[eamon]

So this may sound pretty cliche, but I want to get out of Texas and see what other places have to offer before settling down in one area.

I was thinking about moving up to Cali, but have no idea where to look. Based off things I hear, South-Cali and LA places to get into. I want to try somewhere fun and want to be in a more densely populated area, just to try something new and I'm tired of my lifestyle and just want to start fresh where ever it's possible to have a good time.

So I'm currently attending Texas Tech University which absolutely drags. I'm from Dallas and I miss the suburban/city atmosphere, so I'm looking to transfer as soon as this upcoming spring semester.

I was thinking about going to a community college maybe for the one semester for costs? On the same hand I don't want to be in a low standard area if that makes sense. I'm hoping to live in a nicer area and hopefully the community college will be nicer. I could really use some recommendations, maybe a city and the college to look at. I'm pretty serious about getting out of state so I'll be closely looking at the responses and taking things into consideration.

[manutdas11]

Depends what you're majoring in?
Take a look at assis.org for schools and start narrowing down your choices

[hurricane56]

Are you looking to get into a UC or State U? Tuition costs for out-of-state students can be very expensive.

[eamon]

Originally Posted by manutdas11

Depends what you're majoring in?
Take a look at assis.org for schools and start narrowing down your choices

Well I'm not even sure if I'm going to stay past a semester, because I'm leaving Tech after just one semester so I have to finish up my first year somewhere. I was thinking I'll check out Cali and see how much I like it up there before making a commitment , so I thought I could just get my pre-reqs at any college right? I'm majoring in Biology and hoping to get into medicine. To be specific, pre-dental.

[eamon]

Originally Posted by hurricane56

Are you looking to get into a UC or State U? Tuition costs for out-of-state students can be very expensive.

Well that's why I was considering a community college or maybe another college that may have lower rates. The only thing I'm worried about is that the Community College may be sub-par, I mean I want to have a social life with cool people but just not get trashy, I want to surround myself with the right people if that makes sense. I know that some community colleges can be nice, so the nicer the area the better the school I'm guessing.

[manutdas11]

Originally Posted by eamon

Well I'm not even sure if I'm going to stay past a semester, because I'm leaving Tech after just one semester so I have to finish up my first year somewhere. I was thinking I'll check out Cali and see how much I like it up there before making a commitment , so I thought I could just get my pre-reqs at any college right? I'm majoring in Biology and hoping to get into medicine. To be specific, pre-dental.

I see what you mean.
You could do that and transfer once you fulfill your pre-req, but I think it will cost you more money that way. You mentioned Biology and Medicine. Your best bet would be the Bay Area. San Francisco is the place to go to get into the Medicine field.

[davedd]

Check out the peralta colleges in the bay area (web.peralta.edu). 4 campuses in the bay area with good offerings.

If you were considering UCB as an option, it used to be rumored Diablo Valley College in concord has the highest acceptance rates as a transfer student... but im old school now, so not sure if that holds water still.

[kkakonn]

Community colleges are tough if you dont have the self motivation to get through it (Not saying you do) Also I believe community colleges price per unit is higher for non California residents

[dbsjsu]

Being an out of state resident, your costs will be much much higher. That being said, you should definitely look at colleges in San Francisco, Santa Barbra, & LA. SB is definitely the nicest "college lifestyle", but also a burden to stay focused. SF will have alot more job / intern opportunities IMO.

[KwlAznKid]

LA and SD have the best environment for college kids, i've been all around cali (grew u in the bay) lived in SD for school, and live in OC right now, feel free to message me any questions. I graduated college about 2 years ago so i still know what's going on sort of

[DriftDreamzSS]

Check out Santa Barbara. It doesn't have the big city feel but if you live close to campus you pretty much only need a surfboard and a shitty bicycle to have the time of your life. I thought it was an amazing place to go to college, wish I still lived there!

[jvsxn]

From what was said, I think SoCal would suit you a lot better than NorCal in terms of having "a more densely populated area". Keep in mind that in the long-run, although living in a more-populated area sounds more appealing if you're in it for the fun and "college experience" but on the other hand competition for internships can be a little bit more difficult in SoCal. I can't really comment on the campuses down south but you do have your renowned State and UC schools as with NorCal. Honestly, I feel like if I were to move down to LA for school, I would get caught up with the lifestyle down there and I'd be too distracted to actually focus on school. It's nice and comfortable in the Bay Area with enough but not much to do -- if that makes sense. There's also UC Berkerley up here or UCLA and UCSD down south all of which are in the top 10 schools for biological sciences. Since you mentioned that you're majoring in biology, it would be of interest to look up UCSF for later on as they're one of the highest ranking medical center in the nation. Keep in mind that regardless of what school you get into, prestigious or not, your level of commitment will be the deciding factor of whether your move was worth it or not. Good luck with your search!

