University of California-Davis Top Questions

What are the most popular student activities/groups?

Pat

There are so many different groups, IM sports, and clubs on campus, it is easy to find a few that are interesting to you

Ngoc

There are many activities at Davis. Many of the students like to go eat together and work-out together. The biggest event at our school has to be Picnic Day. It is a day where many students bring their family and friends to enjoy a wonderful time together. The whole school is filled with activities such as magic shows and provide organizations an opportunity to fund raise by selling foods or plants. I am also involved in many of these organizations. One of many clubs I am involves with is Operation Smile at UCD. My organization’s goal is to educate our communities about clefts and raise money to help children get free surgeries. I also took part in other organizations such as to raise cancer awareness for women. Also, I am in a community service fraternity where we help our school, community, and country.

Eugenia

I think Aggie Pack is the biggest organization on campus. Banduh and greek life are also pretty big. Davis has so many clubs and organizations that I believe anyone could find something suitable for them if they took the effort to checked it out. I currently in the Na Keiki O Hawaii Club, but honestly, I haven't been too involved. I'm still a freshman getting used to college. I spend most of my time with my floor. We're basically one big happy family now. We all keep our doors open and bother each other. We also hang out together in the lounge a lot. I really love dorm life and am blessed to have such an amazing and social floor. This is not always the case though. I know the floor above us is really quiet and don't really interact with each other. Instead, they hang out with other friends they probably from clubs, sororities/fraternities or classes.

Sruthi

Aggie Pack is the largest student organization. There are a lot of clubs that everyone can take part in and fin interesting. I am in photography club where we meet once a week and share our common interest in photography. Sometimes we bring photos we have taken or like and share them. It is a great way to meet people and also find out news things about the subject you are interested in. I found out new things about cameras which I wasn't very familiar with at the beginning and was able to learn so many more things. Living in the dorms is a must! It is such a great experience and it is so fun and lively. You will really become close to the people you live with on the floor and people do leave their doors open for the most part. We have inter mural sports where we play against other floors all around campus. It is a great way to get to know the people on the floor more, We play together and it is really fun and exciting. If we are awake at 2am on a Tuesday, we are talking and trying to help each other finish what ever it is we are trying to finish or study. The 2am talks are the best talks ever. The mot random-est or deepest conversations roll out around 2am and it makes staying up that late so much more worth it. People do party, but as I said, people are conscious of their grades so they make sure to finish their work before the party. Fraternities and Sororities are important to those who want them to be a part of their lives. I actually studies all last weekend because finals are around the corner. Saturday nights without drinking is no problem. Roaming downtown Davis is one of my favorite things to do. Just getting on your bike and biking around the place is very nice and relaxing. Off campus, just an hour away is Six Flags, so that is always fun to do!

Andrew

One great thing about UC Davis is the numerous pastimes of students. Being such a down to earth campus allows students to embrace who they are and pursue what makes them happy. There are countless clubs and inter-mural sports which allow students to meet and hang out with other like-minded individuals who are looking to have a good time.

Jenny

There are so many different activities and groups to join on campus, and each one has something special to offer. Football games often gather the students together and the Aggie Pack is exciting in promoting their school-spirit events. This year, so many big artists have come to UC Davis to perform such as Ke$ha, Snoop Dogg, and Tiesto. Parties don't just involve drinking, there are also numerous activities to do such as the outdoor adventures club, where you go with a group of friends to adventurous outings from white-water rafting to zip lining. There is always something for everyone!

Alexa

So, as you may have heard,(or not) UCD does have a football team, with a stadium, and players. But really, people come to see the Band-uh perform, get free stuff thrown to us (free admission to all sporting events), and still, there will probably be room to move around. However, the Aggies are proud to have these great events called Picnic Day (google it), Pajamarino, Hellacapella, Whole Earth Festival, and much much more. We also are home to Unitrans-one of the best transit systems with double decker buses (yes, the ones from london) which is operated by UCD students.

