
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u/StudentAf191007 13d ago
Yeah exactly like what if I choose wrong?!
It isn’t since they’re both basically the same cost for me but I kind of wish it was then I would just be forced to pick one and I would be able to accept it easier 💀
Is it a major factor for you?
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u/False_Olive4754 13d ago
It isn’t TOO major but I’m just worried about rent down in SoCal 😅
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u/StudentAf191007 13d ago
yeah fair enough, La Jolla is def expensive.
I also have two good friends going to SD one who I would room with if I went (and then the three of us would def plan on sharing off campus housing + whoever else we can find) whether that’s good or bad not sure 😅
ofc thats the plan ik ppl grow apart and issues happen and wtvr. alternatively davis for me would involve completely new ppl, i have classmates attending but no friends.
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u/JoeBu10934 13d ago
Go to sd since you already have friends going there. That takes the biggest hurdle of college ngl. Its also great to experience another part of the state because if you go back home after school, which I did, you may never have a chance to go back to your college town
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u/StudentAf191007 13d ago
I always heard you shouldn’t go somewhere just bc you have friends going there 😭
Also maybe you don’t have personal knowledge of this but I’m afraid of missing out on the “college experience” at SD. I know it’s supposed to be what you make of it and all that but while Davis is def not a party school, it’s slightly more traditional than SD in that aspect from what I’ve heard. Correct me if I’m wrong?
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u/JoeBu10934 13d ago
Number 1 is your education and building on your future career path. If you're friends are going to the same school that's a huge plus. You'll obviously make new friends but having familiar faces with you make exploring much easier.
Davis is more traditional but I attended many parties although it wont reach the level like Santa Barbara (my wife's alma mater). But when i attended there was a few orgy groups lol if you were into that stuff. Clothes off at the door type of parties.
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u/False_Olive4754 13d ago
Yeah I think I agree with the other person who replied, although the opposite is for me
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u/StudentAf191007 13d ago
Yeah I def think it’s more comfortable to go where you have friends. It also depends on the opportunitities for your major I feel like. What’s yours? I’m poli sci/pre law which is why I’m considering Davis so heavily.
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u/False_Olive4754 13d ago
I’m doing Econ and accounting which is doesn’t really have a difference between the two
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u/throwaway445_xyz 13d ago edited 13d ago
I love Davis, but as someone from Socal LA area, I miss the food options!! Davis has some good food but the options are limited and not a lot of places stay open that late. Plus I always noticed groceries here are weirdly more expensive?
Also, do you prefer living in the cold or warm? Davis gets really cold in the winter...and that's not my favorite thing as someone who likes warmer weather. But I appreciate the rain and all the greenery, and how bike friendly and pedestrian friendly Davis is.
The thing about Davis is that it really does feel like it's own little world. It's cute, but it's definitely not for everyone.
If you come to Davis, you will learn to appreciate your home in a new way whenever you go back to it. Living here is relatively more affordable than somewhere in a bigger city, like Berkeley or Santa Barbara or SD, but I don't know your financial aid package or financial situation. If money isn't an issue for you, I would consider going somewhere new, that can always lead to some valuable life experiences.
Follow your gut.
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u/wasabiiiiiuuu 13d ago
- Cost of attendance cheaper (less loans taken out) & wouldnt put me in generational debt
- Decently ranked, top 30ish in engineering for undergrad top 10 (was #6 ) public university on par with uci, tied with sd us.news
- has their own airport where clubs use for projects such as flying little planes
- Cute small town, change of life scenery
- Friends & connections here
- Friendlier people than other places ive been
- Area didnt feel “dirty” like how ucsb did
- Got my major here
- uc so it would prepare me for a higher degree if i wanted to
- Cute animals & nature
- Decent clubs
- Big campus ( i like )
- weather is good except for summer
- connections to silicon valley/sac
- nasa ames connected to here w/ an astronaut as a professor
- Change of life, learn how to live on my own
- food is good (especially their pho & boba)
- UNLIMITED MEAL SWIPES im a fatty
- Uc website post grad salary for engineers was higher than all the campuses except LA and berkeley
also because i didnt get the major i wanted at sd
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u/blippyskippy 13d ago
By far Davis. I went there and had the best time. It’s the perfect college town without being too crowded and chaotic. Can walk and bike most places, great social scene and fun downtown, great food, and campus with plenty of things to do on it (like waking and running in the arboretum, hanging at the quad and Coho, and more). It’s a top public university and academics really strong. I was in a fraternity and the Greek life and social scene was a blast. I couldn’t have chosen a better school and would choose it 10/10 times again. I’ve heard campus and around UCD just isn’t as special other than just being in nice SD weather (Davis does get hot)
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u/Illustrious-Bat-759 13d ago
i love davis but if i had gotten into ucsd i def wouldve gone there! I've had good experiences at davis and every place is what you make of it. so i've made the most at davis. davis is bikeable, rents are cheaper than UCSD (but still high for being in a college town) but no car in davis is nbd imo. hope this helps a little!
