<p>I also love CA & would have lived there except all my extended family live in HI. If I ever relocate, it will likely be to CA. I think the post above sums it all up very well. My S has found many very nice folks at USC & is very happy there. I know others who are also extremely happy with their choice of U, which is all that any of us really want, I believe. I can easily see my son making CA his home if he decides not to move back to HI when he's done with school.<br>
I do NOT consider my S superficial or very concerned with "status," as his favorite clothes are baggy, faded cargo shorts & an old t-shirt, with maybe a sweatshirt worn over that if it's cold, topped off with old sports shoes. Brands have never been a biggie with him & getting him to shop is really pretty impossible. I believe the many friends he's made at USC are similar to him & have always been very impressed with his choice of companions.</p>
<p>danas: check the weather where you are then check the weather today in soothern or norther California.</p>
<p>why do we live here: it's the weather!</p>
<p>that and I can ski in the mountains and sun tan on the beach all in one day. where else can you do that?</p>
<p>^^ It was up around 80 where I live today.</p>
<p>The great weather allows me to wear my unpretentious shorts, t-shirt, and flip-flops 365 days a year - it's basically my uniform when I'm not at work. And this is from someone who's been out of college 30 years.</p>
<p>That's what we wear in HI; if you live on the Big Island of Hawaii, sometimes you can ski in the mountains & then swim & tan in the ocean in the same day. You do need a 4-wheel drive to get to the skiiing tho. :)</p>
<p>I think that the post by "ucsd<em>ucla</em>dad" is one of the best that I have read in a long time. To those who are considering going to college in California, his post is awesome. He sums things up almost perfectly, and succinctly. There are many great colleges in California (public, private, in all areas of California). </p>
<hr>
<p>Brief further commentary. I have lived in California for over 50 years. I love the state. However, I am in a minority, in that I have lived in both northern Californian and southern California, for extended periods of time. Over 20 years in each region. And, more importantly, I am one of a very small group of people who like BOTH (northern and southern California). And, an even smaller minority, I like USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UCSD, and many other colleges. </p>
<p>I currently live in northern California and very much enjoy it. </p>
<p>I will certainly anger a few by these next few statements, but if you study the threads, I think that you will find that my conclusions (backed up by many many posts) are more true, than not.</p>
<p>In general, many people who feel a fondness/preference for northern California, also feel a strong disdain for southern California (specifically Los Angeles). In general, many people who feel a fondness/prefence for southern California don't know that northern California even exists. (I don't mean that literally, i just mean that people from southern California do not even think about northern California). It is an unfair generalization, but i think that there is a lot of truth in it. </p>
<p>Look for posts from people who like nothern California (San Francisco, Cal, Stanford, etc), and you will readily find posts with disdain for Los Angeles. Look for posts from people who like southern California (Los Angeles, UCLA, USC, etc) and you rarely find comments of disdain for San Francisco. (Yes, I have criticized both northern and southern California, but I have lived in both areas, and i genuinely enjoy BOTH northern California and southern California. I would live in either location, and would find many things to enjoy). </p>
<p>I was born in the Bay Area, not far from San Francisco, near where the 49'ers practice, near one of the most prestigious private universities in the nation. My family lived there for several years. We went to professional sporting events, we went to cultural events, we thoroughly enjoyed life in northern California. We eventually moved to southern California, in the greater Los Angeles area. I quickly learned to love it. How can you not love it - with the warm weather, the beaches, and so many enjoyable activities. In southern California, we likewise went to professional sporting events, cultrual events, and thoroughly enjoyed southern California. </p>
<p>At some point in my life, I moved to Humboldt County, far north of San Francisco. I enjoyed the redwoods, the beautiful coastline, etc. I enjoyed backpacking, fishing, etc. It was while living n Humboldt County that I started to realize the hypocracies of people. I knew many people who very emotionally against the cutting down of Redwood trees. Sounds good, right? Many of you will feel a kinship with them. (Inwardly, I too feel that old growth redwood trees should be protected). However, I never could undertand how these people could protest the logging of Redwoods, and then go home to their houses in Arcata with redwood siding, with redwood fences separating their yards, and enjoy their redwood hot tubs, and then go inside and pick up a magazine off of their Redwood burl table, and look up to check the time on their Redwood burl clocks. No joke. It was while living in Humboldt County that i saw many of the older model Volvos being driven around by retired rich hippies who moved from San Francisco up to Humboldt County. (Do research on Humboldt County, and the cash crops of Garberville, and you will discover one of the reasons behind millionaires driving older Volvos).</p>
