UC Davis or Cal Poly SLO?

Not that the opinion of a stranger on the internet will sway her in the least (nor should it), but sounds like Davis to me, especially if live music is a big factor, since Sacramento has lots of venues, from tiny to arena sized. The bio/health sciences piece also dovetails with UC Davis Medical Center which is a powerhouse institution and my understanding is there are lots of internship pathways associated with it.

That said, I love SLO town and it would definitely win on the outdoor activities piece (hiking is amazing around there, and beaches within a 15 min drive).

What is your daughter interested in pursuing as a career? Is she a hands-on learner? Cal Poly's motto is “Learn by Doing” and they really mean it. My son graduated from there in 2021 in Mechanical Engineering and he was doing engineering stuff from day one. The faculty are very student focused and students have opportunities there that are usually reserved for grad students at other universities. There are also plenty of options for non-academic pursuits. Lots of clubs, outdoor activities, and Cal Poly Arts for music, shows, etc.

Feel free to message me if you have questions.

We've taken a tour of SLO, and they made it very clear that it is difficult to change majors there. This is because of the way the programs are designed. So this is something important to keep in mind.

I don't have a lot of experience with Davis, but my outdoorsy kid has thrived at SLO. I really love their "learn by doing" method - it's not just a motto, but seems to be integrated into the teaching - for example, before engineering students start designing things, they learn to weld and build things and break things so they understand the materials. It's been a great fit for my hands-on kid. It seems like the other disciplines have similar approaches - there are opportunities to raise goats, restore sand dunes, study beekeeping, etc. depending on what you're studying. And the campus and surrounding area are beautiful - lots of places to bike, hike, hang out by the ocean, etc. and there's a strong music scene with house concerts and other venues. I think she'd get a great education at either school, so maybe if you have time spend a day exploring the two towns and checking out the vibe and the weather and see what feels right to her.  

If you have not already, you may want to post this question to a College Confidential forum - they have lots of folks on the site with kids at both places who may be helpful, and similar questions have come up there lately. I agree with the previous poster that what she wants to do with bio/health is key.  I assume your daughter has toured both - they are quite different - the question we always asked our student was 'could you see yourself here for the next 4 years?" Congrats to her and good luck - she likelly cannot go wrong either way!

As a current Cal Poly parent and spouse of an alumnus, I recommend it. My kid has thrived there so far and enjoys all the extracurriculars you mentioned are important for your daughter. I suggest you and/or your daughter join the Cal Poly parents Facebook group. It’s an extremely active page with lots of great information. As a new admit your daughter/you can join and ask your questions and I promise you’ll get a lot of feedback, even about Davis as members may have kids who attend there as well. https://m.facebook.com/groups/CalPolySLOMustangParents/
Congratulations and good luck in whatever school she chooses!

I attended UC Davis a while back and LOVED it. One thing to consider is the weather. It is very very hot a lot of the time. It did not bother me but for many of my peers at the time it was a hard adjustment. The other thing I recall seeing others have difficulty adjusting to was the allergy season. Many people with allergies were miserable during certain months.

Again neither of these impacted me at all and I made lifelong friends there. I loved the safety and the small town feel.

Both great choices though- Good luck!