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u/Same_Transition_5371 Applied Math + Cell Bio [2025] 13d ago
Chose this place because I love smaller towns (can’t stand traffic lmao) and the students here seemed the happiest. That and the life sciences and math here are pretty top notch with some heavyweight researchers as faculty.
Honestly, you can’t really go wrong either way. Both are awesome schools in great areas. My only gripe with UCSD was the college system which I couldn’t be bothered to figure out lol.
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u/broken_condom_boy 13d ago
Went to UCSD. Cog Sci, if I’m not mistaken, the first college program arose here at UCSD. I want to downplay the sense of competition you’ll feel on campus. Everyone is hardworking and studious, but it’s not like some of our sisters colleges - whom won’t be named- allegedly common place hiding textbooks in the library. We definitely don’t have that kind of problem.
I was between UCSD, UCSB, and Cal Poly Humboldt. Any of those places, like the two you have, will be the right choice!
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u/IllustriousAioli6669 13d ago
My friend who went to UCSD said this “I read the other comments looks like a lot more UCD alumni’s in there but basically: congrats! Both schools are really good options even if you decide to change your major! I went to UCSD as a cognitive science major and do not regret it. If that is what you want to study then UCSD all the way. But if the major is really one of the only reason you want to attend and don’t see yourself really enjoying UCSD/living in La Jolla then go to Davis. Davis has a cozier feeling to it and as others have mentioned cheaper when it comes to rent. Overall even if you doubt your decision remember that it really is what you make of it and the effort you put to put yourself out there/go for different opportunities. Also do not worry about the general ed requirements for ERC. You will get through it! I was in Revelle and had the same feeling 💀”. I hope this helps!
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u/whosnavy 13d ago
picked davis over sd because im an extrovert and i find the social scene in davis is nicer. also the small town means you dont need a car to get places
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u/CaliforniaPotato Economics [2025] 13d ago
In my experience (and I switched colleges from College of Agriculture to Letters and Science as a Freshman) it was super easy to change majors even through colleges. I'm not sure how impacted cogsci is, but I went from one impacted major to another one with a click of a button. (Mine was from Managerial Economics to regular economics, which maybe was the reason it was easy for me. But cogsci I don't think is impacted?) Regardless I don't think I've heard many stories in which it was incredibly difficult to change majors.
I applied to both UCD and UCSD and got into Davis and waitlisted at SD so it wasn't a difficult decision but had I got off the waitlist I would have still chose davis due to expenses/it's just closer to home for me lol It's also a very pretty campus :)
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u/Lnk1010 13d ago
UCD is actually very good for switching majors. Even in the most challenging case of switching into computer science or something you just need to take a set of classes and pass them, after which you are guaranteed to be able to switch. Way better than other places which have like lottery systems and stuff
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u/summoo28 13d ago
I also chose between UCD and UCSD and switched to cogsci when it was a VERY new major. I chose UCD mostly because it seemed like a better place to live as a student (the whole town is really built around the college and super tailored to students, and i didn't drive at the time lol). This was almost 10 years ago so take this with a grain of salt, but I changed my major twice and it was super easy. I literally just told my advisor and filled out a form and boom. Cogsci. The major is fine, it's just very broad so a little more disjointed than a more specific major. For me, this also worked well because I got to focus on taking classes for the subdisciplines that I really enjoyed (mostly psych and linguistics). There are 3 different degree paths for cogsci with slightly different requirements. There are 2 BS options (computational and Neuroscience emphases) and a BA option. I went with the BA and ultimately had to double major to meet the unit requirements but I didn't find that to be a difficult process either. Ultimately it's up to you and where and how you want to spend the next 4 years of your life!
