<p>S goes to UCLA, 12 month leases in LA are the norm. Actually, it hasn’t been hard to sublet for a month or two as there are kids in summer school who need a place to stay.
Otherwise, it actually turns out to be cheaper than the dorms as another poster said. As far as furniture goes, the kids have ways of finding furniture on Craigs list etc. so I wouldn’t worry about it too much.</p>