University of California-Davis Top Questions

Academics are difficult, but finding the right balance between a social life and academics makes focusing on school a lot easier. Knowing when to party and when to study is the biggest challenge academically.

You're at a UC school, case and point, academics are super competitive. They aren't nearly as hard here then at some other schools but it's still competing on a whole new level and getting a B or C for the first time is definitely not unheard of. My favorite classes are computer science classes, but it's really whatever your into, your major definitely has to be your passion hands down. Students study for a little bit everyday until it comes to midterm and finals crunch time, at that point you're shutting yourself in room and gluing yourself to the computer screen. You don't really get a chance to meet professors too much in your lower division classes your first two years except in internships and job opportunities, but a lot of upper division classes really help make those connections. This school is excellent for both Engineers and anyone that wants to go into Agriculture and the school is definitely pointed towards helping those students get the best jump on their careers but it's hard work.

UC Davis faculty staff members take education seriously. Students take education seriously. Does that sum it up? All jokes aside, the university offers a wide range of classes from beer brewing, human sexuality, to Native American studies, animal science, etc. Some classes are big classes ranging from 200-400 students in a lecture hall. Some classes contain smaller numbers with about 25 students. Depending on the classes you take, you will be able to interact with your professors personally as a friend and as a tutor. Some professors encourage themselves to get to know each and every one of us by the end of each quarter. I've only seen a few handful of the professors remember students. If you engage with the professor a lot in and out of classes, he or she will definitely take their time to get to know you better and help you throughout your years at UC Davis. That is why participating in class is very important. The professors want you to do well in their classes, so they encourage you to come to their office hours or talk to their TAs (Teaching Assistants). Don't throw away your opportunity, find time to get to know your professors! The most unique class I have taken is HDE12, Human Sexuality. Most of the college students tend to believe that they know everything that there is to sex life. That is not true. This class isn't about having sex the right way, it is about knowing the risks and safe methods of sex and how our organs function. You also get to know different cultural views on sex, the diseases, how sex is used in society (i.e. human trafficking) and many other interesting topics. It's definitely a class worth of taking. Remember! This class isn't about just sex. It's about the human body in relation to sex. The academics here are often challenging. Because UC Davis runs on a trimester system, each quarter (3) consists of 10 weeks of lecture. That's not a lot of time. If you do not keep up with your work, midterms will hit you like a bug getting smacked into a windshield of a car. Midterms and final exams come by fast and so you have to keep your stuff together in order to do well. But professors also know that you want to have fun and experience the college life, so they don't push you with stacks of homework. They'll give you a good amount of homework everyday with a lot of time for you to enjoy the freedom. It's just the choices you make that will determine your progress in school. UC Davis is a university that points all students to a successful life after graduating. Many of the students at UC Davis have prominent careers such as working with Apple or Google. I am planning to graduate with a Bachelor's Degree in the Community and Regional Development as potentially a city planner or even a manager of an organization.

The academics at UC Davis are outstanding. If you do your research on professors RateMyProfessor.com (a great website with ratings of each professor which I have found to be very accurate), you should have no problem with getting great professors. I am an economics and sociology double major so my favorite classes have been ECN 135 Money and Banking with Athanasios Geromichalos and SOC 138 Economics of Sociology with Lucas Kirkpatrick. Another great professor is Emanuel Frankel. He has real experience in the private sector as the VP of a department for Bank of America. He applies his experiences to the concepts we are learning in class so the ideas become more tangible for those new to the concepts he is teaching. Unless you are in a smaller class, especially an English class, classes don't usually require a significant amount of participation. If they do, the majority of it is just showing up to discussions. At UC Davis, a lot of classes geared toward math and science are graded on a curve. This makes the students pretty competitive with each other. Students are willing to help each other, but there is always an underlying notion that we are all competing against each other. For the most part, the education at UC Davis is geared toward learning for the sake of learning as opposed to being geared toward getting a job. The Internship and Career Center does a good job of offering workshops to prepare your resume and cover letter to apply for jobs, but the classes are mostly aimed at teaching concepts and theories.

Although UC Davis is a large research university, I find it easy to interact with professors on a personal level. Many professors care just as much about teaching as they do their research. Student participation is very high, even in large lecture halls, and professors often make an effort to get to know students who ask questions and go to office hours.

The academics at Davis is pretty good. I think Davis offers a lot of academic opportunities and it's up to you to make the most out of it. Lectures tend to be filled, so professors do not know you personally. You can, however, attend office hours where you can talk to your professor and receive additional help or have questions answered. The professors I've had so far have provided me with lots of assistance at office hours. If you can't make their designated office hours, you can always set up an appointment. There are also discussions for some courses where there are opportunities for participation and conversation between other students and the TA.

It seems pretty easy to get to know professors once I make an effort (going to office hours, asking questions...) to do so. Professors were generally helpful in answering questions when asked. Students are definitely competitive and workload can be overwhelming, but it all depends on the class; some classes are obviously much easier than others. I also appreciate that there are a whole lot of classes I can explore!

It seems pretty easy to get to know professors once I make an effort (going to office hours, asking questions...) to do so. Professors were generally helpful in answering questions when asked. Students are definitely competitive and workload can be overwhelming, but it all depends on the class; some classes are obviously much easier than others. I also appreciate that there are a whole lot of classes I can explore!

The professors just know you know your name from just attending lectures, if you take the time to go their office hours and make an effort to get to know them, they will welcome you with smile. They love to see students interested in their classes. My favorite class right now is the programming class I am currently taking. The teacher is very humorous and also very knowledgeable about the information she teaches in class that it makes me more interested in the subject. The amount of students study is not too bad. It is not required that you will be studying all day, but you should spend a good amount of time studying for each class to keep up with the teacher. Class participation is very common in classes. It might be a little intimidating to speak in lecture hall with around a hundred people, but you get used to it and seeing that many do participate and ask questions, you are encouraged to ask questions as well. Students have various kinds of conversations everywhere, intellectual, entertainment related, and other kinds as well. Student are cautious of their grades and are competitive when they need to be. The education provided here is for learning purposes and also to train us to be able to get a job in the major we are in.

The academic environment at UC Davis is bar none. Students inside and outside the classroom strive for academic excellence and are supported at every step of the way. Teachers are very helpful and often provide the support of Teaching Assistants to further aid students. Another attribute is the success UCD has had in balancing work related education with education for intellectual improvement. Here you will not only grow as an individual but as a professional.