Advice for choosing where to go to college

Applying to College
1

<p>Hello, i am new to this forum and i know that there are many wise users on here. Right now i am a senior in high school and in short my college choices after are: UC Riverside, CSUF, and Santa Monica Community college. As of right now, i hope to transfer out of whatever i choose in 2 years time. </p>

<p>I would love to go to USC, that or UCLA, OXY, or LMU. To my understanding, Los Angeles is a vibrant city and i know the energy at those schools outweigh Riverside. Recognizing that, SMC would seem a clear cut decision given that they are #1 in Socal (dont quote on that) for transferring to the schools i listed above. Nonetheless, the fact that i could be outright rejected from everything still looms.</p>

<p>The pros for UCR is that they offered me an extremely generous financial aid packet, which covers all. With UCR, i can also apply to UCLA (however it would be hard to get in) and USC. Through some college sites and some other reads, i was guided to the information that USC and privates in general do not give priority to community college kids. Of course, i might be wrong on that. Anyways, UCR also offers dorm life and i would love to try that out. I thought of it like this also. If i applied to USC after 2 years of UCR and get in then great, but if not i would still be at a UC. If i go to SMC and get rejected from my top choices im stuck at a jc. </p>

<p>the choice is difficult. Pros and cons for both, but i really do want to stay in the LA area in long term because its just such a business city with a lot of energy. </p>

<p>MY long term goal is to go to law graduate school. I also have a few questions on that as well. Does going to a JC then transferring affect admission to top graduate schools out there? Do they like it better if u just stuck it out at say UCR, because that is the reality i face. (im thinking of law at berkeley or USC in 2015)</p>

<p>i appreciate any responses.</p>

2

<p>If UCR is free, it seems like a no-brainer here.</p>

<p>Law school admission is very numbers oriented. Your GPA and your LSAT scores are much more important than the name on your college diploma. Also, Law school is fiendishly expensive. The cheaper you can make your undergraduate degree, the better.</p>

<p>For specific ideas about Law School admissions, visit the Law School Forum. To find it, go to the main page for the forums, and then scroll down.</p>

3

<p>CC can be a great option for those who can’t afford the four-year college experience or who need some time to prove themselves after a poor high school record. You, however, were offered a full ride to a UC, so there is no reason, financial or otherwise, to stick it out in CC for two years. Your best bet for law school is not to ultimately graduate from the most prestigious university possible but to get the highest GPA and LSAT score possible.</p>

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<p>thanks for the replies guys. I probably will go to UCR then.</p>