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So I know I haven’t updated in AGES. In my defense, though (and I think the other seniors would agree with me), 2nd semester has been pretty crazy. And by crazy, I mean TPCASTTs, free response questions, balsa wood bridges, Princeton Review, and… college. And since I have exactly 7 days to decide which school I will be spending the next four years at (I know, no big deal) and I still have absolutely NO IDEA which school to choose, I decided to do what a rational/responsible/organized person would do in this situation: make a pro/con list! Please note: sorry, this post is really really long and kinda rambly (I’m in the car on the way home). Just remember, you’ve been warned.

So far, I’ve eliminated 3 from my list (SLO, UCSD, USC)… leaving me with a grand total of 4 schools.

UC DAVIS: When I was younger, I always told my family and anyone else who asked that I wanted to go to Davis. You’re probably thinking, “Why would you ever want to go there?” Well the truth is, I really like cows. JK. Actually, I’ve always wanted to become a veterinarian, and Davis’s animal science department is amazing. On Friday, as I sat through the wonderful six hour drive up to Davis, I was treated to the lovely scenic view of…farms. Wait, not even farms…just rolling green fields (cue Sound of Music). Not a cow in sight. :( I must say, I was pretty disappointed. The “college town” that supposedly surrounds Davis consists of a few stores, markets, and… grass. But, nevertheless, I walked onto the campus, determined to have an open mind. Here’s what I learned:

1. I was shocked by the vast number of bikes on campus. No, really. I think I saw at least 2,000 bikes throughout the day. Almost every student (or so it seemed) at Davis owns/uses a bike to get around campus. There are even bike policemen who ticket! Apparently, BUIs are the most popular, which stand for (you guessed it) biking under the influence. Considering that I have not ridden a bike since I was in fifth grade, the idea of learning to use bike paths/avoid pedestrians seemed slightly daunting.

2. There is a reason everyone bikes. The campus is huge and very very flat and the buildings are spread far apart. As a whole, it’s not very attractive, either. It’s nice and green, though. And there are cute little mallard ducks wandering around everywhere! Also, one of the dining places is a silo… which is…. cool, I guess.

3. The food is pretty good. I was surprised. Also, the local farmers’ market comes to campus every week. The fruit is so good… I think I had the best strawberries of my life.

4. I spent most of my time at a reception for Regent scholars, where I had a chance to talk to the animal science professor. He was personable, enthusiastic, and incredibly helpful, and I could just tell that he absolutely loved his job. Honestly, I was nearly ready to commit after I spoke with him.

5. I wasn’t kidding when I said it before. The animal science department is….absolutely amazing (that’s really the only way to describe it). I mean, it’s second in the nation and the school houses the most types of species on their campus for research in the world. They even have a primate center! Also, you can intern at Davis’s grad school for veterinary science.. which allows you to see what it would be like and could possibly give you a leg up in admissions.

6. The thing that appealed to me is the fact that Davis is extremely hands-on. Classes are more lab-focused than lecture-based. Davis has the ability and the facilities (especially in the animal science department) to teach by doing, instead of telling. Freshmen who take animal science learn how to milk a cow!

7. Overall, I found that the students I met and the people I saw at UCD were very friendly and welcoming. I definitely got that sense of community at the school.

8. Being Regents, I have the advantages of choosing my classes first, living in the nicest dorm, and being part of the Honors program, where students get to take smaller classes and talk to the professors one-on-one.

In a nutshell, I got the sense that UCD takes care of its students… which I felt was something the other UCs lacked. What surprised me the most was the fact that I thought, after visiting all the schools that I had gotten into, that I would receive the best education at Davis. However, I honestly don’t know if I could give up the 3 other schools to go to Davis. Davis lacks the atmosphere of UCLA, the intellect of Cal, and the excitement of BC. Let’s face it: Davis simply doesn’t have the reputation or prestige of the other schools I could go to.

