Of these California schools, which would you choose based on LOCATION only and why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not what you asked OP, but the Cal State schools are not in the same league as the University if California schools snd certainly not worth traveling across the US for to attend.

I’d choose Cal Poly SLO over some of the UCs.

Yep - if the question is location, Cal Poly SLO is the place. And yes, worth attending for anyone.

Another Cal Poly SLO vote. The cool downtown was very welcoming to the university. As I recall roughly 15 minutes to the beach and lots of beautiful mountains nearby. Climate was perfect. Graduated '89 so things may have changed, but really idyllic setting then.

[Anonymous]

Stanford and USC are the only ones worth applying from East Coast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stanford and USC are the only ones worth applying from East Coast.

Did you even read the thread? It is only just 3 pages long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UCSB is not near actual (lovely) Santa Barbara. Not bikable or walkable. The adjacent town is absolutely overwhelmed with homeless people, to the point that the city has turned over the main parks and green spaces to permanent encampments. With outdoor kitchens, dozens of portable toilets in rows etc

All 5 minutes from the campus edge and literally in the center of the student commerce (pizza, bars, cvs off campus housing!)

The ocean is undeniably breathtaking but so is the stench of feces and piss.

What? I was in SB and Goleta this summer and didn't see any of that.

How much time did you spend in Isla Vista? That’s the actual campus town, not Goleta or SB

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Side note about Irvine (not my first choice) — excellent bike infrastructure, decent bus system, very convenient airport. There are more interesting places nearby to live/visit than Irvine itself. Lots of good (not expensive) things to eat and it’s easy to shop there.

I'm not the OP, but I grew up very close to Irvine (Mission Viejo.) "Back in my day" it was a commuter school--mostly students with very strict immigrant parents who wouldn't allow their kids to move out of the house. Is it still like that?

Immigrant kids could not afford Irvine. It's orange county, one of the most affluent counties in the country. It's next to Newport Beach, home of the varsity blues scandal where parents are flush with cash. You'll see as many immigrants in Irvine as you do in mission Viejo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stanford and USC are the only ones worth applying from East Coast.

Californians aren't all that enamored of these schools. One school is for the jocks and the other one is for the jocks. Serious students consider UCLA over USC. Serious students consider Ivies, Caltech, MIT over Stanford.

[Anonymous]

Californian who got into all of the UCs.

Davis is the only school listed that I would actually go to. But in terms of your actual question - Santa Barbara is the only right answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Californian who got into all of the UCs.

Davis is the only school listed that I would actually go to. But in terms of your actual question - Santa Barbara is the only right answer.

OP here. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

NP who lives in LA. On location alone,

Santa Barbara (I'm from there and am very familliar with UCSB). This is #1 by far. Then,

Cal Poly SLO (inland, gorgeous, college town, easy to get to coast) tangent I know many people who go there, all love it

Davis (haven't been there but hear that is beautiful, has a stream going through it, and it's a bike town)

Then the San Diego schools, then

I haven't been to Cal State Long Beach campus, but Long Beach is nice but pretty urban

Last is Pomona is super-inland and crazy hot and barren. If you go inland near the mountain ranges, it's okay (like, Pomona College in Claremont College Consortium) but not Cal Poly

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Side note about Irvine (not my first choice) — excellent bike infrastructure, decent bus system, very convenient airport. There are more interesting places nearby to live/visit than Irvine itself. Lots of good (not expensive) things to eat and it’s easy to shop there.

I'm not the OP, but I grew up very close to Irvine (Mission Viejo.) "Back in my day" it was a commuter school--mostly students with very strict immigrant parents who wouldn't allow their kids to move out of the house. Is it still like that?

Immigrant kids could not afford Irvine. It's orange county, one of the most affluent counties in the country. It's next to Newport Beach, home of the varsity blues scandal where parents are flush with cash. You'll see as many immigrants in Irvine as you do in mission Viejo.

