University of California-Davis Top Questions

I wish I had known that online classes are definitely not the best options for me. I also wish I had known what running on a quarter system felt like before going into this school. I knew about the system and how classes are only ten weeks long, but I didn't realize how fast that pace was until actually experiencing it. My high school ran by a semester system, like other universities. Time management is definitely a key skill for success in college, but even more necessary to succeed in a quarter system run, research university.

Before I came to this school, I wish I would have know that Northern California is really different from Southern California. I also wish I would've developed better study skills, because high school was definitely easier than college.

I wish I would have known how truely hard it would be. I think if I knew how hard the classes and being away from home was I would have been more prepared for it

I wish I had known how many bikes there were in one lane before I came to this school.

the limitted space in required classes.

I wish I had truly known how much independent work would be required of me in order to get As. I legitimately failed my first midterm of the year, but it did whip me into shape. I also wish I had known about all the restaurants downtown during my freshman year when I lived in the dorms (and pretty much exclusively ate on campus). There's some really good food here.

Howto do deal with the smell of cow. I wish I had been a little more prepared...

How long it would take to figure out what I wanted to do with my degree.

how hot it gets.

I wish I had known more about the importance of going to office hours for professors and TAs. Even if you think you understand the material, it is ALWAYS beneficial to get to know your professor, and for them to get to know you as well. There are so many opportunities that can arise from being familiar with your professor - recommendation letters, internships, research. These are all things that will benefit you in the long run. Also, try EVERYTHING. You don't really know what you like and what you don't until you have things to compare.

how fast the quarter system goes

You are not alone when you need help on academics and scheduling your classes. There are centers on campus where you can ask for advice, get tutor, assists on scheduling your classes to match your major or GE credits. It's important that you enjoy your college life with comfort and experience.

I wish that I would have taken more Chemistry classes in high school. Chemistry is such an important subject for my major at at my univeristy in general, and it would have been very valuable for me to have already had a very good foundation and understanding of the fundamentals before coming to this university. I would have also liked to have been a little more well versed in mathematics, as it is also essential to my major. While I have a better foundation in this than in Chemistry, a more detailed understanding would have been beneficial.

I wish I would've know just how amazing everyone at Davis is! Then, Davis would've been my number one choice from the very beginning of the college search!

College is the place to get ahead but remember everything is not always study, study, study. Life shouldn't be that way. I spent way too many Friday and Saturday nights alone, wondering why I wan't out doing something else. If I could do it again, would I? Who am I to say? If we all had a flux capacitor then surely we would all have perfect histories. Unfortunately that is not the case and here I am now, a graduate who accomplished it in three years but looking at my graduate opportunites as a new start.

How time consuming the workload can be.

How cold it gets when you bike with out gloves on. Davis is a great, fun school, I love it, but there isn't much to do for fun in the town of Davis.

I wish I had a stonger idea of what I wanted to do and a better plan of what classes i would take.

I wish I knew that if I picked a person I wanted to dorm with, I would have first priority where I was placed to live.

I wish I knew how much of an impact high school units/credit would be. It makes a great difference with the amount of workload it prepares you for college and helps you register for courses with an easier schedule. Registration is imperative to obtaining a good schedule which will affect what times you can study, coming and going from campus, and what kind of social life you will have time for. Students should have good organizational skills which is directly related to time management in order to succeed.

Honestly, I wish I knew more about what classes UC Davis offered. Even though they have such a wide variety, I felt like I couldn't find as many classes that I liked as I thought I would. Its hard to pick lower division classes that appeal to me since UC Davis has a large science area and I'm not a science major.

Advice I would give to incoming students would be to take AP courses and the tests, it really helps save time and money later on. If passed, one can pretty much skip all the GE courses such as basic History, English and Science courses. Definitely worth the effort before college to take them.

I wished I had known about academic programs like STEP, EOP, and the Davis Honor Challenge program. These programs give students the opportunity to receive help in classes by providing them with co classes which go over material that was not understood in lecture. Students in these programs receive more help in academics than the rest of the students. These programs are very beneficial to freshman students.

How amazing everything is. Although I had toured this campus, I never realized how dynamic they make it for students. This school is about what they can do for you,. You are more than a check. The resources they offer you are amazing. Davis is a university, but in a safe and homey enviorment.

Before coming to this school, I wish I had known about the various resources that were provided to me as a student. Such as the Student Health Center, the ARC which is almost like a gym, and especially the resources provided in the library. It shocks me to see how much students pay for these resources, yet know little to none about it.