Samantha

The most popular groups are frats and sororities and also the football team. I am not involved in a group yet. A lot of students in the dorms leave their doors open and go in and out a lot. Athletic events are really popular here at davis and students are encouraged to go to all events. My closest friends are people in my classes and my suitemates that I live with. If I'm awake at 2 am on a Tuesday, I'm usually studying or doing homework. People party every weekend and it's a typical thing that happens. Fraternities and sororities are pretty big here. Last weekend, I went home to southern california for thanksgiving break and spent time with my family. On a saturday night, I could watch movies or go out to dinner with a few of my friends. Off campus, i hang out with friends and go to parties.

Kelly

With over 500 clubs at UC Davis, students have many opportunities to get involved and find their niche. If you want to work with animals, the environment, mathematics, or express your love for Harry Potter there is definitely a club for you! For example, I am part of the Greek community. Aside from the great social opportunities being Greek presents, I have also been introduced to internships and community service opportunities from other Greeks. As a group, as a family, we like to attend athletic events on campus together, such as football and basketball games. Although not too many students actually attend these events, they are fun to go to once in a while. During Welcome Week, the party scene is poppin'! Students are out and about all through the evening, going to the various frats that are open and meeting new people. Most of the close friends I have made are my suite mates and the people who live next door in the residence halls (I also have a lot of friends who are sorority sisters). The dating scene...is alright. People don't exactly go to class and other events in search of a boyfriend or girlfriend. To be honest, the dating scene is a bit lackluster and boring, however it is still possible to find that special someone. Often on the weekends there are events held in the residence halls or on campus (concerts, speakers, etc). There are so many good restaurants in downtown Davis that students spend most of their weekends dining at.

Karena

Many, many students are involved in the Greek system. It is a quick way to meet a lot of people and make a lot of new friends. We not only have social fraternities and sororities, but we have a coed community service fraternity, coed pre-law fraternity, and much more. We also have many UC Davis sport teams as well as Club sports. Club sports require less time, but may get to be quite expensive at times. We also have intramural sports which many people play for fun, and it also makes room for a little bit of competition, without the time commitment.

Leslie

With approximately 1,270 members, the Student Alumni Association is one of the largest student organizations on campus. I am especially passionate about this organization because I am one of the thirteen board directors that are in charge of it. The organization holds several networking event so students have the ability to interact with alumni in the field of focus. I actually met my closest friends through this organization, as I know many others have as well. Athletic events are very popular on campus. Because of the amount of pride that is present on campus, every home football game is packed with students in what we call our Aggie Pack. This group, which are all given matching shirts for free just by being a student, sit together at almost all sporting events and cheer for the Aggies. Traditions are abundant around campus. In fact, the school gives incoming students a Traditions Book where they can find all of the Aggie Traditions. When students complete traditions, they encouraged to post a picture to the school Facebook page.

Leslie

With approximately 1,270 members, the Student Alumni Association is one of the largest student organizations on campus. I am especially passionate about this organization because I am one of the thirteen board directors that are in charge of it. The organization holds several networking event so students have the ability to interact with alumni in the field of focus. I actually met my closest friends through this organization, as I know many others have as well. Athletic events are very popular on campus. Because of the amount of pride that is present on campus, every home football game is packed with students in what we call our Aggie Pack. This group, which are all given matching shirts for free just by being a student, sit together at almost all sporting events and cheer for the Aggies. Traditions are abundant around campus. In fact, the school gives incoming students a Traditions Book where they can find all of the Aggie Traditions. When students complete traditions, they encouraged to post a picture to the school Facebook page.

Richard

The most popular groups on campus are business clubs. Although their is no business major at UCD, this in turn attracts many of the business types to meetings. As the president of Marketing and Business Association, there are a good influx of students that participate in our weekly events, workshops, and financial modeling contest. Most students are very proactive with their time, thus when they are free, they usually spend on academic extra-curricular.

