Irvine is too much of a generic suburb for my tastes. I would not pick it as a place to live independent of the university as I would most of the others.
1 Like
Just a joke, friends. I also made it to him and he let out a nervous laugh.
He does have a rough list of what schools he wants to apply to in two years.
6 Likes
@anaray It just depends. Iām 100% comfortable with Berkeley. USC surrounding has gentrified a little since I first visit it in the 90ās. Campus is beautiful. Some extended part of the campus isnāt bad. I just wonāt walk around there at night. Day time itās fine if your kid lives off campus eventually. You should visit USC before deciding since I think we all have different levels of whatās comfortable. Iāve sent my son to Mexico on a mission trip with min supervision and Iāve let him roam around NYC and other big cities on his own without concerns. Maybe a little more cautious now with all the Asian hate. He has it a little easier than his buddies who are black. Thatās another layer of fear that my girl friends live with for their sons that Iāve been immuned to.
Agree that Irvine is kinda boring. But the town is as vanilla as it can be. My son actually likes the building style at UCI over Berkeley.
6 Likes
Thank you! I will make sure that she visits 2 or 3 of her top choices before committing.
@sushiritto āwe all had a meeting and plan to spread our grime.ā 
3 Likes
UCLA is upscale leafy suburbs and nice. USC is much more inner city and campus is kind of a walled fortress in the center of the city. You donāt even get onto the campus without going through a security gate. It is all walled off. Not a slum, but not upscale either. You can google street view the surrounding neighborhoods and get a pretty good idea.
1 Like
I was up in Saratoga a few weekends ago and visit that town every year. It really is a gorgeous area with a great downtown array of restaurants and shops. Saratoga really is the most glamorous area of Upstate NY with a preppy and wealthy feel(mostly contributed to the Saratoga Racecourse)We went for a drive through Skidmoreās campus and it was pretty empty. A lot of artsy/indie type kids go there if that is what your child is interested. The campus seems to emphasize music and arts, with a building dedicated just to music right when you get on campus!
2 Likes
@anaray, hate to break it to you, but adopting a child is actually a lot more complicated (and drawn out) than even the admissions process of the class of ā21 (from one who knows 
)
10 Likes
You should go to the local high school and talk to the guidance counselor about helping a junior. I bet they would know of a few kids who might like some assistance. If one took you up on it you could change their life.
9 Likes
I completely agree with this assessment of USC but Iām also someone who allowed my teenager to take off with her friends on the subway in NYC and Chicago and we have lived in big cities.
I think it is a great idea.
I agree! The kid may not even want to go to outside college after adopting.
Thank you! I am getting some ideas from your and otherās messages. Google street view is a great idea.
FWIW, my D did summer dance program at Skidmore & loved it. The dance faculty are great as are the facilities. And she really enjoyed Saratoga. For a small town, she was impressed with what was going on in town & the restaurants.
If it werenāt for the fact that she wanted to be further from home, she would have applied.
1 Like
Irvine may be a bland suburban area (yet very expensive) but the UCI campus is right on the border with Newport Beach and only a few miles from some of the best beaches in Orange County, including the Balboa peninsula and Laguna Beach to the south. S17 who is a senior there has discovered that itās actually a wonderful location and very underrated as a UC campus location.
3 Likes
Irvine might be generic but nearby Balboa Island, only a few miles away from UC Irvine, is not too shabby!
1 Like
And not so underrated. It has the lowest acceptance rate after UCLA and Berkeley.
1 Like
@sd4586 I must have been responding at the same time as you! Love the Balboa peninsula area. Your son is lucky to live in that area!
1 Like
I agree. Irvine is such a great central location. Not too far from L.A., where thereās always something happening. Yet itās quieter than L.A., and the air quality is generally a little better. The nearby beaches are great. Not too far from San Diego, which is always fun to visit.
1 Like
I agree but the location is often underrated.
1 Like