<p>I was born and raised in the bay area and now I've decided to go to a community college then transfer after 2 yrs to save money.Hopefully they accept someone with a 3.00 gpa but anyways I was looking at colleges and I really want to experience something fresh,exciting and new.</p>
<p>I don't know how to swim but will learn this summer because part of the reason I want to live in southern california is for the beach!I'm kinda concerned for transportation b\c I take bart&bus like everywhere since my mom doesn't drive.
I went to sacramento by myself last month and it was fun evnthough it look like 3 hours throught bart then amtrak.So if I was going to socarl id have to take amtrak(probably not greyhound I've never been on it and I hear its more dangerous[I doubt id be able to take airplane]).I also don't know how to ride a bike so I can't get around town that way so maybe I'll learn later.
Also the people seemed less friendly when I went to disneyland.I'm not sure how many black people are down there but if its less than nocal I might reconsider.I just was going to go to a CC down there for 2 yrs then transfer back to the bay area for a UC if I didn't like living down there or stay down there for a UC if I love it.</p>
<p>The only good thing for staying where I am is that I could live at home but I'm kinda getting tired of the bay.</p>
<p>Maybe it was just me but I felt that socal was more prejudice and people were giving me stares and looks-when I was at the hotel swimming pool the white people got out and waited to in after my friends and I left!
I've only gone to the swimming pool that my apt building has and there's usually no one there when I go but I never thought of that happening to me anywhere.I saw like mostly whites and I like the bay because its diverse(well there's not too many whites in my city that I see which I'm okay with).I thought southern california was more diverse because LA is so popular but I've only gone to these parts-disneyland,universal studio,santa monica beach and I saw the hollywood area but was in the car not outside walking around.</p>
<p>Also does anyone know the sales tax of any part of socal,in some areas of norcal its 8.75%</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure the sales tax is the same throughout the state. Coming from NorCal, I would say SoCal is much more diverse. NorCal tends to be much more conservative and, where I come from, racist, unfortunately. But Sacramento has significant minority populations. Do you want to be in an urban area? Sacramento is a nicely sized city but it’s not a major metropolitan area by any means. Are you thinking just Sac in NorCal or other areas, too? And do you consider Santa Rosa to be part of the bay area? SRJC is probably the best CC in California.</p>
<p>Edit: and as for the Hotel swimming pool incident, keep in mind that it’s was at a hotel so those people probably didn’t live in the area. They could have been from Alaska for all we know. And one family or group of people isn’t necessarily representative of the entire population of LA. </p>
<p>What specific Cities in each area of the state are you interested in? There’s a huge difference between Sacramento and Santa Rosa and Chico, just like there’s a huge difference between LA and San Diego and Palm Springs.</p>
<p>Diversity, conservative/liberal, and racism depend on which parts of each region you are in. Generalizing about the entire region will be inaccurate for large portions of each region.</p>
<p>As far as selecting a community college goes, see <a href=“http://www.assist.org%5B/url%5D”>http://www.assist.org</a> to see which ones have the best coverage of courses for your desired major at the UCs and CSUs you are aiming for. (Sometimes, the best coverage is found at a community college local to the target UC or CSU, since some community colleges model their curriculum on the closest UC or CSU.)</p>
<p>sorry to correct you but fullerton college was just rated number one cc nationally. Since I am from socal I am going to recommend socal:) I know san diego has a really nice community college and its a really safe city. I really wish i knew more community colleges to suggest.</p>
<p>Ya I know I take bart and the stations have differnent type of people…I didn’t know san diego was so close to mexico-I heard a lot of mexican don’t like blacks…anyways I heard santa moncia CC is the best so I’m thinking there but I want to go to a racially diverse CC and I live near berkeley or I was thinking Berkeley city college or Cabot or laney~but my bro said that wouldn’t be a good idea so id probably choose berkeley CC if I had to choose…</p>
<p>Sacramento was pretty cool eventhough I got lost.I hadn’t been there since I was a kid and didn’t remember anything of where places where.It was kinda like where I’m from so I blended in.While on the bus I think I passed by a CC called American college or something like that but it was in sacramento before citrus heights.</p>
<p>Chico is know for partying and I want to go to a CC for 2 yrs not possibly 3 or 2.5.</p>
<p>I don’t necessarily want to go to LA but somewhere not too city populated and not too rural.I don’t know what cities are but I think riverside had the most % american american at their UC of all the UCs.</p>
<p>To be honest I would not worry so much about race in college. Trust me race was on my list when i chose my school but socal is very diverse. Plus in college a lot of the races have their own club so you can meet other students of your race. I would not worry about san diego it is a really safe town and it is more of a white city than it is mexican. Can I ask why the race environment is a major factor?</p>
<p>ForeIn: will you really be saving money if you move away from home to attend a community college? Do you know anyone in SoCal, or are you just going to move down there by yourself?</p>
<p>Frankly, my suggestion would be to stay at home, go to a CC near by, then figure out which UC you want to attend. You might want to consider just waiting to move until you transfer to a UC.</p>
<p>Take a few trips down to So Cal during the next 2 years to get a feel for certain areas.</p>
<p>I understand your need for something new. But it wouldn’t be good if you moved all the way down there, then decided you hated it.</p>
<p>Thanks…But if I do stay nearby I’ll be tempted to go to a UC nearby to save $ and I don’t want to live at home for that long.