Brenda

1.Picnic Day! It is a big event in which all the organizations on campus and in town make a carnival like presentation. Almost everything is free!. Food, Daschund Races, Chemistry Magic Shows, Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream, Snowsledding, Wannabe 'Bodies' exhibit and a Parade are just a few of the activities. 2. Ski and Snowboard Club plus many other sport clubs for everyone. Wakeboarding, Sailing, Rugby, Lacrosse, Cross Country, Tai Chi, Kickboxing, Gymnastics ect. 3. There are frats and sororities but they are kinda like any other club. They are prevalent but not omnipotent at UCDavis. 4 Theatre is pretty good because the Mondavi hosts great shows

Emma

Students in Davis, honestly, become overly trusting. But in a good way. Davis is a safe, friendly community, and most students don't worry too much about locking doors, and feel safe in any street and in any part of the town.

Robyn

You can refer to my multitudes of comments about party life, but there are plenty of other trhings to do if you aren't into that sort of thing. The Mondavi Center on campus hosts many symphonic, choir, and more modern musical performances each weekend and specially occasional, weekdays. BILL CLINTON came to our Pavillion to talk to us about Hillary. Basically, everyone just wanted to see Bill! haha.. There was also a concert with Switchfoot and Relient K during Spring. There are also lots of concerts held at Freeborn hall. Just this April, Death Cab for Cutie came, and in the Fall JimmyEatWorld performed! <3 You meet your closest friends from the dorms you live in your freshman year. Floor on floor relationships are popular because you see these people most often and get to know them with floor bonding events and hall outings to the bowling alley or whatever you plan for youselves! Those people are also your party buddies. You will flock to Frat row with about 15 people, hoping to get in to the party that your friend just texted you about! haha The partying happens whenever you want it to happen. You learn how to balance school and play, and work around when papers are due and party BIG after midterms or huge research papers. Usually Thursday nights, according to traditions. and the partying could ontinue to monday night! hahaha. Davis is not a school you come to specifically to be greek (unless it's a family thing).. Their are lots of fun/interesting/intellectually stimulating people who are greek. I myseld am not greek but if that's what you are looking for, I wish you luck and hope you find what you want! I have a lot of greek friends and have been to enough fraternity parties to know that they are not all the stereotypical assholes or nerds or sluts we all have heard about. You will find out what you need to and make the important decision on your own :) If you aren't looking to drink on a Saturday night, (which you will often result to if nothing else is going on) you can see a movie, go bowling on campus, take a bike ride to the arboretum (miniforest on/off campus) with a loved one ;) Take a trip to SF to go "clubbin" or shopping. Or Sacramento for the same!

Charlie

The theatre and art department on campus is surprisingly good and I have attended many performances since I have arrived on this campus. As a research campus, sororities and fraternities are less important than would otherwise be if this were any other kind of campus. Scientific research is the emphasis on this campus and it requires much dedicated effort to do well and still have a social life. There are many guest speakers from different specializations and fields; athletic events abound. Partying tends towards Thursday and goes through the weekend near campus or at clubs in the Bay Area or Sacramento.

Dylan

Aggie Ambassadors if you want to get involved with the UC Davis campus and system--lots of good free food! Like I said, there's so many people, you just need to make an effort to find the group that's right for you. If you like adventure, go to the outdoor adventures booth, or many of the christian groups (Cru, DCF, and College Life I know are all down for outdoor adventures). Late night fun usually consists of something like slidehill park (a giant concrete slide you go down on in cardboard boxes) or making a pudding slip-n-slide, or going out to lake Berryessa for a bonfire and night hike. If you are a partier, Sacramento has some clubs for you.

KJ

I liked the activities put on by the university, and those that I could participate in, I did with alacrity. The private social scene didn't do much for me, but I'm a bit of a home-body.

Blake

Get involved! There's so many activities to choose from...and if there's something not there, you can always start your own club. Fraternities/sororities aren't too important, but it is definitely a way to get connected to the social scene if you need some help in that department.

Mel

too many parties at frats and sororities, people doing inappropriate things all the time, some people take it way too seriously, they are just clubs to segregate certain races

Ryan

not really apart of any group/organization.

Kyle

There are a ton of organized activities, but the most fun I had my first year was in my dorms. It is an unforgettable experience. You might not see it that way at first but if you are open to new and different people and experiences then you will certainly enjoy yourself.

nicole

Get involved in greek life. It's such a great way to meet a lot of people and find a lot of resources in the community.

