Hey guys,
It is my dream to go UCLA for computer science and I think I have a pretty good chance of getting in, however the problem is my parent’s don’t approve and said they will never let me go. Their reason for this mindset is that they believe LA is “too dangerous”, but I can handle myself perfectly fine and wan to make my way in the world so I completely detest this idea. The dilemma is that obviously I need them to approve me going in oder to go because I will need their support and don’t want to completely cut off contact with them. What should I do? I want to go there more than anything but see no solution.
Get in, first.
Then tour the campus with your parents, show them rankings, safety stats, lists of Nobel Prize winners, famous professors and alums. Find alums or current students who can share their experience with your parents.
Odds are, they will come around.
But just in case they don’t make sure you will apply to schools you can get into, and ones they approve.
Good luck!
What college(s) do they want you to go to?
What is the cost of each college (in the net price calculator)? Are you sure that “too dangerous” is the real reason, or is it a smokescreen because they do not want to admit that they cannot afford the college you like?
The Westwood area of Los Angeles where UCLA is happens to be one of the lower crime areas of Los Angeles.
http://maps.latimes.com/neighborhoods/neighborhood/westwood/crime/
http://www.crimemapping.com/map.aspx?aid=3db8cf99-a73b-46d2-b218-bd24cf491577
Some of the higher crime risks include things that happen more easily when people are drunk (sexual assaults or rapes, fights) and students who grew up in very low crime areas (where they could leave stuff unattended and unlocked without getting it stolen) getting their unattended and unlocked stuff stolen.
I visited UCLA and USC on the same day. They are located in the same city, 20 minutes away by driving. The neighborhoods are night and day. USC has a rough neighborhood, at best. This is the true definition of “smog city”. I would NOT want to walk around the streets there at night alone, hell not even with friends. UCLA on the other hand, is part of the beautiful Westwood area, and the campus itself is very lively and bright. Sure, LA isn’t a perfect city, but Westwood is the light in a dark night. But, focus on getting in first, then have this conversation with your parents 
Crimes of all sorts happen at colleges everywhere, even ones in the boonies. Why not show your parents the campus crime reports of any colleges you are interested in so they have some actual proof that UCLA isn’t any more dangerous than any other campus. However, I have to warn you,that UCLA is apparently the most crime ridden campus in the country. But this could just be due to sheer numbers of things such as “alcohol related incidents.” To find campus crime reports, you can google Crime and fire safety report x college. Good luck.
Thanks for all the replies, their reasoning seems to be less that I will be mugged etc. but more that I will fall in with the wrong crowd, however this can happen anywhere in the world and location has nothing to do with it so this is completely unreasonable. My mom used to live there and really hated it because she thought it was dangerous so it is almost impossible to convince her. Any further advice would be very welcome 
Are you in CA now?
No, I live in Upstate NY
Fall in with the wrong crowd? With the smart kids at UCLA? I have to say, you will be more at risk of falling into the wrong crowd at State U party school.
LA isn’t any more dangerous than any other city. I lived there for twenty years. Your mom is being overprotective. You can tell her I said so.
Will do haha, and yes I know it is very annoying how overprotective she is being, but she has all the power here. How could I convince her this won’t happen?
Lol, first you should focus on getting in first before thinking stuff like this… .
I wouldn’t pay for UCLA from OOS anyway.
@venm1337 yes but they wont even let me apply and @intparent why not? its one of the best colleges in the country and has a lower price than most private colleges of its caliber regardless
Crime is much lower than a generation ago, including in Los Angeles. Perhaps her perception of crime was due to the very high crime rate then, along with an LAPD that was then seen as ineffective, brutal, and racist (see Rodney King related events).
But, as a non California resident, UCLA will be expensive, so it would be best to drop the dream of going there.
I wouldn’t pull full price from out of state for any state university. Large class sizes, impersonal, lots of TAs vs professors.
Many parents put geographic restrictions on their kids. Personally I agree with @intparent – I would not pay to fly my kids across the country to attend an OOS public.
Note that Stony Brook has a good CS reputation but should be low cost for you as a NY resident.
How much can your parents afford per year? Did you know that the out of state total cost is $60,000 per year?
Go ahead and apply…but apply to many other colleges (including SUNYs) that are affordable.
Why is this your “dream school” ? What do you know about it? Have you visited the campus? Do you have close relatives or friends who attend/have attended and have given you first-hand stories of life on campus?
What kind of passion do you have for computer science? Have you taken any cs classes so far in high school? How many hours do you spend programming in your free time? What other activities have you given up to devote to computer projects?
Computer science can be taught competently by professors at schools all around the country. There might be some niche courses or concentrations not available everywhere, but for the most part, computer courses should have similar content from school to school.
Tell us details of what you see yourself doing after college. What segment of the computer industry do you want to work in?
Then your parents are correct to direct you from UC. They are way too costly for OOS’ers.
Personally, I’d recommend an ED app to one of Cornell’s ‘contract colleges’ for the instate discount. Sure, Ithaca may not be as exciting as Westwood, but Cornell’s Comp Sci program is highly regarded, and Cornell at a discount is a no-brainer.