<p>I later moved down to the Bay Area. I have spent over 25 years in different areas in the San Francisco Bay Area. It did not take long to realize that a majority of people (not 95%, but definitely greater than 50%) have some type of disdain for Los Angeles. I could recite many accounts of things that people have said about Los Angeles (some very vicious). To me, the single most telling evidence of the unfounded and unreasonable hatred of Los Angeles, is the many people (that I have encountered) who feel disdain for Los Angeles, yet they have NEVER been to Los Angeles. (Or in a few cases, they have had a layover at the Los Angeles airport). </p>
<p>Some people in southern California still refer to the main city in the Bay Area as "Frisco". They do not do this out of disdain or hatred. They do this from naivete. In some cases, they have never been to San Francisco. They have not formed any strong opinions. Maybe their family took one vacation, and they remember the Golden Gate bridge, or Fisherman's Wharf. The extent of their opinions of the Bay Area are mostly fond, but with no real emotional substance. (Interesting that the people from northern California whose only trip to southern California was a trip to Disneyland can not feel the same general fondness). </p>
<p>I love northern California, and the San Francisco Bay Area. (I live here, that must say something about how much I enjoy it. And, No, I am not a transplant - I was born here, and spent many years here). I also love southern California, and the Los Angeles area. I just wish that those from northern California who have this strong disdain for Los Angeles could get over it.</p>
<p>hawaii, nice try...I've been on your mountain, that's not skiing.</p>
<p>but i will admit Hawaii has got to be the 2nd best state in the union. since we rank everything on CC, here's my top 5:</p>
<p>CA
HI
NY
ME
MA</p>
<p>
[quote]
a poster decided to state that LA (a city of millions) is superficial and all anybody cares about is their cars. This is so obviously ridiculous that I think you can easily discount it.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>ucsd<em>ucla</em>dad, you just took what I said out of context and then claim the credit of pointing out the "obviously ridiculous". I didn't say "all anybody"...I said "unusually large number", as in more than any other places I'd lived in/been to. Those "ridiculous" words were yours, not mine. </p>
<p>Before you claim yourself as all-knowing and tell others not to pay any attention to my "generalization", please note that you live in SD, which is a lot more laidback and 120 miles away, while I live in West Hollywood, one of the most happening neighborhoods in LA. Let me be clear to say that the types I was referring to are mostly seen in Hollywood, West Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, Beverly hills, Brentwood, and to less extend, Santa Monica. I believe I know more about the people in the very area I live in and the surroudning ones more than you do. When I said relatively more, I was using other similar areas in other cities such as Castro, Filmore, North Beach in SF (not some wealthy bedroom communities or suburbs like Danville/Sonoma; I don't go there just like I don't go to Palos Verdes here), Gaslamp/Hillcrest in San Diego, or Lakeview/Lincoln Park in Chicago as comparison. So it's up to anybody to define what LA should include for him/her. If you want to live in the most happening areas so you can have easy access to all the main cultural events, interesting restaurants, and places like Melrose Ave, the Grove, or Roberson Blvd..etc, you are going to find unusually (higher than other equivalent areas in other cities) high concentration of those types I described. But if you are fine with living anywhere within LA, then any generalization can't apply because there are just so much variation among them and you can easily pick an area that suit your personality. Unfortunately, the areas where I wouldn't run into the shallow types much also have less to offer.</p>
<p>Just in case someone else is gonna put more words into my mouth, let me state that college students don't represent the type of image conscious types and floaters you easily run into in west hollywood, beverly hills, sunset blvd, brentwood..etc. I'd taken classes at UCLA and that's what I'd observed; USC is no longer the U of the spoiled since their students population is quite diverse and it's one the most agressive in recruiting low-income students among the top-40 privates.</p>
<p>
[quote]
1- USC's campus is NOT particularly nice. It isn't in a total ghetto, but it is at best a very drab setting for a campus!</p>
[/quote]
</p>
<p>See, the surrounding area is not the "campus." USC's campus is very very nice. In fact, it got some mentions in the "10 nicest campuses" thread. Once you enter the gates, the difference is distinct.</p>
<p>I'm trying not to continue the Norcal vs. Socal debate, but I just wanted to respond to one of the earlier posts about pollution in the Bay Area and not being able to see across the Bay. </p>
<p>This occurrence arises because of haze and/or low-lying fog. The sea-breeze pushes most of the air pollution inland and thus the air quality in San Francisco itself (and on the bay) is outstanding. Some data to back this up:</p>
<p>-Readers Digest cited as SF one of the top 5 cleanest U.S cities.
