University of California-Davis Top Questions

Is the stereotype of students at your school accurate?

Andrew

Well there is a large number of environmentalists here at UC Davis, otherwise known as "hippies". I wouldn't say the majority of the student population are "hippies" but there are a good amount of these students who are very passionate about peace and global conservation. You can also say that UC Davis, like many of the UC schools in California, has somewhat of an "Asian Invasion" population. Some may think these Asians are not Americanized, but the majority of the Asian students here grew up in the States and are really tied with the American culture. There are a few stoners and jocks, but you can't really pick them out when you see the students on campus. We're all pretty much one big happy group of Aggies. UC Davis has a lot of Frats and Sororities and I guess you can say UC Davis "frat kids" know how to party, but they are also studious bunch of people. I myself am not a frat member, but I have a good number of friends that are and they enjoy it. Basically, UC Davis is a diverse university. We have all the stereotypes you can think of. But hey, every college has some stereotype right?

Emma

Yes, as a general rule, Davis students are kind, relaxed, and charming kids.

Tristan

Um... not exactly. There are a lot of people who I guess could be considered hippies (care about the environment, recycle, communal living, and all that). Davis does have a lot of cows... as well as other animals, I mean, it's a Vet Med school too, but there are a lot of other great things... tons of live music happening all the time, Farmers Market on Wednesday and Saturday, bars, and everyone can bike or use the buses (which are actually a really great way to get around).

Robyn

1. There ARE a lot of asians, and I don't know why this is. Well, there are a lot of asians IN GENERAL. It also depends on the major. The sciences and different engineering majors have coincidentally higher numbers. There is no reason why someone should NOT choose Davis because of the high amount of asian students. Before even hearing about Davis, I had been unusually actually attracted to asian boys :) (Depends.) But that is no reason to choose a college, either. And it just so happens that my bf now is NOT asian. Well half Philipino. Anyway. 2. Classes are as stressful as you make them! Honestly, plan ahead and do your work. That's it. Just because it is "UC Davis" does not mean that there is EXTRA pressure to do well. This isn't Berkeley! (Just Kidding!) Honestly, there should already be pressure from yourself, otherwise you wouldn't have the motivation to even apply and attend Davis in the first place. But basically, don't freak out and become addicted to coffee and red bull. You will find what you like, whether you stick with your Aeronautical Engineering major or switch to Linguistics! Haha.. 3. Part uno: I could have done better my freshman year, and YOU HAVE THAT CHANCE! I am absolutely not uptight. I am the one to calm my friends down when they freak out. If you're not getting the grades you want, change your habits. If you aren't getting the grades your parents want, that's another issue......... Part dos: I LOVE to party. Not only are you meeting new people, learning about interactions between them and trying new things, you're experiencing other people's values through intensive situational dealings. If there's a line for the bathroom, I usually make three to four new friends. What about line to the keg!? A little flirting never hurt! You get what you want faster, (hopefully you're not a skeez about it!) and in the mean time, people admire your conversational skills! FUN STUFFFFFFF. Maybe I'll see you at a party ot two next quarter? :) 4. I do not know ANY Agg majors. Well, except for the boys in the Agg frat. And I hate the smell of cow poop. Don't get me wrong, I'll pet the animals, but that's all they'll get from me. I'm about to contradict myself. It's funny; one day I took a three minute long video of the cows coming up to me at the fence and MOOING extremely loud. They are adorable. OK ok, you get used to them. But you can absolutely avoid them if you must :) You will have to find out for yourself. All I can say is that the people in Davis are friendly and fun, and you can find what you're looking for if you really want it!

Charlie

Given that I do not like rumors and that I have not seen demographics on the population I would say that I do not know.

Dylan

1. Yes, from my experience, at least for the main ones 2. No, though I have met far more farmers than I ever have, and have made some awesome farmer friends 3. This is kindof true, but seeing as how the school has 30,000 ppl, it's not hard to find a good looking guy 4. Only if you live in tercero or have lacrosse practice on dairy field

KJ

Not really, we have a lot of "hippie" festivals, but they are fun and help you to respect the earth more. You don't have to participate in anything.

Blake

There's always going to be the people that lock themselves in their rooms to try to get that 4.0 GPA, but then there's always going to be those party animals...The challenge is just trying to balance the two. About the chinese people, there's actually not as many as there seems. UCD just has a very large, diverse Asian population, but not all of them are Chinese.