Jay

you can do a lot of things for social life. depends what u are into. i recently got into the greek system and its been a great opportunity to meet a lot of people and make a lot of friends. there is always something going on and something to do. never bored.

Steph

IM Sports are very popular! I play on a team every quarter. Some dorms are more social than others. It's important to set the tone, so knock on doors early, prop your door open, make it known that you want to hangout. If you're awake on a Tuesday really early, you should probably be in a study lounge or making a run to Safeway to get caffeine!

michelle

there is a lot of of activities downtown is pretty cool there is theaters, restaurants, and bars. its a very safe city there is people out at all ties especially there being 24 hours study centers on campus.

John

Social life on and off campus at Davis is what you make it. If you are the type of person who likes to be left alone on your computer all day, you will fit in. If you are involved in clubs or music, athletics, theatre, or anything else, that is an easy way to make some good friends. If you rush a fraternity of sorority, that is a definite way to make lifelong friends. Many events are always happening on and off campus at the quad or at an athletic field or a theater space or a fraternity house. Usually at least one-three fraternities will have parties open to students sometime from Thursday-Sunday. They make up a pretty big part of the social scene at Davis- most students drink alcohol regardless of their age. I would say that probably 20-30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students have tried marijuana. Other drugs are much less common.

Jess

to sum it up: amazing. my first year in the dorms was probably the best experience i've ever had. imagine having to live and coexist with 40 strangers on your floor. scary but positively thrilling. when you're forced to see and live with each other for 9 months, you really start to love these people. or hate them. there was nothing but love on my floor. we hung out all the time, whether it was dinner at the DC, frat parties on the weekend, or just staying in watching movies. my fondest memories are of the times we spent hanging out in our common area at four in the morning. i believe that this experience alone teaches everyone social and communication skills essential in the workplace in the future. i have played club volleyball here for 3 years now, and it has been one of my top priorities. we run our own club, play competitively, and always have an incredible time. not only are these people my teammates, they are some of my closest friends.

jessica

I have been on the Steel Bridge team for two years now. It is a group of students who get a problem from the American Society of Steel Construction (AISC) and they must fabricate and design a bridge completely out of steel to solve it. The bridges are about 20 feet long, 3 feet wide and weigh about 150 pounds. So this is a large task. The bridge must also hold 2600 pounds of load. The teams get judged on how the bridge looks, how fast is can be assembled, weight, deflection, and overall efficiency. It was one of the best experiences of my life. You get to work with people your own age to solve a hands on project. Also there is a competition held with other schools and then you get to look at how other schools solved the same problem a completely different way.

Jesse

Do intramural sports!!!!! Exercise, join some clubs. Everyone at Davis gets involved and is busy. There's always stuff going on and sometimes you just have to open your mind and try new things. Bar life is fun after 21 and before that there are plenty of parties, however, I was able to party before then too. It's not the only thing going on either, which I appreciate about Davis. Picnic Day and Whole Earth Festival happen every year and are FANTASTIC. Sporting events also are free to students and a lot of fun. People are diverse and pleasant in the gorgeous atmosphere of Davis. We also get big music groups and speakers passing through Freeborn Hall and Mondavi.

Alex

Just parties. Dating scenes mostly outdoors with nature at least for me. Party a lot in freshmen, senior party like never because all your friends are graduated.

Melanie

Davis is all about the getting out and doing something. IM Sports and regular sporting events are always fun and popular. There is a great perfoming arts theatre and plenty of things to do off campus.

Ryan

If you're not into drinking, you can go bowling on campus, go downtown to one of the many restaurants, head out to Sacramento or San Franciso...Davis is a very outdoor-oriented. Many people are into biking. There is a climbing gym in town. Dorm life is really fun! The people on your floor and in your building become like your second family. Doors are generally left open and people usually feel free to just come in to your room and hang out with you any time it is open.

