It does look insanely beautiful, the mountains are like nothing I’ve ever seen. Can I ask how you’d further condense my list?
USC. They’ve now established they have superficial down to a T. Go for it. It has all the aspects of scholarship you’re clearly seeking.
Could anybody help further narrow the updated list to possibly top 5. Thank you so much! I value your opinions greatly
Great thank you
Based on your criteria, this would be my top 5:
UCLA
University of Miami (Florida)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Texas
Tulane University
Top 5 for you.
UCLA
UCSD
UCB
UNC Chapel Hill
Tulane or University of Miami
Looking at your stated goals, I would choose UCLA.
It’s year around access to outdoors activities and simply hanging around in the sunshine. You live in England. You have enough dreary weather.
One week on the UCLA campus your question would be answered.
Although ranked as the best public university in the USA by some prominent polls, academic chops weren’t the major factor. At a certain level of excellence and name recognition, which many of your choices have, I focused on your primary objectives.
Go to UCLA. Really.
Note: Miami and UCLA would be the two larger international airports for ease of travel.
My top 5 based on your criteria:
University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA)
University of Miami (in Florida)
University of Texas (in Austin)
Arizona State University
University of California - Irvine
My top 5 based on your criteria:
UCLA
U of Miami
U of Texas
Arizona State
Tulane
If you want warm weather year round with beach access /ocean swimming possible August-October, April-May:
College of Charleston, FSU, UMiami, UCSan Diego*
Warm weather year round:
Tulane, UNC Chapel Hill, UCSanta Cruz, UCLA, UGA
*= Tough academics
My recommendation: take classes in American studies, African American studies, American history, Education history/policy (<= will tilt heavily toward the US), American literature, American Political Science with a mix of 100-200H and 300-400 level. It’ll allow you to understand many facets of your experience. 100-200 level classes will be super easy, even Honors (honors= more motivated students, smaller classes, lots of discussions. Your accent will make you stand out in a good way 
) You take 5 classes, 2 easy, 2 300-400, and one just for the fun of it (each campus has ‘fun’ classes, look up " top 10 classes not to miss at … university")
I doubt international exchange students can join a fraternity (there’s a whole lengthy process and people sometimes need recommendations from alumni and do get turned down anyway…) so check whether frat parties accept people outside the Greek system.
Will you be 21?
Note: using the term “girls” in the US implies under the age of 18… Since I assume you don’t want to hit on high school girls, you’d use the term “college women” .
Note: some places in the U.S. there is freedom of speech.
Which is not at all the same as freedom from the consequences of your speech, unless the only consequence you’re concerned about is the government throwing you in prison.
Yes, there’s freedom of speech, but words have a meaning. Unless you want to try for a Ionesco play. 
Girls mean under 18. We say high school girls, college women. Girls’ school, boys’ school, women’s college, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, etc.
If op says football perhaps others will understand soccer perhaps they’ll understand football, just like when an American goes to the UK and says football there’s uncertainty as to the meaning.
Op can say whatever he wants but using the words as they’re meant in the US would help his experience. And, as mentioned, if he hits on a 16 year old there may be bad consequences. There will be lots of college women interested in an English guy 
no need to throw in something unrelated. Op will learn all about the American definition(s) of freedom of speech while on campus here and I’m sure it’ll be very important to his experience.
he probably can’t use the words “bangers and mash” and “spotted dick” much either in these parts.
I’m still saying Florida State University. Tallahassee too small for you? Don’t worry about it; if you join a fraternity, much of your fun will be self-contained at FSU. . .and they can party at FSU like no other. But during football season, you and your bros can take roadies up and down the Atlantic Coast – well, only up (north) from Florida – to opponents’ stadiums and you’ll have a blast tailgating, besides doing so at FSU’s home stadium, Doak Campbell. All the stadiums will be packed, and you might be able to see Clemson at their home stadium as the reigning national champs in American College football.
You can experience the same at UCLA, but students there aren’t as into football. The main roadie would be to a NorCal university, either Stanford or Cal. The Pac-12 has kept the traditions of the California schools playing each other; otherwise, after the expansion of the league, from 10 to 12 teams, one of them could have been dropped in some years because of limited games in league (Pac-12).
So this year in the fall, USC will travel to Cal and host Stanford; UCLA will travel to Stanford and host Cal. In 2020, the order will be reversed in who hosts and who travels. The greeks at UCLA will take a roadie to Stanford and mix with the greeks at Stanford. Cal’s will roadie to UCLA and mix with the greeks at UCLA and at the Rose Bowl. UCLA students have to travel to Pasadena about 25 miles away because the University doesn’t have a home stadium. The other three do. But it’s a good chance to see the eastern part of LA and Pasadena, to see a hallowed venue where UCLA plays all its home games, and not to get island fever by being “stuck” on campus, even if a lot of UCLA students do get out and see different places.
UCLA greeks can party, but not like FSU’s. But perhaps the vastness of LA and seeing the areas that surrounds campus will be a good drawing card. However, I think FSU might be a better fit for you.
In my opinion you should narrow down to schools in Florida and California if the beach is important. UNC Chapel Hill and LSU also fit, although not at the beach. More “American” in the sense of less cosmopolitan, lots of Frats and Sports/Football culture.
I feel like Florida is the best of both worlds. I would do U Miami. Young attractive people, hot weather, big sports.
To me, if you want California culture/location, then you should choose UCLA. forgot the other Cali schools.
@firmament : how many international exchange students do you currently have as honorary members in your fraternity,or have had in the past couple years? Are they’ll automatically in for the semester?
@MYOS1634 . . . Sorry, but I graduated and I wouldn’t know. You can ask @10sforlife – I’ll invoke his presence.
@MYOS1634 . . . Additionally, OP is taking the whole year abroad; that would seemingly help.