University of California-Davis Top Questions

During my first visit to campus I could sense that people here were really layed back and friendly. Everyone is happy to meet new people. Most students are from northern California but in terms of their economical background, there is great diversity. People generally wear a sweatshirt and jeans to class, but then there are those few who dress up.

UC Davis has so many students of many different backgrounds that it is impossible not feel welcomed. Many of the students do congregate with their own racial profile, but they do talk and interact with others. There is a large Asian population on campus - many students from Japan and South Korea come here to study. I have seen students from different soci-economic backgrounds. I met with a single mom from East LA who was loving the peaceful atmosphere of the campus and city. The students wear what they want. Although I think that the sagging pants are stupid, many of the students wear them. During the spring quarter, the clothes come off and little is worn. It does get hot in Davis during the spring and summer. It can get up to 105 F.

Lots of racial diversity. Friendly people. Most of the people here are liberal or moderates. Not many conservatives.

There are many students on campus who are politically active and involved in organizations that push for positive change regarding social inequalities, environmental policy, etc. There are also students who don't care. Basically, at a big school you're going to find a lot of diversity. If you choose, you can surround yourself with a group of friends that is very homogenous - if you wanted to you could choose to never interact with people who are in any way different from yourself. But, there is also the opportunity to get to know people from all kinds of backgrounds, who live many different kinds of lives. The later is more interesting, and absolutely creates a more enriched experience.

I have had find interactions with racial and religious and LGBT groups on campus. I think everyone gets their chance to voice their opinion should they seek it.

In all truth, diversity is a problem. To contextualize it, diversity is a problem everywhere, at all institutions of higher education. Our African/African American population is less than 2{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the students (according to recently given statistics). People of color are by and large underrepresented on our campus, but given our activist penchant, we're making differences. 4 of our students joined in a 6 day hunger strike which ended in the creation of our Cross Cultural Center 15 years ago. A 30 year battle against the AGR fraternity's use of a song demeaning women and glorifying violence ended this past year in the creation of 3 full ride scholarships for children of farmworkers. Our Student run Recruitment and Retention Center hosts diversity phone banking to let current Davis students call prospective students of color to answer questions and encourage them to come to UC Davis. It will continue to be a struggle, but this is a struggle that our students are more than willing to fight.

As a transfer student this year, I have found it very difficult to get involved in the social life at UCD. It deffinately takes alot of effort on your part to join clubs and really strive to meet new people. Even though there are Transfer Tuesdays (various events planned for transfers to meet up and get to know each other), it's still a bit difficult because I am not living on campus (about 2 miles off campus) and I didn't know many people coming here. But as the year has progressed I have made a few friends and have signed up for clubs and look forward to be a board member of the Student Alumni Association next school year. I think it's nice that students of UCD dress casually to class. Some come in PJs and others get a little more dressed up (dresses and jewlery and sometimes even high heels!), but overall there's no pressure to impress anyone. I have a few friends in other schools who attend class where it's almost like a fashion show each day and it's almost an intimidation factor. I find that a great majority of UCD students are from the Bay Area (San Francisco, San Mateo, Foster City, San Jose, etc.), which is cool because that means I get to see alot of familiar faces on campus. I also find that alot of students are politically aware, most of whom are Liberal.

Most students wear whatever to class, sweats, casual, dressy. In college, you can wear whatever and get away with it. You can roll out of bed or you can dress up...as long as you go to class! I love going to the MU in between classes, I always run into someone!

Everyone is accepted at Davis. I haven't met a single bigoted, racist, or closed-minded person here.

Most students are middle class, and value education. At Davis you have different classes of people. You have the athletes who are never the best students, but are always ready to have a good time. They party a lot on weekends. At school, the athletes are always wearing sweats and representing their sport. Another group at Davis is the nerds. They are always studying and throwing off the curve in hard classes. A lot of these people don't really get out much, and really spend all of their time focusing on school. Another group is the fun crowd. They are skipping out on classes to go to sporting events and hosting the big parties on the weekends. Sorority sisters and fraternity brothers fall into this group. These people are friends with everyone and they are always getting involved with things on campus.

I don't really like the Student Government on campus, but there are amazing campus groups and organizations to get involved in. There are a lot of clubs that promote cultural as well as programs (the SRRC) that provide assistance to historically underrepresented communities. If you find the right people, and there is a great diversity of people here (when you look for them) there is sure to be the right crowd for you.

Very diverse! I'm from a middle/upper class conservative east coast area that lacks diversity. Everyone for the most part are white and many people go to church regularly. This is definitely not your typical UC Davis student! Students range from very intelligent and engaging and to quite the opposite and some are worried about just getting by in their classes while others want to learn as much as they can. You can probably find a little bit of everything here.

No comment. I did not interact with student body often.

