University of California-Davis

Students

UC Davis has an active student population, with close to 90% of freshman residing on campus. As a major research institution, UC Davis has students of all stripes, including older folks returning back to school after time off, or even for the first time.

The UC Davis campus is the largest in the University of California system, covering close to 6,000 acres. The school is virtually self-sufficient, with an airport, fire department, and even a nuclear lab. Students enjoy the unique campus, which is home to an arboretum, as well as five unique “Egghead” statues created by a former art instructor.

Students commute to class almost entirely by bicycle, and the city of Davis actually holds the distinction of having the most bikes per capita of any city in the United States. The campus itself is famous for the Unitrans bus system, which incorporates vintage London double decker buses. Unitrans is run by students, and transportation is free for enrolled students.

A substantial number of students participate in Greek life, with approximately 8 percent of undergraduates wearing letters. In fact, the sorority Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi was the subject of the MTV reality show “Sorority Life.” Other Greek organizations include:

• Delta Phi Beta
• Lamda Phi Epsilon
• Sigma Chi
• Delta Gamma
• Kappa Kappa Gamma

There are a wide variety of activities and offerings to keep students busy, especially when it comes to the arts. In particular, the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts boasts both internal performances and performances by world-class dancers, musicians, and theater productions. There are also a number of museums on-campus, including the Richard L. Nelson Gallery and Fine Arts Collection, the Design Museum, and the Craft Center Gallery, which displays pieces by local area artists.

One particular highlight on the calendar is the annual Whole Earth Festival, which recently celebrated its 40th year of “Sustainalovability”. Every May, students, faculty, and the local community come together to throw a celebration of peace, non-violence, and activism on the main Quad. Even the food at this festival is home-grown. Take this quote, which describes one of the temporary buildings erected: “The Karma Dome is the proverbial cerebral cortex of the super-organism known as the Whole Earth Festival (WEF) located opposite of Quad Stage on the East Quad.” That should give you an idea of what to expect from this wild 3-day fest.

Public service is also a big part of life at UC Davis. The entire university is active in the community, with outreach programs that seek to connect students with the local population. A great example is the UC Davis Children’s Garden Program, through which thousands of area elementary school students are brought onto campus each year to learn about gardening and biology.

Don’t forget about student radio: KDVS broadcasts around the clock, and streams radio over the Internet as well. An impressively broad diversity of music can include Dubstep reggae, Latin American lullabies, and Goa PsyTrance (we’re wondering about that last one ourselves) in any given week.

When the sun sets, the fun begins for UC Davis students. There is plenty to do in the town of Davis, and locals advise heading to the Streets of London Pub if you’re interested in European soccer action. Indeed, the club Faces actually has a swimming pool inside of the bar—-not something you would expect in a smaller college town. If yearning for the big city strikes, Sacramento is only about half an hour away, and both Los Angeles and San Francisco are within driving distance.