Mel

yes

Ryan

UCD does have a large group of the Asian Community, but it is also diversed. The course here are typical for a university and ofcourse studying is a big help. The stereotype about professors is false because I had good professors who made time for appointments and questions about assignments. The professors at UCD were a big help in making me continue my major.

Ryan

Yes, there are many people who are competitive and the quarter system is intense, but there are many friendly people as well. Quarter system is difficult and takes time to adjust but if you put in the time and effort it can pay off.

Kyle

The campus itself and downtown Davis are not even close to looking like farmland scattered with farm animals. The UC Davis campus is easily one of the most beautiful, developed, and modernizing campuses I have ever seen. The town itself, especially downtown, is clearly geared to accommodate the tastes and interests of college students. More of an urbanized place than a flat grass land.

nicole

Somehwat. But the biggest inaccuracy is that it isnt a party school. People go out all the time here and there is always a huge social scene.

Jay

there is only one place in davis that i have seen cows (near tercero) and thats it. otherwise davis is as fun as you make it. there's a lot of things to do if you want to get involved.

Steph

To some extent, these stereotypes are true. But, like any college, there are parties to be found at all times, you just have to know the right people.

Connie

Not at all. UC Davis is a beautiful campus and it really doesn't feel like cow town here unless you are driving out of Davis and see some farmland briefly before making your way into Sacramento or some other city...but the campus is vibrant and filled with friendly students and trees and greenery. There is a lot to do including clubs, concerts, and other events. Students are very social and friendly. The atmosphere here is that of a cute college town and almost everyone that comes here falls in love with the cute downtown area, and the feel of Davis.

michelle

there is a lot of science but thats not all that is offered

John

In regards to all Davis students being "tree-hugging hippies," this could not be more untrue. While there are a few self-proclaimed hippies at Davis, there are many diverse students that go to school here. As for there being nothing to do in Davis, this is only true if you are a boring person. There are plenty of things to do in Davis like going to the farmers market, going to a party, seeing a movie, going to the ARC (Activities and Recreation Center), shopping downtown, etc. but the atmosphere is extremely laid back. People who are used to the hustle and bustle of a dense city might confuse the small town vibe for boredom. And no, I've never been cow tipping.

Sarah

no

Quinn

No! UCD fosters students from all over CA and beyond! Plus Davis is the ultimate college town. The city itself isn't huge but Sacramento is close enough if you feel like getting back to your city roots for the night. Davis is laid back and chill yet the students are intelligent and passionate about their interests. The perfect combination!!! I could expect nothing more from a top ranked university.

Lorie

To some degree yes. to get into Davis the majority have to be smarter than most. As to the population of asians i think there are a lot but they mostly stick together so it makes the population of asians look more concentrated at davis.

Jackie

not really sure, since i haven't been a student there yet

Michelle

I have NEVER even seen a cow in Davis! Sure they are here, and we do have a great agriculture department, but the cows are for research, they don't wander around anywhere. The people, on a whole may be more nerdy and less attractive, but that doesn't mean we don't have hotties and, trust me, we know how to have a good time. Ever hear of Picnic Day?

Jess

we do have cows, yes. but they are not as prevalent as people think.

jessica

There are lots of things to do in Davis. There are not many stores and malls nearby but there are still things that are fun for college age people to do with their friends. You can make better friends here because you have to be creative with group activities. Parts of town smell like cow, but over-all definitely not a cow town. A lot of people here chose Davis over Berkeley because of the cute town and it is less stressful.

Jesse

yes

Alex

Davis only smells like cows and manure only on the west side of campus. Everything else is true.

Melanie

No, Davis is a very vibrant and diverse campus with people in many majors that have nothing to do with agriculture.

Ryan

Not entirely. Yes, it is very flat here, but if you are into road biking or running, just drive a little ways out and you can find some good hills. The downtown is full of lots of restaurants offering a wide variety of ethnic cuisine. There's the typical Starbucks but there are also many cute, local coffee shops. The school itself offers so many ways to get involved from intramural (IM) sports to volunteer opportunities; there are tons of interest clubs. The Experimental College offers African Dance, guitar and cooking classes for cheap prices. And if Davis ever gets really boring, Sacramento is nearby (to which you can ride a Yolo bus for free) as is San Francisco.

Charlie

No. There are so many clubs and frats/sororities on campus that encourage the students to get involved in all types of activities.

Abby

On some nights there really isn't anything to do here. Other nights are amazing. You just have to know where to go. There's more city than fields and nothingness.

