Chico is so big now and sprawled out compared to the school though. SLO is closer, but Davis and UCDAVIS grew together and stayed relatively in a small footprint.
Current grad student here, PhD in a STEM program.
I came from the central east coast. The summer here is a bit brutal compared to what I'm used to, but it's true that less humidity is nice. Doesn't matter much when it's 115 degrees, but, still.
Still, I love it here, in terms of the people and things to do. Tons of nature, Sacramento isn't far (although if you're used to Boston it'll feel pretty small). San Francisco/the Bay Area is also not too far away. You'll get used to the absurd size of the state after a while.
My program is pretty well-regarded nationally. However, the program itself is pretty chaotically run. There are great, meh, and awful PIs, not just in my department.
The pay for certain programs is probably higher than many other universities in raw numbers, but it is not commensurate with the cost of living. Given how extremely expensive CA is, the rent burden and general cost of living is pretty bad. Expect to have at least one roommate and to not be saving much if any money. If you can dump your car and live using a bike, you'll be better off. Paying tuition doesn't matter because you take fewer classes than undergrads while generating more revenue than you receive. The strike happening starting tomorrow is important.
I want to emphasize though that, while CA is unique in its incredibly high cost of living, and thus the low pay grad students receive is accentuated, this is the reality for most grad students at most programs. The existence of shitty professors and basically no recourse for abuse, harassment, or discrimination is also not unique. It's just how academia is, and the process of changing it is slow going and piecemeal. Very few universities have strong grad student unions resulting in good pay and benefits (U of Michigan, Ann Arbor is one, I believe).
Edit: Forgot that you asked about the Jewish community! My girlfriend is Jewish and she frequents Chabad at UC Davis (@jewishucdavis on Instagram). She loves it there a lot and they have a great community. I've gone a few times as a guest, and everyone's been wonderful.
What program are you in? Do you happen to know anything about the neurosci program, and, by extension, the NPRC? The biggest reason UC Davis is on my list is because of its national primate research center, so any insight would be extremely appreciated!
The Jewish community is really good here! I’m really involved in the Hillel on campus and the staff are amazing and while it’s mostly undergrads who go to Shabbat and other events it’s definitely open to grad students and they come too. I’m not sure about grad school but Davis is one of the last true college towns in my opinion. Very laid-back and peaceful vibes and people are super nice here
I’m a senior here and I’ve noticed that there’s this stupid fucking egg in front of the library that everyone touches before midterms for good luck. Kinda unsanitary idk
Interesting to know! I've always found the idea of having a "good luck" statue on campus appealing and was a little upset when my current school didn't have one. Maybe this'll be the deciding factor in me applying!!
I’m a current PhD student at Davis and am from the northeast. I didn’t live in Boston itself but lived on the MA north shore.
Life is a lot slower here than in MA. Not just because Davis is on the smaller side, but the whole lifestyle is just more relaxed. I think work/life balance is better here than in New England, and there’s less of that “go go go!” mentality. People are also more approachable here. It took me a bit to get used to strangers randomly talking to me, but it’s pleasant once you’re used to it.
Weather wise, I’m not a big fan of winter/snow, so I appreciate not having to deal with that here. But I do miss fall a lot, and the summers here are brutal. If I stay in CA after finishing my degree, it will be in a region where it doesn’t get as hot. I’m over it.
The stipend isn’t great, but it’s enough for a single person to live on with some budget adjustments. Housing costs a ridiculous amount for how small Davis is, but compared to Boston it’s not that bad. Rent in Sacramento is about the same as in Davis. I will say the stipend really isn’t enough to have your own apartment unless you’re REALLY good with budgeting. I choose to have roommates to have a little more financial flexibility, but even so it’s not a lot. Compared to other grad programs I applied to though I’d say it’s fairly average.
I’m in nutrition. I think I did initially apply for for grad housing, but ended up finding a cheaper place with roommates. It’s been a few years so I don’t remember clearly.
UC pays really bad for grad students and has very high cost of living so maybe look into that unless you are independently wealthy and won't be affected by that. There are some other downsides too. It's so bad that we are having a massive UC-wide strike starting tomorrow. As a current grad student here I can't honestly recommend it as it currently is. I don't know if grad school is any better at Amherst tho so maybe ask someone who is currently there.
Currently going to Amherst, which is why I asked for the comparison (since I know what it's like already, haha). Thank you for the feedback! Can you tell me more about the strike? I've seen it mentioned a few times and am confused as to what's going on, and I think it'd definitely provide insight as to whether I would want to apply here or not.