-It was ranked the top sustainable city in the United States by SustainLane.com.
-Men’s Health magazine named San Francisco “Healthiest City in America 2005.” </p>
<p>On a more general note, SF has been ranked the "best city in the U.S" 13 years in a row by Conde Nast Traveler magazine.</p>
<p>An interesting phenomenon I have noticed is that people who are not from San Francisco claim it as their hometown when introducing themselves. I have nothing against Tiburon, Antioch, or Orinda, but I get frustrated when people from these cities lump themselves together with SF. I get a lot of "Oh, you are actually FROM San Francisco??"</p>
<p>As far as the traffic lane expansion, the logic behind resisting expansion is that more lanes will in fact induce more people to drive and to use cars. The area is not particularly friendly to car-drivers, but nor is it supposed to be!. San Francisco, for example, has a "Transit-First" policy where buses and other forms of transportation are given priority over individual cars. This policy was enacted partially out of necessity (you cannot just build more roads and expand into the bay) and partially because the city is so environmentally conscious.</p>
<p>LA, on the other hand, has a policy of just building more roads/widening highways. This results in severe sprawl.</p>
<p>Positives: I absolutely loved my time at USC. Worked hard - rec'd a 3.9 and went to law school in No CA. Professors were available and TAs cared. </p>
<p>Negatives: The area is problematic - if you park in one of USC's just off campus parking lots DO NOT WALK ALONE FROM OR TO SUCH (check with USC public safety dept... they will tell you the same)</p>
<p>I went on to law school and when visiting Stanford...the admin counsel made it clear that they didn't consider my education to be from a 'top' school. </p>
<p>Would I go there again - YOU BET !!!</p>
<p>sfgiants is right, it's the campus not the surrounding community.</p>
<p>look at other schools:</p>
<p>Berkeley has dirty streets and an institutionalized problem of homeless people
Tufts neighborhood is depressing, it's not bad or good, it's just boring
UCLA, am I on campus or shopping in Westwood? the school and the neighborhood run together, plus living on a slope is a drag.</p>
<p>PeetsCoffee is right too, USC is a dangerous neighborhood. And Stanford will always be smug about what is a "top" school. </p>
<p>wow, is this a trend? bay area people are right:) I think so!</p>
<p>I'm not sure the rivalry has died down. I'm still a die hard Bruin and though I'd be fine if my D wanted to attend that other school, I'd never root for them at any athletic event. My favorite college team is UCLA and whoever is playing USC.</p>
<p>Sam Lee:
[quote]
LA is an ugly city with unusually large number of superficial people who really care about what kind of car you drive, whom you know, how big/where your condo/house is/is located...etc. I was told many peope live beyond their means to drive luxury cars just to <em>look</em> rich. Unusually large number don't read much (except GQ/Us/Peoples/Star...magazines) or care about what school you went to.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Well Sam, above is your post contributing the anti-LA slant of this thread. Actually I didn't identify you at all as the one who started the tangent so you must have thought that you did yourself. I agree with you that an area like West Hollywood/Bel Air/Beverly Hills is a very unique neighborhood with a lot of wealth in it and many people who could more readily afford a Ferrari than I could afford a Yugo. Your initial characterization stated 'LA' however and then the debate started about SoCal vs NorCal. The fabulously wealthy and hangers-on in that area is really a small percentage of the people who live in the LA area. You're certainly entitled to your opinion and if you don't like the area you live in I hope you'll be able to move to someplace you find more pleasing soon.</p>
<p>This tangent however is probably not very valuable to the OP. The OP is interested in USC and I imagine the interest is from the perspective of a student living at USC.</p>
