You should really pick based on what you want to be near. From Pasadena, it's faster to get to San Jose (via BUR) during commute times than it is to get to the west side. And you don't want to have to go through DTLA on a regular basis - it really chokes traffic. In or out is ok, but through isn't fun.

I'm most familiar with the Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley area, having been here over 20 years. It's not really a student town - Pasadena grew up somewhat separately from LA as a sanatorium town for people from the east with TB to live in a dry, warm climate, and eventually it all merged in the sprawl. Caltech and Art Center have fairly tiny student populations, and PCC is a commuter school for the whole valley. That said, you won't find a lot of luxury apartments - there are quite a few small complexes, and a few that are newer, but it's mostly single family houses, sometimes that have been split, but more often have a single-unit front house and a back house/granny flat that's anywhere from 1 to 3 units, sometimes attached to a garage that goes with the front house. There are a few fancy-ish places in and near Old Pasadena - I'm not sure any are even over 10 stories, though. When I've visited people with nice apartments, I don't think any had doormen. And it's nowhere near cheap - it's hard for people on experienced engineer salaries to afford a place in/near Pasadena. It is convenient to BUR, but not LAX - you don't want to have to go through DTLA to get to/from LAX if you don't have to worry about a commute the rest of the time. Anything near Old Pas or South Lake would be walkable, but it's mostly a residential car-town. The Gold Line to union station + Flyaway Bus isn't bad, but it's not faster than driving most of the time, though it's much cheaper than a ride share or parking. The Chinese food on this side of town is definitely better than on the west side.