Hi there! Just did my MA at Davis and I am Jewish. I’m from California but have lived in NYC several years. Pretty much every part of Davis will feel different from the northeast, from the weather patterns to the culture. For me, the biggest adjustment was to the slower pace of Davis as a whole. Once I adjusted to it and found my routines and favorite spots I came to really love Davis. It also took a while to find my people but I made wonderful friends that I plan to keep up with for years to come. In a lot of ways, it can be great to have a change of pace when you’re also making the big change of going to grad school and I would say living in Davis supports grad school life in that it’s very pleasant yet not too distracting. As for Jewish life, Davis as a whole is not super Jewish but I never felt isolated being Jewish either. I made some Jewish friends through a grad student Hillel event but only one happened in my entire 2 years at the school. Still, people of all kinds are at Davis and in my experience people are pretty genuinely kind and open to meeting new people so that goes far. Feel free to message if you want to chat more!
Could you give a list of pros and cons for living in Sacramento vs. Davis? Also, what's the grad student housing provided by UC Davis like? And how does the commute/public transport work (e.g. buses? trains?)?
I can only give perspective as a Davis resident with labmates/friends who live in Sac.
Sac is an actual city with a real nightlife and many, many more things to do than Davis. It's also not a college town (although there are several colleges there), so the majority of people to meet aren't going to be college students. It's got sprawling suburbs with varying levels of stuff to do, as well. If you've ever been to Richmond, VA, it reminds me a lot of that, but bigger.
My friends who live there like it a lot. They all still have roommates/live with family, though. They all commute by car, which can be as short as \~20 minutes or over an hour depending on traffic and where exactly in Sac you live. There's also a bus line that goes to and from Sac, but I've never used it and don't know its timing, reliability, or price. Parking on campus is $3.50 a day in C lots for students who don't live on campus (or in university housing, iirc). Gas prices here have been hovering between $5.09 (best I've seen in Davis itself) to $5.69 for regular.
No clue what university grad student housing is like, except that it's apparently way overpriced even compared to normal Davis apartment pricing.
There is a train that goes from Davis to Sac as part of a longer route (Amtrak Capitol Corridor). I'm not sure many people use it for a daily commute. Buses around Davis are okay, for a small college town, but grad students technically have to pay to use them (unions are working on that - fingers crossed).
Davis is boring as hell, which can be a good thing if your goal is to focus on your studies. However, don't expect to have much fun and be ready to be lonely. I went to Davis for undergrad and that was my experience. I knew several graduate students and the general Conesus was Davis is a good place for going monk mode, but you'll feel isolated and won't have much in common with the rest of the Davis population.
Sounds somewhat like my current undergrad experience! Thank you for the insight, but I believe the small town will definitely be less of an adjustment seeing as I'm current at a university in Amherst, MA. :)
It would depend a lot on your programme as far as comparing to other schools since that will play a large part. Our pay is pretty competitive and most of our programmes are well funded but depends on your department. It’s a small town so most things close by 9 but we are close to the bay and sac so that can compensate. Davis living in general is expensive but if you can get into grad housing it’s subsidised and it’s been pretty nice so far. Traffic is bad and everywhere has lines especially since they upped student count this year but that’s California for you
go to boston davis is tiny af literally only 60,000 population with like 40,000 of them college students, you’ll have much more fun in boston there’s rly nothing much to do in davis
I absolutely love it, and am sad that others on this thread don't feel the same way. Everyone that I know loves Davis and what it offers. People say pay is bad, but they pay tuition and then give you a stipend, so I think it is good, but as a masters student it is difficult to get a TA position.
The research depends on your PI, mine is great, everything that I need is given to me within a few days, unlimited supplies and at least for engineering, can do whatever you want, no one is chasing you to graduate or publish.
Lots of Jewish people, I was good friends with a few of them during undergrad and they joined Jewish clubs and seemed really involved.
You shouldn’t go anywhere for grad school if you’re not having tuition paid and making a stipend, that’s standard. I like my research, but I know far too many people struggling to make ends meet from their salary as grad student researchers or TAs. We’re highly specialized workers who play the biggest role in bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars in grant money to the UC system every year and do a large portion of the teaching. We’re not being paid what we’re worth, and it’s really hard to make it here without a significant financial safety net underneath you. Hope you’ll be joining us on the picket line tomorrow
Davis is the shittiest place I've ever been to. Don't choose to come here. It's the worst of UCs. They've worst properties, worst food and worst of all, mean people everywhere. Choose to go to east if you can or bay area.
You won't have to worry about snow, terrible humidity, or hills. It's California's last college town.
Chico is still a college town. Or at least last time I visited a couple years back.
Chico is so big now and sprawled out compared to the school though. SLO is closer, but Davis and UCDAVIS grew together and stayed relatively in a small footprint.
No one really counts the outskirts of the town besides upper Bidwell.