BOSTON COLLEGE: I think I have always slightly favored BC because, well, it’s in Boston. And I love Boston. I love the idea of leaving everything that’s familiar to me… and entering into an entirely new and distinctly different place than home. I love the idea of a clean slate. I love knowing that I can pretty much become whoever I want if I go there. I love how well rounded the school is; how BC has both academics and athletics. I love the small classes and the close knit community. I love the campus. I love the architecture and the history behind it (it’s pretty much exactly what you would imagine a college to look like, if that makes any sense). I love BC because, although I know it would be a challenge, I also know that the experiences that I would have there would be rewarding too. Wherever I end up going, some part of my heart will always be with BC.

But then again… can I really justify making my parents pay double the price it would cost me to go to the other three UCs? Can I really say right now that it would be worth it? No, I can’t… because I don’t know. Living in a strange new place is exciting, but it’s also frightening. I barely know anyone in Boston, and I would rarely get the chance to go home. Going to BC means going far, far out of my comfort zone. Going to Boston means… giving up a whole lot.

UCLA: Throughout this past year, I’ve been pretty sure I would end up at UCLA. It’s close to home, it’s well-rounded, the environment in general is great. And people have told me for the longest time that they always thought that I would go to LA. Even now, my family thinks that this is the school that I’m ultimately going to end up at. But… I don’t know. UCLA feels like the expected choice, the safe choice, the comfortable choice. I know so many people going to UCLA next year, and to be perfectly honest, I’m a little turned off by that. The academics are excellent, the student body is intelligent, but classes are huge… and UCLA just doesn’t feel that personal to me. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I lack the enthusiasm and excitement for the school that I’ve noticed that other people have. In fact,  I’ve always been pretty ambivalent about UCLA (probably because my mom went to USC). And yeah, I would probably learn to love it, but I just don’t right now. I like the school, definitely, but I wish that… I wish that I felt something deeper. UCLA is…the practical choice, but it’s not necessarily my favorite one.

CAL: I’ll be honest. I was pretty much determined to dislike Berkeley from the moment I applied (actually, I’m not even sure why I applied but I’m glad that I did). I visited Berkeley (but I didn’t really go on the campus) a few years back and I hated the area. Yeah, I guess I’ve changed a lot since then. Anyways, when my parents wanted to visit again, I was not very excited (to say the least). Since it was the last school that I was going to see, I subconsciously even wished that I wouldn’t like the school so I could cross Cal off my list of choices. I know, horrible. But I’m saying this to stress how much I absolutely wanted to dislike the school. So… here’s how my visit went:

11:00 - We check out of the hotel and leave Oakland to go to Berkeley.
11:30 - We arrive at Berkeley, but we have an hour and a half to kill before our tour.
11:30-12:45 - My parents drive aimlessly around the area, while I observe that the city is a lot nicer than I expected. Also, there are a lot of really good places to eat.
12:50 - We park and walk to the school.
12:50 -1:00 - I am am in shock because Cal is BEAUTIFUL. No really, it’s so pretty.
1:00 - We arrive at Campanile, where there is a whole crowd of people waiting to go on the tours (and also a bunch of little kids searching for Easter eggs in the grass)
1:00-1:05 - We split off into groups and the tour begins.
1:05 - I realize that my tour guide is awesome. haha. He informs us that Campanile is taller than Stanford’s tower. And also that students (in a certain class) can play any type of music on the carillon (the bells in the tower), even TAYLOR SWIFT.
1:05-3:00 - The tour passes by really quickly (even though it is by far the longest college tour I have been on). I learn that Cal at one point had the largest building on a college campus in the world, before Harvard got jealous. I learn that Cal has so much history. I learn that most things started with Cal (like free speech on campus!). I learn that Cal students are diverse and just plain interesting. I learn that the student body is passionate and so proud of the fact that they go to Cal. I learn that the level of school spirit is comparable and maybe even higher than that of UCLA.
3:00 - I am sad to leave Berkeley.

So I ended up really really liking Cal. I can only describe it as… intense. I’m still not sure if that’s a good thing. It’s quite clearly competitive… maybe even cutthroat. Drugs and partying are obviously a part of the school and the environment is probably the exact opposite of what I’m used to. And while the school doesn’t seem unsafe… it’s not exactly the safest school I’ve visited.

Anyways, I’m finally done…I’m exhausted! haha. If you managed to read through this entire thing, congratulations! You deserve a gold star. If you’re annoyed that I took up so much space on your dashboard, I’m very sorry. And if you have any advice, it’s welcome!