Best Place to study and live in CA
 

HI

what is the best place to live in california , not costly , safety (crime) ,

Which uni is loacted there ?

University of California - Berkeley
University of California - San Diego
University of Southern California
University of California - Irvine
University of California, Davis
University of California - Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Cruz

ALL these places are expensive to live in, although Davis is the least so.

As to which is best, they are all nice (with the exception, IMO, of USC). What are you looking for in a living environment -- big city, small town, the seashore (and do you want warm (relatively speaking) water or cold), etc.? If you could provide more details, perhaps we could give more useful advice.

I think Davis is the best, but then I have a personal bias since I did my undergrad at UCD. However, it has a small-town feel, which not everyone likes (although it's within 1.5 hr or so to the Big City (SF)). I also like Santa Cruz, although I only know UCSC by reputation -- another smaller town and on the Pacific Ocean, but it can be cold and foggy much of the year there (which, again, I like but many others would not).

Re crime, Davis has low crime as well as (I believe) Santa Cruz; Berkeley has some problems. I am unfamiliar with the others.

Also, if you are deciding where to go to university, I would think an equally important question would be which campus has a good department and reputation in the field of your planned major.

Curious why you left UC - Riverside off the list? I realize it is not near the quality of a Berkeley, but from a cost standpoint that area is pretty reasonable.

What other factors are you considering in a school? Academic excellence? Cost of tuition? Fun? Have you considered Stanford or the Cal. State schools?

One of my kids attended UCSD and loved it.
Another attended UCSB and loved it. They were looking for academic excellence in addition to a location close to the sea and within a couple of hours driving distance to Los Angeles (where we live). Both received outstanding educations and went on to excellent graduate schools.
Motivation welcome to Flyertalk!

What do you plan to major in? I would think that would be a big factor in considering these schools. Have you toured any? Will you live on campus?

I've been to all of them on your list and they're all very different. I happen to be partial to Berkeley, but it's certainly not for everyone. If you plan to live on campus, the room and board is not significantly different from one UC school to the other. There is a cost big difference in living off campus, however.

You could visit all of these schools in two weekends.

Unless USC has an academic program you are seeking that's not attainable at any of the UC campuses or you are not a CA resident, I wouldn't consider it. With such great public universities in CA, it's hard to justify paying private school tuition, unless it's Stanford.

Berkeley of course wins on academic reputation. When I was an undergrad at UC Davis, my friends at Berkeley were some of the brightest people I met. They, regretably, were also some of the most miserable people I knew. Berkeley is a tough school to get into and also to get out of (with a degree). It's a big impersonal school, somewhat chaotic, a bit hostile, but never boring.

UCSB and UCSD have great locations: right on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. I would rank UCSD as the #3 UC campus in academic reputation. UCSB, still a very good school, has a reputation for being a party school.

I'm partial to UC Davis. I had a great experience there. When I was there in the mid-90's, it was a small, quiet, friendly college town. Now that it's been built up with the Gap, Borders, Starbucks (outrage!!!!), and the invasion of fast food outlets clinging to I-80, I'm afraid that Davis will lose it's quirky, homey appeal and turn into another Vacaville (shudder).

UC Davis students study hard. Maybe it's because we have an inferiority complex because we were all Berkeley/UCLA/Stanford rejects. So we studied hard to compensate for our inadequacy.

One thing I liked about UC Davis was I felt that the professors were very accessible. As a psychology and French major, my professors were always welcome to meet with their students. The campus I think is the largest of any of the UC campuses (though I don't know how big UC Merced is) so there's a sense of lots of open space.

Sure the town might seem a bit sleepy, but it's only 15 minutes from Sac and about 1:15 from San Francisco.

Best wishes to your future endeavors.

Cal State Long Beach should be on your list. All different income levels exist together in Long Beach. It's actually the 5th largest city in California so there are many different parts to Long Beach. Some places have terrible crime, and others have no crime. But around the University it is pretty nice.

Turn into another Vacaville?!?!? Oh, lordy, I do hope not. I grew up in Vacaville and my family still lives there. Although I love my family dearly, you couldn't pay me enough to ever move back to that town.

No, I don't think Davis will turn into (shudder) another VV, although the outskirts of the town are becoming cookie-cutterish. The center of Davis and the campus, with all the students and profs and people of many cultures, will keep it real. At least, I sure hope so. I almost had hubby talked into moving to Davis last year, but it's a bit too small-towny for him. I have not given up hope, though.

But, back to the OP, I agree with you, francophile, that UCD is a really excellent school and the environment of both the campus and the town are great.

My son is at Chapman University, in Orange, CA. Not part of the UC system (neither is USC) and the tuition is steep, but they also give out a lot of merit scholarships. The film program is ranked #3 in the country (after USC and NYU) but I predict will be number 1 by the time the backlot is finished there. The law school is also excellent. Orange is a quaint Orange County town, with central access to all the CA has to offer.

I hope that you will choose a college on more than just its location.

I live in Murrieta, CA (in southern Riverside County) and it has been rated as one of the safest communities in CA. Housing is cheaper here than in LA, Orange and San Diego Counties. It's about 40 minutes from Cal State San Marcos to the south (in north San Diego County) and UC Riverside to the north is about the same commute.

To your crime question, click on this link and on the right you'll find links to campus crime stats for each school.

http://www.universityofcalifornia.ed...pussafety.html

Unfortunately, UC Berkeley's link is broken, but you can contact the school and get a copy of their crime stats. Ask for their recently published Safety Counts phamplet.

Here's a September story from the Daily Californian, but it doesn't say much.
http://www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=15949

Also, if you're looking for a lower-cost community, UC Merced opens next fall.
http://www.ucmerced.edu/about_ucmerced/

"Best place to live" is a very subjective judgment. Having lived in Santa Cruz and taught at UCSC for almost 30 years, I am obviously biased in favor of Santa Cruz. It is very different from almost any other university campus I have visited, including all of the other UC campuses. In fact, each UC campus is quite distinctive.

I would encourage you to visit and see as much as possible first hand. There is no better way to get a "feel" for a location and know how you personally will like it.

I am also a little concerned that you do not ask about academic issues. The various UC campuses are quite different academically as well, and I would think that would be an important criterion in your decision.

No one has yet mentioned Caltech , the California Institute of Technology, one of the top science and engineering schools in the US, ranked hihgly (in the top 10) by US News & World Report, and located in Pasadena. It's a very particular sort of place, being very small and very focused, but it can be a great experience. I am personally a big fan of Pasadena, even if it is rather expensive.

There are also the Claremont Colleges in Claremont, not too far from Los Angeles. I am a big fan of Harvey Mudd of myself; again, small but very techie. Claremont is a nice small town, and the proximity to LA makes a big difference in terms of the available cultural offerings.

Alex

Pepperdine is another fine school - although it is a little pricey as it is in Malibu.