I wish I known how the colleges worked. As a first generation in a University of California, I did not know how college life would be like. I wish I known how the classes were run and how to manage my time better. One thing that I found hard was trying to find time to study for all the classes I am taking.

The one thing I wish I knew was how rigorous and fast-pace speed the quarter systems are, opposed to semester system schools. The quarter system gives students the opportunity to register for various classes in the same given time as a semester system however that forces the quarter system classes to be condensed in the shorter given time. The fast pace speed is something that I will adjust myself to willingly. Everything comes with a sacrifice though, and I view this fast pace system as a challange; for me to rise to the occasion and earn my education.

I wish I had known that you have to put in such an effort to get an "A" in your classes. You have to give everything that you can to pull the grades that you want. In college, your performance reflects your effort much more drastically than in high school. I wish that I had known that freshman year of college is "College, year 1" and not "Grade 13."

I wish I knew what I wanted to major in so that I could have chosen a college that was good for what I wanted to do. It is better to choose a college based on what you want to major in so that you won't have to waste time and transfer out if the college you randomly chose does not have the major you want.

That fixed-gear and road bikes are the best when going about the campus.

It is a wonderful place . There was an unneccessarily long period of trying to decide between schools and, in the end, I picked the right one. The campus is gorgeous, the people are generous, and it is the place to be. So I wish I had known "not to worry" and just go with my heart's instincts.

I wish that I had known what it was I truly wanted to become and what I wanted to study. I also wish that I had known that college is about taking opportunities and discovering new things about yourself and that while it is important to have a solid plan for education, it is also important to let reality surprise you.

What I wish that I had known before I came to this school is that no time off from school is justifiable. I have had to support myself and pay for school, as well. I took 10 years off from school more than once. I think that if I had taken at least one night class a semester, I would be finished with school by now.

The first few weeks of college are incredibly crucial. Not only do you need to stay absolutely on top of your academics since Davis is on the quarter system, but this is the very best time to make new friends. Everybody is in your boat - they all need friends. So be friendly, and make the effort to meet as many people as you can, whether it is in your class, in the DC, on your floor, or in a club. For classes, spend some time at least once a week reviewing your notes - don't cram right before finals.

How easy it is to get out and try new things

Nothing really. I like finding things out on my own.

I would like to know the environment of my college before I came to this school. I was once really shy, so I did not get a chance to make a lot of new friends when I lived in the dorm.Now I am less shy and have an idea how social life in college works, and I also find out if we find the right resources to help, college could be very beneficial for our fiture career.

Exactly how to plan my classes so that each quarter I would have just enough schoolwork and extracurriculars to occupy me, but not so much that it would overwhelm me. That way, I would have had more time for myself in order to explore my surroundings, create a more solid circle of friends, and affiliate myself in a particular niche earlier on. It has taken more time than I had planned, but I now have all those things. I just wish I had done it earlier.

The variety of majors

I wish I had realized how much a higher education costs, and how much it would increase during my years here.

I wish I had known how to do laundry. Dorm life is completely a trial and error experience.

I wish I would have known more about how a college life really is before I came here.

I should have been open-minded about the school, it really surprised me!!

I wish somebody had showed me how to use all the online University web sites. I had trouble understanding my online tuition bills, how to register for classes and how to access online data bases. In my opinion these are some pretty important tools that the University of California Davis should take care to show every student.

I wish someone had told me to definitely take a tour of the campus before I enrolled at UC Davis. UC Davis is the largest campus in California and finding classes and buildings there was a huge challenge for me during my first year of study here.

I wish that I would have had a better feel for the fast paced quarter system and been more familiar with campus resources.

I wish I would have known about the availability of Financial Aid and Delta Scholarships. I was unaware of such resources that could have aided me if I had known about them ahead of time.

I came in as an undeclared/undecided major. I wish I knew what I wanted to do, so I didn't waste time taking classes that I eventually didn't need, and so I could pick a school with a better selection of majors. I also wish I knew earlier that there is no big-name department store in the immediate surrounding area, so I could adjust better.

how big the classes were going to be freshman year

Take advantage of all of the events and activities offered on campus. Your student fees go towards funding this stuff and it's really worth it to get involved in the community. Also, whenever there is a fair or some event going on on the Quad, there is always free stuff and cool people so check it out even if you only have a couple minutes.