Charlie

Many students join a fraternity or sorority that has the same interests they do. We have some that represent the pre med student, the Jewish students, the Latino/Latina, blacks, and even one for the more mature students. The university paper has events that are happening during the week as well as there are other places to find out the local events. One of our biggest events is Picnic Day. This happens each April, usually the 2nd or 3rd Saturday. There are many booths for food, an art show where you can purchase student art, milking contests, horse shows, and many science exhibits. There is a parade in the morning with floats from all the frats/sororities as well. The bank plays throughout the morning all over campus. We have many sports teams and this past school year was our first as a Division 1 school. We have many guest speakers on many different topics. We have had some give their view point on the Muslim situation in many other countries, genocide, and many other hot topics.

Abby

It's easy to meet people but sometimes there isn't anything going on here. The city closes at 10 on weeknights and on weekends they have the bars open. So if you're under 21 you don't have many options. Either frat parties, movies, or stay home and study.

Laura

On my floor freshman year, people were very social; we did IM sports as a floor, went out on the weekends together, took classes and did homework together, and ate meals together. That was a really fun experience for me, and I still talk to people from my floor now. That isn't everyone's experience, but it was mine. Now, I've gotten to know many more people on campus and really enjoy all those friendships as well. In terms of what you can do for fun, there are a lot of options. There's definitely a Greek scene, which I'm not involved in, but a lot of people enjoy it and I have a lot of friends who are involved. There are a lot of house/ apartment parties, people go downtown to the bars, and there are frat parties. There are also a couple movie theaters downtown, karaoke nights, open-mic nights, the MU games center has pool, bowling, video games, etc. Freshman year on a Friday night there were always people on my floor heading out to frat parties, but there were also people watching moves, going downtown, baking, studying, and probably other stuff as well. Now that I am more involved on campus I hear a lot more about upcoming events, but when I was a freshman I think I missed out on things because I just never heard about them. I think that one of my biggest critiques of this campus is how poorly advertised some things are. We've had really amazing speakers (Angela Davis, Saul Williams, Bill Clinton), lots of great bands (Death Cab, Tegan and Sarah), and hosted other events (Focus the Nation, STAND regional conference) but a lot of students don't hear about them until after the fact, if at all.

Jody

There is always a party, we have clubs and bars, there are tons of coffee shops and spots for chilling, relaxing, kicking poetry, or whatever. We're close to the Bay and Sacramento, and our students are plain wild. You will not be bored.

katie

This is the area that I am still struggling with, but it's getting better. I just need to open up more and branch out to different things on campus. I know that alot of people are in fraternities and or sororities, but I wasn't interested in joining into that scene. Although alot of my friends are in sororities and it's an excellent way to make friends for life and really get immersed into the school activities and raise money through fund raisers and communitiy service events, joinging a sorority just isn't something that I really wanted to join. Well I was sick last weekend, but this Saturday is Picnic Day and 5 friends are coming in from all over CA to spend the weekend with me and participate in this annual event at Davis. I entered my puppy in the Doxie Derby and after that I will walk around campus and enjoy all the events and bands playing. What can you do on a Saturday night that doesn't invovle drinking? Well you can go to the movies downtown, go out to dinner down town, go to the ARC and get a great workout, or rent a movie and watch it with a bunch of friends.

Molly

The greek system is very good for students to be involved in. It is a good way to meet people at such a large school. The dorms were very interactive as well. Everyone wants to meet people and have friends. I love the weekends because it is a time to cool down and relax from the school week!

Andy

I'm a runner, so I have to go to practice every day, which makes that pretty much my only activity. There is a lot of stuff to do on campus though, so if you want to get involved you can. My closest friends are on the team, I think it helps if you can find a club/team to get involved with, that will help. There are a fair number of free speakers that come through, some of which are cool. The Mondavi Center is really good too, make sure to go for a play or something while you're here. Party-wise, people mostly just head out on Friday and Saturday nights with their friends to some frat parties.

Julie

Going downtown is very popular on weekends. There are so many unique choices for food. People also party a lot. Usually freshmen go to frats, but the most common thing for upperclassmen to do is house parties.

Holly

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Stephanie

If you're into social activites, the fraternities and sororities seem pretty fun, but you have to pay dues and they are purely social. If you like community work combined with a social aspect than I would suggest a few of the different cultural groups. The Student Recruitment and Retention Center has a lot of really dope people.