<p>I tend to agree with Sam Lee, but probably because my kids go to one of the snootiest schools in LA with ridiculously rich kids (though, the kids there are smart as well -- if you want the true LA experience I guess you'd have to go to Buckley where Paris Hilton went) and there is that group that only cares about what you drive, what (who?) you wear, and how many bathrooms your mansion has. But, while my kids don't emulate the rich kids as far as being name brand obsessed, it has taught them the value of financial success -- as my father used to say, rich or poor, it's nice to have money. So my kids want to do well in school, go to good colleges, and get into a good career. I'm not sure that's bad. The kids at USC are smart enough (not MIT smart, but not daddy bought me my spot dumb), well connected, and motivated to be successful in life. Again, I'm not sure that's bad.</p>
<p>I have a friend (girlfriend's cousin) who wouldn't drive a minivan to school because she was afraid of a poor image.</p>
<p>She went to Lowell High.</p>
<p>That's in SF.</p>
<p>You find 'em everywhere.</p>
<p>Just to be clear for everyone, I wasn't the one who got into this whole So Cal vs No Cal thing. </p>
<p>ucsd<em>ucla</em>dad, I realize I should have stated clearly what areas I was talking about at the very first place. Those areas I mentioned are like Manhattan for NYC. They are the most happening places for young people like me who like going out and have fun. </p>
<p>Anyway, I think I will probably move back to Chicago in a year or so.</p>
<p>UCLAri,
Lowell High has tons of Chinese kids whose parents are Chinese immigrants living in Sunset and Richmond--hardly flashy neighborhoods. It's the best publich high with disproportionally large number of Chinese students--a mini Berkeley. The guy I dated drove a small old car while living there and never felt out of place. Your girlfriend's cousin is just trying to impress even most of her peers came from modest background.</p>
<p>Sam Lee,</p>
<p>You're missing the point.</p>
<p>First you accuse me of not knowing LA (though I'm a native).</p>
<p>Then you accused others of not knowing the Bay Area (though they lived there.)</p>
<p>Then you say it's peculiar to LA (though you are using an awfully specific sample.)</p>
<p>I'm trying to demonstrate to you that this is not an odd phenomenon. Maybe the guy you were dating was odd. I drove a junker while at UCLA and most of my time in LA and nobody looked down on me. And I grew up in a wealthier part of the Valley, which is considered pretty superficial even by LA standards.</p>
<p>Heh, I went to Lowell and I can state without hesitation that she's an exception.</p>
<p>Every morning I would see a parade of minivans dropping their kids off. A lot of Toyota Corolla's and Honda Civic's as well.</p>
<p>Here's an astonishing statistic: ONLY 17% of Lowell is white. Most of the rest are Asian, with a handful of others ethnicities thrown in. For many of the Asian parents, their symbol of status is not the car they drive, but the level of academic achievement of their kids. This results in extreme competition - cutthroat would be an apt description - for grades. My biggest adjustment to college was certainly not academic. In fact, my GPA after one semester at USC was higher than my unweighted at Lowell. Throughout my years at Lowell, I had one F, a D, a handful of C's, and many B's. This wasn't for lack of effort, either.</p>
<p>When I came to USC, my first thoughts were "Where are all of the Asian nerds?" "Everyone is so tall!" "So many white people!" Thus, my biggest adjustment was cultural. I'm still not used to it.</p>
<p>Anyway, sorry for the tangent there. As you point out, there are superficial people everywhere, but when looking at the concentration of superficial people it is possible to come to a conclusion, in my opinion.</p>
<p>UCLAri,</p>
<p>After stating repeatedly that I have never said LA is the only place on the planet to have shallow and image conscious people and clarifying that my observation is limited to areas with the most active scene in LA, you are still trying to put words into my mouth. Where did I ever said it's "peculiar" to LA? That's already been clarified and I thought we have all way passed that. But since you are still few steps behind, let me go back: I was comparing the most happening places in various cities I have lived in or spent substantial amount of time in and said which one feels <em>relatively more</em> image conscious to me. By the way, have you lived in other places IN THE US other than LA to conclude my comparison has no beef?</p>
