Archive-name: ucdavis/faq/part2
Posting-Frequency: monthly Last-modified: Jun. 23, 1996 Version: 21Jun96 [ASCII/Multipart] URL: <http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/ucdavis/faq/part2/ faq.html > Ebb: <http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~netesq/USENET-FAQs/ucdavis/part1.html > See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge The U.C. Davis USENET FAQ Part 2 of 6 Frequently Asked Questions at and about U.C. Davis (c) Copyright 1995 by David F. Prenatt, Jr. King Hall, 1995 Alumnus U.C. Davis School of Law University of California Davis, CA 95616-5210 <mailto:NetEsq@dcn.davis.ca.us > The U.C. Davis USENET FAQ may be comprised of more than one part. If it is, please see the TABLE OF CONTENTS in Part One for a complete list of the questions that I have attempted to answer and for other important legal information. Caveat emptor: I assume no obligation to anyone through the publication of the U.C. Davis USENET FAQ. Furthermore, all versions of the U.C. Davis USENET FAQ are my personal property and are protected by applicable copyright laws. All rights are reserved except as follows: I hereby give my permission to anyone who has access to this version of the U.C. Davis USENET FAQ to reproduce the information contained herein for non-profit purposes, provided that proper credit is given to me as the author of this FAQ and that I am notified of any use other than personal use. I may revoke permission to reproduce any version of this FAQ at any time. - - - - - The U.C. Davis USENET FAQ Part 2 of 6 Frequently Asked Questions at and about U.C. Davis (c) Copyright 1995 & 1996 by David F. Prenatt, Jr. 1) ABOUT THIS FAQ. 1.1) Who wrote this FAQ and how can I reach him? [Rev] This FAQ was written by me, David F. Prenatt, Jr., 1995 alumnus of the University of California, Davis School of Law (King Hall). Until further notice, you can reach me by my e-mail through the Davis Community Network: NetEsq@dcn.davis.ca.us (<mailto:NetEsq@dcn.davis.ca.us >) or by snail-mail (i.e., U.S. Mail) through my Davis P.O. Box: David F. Prenatt, Jr. Internet Esquire(sm) P.O. Box 74632 Davis, CA 95617-5632 or on the World Wide Web (<http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~netesq/ >). 1.2) What information is contained in this FAQ? Anything that I, as the author of this FAQ, decided would be of interest to members and would-be members of the U.C. Davis community. See PREFATORY QUESTIONS (Section 0) for more information. For more information on U.C. Davis, interested parties should also see the U.C. Davis Gopher (<gopher://gopher.ucdavis.edu/ >) and/or visit the U.C. Davis Home Page on the World Wide Web (<http://www.ucdavis.edu/ >). 1.3) How is this FAQ organized? This version of this FAQ may be arbitrarily divided into unequal parts where I felt it was convenient to do so. I did this for two reasons: First, some readers of this FAQ may have specific questions and may not want to read the entire FAQ. If this version is comprised of more than one part, the first part will contain the complete TABLE OF CONTENTS. Thus, readers may refer to the TABLE OF CONTENTS to find out which part of this FAQ contains the specific questions that they want answered. Second, some computer services and/or applications are unable to handle extremely large computer files. Thus, if this version of this FAQ is comprised of more than one part, no one part will exceed 32k. See the TABLE OF CONTENTS in this FAQ for more detailed information about how the contents of this version of this FAQ are organized. This FAQ uses standard Uniform Resource Locator (URL) protocol references to accomodate readers with a web browser: <ftp://[ftp site][directory][archive] > = file transfer protocol <gopher://[gopher address] > = gopher protocol <http://[World Wide Web address] > = hypertext transfer protocol <mailto:[e-mail account]@[domain] > = SMTP e-mail protocol <news:[newsgroup or article reference] > = USENET protocol <telnet:[telnet site] > = IP telnet protocol These URL references will act as hyptertext links for those using Netscape to read this FAQ. 1.4) How can I obtain this FAQ? This FAQ is archived at rtfm.mit.edu in the pub/usenet/news.answers directory under the archive name ucdavis/faq/part* (where * = 1 through 6) and is available by anonymous ftp and e-mail request. See Section 11.3.3.1 for more information on how to use ftp and e-mail request. This FAQ is updated once a month and the most current version is posted to ucd.general (<news:ucd.general >) and news.answers (<news:news.answers >); A hypertext version of this FAQ is currently available at the USENET FAQ project: <http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/ucdavis/faq/top.html > Snail-mail requests for this FAQ, [Offline] (Version 21Jun96), released June 21, 1996, will be honored within the United States (U.S.), if those requests are accompanied by $5.00 in U.S. funds in the form of a check or money order for each copy requested to cover the cost of printing, shipping, and handling; volume discounts and licensing agreements are available. At my discretion, I may ship a more recent version of this FAQ unless you specify otherwise. 