University of California, Davis

Location

Davis really does have the best of both worlds. While it’s more or less a college town by itself, Sacramento is right next door, while Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose aren’t too far either. All in all, an excellent location and a good place to live in.

Campus

The massive UC Davis campus is spread across about 5000 acres, and is pretty beautiful for the best part of it. The largest campus in the University of California system by a margin, it’s the only one to boast of an airport (yes, an airport!) within campus. It also has its own fire department, and its own nuclear laboratory. As you probably expect by now, the infrastructure is top notch, with excellent libraries, laboratories, classrooms and athletic facilities.

Residing Options

Although almost all grad students live off-campus, you should bear in mind that it isn’t exactly easy to find pleasing accommodation. That’s not because it doesn’t exist, but only because the vacancy rate is so low. It’s always advisable to start searching pretty early, because it’s only then that you’ll get to see enough places. A better idea would be to get in touch with some seniors who may be vacating shortly, and try and see if they could get you connected to the landlords directly. Rates could range from about $300 to $1500 per month, depending on the number of bedrooms you want, and the number of roommates you’re willing to tolerate.

Faculty

The motto of UC Davis reads ‘Let There Be Light’, and the faculty tries its best to ensure this. Ranked amongst the top ten schools in the states constantly, UC Davis isn’t really all that popular for its engineering programs among Indians, but that’s probably thanks to its rather low acceptance rates. But don’t be fooled – it’s a top, top school with absolutely excellent professors.