FMS88 - Our posts crossed so I also very much appreciate your experience. My son will be a senior this coming year and because of an opportunity to study away from home during his entire junior year, we're scrambling to get him ready. He is excited to get out of Florida, so we don't have any schools here on his list. That would have been easy!
If you have any other tips you're willing to share about your CA college trip, I'd love to have them either here or via PM.