1.5) Are there any other FAQs available by the author of this FAQ? Yes. I have published five other FAQS: The King Hall Law School USENET FAQ (King Hall USENET FAQ), appearing on ucd.king-hall <news:ucd.king-hall >) and available by anonymous ftp and e-mail request at the rtmf.mit.edu ftp server: <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/ucdavis/king-hall-faq/ > . . . [through] . . . <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/ucdavis/king-hall-faq/ > (see part 1 for a complete list of the TABLE OF CONTENTS) with a hypertext version available at the USENET FAQ Project: <http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/ucdavis/ king-hall-faq/top.html > The Davis, California USENET FAQ (Davis USENET FAQ), appearing on davis.general (<news:davis.general >), and available by anonymous ftp an e-mail request at the rtfm.mit.edu ftp server: <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/davis/faq/part1 > . . . [through] . . . <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/davis/faq/part6 > (see part 1 for a complete list of the TABLE OF CONTENTS) with a hypertext version available at the USENET FAQ Project: <http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/davis/faq/top.html > The Yolo County, California USENET FAQ (Yolo County USENET FAQ), appearing on yolo.general (<news:yolo.general >) and available by anonymous ftp an e-mail request at the rtfm.mit.edu server: <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/yolo/faq/part1 > <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/yolo/faq/part2 > <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/yolo/faq/part3 > (see part 1 for a complete list of the TABLE OF CONTENTS) with a hypertext version available at the USENET FAQ Project: <http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/yolo/faq/top.html > The Sacramento, California USENET FAQ (Sacramento USENET FAQ), appearing on sac.general (<news:sac.general >)and available by anonymous ftp and e-mail request at the rtfm.mit.edu server: <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/sac/faq/part1 > . . . [through] . . . <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/sac/faq/part6 > (see part 1 for a complete list of the TABLE OF CONTENTS) with a hypertext version available at the USENET FAQ Project: <http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/sac/faq/top.html > The San Francisco Bay Area USENET FAQ (Bay Area USENET FAQ), appearing on ba.general (<news:ba.general >)and available by anonymous ftp and e-mail request at the rtfm.mit.edu server: <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/sf-ba/faq/ > . . . [through] . . . <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/sf-ba/faq/ > (see part 1 for a complete list of the TABLE OF CONTENTS) with a hypertext version available at the USENET FAQ Project: <http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/sf-ba/faq/top.html > These FAQs are updated once a month and the most current versions are posted on news.answers (<news:news.answers >) and the appropriate designated USENET newsgroup. Offline versions of the 21Jun96 releases of these FAQs are available within the U.S. by snail-mail request, if your request is accompanied by $5.00 U.S. currency in the form of a check or money order for each copy of each FAQ that you order, to cover the cost of printing, shipping, and handling; volume discounts and licensing agreements are available. Including the FAQs that are listed here, I have about a dozen FAQS currently under construction and/or pending approval of the *.answers team. 2) FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FROM PEOPLE PREPARING TO ATTEND U.C. DAVIS. 2.1) What are the prerequisites for attending U.C. Davis? There are no prerequisites for attending U.C. Davis. U.C. Davis is a public university, and many people attend U.C. Davis without being formally admitted to any academic program. However, most people who attend U.C. Davis seek formal admission to some academic program before they begin attending U.C. Davis. Admission to any academic program at any college or university requires some sort of official imprimatur. 