University of California, Davis
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Chemical Engineering
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: White Heterosexual Female
Summary
I play indoor soccer on a residential hall team. I also played basketball and soccer intramurals during the last quarter.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Public high school in Half Moon Bay, CA with a graduating class of about 220 students. About 50% of students went to college and about 50% either went to community college or did not go to college at all.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Chemical Engineering
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: I play indoor soccer on a residential hall team. I also played basketball and soccer intramurals during the last quarter.
What impact has playing intramural sports had on your experience?
It’s had a positive impact because I got to meet a lot of new people and got to spend more time with my friends and develop stronger relationships. It also allowed me to take time off of school and was a stress reliever.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
We have a lot of lab work. We have pre-labs, lab work, and post-lab work that takes up a big portion of time. We don’t have a lot of homework problems. We just have to study on our own. Our final grade is mostly midterms and finals and then a small percentage will be homework and participation. Our classes are very exam heavy.
Is there anything you feel that your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
They do a good job of providing a lot of problems to work through, which is good. In terms of the academics at UC-Davis overall, I like how with each big lecture you also have discussions with a small group of people, usually about 25-30. Even though you have the big lecture halls of 500 people, there is still time to get one on one help if you need it.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think it’s really collaborative. There aren’t people here who don’t want you to succeed. Everybody I’ve met has been super nice and helpful with homework problems. We compare answers and study together for exams and quizzes. Even the super-smart people aren’t cutthroat at all. They just do their work and help other people out. It’s a really friendly environment, which I love.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re fairly accessible. They always have office hours and when they can’t make them or need them changed, they’ll send out an email. If I have a problem, I go to the TA first usually, but it depends on the problem. Usually, I go to the TA, then the head TA, and then the professor. I find the Tas pretty helpful because they are the ones who run the discussions and they know what they’re doing.
How was transitioning academically as a freshman? Were there any systems in place that helped you adapt?
The transition so far hasn’t been too difficult because throughout high school I knew I had to get my work done and stay on top of it. I would say the hardest part of the transition is probably the fact that I have to study here by myself more and make sure I’m getting the problems because the professors aren’t providing you with homework that is mandatory to turn in like high school. I have to be accountable for myself. As far as resources, I haven’t taken up the offer for them, but I know they have an area for math tutoring and chemistry tutoring.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
So far, I’m happy with my choice. It’s definitely difficult but it’s interesting. What made me choose my major is I didn’t know a whole lot about chemistry but I found it interesting in high school. My brother took a few chemistry classes in college and ended up loving it, so I gave it a try. Plus, I see chemistry as the fundamental basis of everything because it’s the molecular bonds of the elements that make up everything. I like seeing how things start and then build outwards.
How do you like the quarter system? How has that impacted your experience?
The quarter system is kind of brutal. You’re on a constant grind. It’s always midterm season. I just try to get through week by week because it’s only 10-weeks. It’s difficult and you have to get through it. But, at the same time, you don’t like your professor or the subject or class, it’s going to be over soon and you can restart fresh. It’s not boring. It keeps you on your toes.
Reasons to Attend
1) All the research money that is coming in. It is growing.
2) There are new research centers being built.
3) How many opportunities you get here, like the different majors and other things that you can learn.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) Depending on the person, it’s a very big school so you can feel overwhelmed by the sheer size of it. Since they’re building so much, there is so much room and you can get lost while trying to find your class which can be difficult for some people.
2) With it being a big public university, there is not as much one on one instruction and not as much caring about the students as there would be at a smaller school.
3) The quarter system. Some people cannot stay on top of it because it moves so fast. A lot of people take that into account while applying, and when I was applying, I didn’t look into that much because I didn’t know how it would impact me.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Kearney Hall with two other roommates in a triple
How was transitioning from your hometown to Davis, CA in terms of location?
It wasn’t that hard of a transition because it’s about an hour and a half away, so I’m fairly close to home. I don’t have the ocean right next to me like I’m used to, but I don’t mind it too much.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I feel very safe. I haven’t run into any problems and there’s nothing that’s made me question my safety.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I like to hang out with my friends a lot, whether that’s in the dorms or going out to a frat party or something. I also try to get homework done on the weekends and go out to eat.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
Frat parties tend to be on Friday and Saturday nights and the main ones I go to are about a mile away in off-campus houses where people in a fraternity live together. Usually, you have to know somebody in the frat to get in, but it’s really easy to get to know somebody in a fraternity or know somebody who knows somebody in the fraternity. There are also open parties where anybody can go and closed parties where you need to be on a list. I haven’t had much of a problem going to parties because almost half of my friends are in one of the frats so I just hang out with them during the weekend and again on the weekends.
What’s an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
We’ll hang out in a dorm or go to a football game or basketball when they’re in season. There’s also a farmers market downtown that you can walk to.
How happy are you with the weekend options at UC-Davis? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I wish there were more outdoorsy things, but I think next year it will change a bit because as a first-year you can’t have a car on campus, so it’s a lot more difficult to drive out somewhere to hike or drive to Tahoe to ski for a day. You’re limited as a first-year because you can’t have a car.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
My roommates are amazing and are my closest friends. I lucked out because I got random roommates. One of the girls I went to high school with is one of my closest friends here and was at home as well. I ended up meeting one of my other friends through a person that lives on my hall, so a friend of a friend that ended up becoming one of my good friends.
How would you describe the overall social scene at UC-Davis?
It’s a good social scene. There’s not one main thing that attracts people to find friends and be social, but there are a lot of small things that you have to discover, whether that’s sports clubs or academic clubs that you find friends in or Greek life. Greek life here isn’t huge but it’s not absent – there’s definitely Greek life here that you can find friends through. It’s the same with clubs. They aren’t huge, but you’ll still have them and they are prominent. Another big way people find their friends is through the dorms. There isn’t one strong thing that pulls people together, there are a lot of smaller things. That’s nice because you don’t have to worry about finding a certain club or joining Greek life, you can find friends without that.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
They mix really well here.
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
They mix a lot, especially since it’s not huge here so it’s not something that people group up for since it’s so lowkey here. The difference between being in Greek life and not is very fluid here. [About 10% of students are involved in Greek life.]
How do you like the size of UC-Davis? How has that impacted your experience? [UC-Davis has about 31,000 undergraduates.]
I really like the size. Davis has a big undergraduate program, which is definitely big but, even though it’s so big, I feel like it’s still small. It’s a good size because there are people who I’ve never seen before and am meeting, but I still see people I recognize over and over again. I came from a small high school I didn’t like how everybody knew everything about everyone, so I like how it’s bigger.
Careers
Have you learned any computer programs or languages that will help you professionally?
I’m learning how to use Excel in one of my Chemical Engineering classes right now, which is really helpful.