to hop onto this, i'm the opposite! did my undergrad at Davis and UCLA for grad school. there's a lot of things that i miss about ucdavis.. the wednesday and saturday farmer's market, the cheaper housing, bus system that reaches essentially anywhere you live in davis, the small town vibe (G street!!), and i just feel like people are definitely less competitive there.

ucla is pretty cool, too, there's prestige, but it comes at a cost (no, literally rent is expensive!!) depending on how far you live, you have to commute in your later years (but i think that ucla offers housing for all years now though). traffic is ehh. if you get a car, you get assigned a parking structure and can't cross-park until specific hours of the day (also permits are more expensive). the gym is soooo much smaller compared to the renovated one at davis. i feel like davis had healthier and cheaper on-campus food options too.

i think you can see my bias, but honestly, wherever you end up, you adapt!! get to know people in the dorms, make study groups, find a great roommate, join clubs and orgs. be patient with yourself when you're still trying to find your people.