2.2) What are the prerequisites for admission to an academic program at U.C. Davis? It depends upon the academic program. See Section 3 for a complete list of the Educational Programs Available at U.C. Davis. Some programs have very strict academic standards and prerequisites and other programs have open enrollment. Many people believe that the raison d'etre of U.C. Davis is undergraduate education, but this is only part of the educational mission of U.C. Davis. The educational mission of U.C. Davis is a constant topic of debate (i.e., research, teaching, etc.). Whatever the educational mission of U.C. Davis is, even more people argue about what the educational mission of U.C. Davis should be. However, to the person seeking admission to one of the academic programs at U.C. Davis, the exact nature of U.C. Davis's educational mission is not as important as whether U.C. Davis has an academic program to help that person achieve his or her personal academic goals. Before someone can achieve his or her academic goals, one must know what those goals are. Many of the people whom I meet who are enrolled in academic programs at U.C. Davis have no specific academic goals. These people did not make an informed decision about why they wanted to attend U.C. Davis. Rather, that decision was made for them by someone else. Many people who complete an academic program at U.C. Davis, with all of the trappings of academic success, did not belong at a university in the first place. They listened to traditional wisdom and applied to U.C. Davis simply because the opportunity presented itself. Once admitted, they selected from the menu of classes and completed the requirements for graduation simply because they felt that it would create better opportunities for them. However, for many of these people, better opportunities were not forthcoming, and thus many of these people would have been better off at a junior college or a California State University (CSU). Most junior colleges and CSUs are friendlier and more affordable than U.C. Davis. Moreover, U.C. Davis readily accepts transfer students from junior colleges and CSUs. These transfer students typically have higher Grade Point Averages (GPAs) at U.C. Davis than they would have had if they had started attending U.C. Davis as first year undergraduates. Thus, those who attend U.C. Davis simply because they can do so are at a distinct disadvantage when they become juniors, seniors, or graduate students at U.C. Davis. 2.3) What should I do to prepare for U.C. Davis? Decide why you want to attend U.C. Davis. If you don't know, then attend a junior college or a CSU until you figure it out. U.C. Davis will still be around a couple of years later. Whatever you do, don't let someone else make your decisions for you, especially not the anonymous authority of the crowd. If you are a competent adult, then no one is better informed about your personal situation than you are. 2.4) What are the advantages of attending U.C. Davis as an undergraduate? The advantages of attending U.C. Davis as an undergraduate as opposed to a junior college or CSU are the advantages that result from your association with the ambitious people who are drawn to a research university. However, your academic education may suffer in the process. Like any research institution, U.C. Davis relies heavily upon teacher's assistants (TAs) to teach undergraduate courses that no tenured professors really want to teach. In striking contrast, classes at junior colleges and CSU's have a higher percentage of Ph.D. instructors who are highly motivated and capable teachers. Junior colleges are primarily transitional institutions. Many if not most of the students there will eventually enter a four year institution and obtain a four year degree. Accordingly, students in junior colleges do not as a rule suffer from a lack of ambition. The cultural millieu of CSUs, on the other hand, inculcates a ditch digger mentality in many students. Everything at the CSUs, from the major fields of study that are offered to the architecture of the buildings, reinforces the false notion that CSU students are somehow second-class students. But there is no reason for students to accept this pecking order; it simply doesn't have to be that way. Someone who attends a CSU can have just as good an education as someone who attends a U.C., if not better. No matter where you attend college, the trick to getting a good education is to take courses from good teachers rather than just taking required courses