I feel like there's a little bit of everything, different styles, races, organizations, economic statuses. Some students are politically aware others are inactive. I don't know who would feel uncomfortable in Davis besides a misanthrope or a city kid.

I think students are very welcome of diversity, and I always come across information about diversity resources. Everyone would feel in place here. I don't really notice what students wear to class, although I think I've made double takes at T-shirts with witty slogans on them Different types of students are likely to interact if they are in a group project together or join a club. I wouldn't know how to describe the students in the dining hall, but they are probably a group of friends who already know each other, since people rarely go join strangers at another table unless there's nowhere else to sit. Most students are from California, and many are from the northern part of the state. I think most people should be middle class in financial backgrounds, since these are the ones who most often go to college. I think students are politically active since there are always people asking passerby to register to vote or to sign petitions, and there are always signs telling people to vote, both for student government and for nationwide, state, or local politics. I think students are predominantly left since the state is, and most students are from here, although other political groups also have fair representation here. I don't really hear students talking about how much they'll earn one day, although my roommates and I talked about wanting stable careers that we want to like

Davis is wonderfully diverse and non-judgemental.

My experience with the groups at UCD have been pretty minimal. But I am a big supporter of these groups being implemented. I believe that these groups bring support and awareness and are necessary. I don't know of any type of person that make feel out of place in Davis, maybe a very conservative person? Davis is very liberal and as such a person needs to be very open minded. It depends on the season, rainy season you see lots of rain boots and jackets. Spring brings lots of flip flops and t shirts. Finals week is when the comfy UCD sweatshirts come out. Most of the people who go to UCD are from central or northern California. It seems that upper middle class is the most prevalent here at UCD. Most students here are politically aware/active at least the people I hang out with. Definitely, a predominantly left group. Talking about how much we'll earn one day? Of course, we all worry about that. I will be living in a cardboard box.

UC Davis is generally very diverse and welcoming of differing points of view. There are many organizations on campus for whatever beliefs you hold. I'm not sure I can think of a particular type of student that may feel out of place at UCD - perhaps a student who is accustomed to surfing daily? The nearest beach is a few hours away. Most UCD students are from within California. It was pretty uncommon to find out-of-state students, but when I did, they seemed to really enjoy the change of pace. I would guess that the majority of students come from middle and upper-middle class family homes. Students at UCD tend to be overall very politically aware and active. Most of them are typically left of center, although there are groups on campus for conservative students as well. Regardless of your political beliefs, I think you can find a community that fits in with your views at Davis.

There are lots of vocal student groups on campus, including ethnic clubs and fraternities. It's easy to start a new club, so I don't think there are too many people who feel like they can't make their voice heard. I've actually had the opportunity to speak with a few re-entry students who felt a little out of place when they first got to Davis because they were surrounded by 18-22 year olds. But they found it easier to connect to TAs and professors, and they adjusted well. I don't think kids at Davis are the type to judge anyone. The financial background of students never really comes up. How much money your parents make isn't really an issue and there aren't a whole bunch of rich kids trying to throw their money around. Most kids are middle class, and everyone I know uses financial aide to help pay for school--there isn't any emphasis at all on status or class. It's just a comfortable place where you can be yourself. The campus actually isn't very cliquey and groups mix relatively freely. I don't think anyone feels marginalized, and even if you did, like I said, it's easy to make your voice heard.

There are so many special interest groups on campus, and they really help in giving people different and unique perspectives. Most students wear the typical "college uniform" of jeans and a tee-shirt; some wear sweats, and I've even seen guys who wear suits regularly.

UC Davis is predominantly white and Asian, though minority groups are growing and active and vocal on campus. There are numerous ethnic and religious minority clubs and organizations on campus, and the university sponsors events such as Black Family Week to increase awareness and tolerance of minority groups. There is also a LGBTQ center on campus. I don't think anyone would feel out of place at UC Davis. The campus and community are so welcoming and friendly, it's hard to feel like you don't belong. During the warm fall and spring seasons, shorts and sandals are common. In the colder winter months, jeans and sweatshirts/jackets with gloves are the norm, but it's not uncommon to see one or two hardcore guys still rockin' the shorts and sandals. There are no easily definable cliques at UC Davis. The easiest way of distinguishing one from another is by major, but many students have double majors, or minors, that make it difficult to do even this. Students have varied extracurricular activities as well: an engineering student may volunteer with the Aggie Recruitment Team and also be a member of the tennis team. Most UC Davis students are from California, and most of those are from Northern California: Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay area, and San Jose. But UC Davis includes students from all 50 U.S. states and more than 100 countries. 68{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of UC Davis students receive some form of financial aid, and Davis itself ranks right in the middle of all UC campuses in terms of cost of housing. Students are politically aware and active--the Davis College Democrats and Davis College Republicans are both active clubs, and engage in organized debates with each other--but the reputation of being a "hippie" campus is misguided. Money is generally not the focus of UC Davis students.