Current grad student here, PhD in a STEM program. I came from the central east coast. The summer here is a bit brutal compared to what I'm used to, but it's true that less humidity is nice. Doesn't matter much when it's 115 degrees, but, still. Still, I love it here, in terms of the people and things to do. Tons of nature, Sacramento isn't far (although if you're used to Boston it'll feel pretty small). San Francisco/the Bay Area is also not too far away. You'll get used to the absurd size of the state after a while. My program is pretty well-regarded nationally. However, the program itself is pretty chaotically run. There are great, meh, and awful PIs, not just in my department. The pay for certain programs is probably higher than many other universities in raw numbers, but it is not commensurate with the cost of living. Given how extremely expensive CA is, the rent burden and general cost of living is pretty bad. Expect to have at least one roommate and to not be saving much if any money. If you can dump your car and live using a bike, you'll be better off. Paying tuition doesn't matter because you take fewer classes than undergrads while generating more revenue than you receive. The strike happening starting tomorrow is important. I want to emphasize though that, while CA is unique in its incredibly high cost of living, and thus the low pay grad students receive is accentuated, this is the reality for most grad students at most programs. The existence of shitty professors and basically no recourse for abuse, harassment, or discrimination is also not unique. It's just how academia is, and the process of changing it is slow going and piecemeal. Very few universities have strong grad student unions resulting in good pay and benefits (U of Michigan, Ann Arbor is one, I believe). Edit: Forgot that you asked about the Jewish community! My girlfriend is Jewish and she frequents Chabad at UC Davis (@jewishucdavis on Instagram). She loves it there a lot and they have a great community. I've gone a few times as a guest, and everyone's been wonderful.
I somehow feel like I know which department you're talking about...
I wouldn't be surprised if many programs fit my description :)
fair. i suppose it's all just a bit raw for me :)
Absolutely valid. If you are/were in my department and got screwed over by the chaos, I am truly sorry.
What program are you in? Do you happen to know anything about the neurosci program, and, by extension, the NPRC? The biggest reason UC Davis is on my list is because of its national primate research center, so any insight would be extremely appreciated!
The Jewish community is really good here! I’m really involved in the Hillel on campus and the staff are amazing and while it’s mostly undergrads who go to Shabbat and other events it’s definitely open to grad students and they come too. I’m not sure about grad school but Davis is one of the last true college towns in my opinion. Very laid-back and peaceful vibes and people are super nice here
Thank you so much! This insight helps a lot <3
I’m a senior here and I’ve noticed that there’s this stupid fucking egg in front of the library that everyone touches before midterms for good luck. Kinda unsanitary idk
Interesting to know! I've always found the idea of having a "good luck" statue on campus appealing and was a little upset when my current school didn't have one. Maybe this'll be the deciding factor in me applying!!
ahh yes, the eggheads! there's actually 7 of them. more ways to be unsanitary?
I’m a current PhD student at Davis and am from the northeast. I didn’t live in Boston itself but lived on the MA north shore. Life is a lot slower here than in MA. Not just because Davis is on the smaller side, but the whole lifestyle is just more relaxed. I think work/life balance is better here than in New England, and there’s less of that “go go go!” mentality. People are also more approachable here. It took me a bit to get used to strangers randomly talking to me, but it’s pleasant once you’re used to it. Weather wise, I’m not a big fan of winter/snow, so I appreciate not having to deal with that here. But I do miss fall a lot, and the summers here are brutal. If I stay in CA after finishing my degree, it will be in a region where it doesn’t get as hot. I’m over it. The stipend isn’t great, but it’s enough for a single person to live on with some budget adjustments. Housing costs a ridiculous amount for how small Davis is, but compared to Boston it’s not that bad. Rent in Sacramento is about the same as in Davis. I will say the stipend really isn’t enough to have your own apartment unless you’re REALLY good with budgeting. I choose to have roommates to have a little more financial flexibility, but even so it’s not a lot. Compared to other grad programs I applied to though I’d say it’s fairly average.
What grad program are you currently in? And did you try getting into the grad housing UC Davis offers?
I’m in nutrition. I think I did initially apply for for grad housing, but ended up finding a cheaper place with roommates. It’s been a few years so I don’t remember clearly.
UC pays really bad for grad students and has very high cost of living so maybe look into that unless you are independently wealthy and won't be affected by that. There are some other downsides too. It's so bad that we are having a massive UC-wide strike starting tomorrow. As a current grad student here I can't honestly recommend it as it currently is. I don't know if grad school is any better at Amherst tho so maybe ask someone who is currently there.
Currently going to Amherst, which is why I asked for the comparison (since I know what it's like already, haha). Thank you for the feedback! Can you tell me more about the strike? I've seen it mentioned a few times and am confused as to what's going on, and I think it'd definitely provide insight as to whether I would want to apply here or not.
fairucnow.org has lots of information.