at prestigious institutions. If you find an instructor who knows how to teach, take whatever classes he or she offers, and ask him or her to recommend other teachers. I had one undergraduate mentor who taught three courses simultaneously at three different colleges (a U.C, a CSU, and a junior college), and I attended all three courses at the same time. 2.5) Can you tell me something about the history of U.C. Davis? Once upon a time, in 1905 the U.C. Davis campus was established as the U.C. Berkeley farm; later it became the U.C. College of Agriculture. U.C. Davis became a general campus in 1959. Over the course of its evolution into a separate U.C. campus, U.C. Davis has distinguished itself in many areas. The school of veterinary medicine and the viticulture and oenology programs are arguably the best in the world. 3) EDUCATIONAL AND OTHER PROGRAMS OFFERED BY U.C. DAVIS. There are over 140 educational disiplines/majors at U.C. Davis as well as many educational minors that are divided up into three colleges and four professional schools; non-degree educational programs and intercollegiate sports programs are also offered. See the current U.C. Davis Catalog for more information on the particular educational programs that interests you or contact one of the colleges or professional schools listed in the subsections below. 3.1) APPLYING FOR ADMISSION TO AN ACADEMIC PROGRAM AT U.C. DAVIS. 3.1.1) How and when do I apply for admission to U.C. Davis as a first year undergraduate? Depending upon when you intend to begin your studies at U.C. Davis, you may be required to apply any time from six months to a year in advance, and the location to which you should submit your application may vary. Contact Undergraduate Admissions at (916)752-2971 for an application and for information on how, when, and where to submit your application as a first year undergraduate. Readers with a web browser may also visit the U.C. Davis Admissions Home Page on the World Wide Web (<http://louie.stuaff.ucdavis.edu/Admissions/!info.html >). 3.1.1.1) What are the basic requirements for admission to U.C. Davis as a first year undergraduate? Various subject requirements are imposed upon first year undergraduate applicants to U.C. Davis. In addition, an applicant's high school GPA is balanced against his or her score on standardized tests and ranked on an eligibility index; applicants from outside of California must have at least a 3.4 GPA. If you score well enough on your admissions test, you need not complete the scholarship and subject requirements. 3.1.1.2) Is Affirmative Action dead at U.C. Davis for first year undergraduate students? On Thurday, July 20, 1995, the U.C. Regents approved the proposal of U.C. Regent Ward Connerly to end the use of race-based criteria in admission procedures for the U.C. system, but the significance of this decision for disadvantaged students has yet to be determined. As a U.C. Davis alumnus, it profoundly disturbs me that people are arguing over who is most victimized by the U.C. system. As a law school graduate, I question whether the U.C Regents' decision was even newsworthy in light of the Supreme Court's decision almost two decades ago in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, 438 U.S. 265 (1978), that effectively ended Affirmative Action (i.e., race-based quotas) in college admissions. Unlike many other schools, U.C. Davis has fully complied with the _Bakke_ decision in its admissions procedures and and its active recruitment of members of groups that have been historically underrepresented at U.C. Davis. Affirmative Action (which is patently illegal and does not exist as most people seem to think that it does) may not be the solution to the problems faced by the U.C., but neither is the fundamental restructuring of admissions procedures by the U.C. Regents one of the real problems that disadvantaged applicants for admission to U.C. Davis will face in the future. The crux of the problem for all U.C. applicants (which few people have seen fit to address) lies in the lack of space to accomodate the vast majority of qualified applicants who wish to attend a particular U.C. campus (e.g., U.C. Berkeley) as a first year undergraduate. Neverthless, no matter how limited the opportunities are for first year undergraduates at a particular campus, the lack of particular opportunities does not compromise the various other opportunites that still exist for those people who wish to attend a U.C. as part of their undergraduate education. If you apply for admission to the U.C. system as a first year undergraduate student and you get turned down, it