<p>Speaking of accusing others of not knowing others, you are the one doing just that. I was wrong for assuming you weren't from LA but at least as far as Lowell High goes, I was on target (thanks sfgiants for verifying!). The fact that you said my ex might be an exception shows just how little you know about SF. Anyone that's been to Richmond/Sunset knows it's very obvious they are not flashy neighborhoods. Next time you go up there, look and see for yourself!</p>
<p>Even you said you grew up in the Valley and went to UCLA, I am not sure if you have spent as much time as I have in the LA social scene and the most happening areas like West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Sunset strips. Have you gone to different social events and parties for mostly singles where you meet bunch of strangers and try to establish connection with some of them? I don't want to assume anything this time and maybe you can tell me if you do these sorts of things when you grew up living with your family. </p>
<p>Things are almost never identical by the way--some are more than others. It's whether it's observable that's debatable. It's just that LA comes out on the side of "more" in this area based on my experience and observation. I am not sure why this seems difficult for you to understand and why you keep insisting everywhere in the <em>same</em> (even though you haven't even lived in other US cities). Maybe this is your hometown and you can't accept negative comment?</p>
<p>When I said Valley, I was thinking of places like Van Nuys, Northridge...I was responding to ucsd<em>usla</em>dad and acknowledging that many areas in LA like the ones in the Valley I just mentioned are more down to earth and "average", so depending on what part of LA he has spent time in, things might not look anything unusual. But since you are looking to pick on my mistakes, you don't see what my real point was. </p>
<p>
[quote]
I drove a junker while at UCLA and most of my time in LA and nobody looked down on me
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I wouldn't expect anyone would pull up a sign "your car sucks!" while you were driving or getting in and out of your car either.</p>
<p>
[quote]
By the way, have you lived in other places IN THE US other than LA to conclude my comparison has no beef?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I've spent a summer in New York and about 4 months in DC.</p>
<p>So yes.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Maybe this is your hometown and you can't accept negative comment?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Oh no, I can criticize LA all day long. It's just this particular criticism that I think is particularly silly...</p>
<p>
[quote]
When I said Valley, I was thinking of places like Van Nuys, Northridge...
[/quote]
</p>
<p>My family currently lives in Van Nuys. You know what's incredible?</p>
<p>How many of the houses in my mom's neighborhood are small yet have BMWs or MBs outside. Hmm...</p>
<p>And Northridge? Average? Dude, go up around Devonshire or toward Porter Ranch. We're talking million dollar homes here.</p>
<p>Sam, I think what the problem with your argument here is that you're going to singles parties (which I have some experience with as a wingman...ugh) in glitzy neighborhoods then assuming that this won't apply elsewhere. I went to one in DC, and dude, it was alllll image. If you weren't at least a staffer on the Hill with a nice watch, you were a nobody. </p>
<p>New York isn't much different. Think "The Devil Wears Prada." Or Sex in the City.</p>
<p>Maybe San Francisco is just populated with humans who are beyond the rest of us petty folk. :p</p>
<p>
[quote]
Anyone that's been to Richmond/Sunset knows it's very obvious they are not flashy neighborhoods. Next time you go up there, look and see for yourself!
[/quote]
</p>
<p>They're not. But you just creep a liiiitle out and...</p>