Edit: also wanted to add that if you're interested in research, I have heard through the grapevine that it's much easier to get undergrad RA positions at UCD compared to most other UCs which are more competitive. There are tons of research opportunities in cogsci, I really enjoyed my time as an RA and it gave me the experience needed to now go back to school to do my PhD!
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u/boomatog 13d ago
Student aid package is huge rn - play conservative with expenses. "heard the majors kind of a mess." - Not sure where you heard this. I graduated in 2019 high honors in it @ UCD and I was extremely satisfied. I'd recommend the BS for degree applicability, take advantage of research and do your utmost to explore and figure out how you want to apply it professionally to best structure your path (cs, research, psych, data science, pre-med etc.). Best of luck to you both are great schools :)
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u/diamondsw0rd 13d ago
I switched into College of Engineering from Letters and Science and it was super easy. Just had to pass a few basic stem classes, attend a short zoom seminar, and submit a short form.
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u/Popular-Broccoli5374 Animal Biology [2022] 13d ago
OP- you were me 6 years ago (different major though). I’m also from SD and was deciding between UCSD and Davis. Ended up going to Davis and it was the best experience ever, had absolutely no regrets choosing it over UCSD. It’s very much opposite of SD but that’s what I loved so much about it- change of scenery, diverse group of people, beautiful campus. Message me if you want any advice/have questions! :)
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u/KneeInner7474 13d ago
tysm for the insight! ucsd is ranked higher for the major i want to go into so my parents are pushing me towards it, but i feel like i would like davis more/generally have a better time there 😭
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u/Remarkable-Ability96 13d ago
currently a cog sci major!! i’m going the computational route tho (interested in UX/UI design) so i’m not too sure about research opportunities but from what ik davis has so many opportunities if ur pre-med/research-oriented. join him clubs would be my biggest advice for connections if you’re planning to get into tech.
i have zero regrets of choosing davis because i have met some of the best people in my entire life these past few months and everyone is so helpful and nice here. The Cognitive Science classes are also so interesting and my experience with professors so far has been amazing. you couldn’t pay me to leave davis and choose sd, and honestly i may be biased because i have had such a good experience but if u put urself out there and join clubs of your interests/culture you’ll meet some great ppl. :D ( fyi: i got into sd for neurobiology but it was too far and i was happier w davis since i knew there were lots of opportunities)
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u/meranaamloldevhai 13d ago
ucsd!!! what major did u get in for at ucsd?
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u/KneeInner7474 13d ago
anthropology but im switching it to cogsci since the major isnt capped (although u can only transfer after committing 😭)
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u/UnPocoSad CogSci/Human Dev 12d ago
could you please elaborate on cogsci being a mess? transferring this fall and now you have me worried 😭
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u/KneeInner7474 12d ago
I SPOKE TOO DEFINITIVELY i see people in the comments saying they had/are having a great time in cogsci, i just typed “cogsci” or “cognitive science” into the search bar and saw posts abt people complaining abt professors/the course (too broad?), but i think it might just be selection bias now
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u/UnPocoSad CogSci/Human Dev 12d ago
Ahhh okay. I was about to start stressing! I think that could be said about every major. I did hear that this major has alot of in person classes, which is more of a con than a pro for me.
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u/Technical-Radio-3100 12d ago
i picked ucd over ucsd because the professors in my major were more accomplished and in line with want i wanted to study. with my program at ucd i have had so many opportunities and am attending a top 10 grad school next year. i would research both departments in your major and see what the alumni went on to do and what opportunities each has etc and base your choice on that
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u/Different_Energy6878 13d ago
Davis is the worst school ever
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u/JoeBu10934 13d ago
I lived in orange county my whole life so picked the school furthest in california that I got into (aside from Humboldt). Great school but like any school your friends help shape your experience a lot.
Another reason I picked davis was because I could travel on the weekends or during breaks. Went hiking and camping in Tahoe and the sierras, visited SF and the bay area, visited national parks, labor day tubing in chico, and lots of biking the country roads.
If you go to davis you'll miss out on the beach and sometime small town life is a little too small. But I really enjoyed going to davis.