is usually for a reason that you can address and fix. For example, if your GPA or admission test scores are too low, you can bring them up at a junior college or CSU and transfer in at a later date. See Section 3.1.2 for more information on application as a transfer student. However, the number one reason that most people do not get admitted to the U.C. system is that they choose not to apply. They are told by their family and friends that it is a waste of time to do so. Do not buy into the defeatist propaganda that the anonymous authority of the crowd has to sell. My high school grades and my performance on standardized tests gave me the opportunity to attend virtually any college that I wanted to attend when I was 15 years old. I was also offered full scholarships to colleges that most people are never even able to attend. However, after successfully completing two semesters of college as a high school junior, I chose to attend junior colleges to complete the vast majority of my underclass undergraduate education. When I eventually transferred full time to a four year university, my high school GPA and standardized test scores became totally irrelevant, nothing more than bragging rights that did not affect my chances for admission to a university for better or for worse. Moreover, my undergraduate education as a whole was cheaper, faster, better, and a lot more fun than that of most people whom I know who only attended a four year university as an undergraduate. 3.1.2) How do I apply for admission to U.C. Davis as an undergraduate transfer student? Students who are thinking of transferring to U.C. Davis should contact Transfer Student Services at (916)752-2200 to coordinate their transfer. Depending upon when you intend to begin your studies at U.C. Davis, you may be required to apply any time from six months to a year in advance, and the location to which you should submit your application may vary. For an application and information on how when and where to submit your application as a transfer student, contact Undergraduate Admissions at (916)752-2971. Readers with a web browser may also visit the U.C. Davis Admissions Home Page on the World Wide Web (<http://louie.stuaff.ucdavis.edu/Admissions/!info.html >). 3.1.2.1) What are the requirements for admission to U.C. Davis as an undergraduate transfer student? Start with the requirements for admission as a firt year undergraduate applicant and work your way down. See Section 3.1.1.1 for information on first year undergraduate application requirements. After completing 12 or more transferable quarter units with a GPA of 2.0, you are exempt from examination requirements that are imposed upon first year undergraduate applicants to U.C. Davis; after completing the equivalent of 84 or more transferable quarter units with a 2.4 GPA, you are exempt from the high school GPA requirements that are imposed upon first year undergraduate students (a 2.8 GPA in your transferable college courses is required if you are not a California resident). Meanwhile, you can complete college courses in the required high school subjects that may have excluded you from being eligibile for admission as a first year undergraduate applicant. 3.1.2.2) Other Things to Consider as an Undergraduate Transfer Student. You may want to take some summer classes at U.C. Davis before you transfer in as a full time student. That way you can get acquainted with the University and see if its the right place for you. Admission to a Summer Session is much easier than admission to the University as a normally matriculating student, and the hussle and bustle of the normal school year is greatly reduced during the summer. See Section 3.1.5 for more information on admission to Summer Sessions. 3.1.3) How do I apply for admission to U.C. Davis in a non-degree program? Contact University Extension or the Experimental College for this information. See Section 3.4 for more information. 