Nope I don’t know anyone in socal but my bro might live there in 2 yrs but said he doesn’t want me to go there b/c then he’d have to watch over me.I didn’t ask to move near him or anything but he thinks I wouldn’t be able to handle socal.Plus he said he’d have his friends over and doesn’t want me to bother him.
I might visit in the summer but idk yet.</p>
<p>^^^^^^race was more of a concern b/c I’m like always the minortiy in my class eventhough I’m like the majority of the school.I knoe this sounds kinda racist but I don’t think me and (U.S.)white people get along-idk about european but I have 1 friend from canada…</p>
<p>Near Berkeley, it appears that Laney and Diablo Valley have the best coverage for some majors at UC Berkeley (e.g. CS). Use [Welcome</a> to ASSIST](<a href=“http://www.assist.org%5DWelcome”>http://www.assist.org) to check for the majors that you are interested in.</p>
<p>Santa Monica probably has good coverage of UCLA courses.</p>
<p>ForeIn: I currently go to BCC and I’ll be graduating this spring. If you’re still considering going there, here’s my take: I think going to BCC was probably the best choice for me out of all of the Peralta CCs. Merit is too far and requires BART then a bus to get up that hill. Alameda was never taken into consideration, also too far. I opted out of Laney, even though it’s right at a BART station, it’s not my cup of tea. So, BCC was the best choice. Although, it can seem like the 13th grade. Berkeley High is a block away those kids get funneled right into the community college. With the BCC “campus” being a single five-story building, you’ll have to search hard for that college feel. But, UC Berkeley is two blocks in the other direction and there’s a lot to do there’s a good variety of food around.</p>
<p>Overall, I enjoyed my experience here. Getting the classes you need can be competitive. They fill up quick. With the budget cuts, there’s not much to choose from. So, expect to take classes at more than of the Peralta CCs. I had to. The majority of my instructors also teach at other schools like SFSU and CSUEB. BCC is more diverse than Laney, so that’s a plus. If you go to BCC you can take classes taught on the UCB campus and also after your first full-time semester, you can take a UCB class for the BCC price. If distance wasn’t an issue, I would have looked into Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill or City College of San Francisco. They both have a large campus and feel more like a university.</p>
<p>Try Los Angeles City College. There are plenty of ‘brothas’ there as well as people from all over the world. You definitely can’t go wrong there. Besides that, you can try out West Los Angeles College, I went there for one semester, and it is predominantly black.</p>
<p>ForeIN - You will need to get past your concerns about racism. Throughout your college and professional career, you will be working alongside people of all races – including white people, and your ethnicity and skin color will be little more than a side note to them. They’ll care more about your attitude and your ability to produce results.</p>
<p>Be glad you’re growing up in the 21st century, instead of a couple generations ago…</p>
<p>Now that I got that off my chest, I recommend staying in the Bay Area for your CC work. You’ll save tons of money by staying at home and commuting to school. It will give you more time to do campus visits in SoCal, so you can decide where you really want to go afterward. Once you finish your lower-division coursework, you go pretty much anywhere you want to in CA to finish your degree. Two years from now, I have my doubts you’ll be tempted to stay in NorCal if you already are interested in leaving.</p>