Amber

Fraternities and sororities are very important at Davis. They're also a little different here, not quite as "hard core" as at some schools. It really depends on when you come to Davis. If you come as a transfer as I did, it is much more difficult to meet people. Everyone in the transfer dorms studies all of the time, including the weekends! Part of that though is the fact that you have to be super quiet there all the time. There's definitely stuff to do though. If your a transfer I would recommend getting involved in some organization. I ride on the hunter/jumper equestrian team and have a lot of fun doing it. I've also met a lot of people that way. As far as the equestrian team goes it attracts a very broad range of people from those who have been showing on the A circuit prior to going to school to kids who have never ridden in their lives! The UC Davis Equestrian Center itself doesn't support the team much at all and it's quite shabby other than the new indoor. There are plans to improve it and to go NCAA, but both will take time. Our coaches are great and our ponies try very hard though!

Harper

I met my closest friend through a friend, who I met at church. IF I was awake at 0200 on a Tuesday I would be talking to friends. I attended a lot of parties, at the same time I spend hours with the local fire department. I spend a lot of time off campus by meeting up with friends by talking and hanging out.

Casey

Frats seem to be popular, but there's a good deal of students that are very anti-frat (as am I). People that are in frats/sor think that it's the most important thing in the world, and they're happy with their lifestyle. Others on campus could care less and their lifestyle works too. I think they can keep separated if they want to. I've been involved in community service groups, and there are several types to choose from. The dorm rooms are normally left open I think because we are all aware that we want to make new friendships. I met my closest friends in the dorms. We would stay up all night watching movies, singing, dancing, playing video games, talking about theories on life, etc. People party all the time, but it's easy to get away from it if you don't want to go. Saturday nights without drinking can involve dancing, board games, playing sports at the ARC (awesome facility), bowling, arcades, etc.

Winter

I think the most popular groups, organizations,clubs, and teams on campus are those that have sandwich boards outside, and Greek clubs seem to be abundant. I am involved with Student Housing Television, which runs free movies, important announcements and bulletins, and review sessions (every quarter) through the Student Housing Television channel. I think students in the conventional dorms might leave their doors open, but those in the suites do not usually do so. Athletic events are quite popular since they are always being mentioned, although I have not attended one. Guest speakers are somewhat popular depending on how well known they are. Theater is somewhat popular on an independent level. I haven't had experience with the dating scene, but I would not attend a singles mixer. I met my closest friends in high school and we continued our friendship here, but I haven't met any new close friends here. If I'm awake in the middle of the night, I'm mostly likely studying or doing homework. There are a few interesting traditions like Picnic Day, the Buzz, and the Whole Earth Festival which involve booths from local or school related interests and businesses, and I thinks some are nonprofit ventures. I think people probably party a lot, but my roommates and I never do because we are always too bust studying for upcoming tests. I think fraternities and sororities are important to the people in them because I am always getting flyers from people who want new members to rush. Last weekend, I wrote many papers for finals, although I usually like to go back home for weekends. On Saturday night, I watch SNL! and I don't drink. I go home when I'm off campus since I don't really hang out in the local area.

Chelsea

Unless you put yourself out there and get involved, Davis can be a fairly quiet town and a bit boring. It helps to make your own fun by joining clubs or sororities and fraternities and meeting people.

Whitney

I'm part of gospel choir and studio 301. I know in my dorm everyone left their down open. We were really that close. Athletic events, I have no idea about their popularity. As for guest speakers, it depends on the speaker, Bill Clinton got quite a turn out. Theater? I would like to hope it does pretty darn well. The dating scene in Davis? Ooooh I here complaints about this one all the time. I personally, have a boyfriend a couple of hours away. But most people here say that the dating pool is horrible here. My closest friends I met at work, Unitrans! Greek life isn't as prevalent here as I've noticed it is at other schools. But it does exist. Last weekend I went to the city to a club. Go bowling at the MUGA. Off campus? I go home! I'm usually on campus most of my day.