u/Flat-Test-5685

according to multiple sources, only ~58% of students graduate uc davis within 4 years. is there a specific reason for this (one of my friends said the uc system in general has issues with class scheduling due to sheer student population, so people aren’t able to take the credits they need), and is this statistic true/something to actually worry about?

for the record, i’m going pre-vet, so any info about that departments graduation is welcomed as well.

thanks in advance!

yes i know we're down to the wire now but humor me i genuinely can't decide

i got off the waitlist for washu like a week ago and it's been a mess since then

**not sure which subreddit i was supposed to post this on so i've basically put it on like five different ones

uc davis pros:

- it's in california and their campus is beautiful (2 hrs from san francisco, and i LOVE that city)

- their vet program is renowned; moreso their graduate vet school than undergrad, but most of the undergrad school is going for animal science so there's evidently some merit

- it's less expensive by ~15k (but still pretty expensive, and my family doesn't really have issues with paying anything -- no loans/debt)

- i already have a close friend going there who i would be roommates with

- TONS of resources for undergrad pre-vets

- since washu was a waitlist pull, i've basically mentally committed to davis (even sent my money in)

cons:

- i'd probably be like every other student there because it's animal science/bio undergrad program is so popular, so i'm not sure i'd stand out within the college as well as to outside applications (considering 500 other people had the same resources/experiences i did)

- it's a state school and not that prestigious, and their reputation (which undergrad is kind of all about) is definitely not as good as washu's

wustl pros:

- like 12% of applicants get in, and most people seem to think it's a very prestigious school, so their reputation would be incredible

- if i have some insane switch-up and somehow don't want to become a vet anymore (very unlikely, i've been set pretty much my whole life but you never know), then their school will definitely be better for exploring new things and just broadening horizons in general

- their pre-vet resources aren't nonexistent; they have the st. louis zoo which is supposedly pretty famous for vet education, they have some wildlife sanctuaries, etc.

- their pre-vet community being small = less competition, compared to uc davis where literally half the school will be fighting over the same internships

wustl cons:

- technically more expensive, but living in california really might add up to more so idk

- it's literally in the middle of nowhere midwest, and st. louis as a city isn't that appealing to me, so definitely a location downside

- i would know literally no one there, and i can't find a roommate since this is so last minute, so my social life might be fried

- their resources might be extremely lackluster; the only way to know whether they're actually good is if i go, so...on top of that, i've heard their vet community and advisor is extremely lacking, so less advice and less support

- their social scene seems pretty bad; some people say it's what you make of it, but others say "work hard play never" and i'm not trying to be locked in my room 24/7 like high school

hi everyone! i got off the washu waitlist about a week ago, previously committed to uc davis, and i was wondering whether it's worth it to switch or if anyone has genuine advice on what pre-vet life is like at wustl

i've heard there are a few resources but the community/advisor is lacking--is this true? since washu is more prestigious than uc davis, would this reputation make it worth it? would vet schools prefer one or the other (does school name even matter)?

money isn't an issue, i'd probably like my social life better at uc davis considering i already know people there, i love san francisco (not so much st. louis), and wustl social scene is supposedly pretty bad (i also know literally no one going there and it's the midwest)

i'm inclined to believe that since there's less competition at washu because their pre-vet program is so small, i'd have better access to opportunities, but i'm not sure if this balances out the limited number of resources available

thanks in advance for your replies!! please let me know asap (yes ik i'm down to the wire for decisions but i've been debating back and forth every day)

yes i know we're down to the wire now but humor me i genuinely can't decide

i got off the waitlist for washu like a week ago and it's been a mess since then

**not sure which subreddit i was supposed to post this on so i've basically put it on like five different ones

uc davis pros:

- it's in california and their campus is beautiful (2 hrs from san francisco, and i LOVE that city)

- their vet program is renowned; moreso their graduate vet school than undergrad, but most of the undergrad school is going for animal science so there's evidently some merit

