@Publisher A couple of friends are going to NYU, and the costs there are insane. One friend goes to Broadway shows often, despite NYU tuition.
I guess I should have worded it better: Why is California so attractive to students that they are willing to overlook so many factors to attend these schools if they attend?
Your post was clear. My point is that it is much easier for me to understand the attraction to California’s portrayed lifestyle, than to NYC’s lifestyle.
@ucbalumnus I am not very acquainted with the college process in California, but are most students content with the in-state schooling options they have?
I guess the same could apply to Michigan and some Illinois students
@Publisher: I’ve lived in both. They both have positives and once you live in NYC, you know the drawbacks as well.
The only drawbacks to CA (NoCal, where I lived) are earthquakes and the COL.
There was a poster here on CC a while back from Virginia inquiring about getting in state tuition at the UC’s. When links were provided to show her it was impossible she indicated that she would live with her aunt in CA and have her say that she had been living there for years. Even when it was pointed out that her VA high school diploma would show that to be a lie she insisted that she would try it. Only when articles about people being arrested and jailed for attempts to fake in state tuition did she relent.
This thread is another rehash of this pinned thread: : http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/california-colleges/1802004-so-you-want-to-come-to-california-for-college.html#latest
Well, in addition to earthquakes and COL, aunt bea is right about the congestion, plus the commuting. (This congestion isn’t only traffic, it’s miles of condo complexes and housing developments. Some previously lovely open space is no more.) I’m also not fond of the gang grafitti. Or the massive homeless problem. But the coastal areas are beautiful- that’s not media hype. And there’s a transient factor many like, the number of people from other places. For many, you aren’t bound by the places you grew up, the byways you always trod.
I love the farmlands and groves. And the ethnic diversity. Sure, I did see movie stars.
But I’m no longer there.
California public schools tend to be relatively affordable for in-state students, so there is probably more satisfaction on that front than in some other states like Pennsylvania. The community colleges are usually a solid and inexpensive way to start a bachelor’s degree, with well documented course articulation to UCs and CSUs on http://www.assist.org . Additionally, many of the less selective CSUs do have majors like engineering majors that may be hard to find in some other states’ public schools.
But there are always some students who want to go out of state just to go away from home, who want to chase HYP-level prestige (and don’t get into Stanford), or who want some sort of academic or non-academic feature not found in the California public schools (or not found in the ones that they can get admitted to).
The UCs and CSUs do have a standardized weighted HS GPA calculation and a well defined set of HS course requirements, so that HS counselors should be familiar with them. They also need only FAFSA for financial aid, so the common divorced parent situation does not shut out students in that situation. Additionally, the application process does not generally require support from the high school, so that slowness or difficulty in getting counselor recommendations, teacher recommendations, and HS transcripts does not impede the application process (final HS transcript is required on matriculation, obviously).
The UCs and CSUs consider neither legacy nor race/ethnicity in admissions.
The last earthquake of any significance, at least in NorCal was 1989, and for most of the Bay Area, the damage was minimal. There were pictures, videos of the Bay Bridge, the fire in the SF Marina, etc. You cannot even feel a great majority of them, when they happen. You hear about them on the news. Obviously over the last 20-30 years, the building codes have become very strict, even for remodeling of older homes.
And when you’re the 6th largest economy in the world, you need to build some housing for the people who work and live here. COL is high, no doubt.
Also, you have six UC’s in the Top 46 National Universities of US News rankings, plus Cal Poly SLO, other CSU’s, CC’s, Stanford, USC, etc.
Finally, for a great majority of the year, you can drive with the convertible top of your car in the down position and wear shorts. :-c
Either that, or that California is a broke, degenerate cesspool full of “libbies”.
Neither of which is correct.
Both depend on where you live in CA.
Personally, I think California is one of the most diverse and prosperous regions in the world. Also weather.
Yes, it is diverse.
Yes, there are certain areas that are prosperous.
Weather is better in Southern California. The rest of the state is either very hot (desert) or very cold.
You should change the title of your thread:
"Why is California so attractive to me?"
Redwood City, California, just south of San Francisco, claims to have the best weather in the world. They have a sign over a road coming into town that says, “Climate best by government test.” At one point the government “scientifically” rated it to have the best climate in the world. Stanford’s about five miles away.
@foodeater the state school’s tuition is subsidized (i.e. taxes) by their residents and it would not be fair to have an OOS show up for a year and gain residency and pay the same price as students (and more importantly) their parents who have been living in state for decades paying into the system so their kids can get a good college education at an affordable price.
Here’s the thing, do you want to be in debt for 20 years? Keep in mind that not only will you probably have to pay out of state tuition, but then you’d also have to pay STEEP housing prices if you want to live off campus at some point.