Which is better - UC Davis MBA or UC Irvine MBA?

[nightbird]

My apps were accepted by UC Davis & UC Irvine for fall 2012 Full time MBA.
Could you please share your thoughts on which one is better choice ?

[ZuluMong]

I'm a UC Davis undergraduate alumni and potential applicant for next year so my nod goes to Davis, but take my comments with a grain of salt.

Davis is situated 20 minutes away from Sacramento (California's capitol city) and about an hour away from the SF Bay Area. You'll have a chance to fight for tech and finance jobs out in the Bay Area, but you'll be competing with Berkeley (Haas) and Stanford MBAs (not to mention other top schools) for the most coveted positions. Sacramento is becoming the home away from home for top Bay Area companies and some have established offices near the area (Intel, HP, even Apple I think). The part time program (with a satellite campus in the Bay Area) appears to be a feeder program for Intel and Chevron, so the networking prospects may not so bad for a "regional" school.

The city of Davis is a nice, quiet small town where you'll be able to bike, walk, or take a bus onto campus (last time I was there buses were free to students). Rents average around $1,100 I believe for a 1 bedroom apartment. A car will be necessary to drive out to the Bay Area and Sacramento for interviews, company visits, etc.

Reported salaries for first year MBA graduates at Davis are higher than those of Irvine, but I have to believe that those finding work in the Bay Area (where cost of living can be pretty high) skew the numbers a bit. At the end of the day it'll really depend on your post-MBA goals and where you'd like to potentially live and work.

[brighter]

Bad impression with UC Davis MBA

Things I wish I had known about the UC Davis MBA Graduate School of Management

As a former graduate student, I also had really bad impressions of the UC Davis Graduate School of Management (GSM). I don't recommend anyone to attend the UC Davis MBA. It was a huge mistake. After the first week my classmates and I all immediately regretted our choice in attending UC Davis. The administration and professors are extremely rude and unprofessional. Be aware that there were some very serious issues with the program and faculty going on. Even the facilities were disappointing. So many students were crammed to use the student lounge designed for a capacity of about 50 people. The study and computer room on the 2nd floor is so small like a janitor's closet. The school seems desperate and struggling for business. You know there is something wrong if the school needs to advertise on ads and billboards at SF subway stations, billboards by the freeway, Sacramento Airport and at the back of buses.

There's nothing around except for cows, agriculture, farmlands, acres and acres of flatland, a middle of nowhere quaint, small town... Students could not WAIT to get out of Davis as soon as class ended. Clubs and events are almost empty or nearly empty. Recruiters even complained. People are very selective socially, very cliquish, insular community. I gave the school a chance and it was a huge mistake. Regrettably, it turned out to be a horrible experience. My classmate and I dropped out as a student after a few weeks. It just wasn't worth it. I highly suggest you avoid this program at all costs.

[jucdgs1]

DO NOT COME TO UC DAVIS!!

NEGATIVE infinity Stars.

Terrible college with awful surroundings.

Terrible and tired professors. THE WORST T.A's possible since they are all miserable for accepting Davis as their grad school.

But what about the social scene you might be asking. There is none. Unless you want to pay ridiculous fee's for joining sororities and frats then you're stuck with the friends you were placed with in the dorms for the next 2-4 years. Or you can join the sad and pathetic sports teams, IM's as well. The people who play on these teams are trying to go pro, and will never make it. And with heads that far in the clouds non-sport-players are bound to get douche-bagged.

But don't get me wrong, Davis is known for its vet school, some bio-sciences, and couple food majors. But trust me, a transfer human science major, that's all they're good for. I've met people from poli sci, communications, anthro, sociology, philosophy, etc., Just like them, we are all miserable here since the education is terrible. There are no professors with groundbreaking studies, theories, suggestions that provoke us to learn. I learned more at my former Junior College. None of the studies, books or articles I read for classes have made me want to pursue more in-depth of the subject. These classes have made me run to Amazon and buy books off people's recommendations in reviews. I can honestly say I have learned more reading books recommended by random people on the net than by my professors. And thats not saying that one just enjoys books that one chooses. I have kept and refused to sell back the textbooks from my former JC. I enjoyed them greatly and recommend them to my classmates when they need to escape from nonsense presented to us by UCD.

I need to stop here and buy a 6-pack. Just writing this review has made me want to drink the pain away of being a UCD student.

Prospective students beware!

DO NOT COME TO UC DAVIS.

[ChemEngineer]

I went to Davis for undergrad so I know it's a good school. However, I cannot comment much on their graduate MBA program. I do know that it's ranked higher than UCI though. However, UCI has ranked higher than UCD is the past. Thus, I'd say they're on par with each other.

For future reference for anyone wondering out there, my experience has been that SoCal people know UCI and think it's better, and NorCal people know UCD and think it's better. You should pick your school based on if you plan to work in NorCal or SoCal.