- it's less expensive by ~15k (but still pretty expensive, and my family doesn't really have issues with paying anything -- no loans/debt)

- i already have a close friend going there who i would be roommates with

- TONS of resources for undergrad pre-vets

- since washu was a waitlist pull, i've basically mentally committed to davis (even sent my money in)

cons:

- i'd probably be like every other student there because it's animal science/bio undergrad program is so popular, so i'm not sure i'd stand out within the college as well as to outside applications (considering 500 other people had the same resources/experiences i did)

- it's a state school and not that prestigious, and their reputation (which undergrad is kind of all about) is definitely not as good as washu's

wustl pros:

- like 12% of applicants get in, and most people seem to think it's a very prestigious school, so their reputation would be incredible

- if i have some insane switch-up and somehow don't want to become a vet anymore (very unlikely, i've been set pretty much my whole life but you never know), then their school will definitely be better for exploring new things and just broadening horizons in general

- their pre-vet resources aren't nonexistent; they have the st. louis zoo which is supposedly pretty famous for vet education, they have some wildlife sanctuaries, etc.

- their pre-vet community being small = less competition, compared to uc davis where literally half the school will be fighting over the same internships

wustl cons:

- technically more expensive, but living in california really might add up to more so idk

- it's literally in the middle of nowhere midwest, and st. louis as a city isn't that appealing to me, so definitely a location downside

- i would know literally no one there, and i can't find a roommate since this is so last minute, so my social life might be fried

- their resources might be extremely lackluster; the only way to know whether they're actually good is if i go, so...on top of that, i've heard their vet community and advisor is extremely lacking, so less advice and less support

- their social scene seems pretty bad; some people say it's what you make of it, but others say "work hard play never" and i'm not trying to be locked in my room 24/7 like high school

yes i know we're down to the wire now but humor me i genuinely can't decide

i got off the waitlist for washu like a week ago and it's been a mess since then

**not sure which subreddit i was supposed to post this on so i've basically put it on like five different ones

uc davis pros:

- it's in california and their campus is beautiful (2 hrs from san francisco, and i LOVE that city)

- their vet program is renowned; moreso their graduate vet school than undergrad, but most of the undergrad school is going for animal science so there's evidently some merit

- it's less expensive by ~15k (but still pretty expensive, and my family doesn't really have issues with paying anything -- no loans/debt)

- i already have a close friend going there who i would be roommates with

- TONS of resources for undergrad pre-vets

- since washu was a waitlist pull, i've basically mentally committed to davis (even sent my money in)

cons:

- i'd probably be like every other student there because it's animal science/bio undergrad program is so popular, so i'm not sure i'd stand out within the college as well as to outside applications (considering 500 other people had the same resources/experiences i did)

- it's a state school and not that prestigious, and their reputation (which undergrad is kind of all about) is definitely not as good as washu's

wustl pros:

- like 12% of applicants get in, and most people seem to think it's a very prestigious school, so their reputation would be incredible

- if i have some insane switch-up and somehow don't want to become a vet anymore (very unlikely, i've been set pretty much my whole life but you never know), then their school will definitely be better for exploring new things and just broadening horizons in general

- their pre-vet resources aren't nonexistent; they have the st. louis zoo which is supposedly pretty famous for vet education, they have some wildlife sanctuaries, etc.

- their pre-vet community being small = less competition, compared to uc davis where literally half the school will be fighting over the same internships

wustl cons:

- technically more expensive, but living in california really might add up to more so idk

- it's literally in the middle of nowhere midwest, and st. louis as a city isn't that appealing to me, so definitely a location downside

- i would know literally no one there, and i can't find a roommate since this is so last minute, so my social life might be fried

- their resources might be extremely lackluster; the only way to know whether they're actually good is if i go, so...on top of that, i've heard their vet community and advisor is extremely lacking, so less advice and less support

- their social scene seems pretty bad; some people say it's what you make of it, but others say "work hard play never" and i'm not trying to be locked in my room 24/7 like high school