3.1.4) How do I apply for admission to U.C. Davis as a graduate or professional student? Contact Graduate Admissions at (916)752-0655 for information on how and when to apply for admission to the various graduate and professional programs at U.C. Davis. Readers with a web browser may visit the Office of Graduate Studies Home Page on the World Wide Web page: <http://pubweb.ucdavis.edu/documents/gradstudies/gradpage.html > 3.1.5) How do I apply for admission to Summer Sessions? Virtually anyone can enroll in Summer Sessions at U.C. Davis without going through any admissions procedures. However, admission to a Summer Session at U.C. Davis is not the same thing as admission to the University. For information on enrolling in a Summer Session, call the Office of Summer Sessions (<mailto:summer-sessions@ucdavis.edu >) at (916)752-1641 or 1-800-VIP-2738 and ask for a catalog or visit the office in person at 44 Mrak Hall. Readers with a web browser may also wish to visit the U.C. Davis Summer Sessions Home Page on the World Wide Web (<http://www-mrak.ucdavis.edu/ssessions/UCDsummer.html >) 3.2) UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS AT U.C. DAVIS. [Rev] See the current U.C. Davis Catalog or contact one of the three colleges listed below for information on the undergraduate programs that are offered through U.C. Davis: * College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences <http://www.aes.ucdavis.edu/ > (916)752-0107. * College of Engineeering <http://www.engr.ucdavis.edu/ > (916)752-0553. * College of Letters and Sciences <http://www-lsdo.ucdavis.edu/ > (916)752-0392. See also the URLs listed below: * Schools and Colleges at U.C. Davis <http://www.ucdavis.edu/schools-colleges.html > * Academic Departments at U.C. Davis <http://www.ucdavis.edu/acadedepts.html > 3.3) GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL PROGRAMS AT U.C. DAVIS. Readers with a web browser may visit the Office of Graduate Studies Home Page on the World Wide Web page (<http://pubweb.ucdavis.edu/documents/gradstudies/gradpage.html >). 3.3.1) GRADUATE SCHOOL PROGRAMS AT U.C. DAVIS. U.C. Davis is among the top 20 universities in the United States in terms of research funding. There are over 70 graduate school programs at U.C. Davis, which rely heavily upon research funding. See the current U.C. Davis Catalog or contact one of the three colleges listed in Section 3.2 for information on the specific graduate programs at U.C. Davis that interest you. 3.3.2) PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL PROGRAMS AT U.C. DAVIS. 3.3.2.1) The Veterinary Medicine School. Contact the School of Veterinary Medicine Admissions at (916)752-1383 for information on its educational programs or visit the school's Home Page on the World Wide Web (<http://vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ >). 3.3.2.2) The Medical School. Contact the School of Medicine Admissions at (916)752-2717 for information on its educational programs or visit the school's Home Page on the World Wide Web (<http://www-med.ucdavis.edu/ >). 3.3.2.3) The Law School. Contact Sharon Pinkney (<mailto:slpinkney@ucdavis.edu >) at the Martin Luther King, Jr., School of Law (U.C. Davis, School of Law, popularly known as King Hall) Admissions at (916)752-6477 for information on the Law School's educational programs or visit King Hall's Home Page on the World Wide Web (<http://kinghall.ucdavis.edu/ >). See also the King Hall USENET FAQ for any questions that you may have about King Hall; see Section 1.5 for more information on how to obtain the King Hall USENET FAQ. If the King Hall USENET FAQ does not answer your questions about King Hall, it should direct you to someone who is qualified to do so. 3.3.2.4) The Graduate School of Management. Contact the Graduate School of Management Admissions at (916)752-7399 for information on its educational programs or visit the school's Home Page on the World Wide Web (<http://www-gsm.ucdavis.edu/ >). 3.4) NON-DEGREE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AT U.C.DAVIS. 3.4.1) University Extension. University Extension provides various continuing education programs as well as concurrent enrollment for students who are not formally admitted to the University. Non-matriculating students may thus use concurrent enrollment to obtain college credit. Contact University Extension from a touch tone phone at (800)752-0881 in California or (916)757-8777 to order a catalog. Readers with a web browser may also visit the University Extension Home Page on the World Wide Web (<http://www-unex.ucdavis.edu/ >). 3.4.2) The Experimental College. The EC provides a number of extra-academic courses with virtually no academic prerequisites. Contact the Experimental College (EC) at (916)752-2568 for more information on its educational programs. - - - - - End Document: The U.C. Davis USENET FAQ Part 2 of 6 Frequently Asked Questions at and about U.C. Davis (c) Copyright 1995 & 1996 by David F. Prenatt, Jr. King Hall, 1995 Alumnus U.C. Davis School of Law University of California Davis, CA 95616-5210 <mailto:NetEsq@dcn.davis.ca.us > Link to Next Document: <http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~netesq/USENET-FAQs/ucdavis/part3 > - - - - - User Contributions: |
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