<p>you've touched on a bunch of areas! If your goal is to end up with a degree from Cal then your chances (on paper at least) are twice as good if you go to a JC and then xfer. The state master plan for higher education requires UC schools to give priority to JC transfers. Next in line is inter-campus transfers (UC to UC), and finally all others. You can see it in the stats which are at <a href="http://tinyurl.com/yrpggv%5B/url%5D">http://tinyurl.com/yrpggv</a> If your goal is USC then you can transfer there from other schools much easier, so where you go your 1st 2 years isn't really a big factor. If you go to UCSB you'll have the choice of staying there 4 years or trying to transfer after 2.</p>
<p>While I have a lot of respect for people who've gone the JC route, some of whom did so for factors out of their control such as money or family circumstances, I don't think the experience is the same as at a 4-year school. Stats show that 1/2 of those who enter a JC intending to get a 4-year degree fail to do so. The students in many cases aren't as academically prepared, so the classes are toned down a bit. Consider the UC schools only accept kids from the top 12.5% of HS graduates, JC's are required to accept them all. And there's the factor of a commuter school versus living on campus.</p>
<p>As for living at home vs living away, I'm a big proponent of living away. The college years are not just a time for taking classes. College offers the opportunity to do much more. To get involved in clubs and other extracurricular activities. To make new friends and meet people who are not just from your immediate area, people who may have different ideas and values. Learning to get along with these people, with roomates, and so on. To take part in the vibrant life of campus -- attend talks, recreational events, forums, etc. A lot of the things you learn at college you learn outside of class. For example, seeing how other kids are taking advantage of opportunities you may not have been aware of (internships, research, job leads) and deciding to do it yourself too. Or seeing how the kids older than you make decisions on things such as major, career field, grad school, etc; this informal mentoring is worth its weight in gold. And as mentioned by another poster, kids who live on campus often do better academically as well. The library is nearby, you can go to office hours with your profs and TAs, etc. I stressed "opportunity" because that's what it is; if you decide to sit in your room and play video games then all the opportunity in the world didn't do you a bit of good.</p>
<p>I should point out that this may be a distinctly American view of the college years. If your parents grew up in a different culture they may see college quite differently. In many other cultures kids live at home and attend the local college, if they're lucky enough to be admitted. In many parts of the world, and to many Americans as well, the point of college is just to get a piece of paper that qualifies you for a better job. Period. Perhaps this is why your parents so dismissively refer to living in the dorms as "wasting money for fun". They are literally blind to any other purpose.</p>
<p>However you are not your parents, and you don't have to live their life with their outlook. Talk to kids who have gone away for college and I think you'll find hardly any who wish they could go back and do it the other way. If you go away frosh year the adjustment is eased because all the other frosh are in the same boat. Given the options you've said you have, I'd go with option (2)</p>