Why I’ll miss UC Davis

Make the most of your time here — it doesn’t last forever

When starting undergrad at UC Davis last year, I wasn’t that excited. On the contrary: I was kind of stressed out. I felt like I had changed so much over the course of the pandemic and lost my “people skills,” making me even more anxious for my first year of in-person instruction and at a public university.

Not only was it hard to adjust to having to attend class again, it also took a while for me to get assimilated to Davis’s culture. Everyone I knew or met over the span of the year were either living on campus or in apartments nearby, which gave them a bit of an advantage when it came to making friends and getting adjusted to campus life. Compare that to me, who only came to campus two-to-three times a week, primarily for classes. While others had the ability to experience the nightlife and hang out with friends in the evening, I was driving home every night instead.

It definitely was an adjustment period at the beginning of college: I had to learn how the campus ran, the biking rules on campus and so on. But over time, I really came to love my time at Davis.

This year, Davis has come to feel like my home away from home. Even though I’m a commuter, I’ve found that I have the ability to explore something new in the area surrounding campus every day.

The beauty of the campus — all its nature, trails and animals — are the things I enjoyed most over the last year. But it isn’t just the campus that I love, I am fortunate to be able to say that the people in my major have made my time worthwhile as well. I felt welcomed on campus and was able to build strong bonds within my community.

Knowing that I’ll be graduating soon, I decided to start a bucket list of everything I want to do in Davis before I graduate. For starters, I have yet to visit the Arboretum, however I plan to go by the end of this quarter. I also hope to visit the Davis Creamery sometime in spring or summer with friends. I haven’t been able to experience the culture in downtown Davis as much as I would have liked over the last year, but from what I have heard from friends, it sounds like a lot of fun. I hope to also visit the Davis farmers market as well.

Overall, my experience at Davis has been full of ups and downs, but I have highly enjoyed my time here so far. I believe that UC Davis was the best choice for my undergraduate degree, and I’m so thankful I decided to enroll here a year and a half ago. If you’re like me, try to make the most of your time here before you leave. I guarantee that you won’t regret it.

Written by: Jena Tufail — jjtufail@ucdavis.edu

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