UC Davis v/s UBC Canada - confused

[chem216]

Hello all,
 
I am an Indian student and have got PhD offers from UC Davis and University of British Columbia in analytical chemistry, and I'm having difficulty deciding between the two. Any help will be highly appreciated.

The scholarship amount is almost the same (2000$ per month) - Davis offers slightly more. I am interested in a couple of groups both at Davis and BC but I've been told (only by a few people) that life in Davis is boring and 5 years will be better spent in Vancouver. (I have lived in Canada few months earlier and don't mind the winter so that's not a problem for me).

Ranking - UC Davis does better in rankings for chemistry but I don't know how reliable they are.

Future - I've also been told job prospects are better in Canada than in the US (again just by one or two people).

 

I want to hear your opinions and/or advice from people who have been in similar situations.

Thanks a lot!

[iphi]

Vancouver is the warmest weather city in mainland Canada (it's island neighbor Victoria technically wins) so not too cold and barely any snow, but what Vancouver has is the rain 8 months of the year. I have lived in both Vancouver and Northern CA and would probably also counsel you to choose UBC. Life there for grad students is great, the city really can't be beat, and job opportunities (not to mention your eventual retirement): pensions, healthcare) will probably be better.

 

In addition, Davis will be hard to navigate (or at least to leave, and believe me, you will want to leave) without a car, whereas Vancouver is (in my opinion) one of the most accessible cities in North America.

 

Just my $0.02 since I've lived in both areas! Feel free to PM me if you need more details.

Edited March 3, 2014 by iphi

[prolixity]

Davis is a charming small town and is supremely bikeable.  It's a thirty minute bike ride from Sacramento, which is a city of about 400,000 people.  There's plenty to do in downtown Davis, including bars, pseudo-nightclubs, and great restaurants. I wouldn't say it's that boring of a place. Check out the beer shoppe and university of beer if you're into craft brews... It can be quite hot there.. 

[Reidp]

I was just visiting Davis a couple weeks ago. I'm not sure if you got the chance to see the Genome Center there, but they also do a lot of analytical research and have a great facility. I'm guessing you might also be interested in Dr. Lebrilla? Who all are you interested in working with there?

[GeoDUDE!]

Vancouver is the warmest weather city in mainland Canada (it's island neighbor Victoria technically wins) so not too cold and barely any snow, but what Vancouver has is the rain 8 months of the year. I have lived in both Vancouver and Northern CA and would probably also counsel you to choose UBC. Life there for grad students is great, the city really can't be beat, and job opportunities (not to mention your eventual retirement): pensions, healthcare) will probably be better.

 

In addition, Davis will be hard to navigate (or at least to leave, and believe me, you will want to leave) without a car, whereas Vancouver is (in my opinion) one of the most accessible cities in North America.

 

Just my $0.02 since I've lived in both areas! Feel free to PM me if you need more details.

 

My impression of davis is its just about the easiest place to get around without a car; bike lanes everywhere!

[chem216]

Thanks!

 

Davis is a charming small town and is supremely bikeable.  It's a thirty minute bike ride from Sacramento, which is a city of about 400,000 people.  There's plenty to do in downtown Davis, including bars, pseudo-nightclubs, and great restaurants. I wouldn't say it's that boring of a place. Check out the beer shoppe and university of beer if you're into craft brews... It can be quite hot there.. 

I'm from India so I'm depending on what I've heard about the two places from other students and people who have been to both places. Good to know Davis isn't that boring

 

 

I was just visiting Davis a couple weeks ago. I'm not sure if you got the chance to see the Genome Center there, but they also do a lot of analytical research and have a great facility. I'm guessing you might also be interested in Dr. Lebrilla? Who all are you interested in working with there?

Yes Dr. Lebrilla's is one of the groups I'm interested in. Analytical research faculty looks pretty good.

 

 

Life there for grad students is great, the city really can't be beat, and job opportunities (not to mention your eventual retirement): pensions, healthcare) will probably be better.

I've heard it the other way round too..... More job opportunities in the US, etc