Another vote for UCD. I chose UCD when I transferred. I felt like I could get a competitive GPA while also having access to opportunities. It was also important for me to have somewhat of a social life but also not be at a super party school. In the end of the day I was focused on graduating and applying to med school.
- I transferred there and felt it was rigorous and REALLY helped with the MCAT. I knew all the content for the bio section because my classes at Davis were challenging and required a lot of critical thinking. Make sure to not underestimate the courses though, I had an adjustment period (got lots of B's) and had to change my study techniques.
- I had really great professors and a few of them are also part of faculty at UCDSOM. I don't think your chances are better for their medical school, but you'll have a lot of opportunities that will make you competitive for any medical school.
- Coming from socal I did not want to commute. I wrote off UCI and UCSD because housing is expensive near campus and most of my friends had to commute in. Riding a bike was a great way to get exercise and stay in shape.
- I like the small college town feel of Davis. If you want more of a party scene you could join a frat or work at the Coho which is the campus food court that is completely student run (they're party animals). The bars are also busy on Wed/Thurs, not so much on the weekend. I went to SF a few times each school year to visit bay area friends, go out, attend concerts, etc.
- There's a really nice peaceful vibe to Davis that I enjoyed. I liked the surrounding nature and it helped me de-stress and stay focused. Coming from socal I also liked the winters here (cool, rainy, very green).
- No gunner vibes. Each class had a FB group specific to the professor/course/quarter and everyone shared resources and helped each other out on study guides. We did a lot of collective work. Not sure if other UC's have this system.
- Because there's few gunners you can literally do anything you want. The competition isn't as fierce as SD (Irvine might be more gunner from what I heard from friends). I found a research position and I was the board for a club within a few weeks of starting lol. All the internships are online in our student portal so it's super easy to cherry pick and apply to internships. There were plenty research opportunities with the medical center and the med school (both clinical and lab).
- Sacramento (capitol) is close by and you can do internships with the government. I got involved with the CADPH which was really cool.
UCSB/UCSC - Doesn't have a med school, party vibes, not as focused classmates.
UCSD - Gunner and difficult to get good grades and research (sometimes).
UCI - Heard it is gunner, commuter/suburban school, not sure if collaborative.
UCR - Similar to Davis but not as many resources. Riverside is also boring.
UCD - Strong academics, lots of resources, get to live close to campus, peaceful but can also find party scenes for the easy weeks.
So imo UCD>UCI>UCSB/UCR>UCSD>UCSC
Phew that was long! Best of luck