Laura

To some degree they are - this IS an ag school, but most of the people I know aren't involved in an ag-related major, and there's not a huge ag presence if you don't want to be involved in it. The farmer's market is a big event, and there are plenty of students on campus involved in activities that involve environmental awareness, etc, but there's also a big Greek scene, lots of other activities on campus, sports, social stuff downtown, etc, so that is in no way the only thing that people here are involved in.

Liz

Only a little

Jody

Not so much...

Alex

Some of the stereotypes are accurate to a degree just like most stereotypes. Each label has a tid bit of truth to it.

katie

I don't agree with that statement because Davis is 20 minutes from Sacramento and an hour away from San Francisco.

Molly

No, I have never been cow tipping and I do not want to be a veterinarian.

jennifer

the people are definately laid back and friendly and fun, and davis can be boring, but not really. I have a lot of fun with my friends, just like i would anywhere i was. Plus, there isnt a lot to do in Davis, but there is a lot of stuff to do in Sacramento, and other really near by cities. I like that there isnt a ton of attractions in the town of davis, becuase not that many people come here, so its like our own place, never too crowded.

Andy

Nope

Julie

No, the city of Davis is adorable, and the people are really nice and down to earth. Sometimes in the summer, you can smell the cows, but most of the year, it smells completely normal.

Samantha

our roots were based on an ag-type college HOWEVER many MAJORS are offered. theres a bajillion students on campus, how does one not find "anything to do"? cows are on the outskirts of campus. you generally dont see one unless you are in the tercero dorms or you are an animal science majors. of course, the stuffed ones are in the bookstore. everyone sees those.

Holly

generally yes

Harper

Yes, for the UC Davis part. However, UC Davis students I am not sure.

Casey

It is a bit of a cow town. There is farm life, but that doesn't mean that there isn't any other kind of life. It's definitely got a slow pace and there aren't any mindblowing clubs or bars. Instead it's really personal and all the people are really friendly. Maybe there's less nightlife than in the city, but I think that there's enough to do if you just get creative or drive out to the city, which really isn't that far.

Alex

There can be quite a lot of tree huggers but they mostly flourish on specific days like Picnic Day and Whole Earth Festival. If someone was to be an agriculture nut, this is the place to do it. That's one of the reason I went into civil engineering here: because since my major has more environmental interaction then I should go somewhere that prides itself on that.

Winter

no, because commmonly observed characteristics cannot be made into a representative generalization about the population

Chelsea

Not at all.

Whitney

Obviously not, we have a variety of people here. Most of the people here are here for veterinary purposes. Our mascot name may have to do with farming but it doesn't really have much to do with it.

Molly

I don't think the cow-town stereotype is very accurate. Perhaps when the school was first created, that may have been the case since it was originally established as "University Farm," and emphasized agriculture. UCD students are like most other students at campus communities I have visited - diverse, engaging, fun. The college town atmosphere is definitely accurate, and is a selling point for many. As for the stereotype that there isn't much to do, I think that when you get 25,000 people together, all between the ages of 18 and 23, you are likely to find lots of fun activities in which to parttake. The student body is not a homogenous group, and there is probably a place for everyone to find their niche. The UC Davis campus is large and flat - perfect for bikes. I've never been to Shanhai, but after four years at UC Davis, I wouldn't doubt that the city ranks among the most bike-friendly towns in the world.

Reese

It is true that Davis is well-known for our agricultural department and that Veterinary Medicine is a very popular and well-respected course of study here. But Davis offers over 100 different majors ranging from textiles and fashion design to political science and communications. Davis is certainly not a cow-town. I've found Davis to be full of art, music, fashion, and writing. There are 3 art galleries in Downtown Davis displaying work from local artists. Published poets from Northern California give a poetry reading and open-mic every Wednesday night. Bands from all over California play the local cafes and bars. Every spring, the Associated Student Body (ASUCD) puts on free shows on the quad. Big name acts from AFI to BB King have performed at UC Davis in the past year. San Francisco is only an hour's drive away and Sacramento in only about 15 minutes away. I think of Davis as an artsy and hip place that is politically active and socially conscious. There is a strong emphasis on recycling, composting, and living "green." So I think the "hippie" stereotype may be slightly more accurate than the others. I have become much more aware of environmental issues since coming here, but I have never felt too pressured to change my lifestyle, and I've never met anyone who was over-zealous about it.