Edit: If you want to play with numbers, your typical community college in the Bay Area will be approx. $30ish/unit and with a high-unit major like Bio, you're looking at about ~90 transferable units x $30 = ~$2,700 give-or-take before you transfer out. Iirc my friend at SJSU is paying about $5500/semester for tuition + dorms and I think it's safe to say that my friends at UC and privates are paying a bit more than what I just listed.

[bmwkbiker]

The cost of housing (even if shared) is very high in urban areas of California. Make sure you can cover that before you make the jump.

[UncleWede]

Long Beach city college is a feeder to Long Beach State. Although not always dental, they have good physiology programs. Both of my brothers went to LB, one is a physicla therapist and the other sells drugs (legally )

[aandrew335]

Since your a biology major first look at schools that have that major. Look at their requirements and check your GPA to see if you can get in. Once you decide that, then apply. See where you get in, then come back to us with the same question and we can help you narrow it down.

There are so many factors that go into moving to cali for school, but most importantly is the ability for you to get into the school. Cali has extremely high competition in its colleges, so getting in isn't easy. Community college is easy, and if thats what you want to do then it shouldnt be a problem, but once you go to cal states or UC schools, its tough. Decide what you want first, then decide which campuses are right for you, then take the leap.

UCSB and UCSD both have bio if i recall. CSUN has a pretty good biology department as well. These schools shouldn't be terribly impossibly to get into, but non resident tuition is higher.

[changl99]

I live in Torrance which is in Los Angeles County and I have a friend that I went to school with all my life and he is getting into pre-dentistry as well. He started at Los Angeles Harbor College (Community College) which is not a very nice school but the professors are surprisingly as good as any professor in a Cal State or UC and ended up tranferring to UCLA. However there is a nicer community college just one city away in Torrance called El Camino College which is very nice (education and location wise) and was recently remodeled. From there, there are a lot of different opportunities for transfer schools such as USC, UCLA, UCI, CSULA, CSULB, CSUF, and on and on. (all very good schools). And the whole time you can live within 30 minutes from the beach.

[WesleyC]

Originally Posted by DriftDreamzSS

Check out Santa Barbara. It doesn't have the big city feel but if you live close to campus you pretty much only need a surfboard and a shitty bicycle to have the time of your life. I thought it was an amazing place to go to college, wish I still lived there!

Hey, I didn't know that you went to UCSB. That makes 2 of us.

[DriftDreamzSS]

Originally Posted by Wes.

Hey, I didn't know that you went to UCSB. That makes 2 of us.

Nope, I went to the Marine Technology program at SBCC. I'm not really the academic type lol.

[UncleWede]

UCSB was the best 4-year vacation I ever had!

The 2 things I learned were:
1) Beer makes a great sun tan lotion
2) It really takes little force on your teeth to open a beer (keeps it on topic)

[eamon]

Originally Posted by KwlAznKid

LA and SD have the best environment for college kids, i've been all around cali (grew u in the bay) lived in SD for school, and live in OC right now, feel free to message me any questions. I graduated college about 2 years ago so i still know what's going on sort of

So far I've been hearing San Diego and Santa Barbara. I wish I could visit both to get a better feel as to which one has a better kind of atmosphere for me haha. I'm getting the impression that Santa Barbara is more beach side oriented and San Diego is more city?

Originally Posted by DriftDreamzSS

Check out Santa Barbara. It doesn't have the big city feel but if you live close to campus you pretty much only need a surfboard and a shitty bicycle to have the time of your life. I thought it was an amazing place to go to college, wish I still lived there!

Originally Posted by BMWFanatic85

you could go to Irvine Valley College or Orange Coast College, or Cypress College, or Fullerton College (you'll love the girls there). then transfer to Cal State Fullerton or UC Irvine which is a great school.

Are you saying Fullerton has the best girls or all of them haha.

Originally Posted by UncleWede

UCSB was the best 4-year vacation I ever had!

The 2 things I learned were:
1) Beer makes a great sun tan lotion
2) It really takes little force on your teeth to open a beer (keeps it on topic)

Lmao. I know it's not a real big university like UCSB, but have you heard anything about Santa Barbara college and if it's ok? I mean it's close by to the big university and would be somewhere I could realistically go for now so I'm wondering if it would make for a good temp college. Or is it better to find somewhere else? I'm just looking for a place with lots of commotion and something fun to do while in school.


So far I'm seriously looking into a San Diego and Santa Barbara, and I'm sure they both have a completely different kind of experience to give. I have no idea which one to narrow it down to. Also still on thought is Beverley, LA, San Fran/Bay Area and Fullerton maybe. So yeah, pretty much don't know where to go from here.

Thanks for all the help guys!

[chrisE92]

I can chime in for LA. I went to Orange Coast College in Orange County, which is a less busier area, but then transferred to UCLA. Living in westwood/santa monica was awesome, and the surrounding area is densely populated and city-like as well. You could also check out Santa Monica college; it's the community college that sends the most transfer students to UCLA and is located right in Santa Monica, close to most things.

[creaminz]

If you choose UCSB. Bring Texas sized Box full of condoms.