why uc davis?

Hello prospective students! After getting your college acceptances, I’m sure you’re having a difficult time choosing what school to attend. Here are the reasons why I chose UC Davis over other UC & state schools and I hope it helps you make your decision.

AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES/RESOURCES

One of my priorities as a pre-dental student was finding a school that had lots of health experiences, opportunities, and resources. I compared the pre-health options at UCD to other UCs and state schools and found that UCD had so many opportunities to get involved.

Health Professions Advising

• HPA offers one-on-one advising, as well as a variety of workshops and application preparation

• https://hpa.ucdavis.edu/

Pre-Health Conference

• The conference hosts keynote speakers, deans panels, pre-health fair, and hands-on workshops covering a variety of topics from admissions to suturing.

• https://prehealthconference.ucdavis.edu/

Student Run Clinics

• These clinics improve access to providing care in underserved communities.

• https://health.ucdavis.edu/mdprogram/studentlife/clinics/

Health Related Internships

• Internships in the HRI system are updated quarterly, and span many health-related fields including medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nutrition, public health, and physical, occupational, and speech therapies.

• https://icc.ucdavis.edu/find/internships/health/hri

Clubs/Professional Fraternities

• https://hpa.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk4121/files/docs/resources_assets/HPA_PreHealthClubs.pdf

• https://aggielife.ucdavis.edu/organizations

Research

• UC Davis has an undergraduate research center to help you find research opportunities!

• https://urc.ucdavis.edu/

Tutoring

• Tutoring is offered for free to all undergraduates!

• https://tutoring.ucdavis.edu/

FOOD OPTIONS

As a college student, I knew I would want to explore the town surrounding the campus and be able to get good food when I wanted to go out. Davis definitely has the college town vibes and Downtown has a multitude of options whether you’re interested in dessert, dinner, boba, etc. Here are a couple of my favorite places to go to in Davis!

BOBA

(Detailed Info: https://cbspeerblog.wordpress.com/2020/01/14/the-best-boba-in-davis-by-subin-choi/)

• Mandro’s Teahouse

• I-Tea

• On-Tap

FOOD

• Burger’s & Brew

• Thai Canteen

• Uniboil

• T-Kumi

COOL EVENTS

Sunset Fest

• Live performances from student groups, free giveaways, and an amazing headliner.

• https://sunsetfest.ucdavis.edu/

Involvement/Career Fair

• https://icc.ucdavis.edu/services/fair

Picnic Day

• Picnic Day is one of UC Davis’ most revered traditions and serves as the university’s annual Open House for prospective and current students, families, alumni, staff, faculty, and the greater Davis and regional communities.

• https://picnicday.ucdavis.edu/

Whole Earth Festival

• The Whole Earth Festival (WEF), an ASUCD unit, is a FREE, eco-friendly three-day music, dance, arts, crafts and education festival which takes place in Spring during Mother’s Day Weekend.

• https://wef.ucdavis.edu/

Therapy Fluffies

• The BEST way to relieve stress is by playing with puppies during midterm season!

• https://shcs.ucdavis.edu/wellness/stress

Undergraduate Research Conference

• https://urc.ucdavis.edu/conference

OTHER FACTORS

My first impression of UC Davis was at a tour during middle school. Compared to other schools I had toured, it overall had one of the most “at home” vibes. I felt comfortable and it reminded me of where I was from (partially due to the fact that 20+ seniors and my close friends were attending UC Davis). The campus is beautiful and very large, allowing students to meet a huge amount of people within their college years. Since I’m from a nearby town, going to UCD was a convenient option for me. It allowed me to go home within 40 minutes and be involved with programs only offered to students who were available during summer.

I talked to a lot of my high school alumni that were attending different schools and also wanted to know if they truly enjoyed attending their school. A lot of my friends who ended up going to Davis loved the campus, community, and people.

I know how difficult it is choosing your future home for the next four years. Making this decision was one of the hardest things I had to do and in the end it came down to what my heart truly wanted. Regardless of the prestige of other schools, I was able to picture myself as a student at UC Davis because I felt more at home. Despite how difficult a school is going to be, what your parents want, or how far away from home you want to go, it is important to know that the decision is ultimately up to yourself. For me, all signs pointed to UC Davis and I knew what I wanted from the beginning (even though I didn’t realize at the time). Good luck and hopefully deciding what college to ultimately attend will bring you excitement for what the next school year will bring!