I’m really interested in USC (or UCLA but tuition makes it unlikely), and obviously I still have to get in and get enough financial aid, but how would the experience be for someone who has never been off the East coast? I was born and raised in Virginia but it’s never really been my cup of tea, being a bleeding heart liberal/vegetarian/lesbian. I also have health issues that make the cold very painful for me. Distance is not an issue, I’m just curious to know if I’d be happy there? Thoughts?
You would have to have killer scores, GPA, EC’s and essays to get into these schools.
Also, the UC’s are funded by California taxpayers, so OOS students from Virginia pay full fees of $55K per year. You cannot gain instate residency. Can your parents afford these costs? No financial aid for OOS students at the UC’s.
USC is a private school and über competitive, but if you have the right test scores, EC’s and GPA, go for it. It is more expensive than UCLA. USC runs about $62K to $68K depending on your program. They have more of an endowment for funding applicants with high stats, but even with National Merit status, it is expensive.
Check out the California link for more answers to your questions about California.
Knowing if you would be happy at one of those schools is an unknown. No one knows you here, and cannot predict your future success.
Oh, there are lots of vegan restaurants! Great Mexican food too!
Thanks for the insight, but I’m not asking about getting in or paying; I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. I want to know if a west coast education/community is different than it would be on the east coast.
Part of the helpfulness of this forum is pointing out things that students don’t consider. And such a huge part of getting to go to a college is if you can pay for it, it is always something to bring up sooner rather than later when the kids are stuck with no affordable offers and swarming the financial aid forum. So if you want to ask a question here you are going to get comments and advice you can pay attention to or not, but you may not have a choice about getting it. Cross that bridgers are panicking and unprepared, we see it every year.
USC is not a place I think of as earthy crunchy, that is more Nor Cal than So Cal. USC is called university of spoiled children for a reason. I hope you can visit.
I’m well aware of financial issues, I have three older siblings in college (my sister was offered a very generous package from University of Richmond) and I’m obviously applying to in-state schools. Isn’t a large portion of their student body receiving aid? I have a friend who visited USC and felt that it was a lot more diverse (culturally and socioeconomically) than she expected, and she is not wealthy by any means. Again, I’m asking if/how being on the west coast would affect attitudes and overall community.