Also re: UCLA - it is NOT close to the beach. Public transportation to the beach takes FOREVER! This is why if you want to go to the beach there, you have to have a friend with a car.
Which brings me to my next school (not on your list, though) - you should consider UCSB if OOS tuition is truly not an issue for your parents. It’s considered a party school, but not everybody parties. I went there. It’s a great school with very good academics and in some departments, it’s better than UCLA or UC Berkeley. It is RIGHT NEXT TO THE OCEAN. Isla Vista is where most students live starting in sophomore year and it’s a short bike ride away. Your student ID card works as a city bus pass and the Santa Barbara bus system is convenient and you can get pretty much everywhere on it.
You can study on the beach in October. 1 of the dorms has rooms which actually have an ocean view (but those are highly coveted). The weather is beautiful. If you want to join the Greek system, it’s there but it’s not like at Alabama where 40-50% of the student body is in the Greek system. If you’re female, it’s easy to get into frat parties even if you’re not in a sorority. Your social life will not suffer there if you’re not in a sorority or fraternity.
I loved UCSB. It was a great experience. I would totally do it all over again.
BUT…jobs post-graduation in Santa Barbara have historically always been very very difficult to come by. This is because of the fabulous weather. Nobody ever wants to leave. So you’ll need to leave the area after graduation in order to find gainful employment.