Student Profile
John
- Class: Freshman
- Major: Government
- Gender: M
- High School:
- Transfer Student: N
Big Picture
It's really hard to really give someone who has never been to Davis an idea of what it is like. The campus itself is pretty big, but Davis is also the bike capital of the US, so getting around the town or the city is never an issue. Since I live on campus, I spend most of my time on campus, and I get the feeling that most students do, regardless of where they live. When I don't have a lot of homework or studying, I usually bike over to the Coffee House, right next to the quad to get something to eat and hang out with my friends. The only complaint I really can think of is that the weather here changes all the time. We don't get snow, but we get lots of rain, wind, or heat, depending on if its winter, fall, or summer. But most of the time the weather isn't an issue. One thing I didn't expect when coming to Davis was that there is such a big social community. Not everyone chooses to party in college, but at Davis I think a pretty big percentage of students go out on the weekends. There's at least one big party going on almost every weekend, most of which occur at fraternity houses. I think around 10% of the students on campus join a fraternity or sorority which is a life changing experience.
Academic Life
One of the great things about going to Davis is that for the most part, students are not as competitive as they can be at schools with similar prestige. That's because students at Davis study to learn, not to pass. But academics at Davis are definitely more demanding than you might expect. Studying is a big part of every students weekly routine, especially for those who are majoring in science or engineering. As a freshman majoring in Political Science, I've only taken GE classes (usually in lecture halls ranging from 100-250 students.) But classes do definitely decrease in size once you get into your upper division classes. Classes are challenging, but most GE's are pretty interesting. Human sexuality is by far the most popular class on campus. I'm currently taking "Biology of Addiction," a class where we look at the effects of various substances and their social context and history.
Student Body
The student body here is extremely diverse. There are countless student run clubs and organizations having to do with academics, religion, politics, athletics, performing arts, community service, etc. just to name a few topics. I honestly can't imagine someone who would feel out of place here, even international students can easily find a place to fit in. There are just so many different groups of students to join. In terms of what people wear to class, and people's attire from day to day, its usually very casual. In the winter, there are a lot of sweatshirts, coats, and sweatpants. Jeans + rain + biking = bad idea. Since the weather can get to be somewhat severe at times, people don't waste time putting on designer clothes during the winter months and during the spring and summer, it gets hot enough to warrant frequent trips to the rec pool
The Best Things
The Davis Lifestyle
The Worst Things
The Winter Weather
