<p>It is do-able. Risky, but do-able. I attended CCSF and loved it there, but I also took a class at BCC and found it to be fine. There are a lot of community colleges in the Bay Area. CCSF offers classes at around 10 different sites in SF and BCC is within the Peralta Community College consortium, so you cold take classes at 4 different campuses in the East Bay. Choosing one of the schools is probably the least of your worries. It is definitely possible to get into Cal after two years at a CCC. Just keep your grades up and use the career center or other student service centers to look for EC opportunities. And if things don’t work out between you and your girlfriend, after you are done with your lower division requirements you could transfer into another UC or CSU in a different city.</p>
<p>Housing is less expensive in the East Bay, especially in Oakland. I find that Berkeley and SF are about the same as far as rent goes, but you might be able to get a 1 bedroom for less rent in Berkeley than SF. Berkeley has a lot more “dumpy” places than SF, especially next to the Cal campus. I looked at 10 tiny, moldy, falling apart studios that were around $950 and decided not to move into an apartment after all. But it is supposedly a renter’s market in SF and it definitely is in Oakland, so it might not be too bad now. </p>
<p>By the way, Oakland has a bad rep, but it is a huge city and not all parts of it are unsafe or unsavory. </p>
<p>If you are working and going to school and/or get financial aid, it should be no problem at all. Lots of young people with lower paying jobs (retail, cafe, movie theater) still manage to live on their own in the Bay Area, although they are often broke.</p>
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