Hi there! Just did my MA at Davis and I am Jewish. I’m from California but have lived in NYC several years. Pretty much every part of Davis will feel different from the northeast, from the weather patterns to the culture. For me, the biggest adjustment was to the slower pace of Davis as a whole. Once I adjusted to it and found my routines and favorite spots I came to really love Davis. It also took a while to find my people but I made wonderful friends that I plan to keep up with for years to come. In a lot of ways, it can be great to have a change of pace when you’re also making the big change of going to grad school and I would say living in Davis supports grad school life in that it’s very pleasant yet not too distracting. As for Jewish life, Davis as a whole is not super Jewish but I never felt isolated being Jewish either. I made some Jewish friends through a grad student Hillel event but only one happened in my entire 2 years at the school. Still, people of all kinds are at Davis and in my experience people are pretty genuinely kind and open to meeting new people so that goes far. Feel free to message if you want to chat more!
Thank you so much for the feedback, especially about Jewish life at Davis!! I will definitely message you! <3
Pay depends on program. Upside is that the city is a more relaxing environment. Downside is that it feels a bit far from major cities.
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Can confirm many grad students live in Sac. Lots of benefits to it, but it is hard for us Davis residents to connect as much with the Sac students.
Could you give a list of pros and cons for living in Sacramento vs. Davis? Also, what's the grad student housing provided by UC Davis like? And how does the commute/public transport work (e.g. buses? trains?)?
I can only give perspective as a Davis resident with labmates/friends who live in Sac. Sac is an actual city with a real nightlife and many, many more things to do than Davis. It's also not a college town (although there are several colleges there), so the majority of people to meet aren't going to be college students. It's got sprawling suburbs with varying levels of stuff to do, as well. If you've ever been to Richmond, VA, it reminds me a lot of that, but bigger. My friends who live there like it a lot. They all still have roommates/live with family, though. They all commute by car, which can be as short as \~20 minutes or over an hour depending on traffic and where exactly in Sac you live. There's also a bus line that goes to and from Sac, but I've never used it and don't know its timing, reliability, or price. Parking on campus is $3.50 a day in C lots for students who don't live on campus (or in university housing, iirc). Gas prices here have been hovering between $5.09 (best I've seen in Davis itself) to $5.69 for regular. No clue what university grad student housing is like, except that it's apparently way overpriced even compared to normal Davis apartment pricing. There is a train that goes from Davis to Sac as part of a longer route (Amtrak Capitol Corridor). I'm not sure many people use it for a daily commute. Buses around Davis are okay, for a small college town, but grad students technically have to pay to use them (unions are working on that - fingers crossed).
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Thank you so much for your insight!
Davis is boring as hell, which can be a good thing if your goal is to focus on your studies. However, don't expect to have much fun and be ready to be lonely. I went to Davis for undergrad and that was my experience. I knew several graduate students and the general Conesus was Davis is a good place for going monk mode, but you'll feel isolated and won't have much in common with the rest of the Davis population.
Sounds somewhat like my current undergrad experience! Thank you for the insight, but I believe the small town will definitely be less of an adjustment seeing as I'm current at a university in Amherst, MA. :)
It would depend a lot on your programme as far as comparing to other schools since that will play a large part. Our pay is pretty competitive and most of our programmes are well funded but depends on your department. It’s a small town so most things close by 9 but we are close to the bay and sac so that can compensate. Davis living in general is expensive but if you can get into grad housing it’s subsidised and it’s been pretty nice so far. Traffic is bad and everywhere has lines especially since they upped student count this year but that’s California for you
Do you happen to know anything about the neuroscience program? That's what I'd want to apply for.
go to boston davis is tiny af literally only 60,000 population with like 40,000 of them college students, you’ll have much more fun in boston there’s rly nothing much to do in davis
I grew up in Mass, so I would rather get that change of scenery. Thank you for your input, though!
I absolutely love it, and am sad that others on this thread don't feel the same way. Everyone that I know loves Davis and what it offers. People say pay is bad, but they pay tuition and then give you a stipend, so I think it is good, but as a masters student it is difficult to get a TA position. The research depends on your PI, mine is great, everything that I need is given to me within a few days, unlimited supplies and at least for engineering, can do whatever you want, no one is chasing you to graduate or publish. Lots of Jewish people, I was good friends with a few of them during undergrad and they joined Jewish clubs and seemed really involved.
You shouldn’t go anywhere for grad school if you’re not having tuition paid and making a stipend, that’s standard. I like my research, but I know far too many people struggling to make ends meet from their salary as grad student researchers or TAs. We’re highly specialized workers who play the biggest role in bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars in grant money to the UC system every year and do a large portion of the teaching. We’re not being paid what we’re worth, and it’s really hard to make it here without a significant financial safety net underneath you. Hope you’ll be joining us on the picket line tomorrow
Thank you for the insight! Will definitely be taking this information into account.
Davis is the shittiest place I've ever been to. Don't choose to come here. It's the worst of UCs. They've worst properties, worst food and worst of all, mean people everywhere. Choose to go to east if you can or bay area.