You sound very ignorant. Not all immigrants are poor.
I'm very familiar with Orange county (since I grew up there) and there were many immigrants in Mission Viejo. Most of my closest friends were immigrants or children of immigrants (mostly Asian.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Side note about Irvine (not my first choice) — excellent bike infrastructure, decent bus system, very convenient airport. There are more interesting places nearby to live/visit than Irvine itself. Lots of good (not expensive) things to eat and it’s easy to shop there.

I'm not the OP, but I grew up very close to Irvine (Mission Viejo.) "Back in my day" it was a commuter school--mostly students with very strict immigrant parents who wouldn't allow their kids to move out of the house. Is it still like that?

Immigrant kids could not afford Irvine. It's orange county, one of the most affluent counties in the country. It's next to Newport Beach, home of the varsity blues scandal where parents are flush with cash. You'll see as many immigrants in Irvine as you do in mission Viejo.

And also, you obviously did not comprehend what I clearly stated in my post. The immigrants/children of immigrants who went to UCI because their parents didn't want them to move out of the house didn't necessarily live in Irvine. They lived anywhere within commuting distance (basically anywhere in Orange county and maybe even Long Beach area.) UC tuition at the time wasn't very expensive, especially if you were still living at home with your parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Side note about Irvine (not my first choice) — excellent bike infrastructure, decent bus system, very convenient airport. There are more interesting places nearby to live/visit than Irvine itself. Lots of good (not expensive) things to eat and it’s easy to shop there.

I'm not the OP, but I grew up very close to Irvine (Mission Viejo.) "Back in my day" it was a commuter school--mostly students with very strict immigrant parents who wouldn't allow their kids to move out of the house. Is it still like that?

Immigrant kids could not afford Irvine. It's orange county, one of the most affluent counties in the country. It's next to Newport Beach, home of the varsity blues scandal where parents are flush with cash. You'll see as many immigrants in Irvine as you do in mission Viejo.

The MV poster is right. You don’t know WTF you’re talking about. There’s an interesting recent ethnography that (among other things) discusses the educational politics of immigration to Irvine. It’s by Sean Drake and called Academic Apartheid. Only about 60% of the population of Irvine was born in the US. 80+% of those born elsewhere (naturalized citizens and non-citizens) came to the US from Asia. https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/irvine-ca-population As Drake’s book indicates, Asian immigrants to Irvine are generally affluent and motivated by the educational opportunities in this locale for their children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not what you asked OP, but the Cal State schools are not in the same league as the University if California schools snd certainly not worth traveling across the US for to attend.

I’d choose Cal Poly SLO over some of the UCs.

Yep - if the question is location, Cal Poly SLO is the place. And yes, worth attending for anyone.

Another Cal Poly SLO vote. The cool downtown was very welcoming to the university. As I recall roughly 15 minutes to the beach and lots of beautiful mountains nearby. Climate was perfect. Graduated '89 so things may have changed, but really idyllic setting then.

Aw. 89 was when I moved from SLO as a kid, so we overlapped! I have amazing childhood memories. However, it has changed quite a bit since the 80s. Much fancier and the beaches/hikes are much more crowded. As a kid we used to have the run of hikes like Bishop's Peak but the last time I went back it was literally shoulder to shoulder. And the beaches are more crowded. But, still an amazing place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP who lives in LA. On location alone,

Santa Barbara (I'm from there and am very familliar with UCSB). This is #1 by far. Then,

Cal Poly SLO (inland, gorgeous, college town, easy to get to coast) tangent I know many people who go there, all love it

Davis (haven't been there but hear that is beautiful, has a stream going through it, and it's a bike town)

Then the San Diego schools, then

I haven't been to Cal State Long Beach campus, but Long Beach is nice but pretty urban

Last is Pomona is super-inland and crazy hot and barren. If you go inland near the mountain ranges, it's okay (like, Pomona College in Claremont College Consortium) but not Cal Poly

It has a murky "waterway" going through the campus arboretum. But still nice! https://localwiki.org/davis/Arboretum_Waterway

[Anonymous]

Why don't you have UCLA on the list, especially if you're moving the CA? It has a beautiful campus and a great location. Some of its departments are especially strong.