University of California - DavisAcademics Summary

Written by Amy Knowland

Amy Knowland

Hometown

Irvine, CA

Major

English

Grad Year

2014

View all previous student authors

UC Davis offers more than 100 different fields of study for their undergraduates, ranging from exercise biology to textiles and clothing. Even though Davis is one of the top-ranked veterinary schools in the nation and has the reputation for being an agricultural school, it still offers majors with strong programs in the humanities and arts and sciences departments. Being a research-based university, Davis gives its students plenty of opportunities to learn outside of the classroom and work with academic professors on research that is influencing the world today. The professors that teach the classes are experts in their fields and share their overwhelming amount of knowledge with the students in their classes.

However, the larger class sizes that come with a public university and enormous lecture halls (the largest one holds 500 students!) makes the professors’ accessibility to their students limited. The professors are more than eager to meet and spend time with their students; however, if you want to develop a personal relationship with professors, you have to take the initiative and time to meet them during office hours. Most students recognize the passion that their professors have for their fields, which makes up for the challenging course material. Some classes can be difficult to get into, and the 10-week quarter system flies by, giving students no room for procrastination and slacking off. Overall, students are satisfied with the courses they take, but you have to be independent and motivated if you want to succeed here.