<p>^ you’re neglecting to mention that the surrounding area in berkeley is filled with a large homeless population and that the facilities leave much to be desired. </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-berkeley/1333586-berkeley-awful-new-admits-stay-away.html?highlight=dump[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-berkeley/1333586-berkeley-awful-new-admits-stay-away.html?highlight=dump</a></p>
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<p>I hope you understand that the one person who has tried to push UCLA up in your virtual ranking … actually knows nothing about US schools. Never attended one; never visited one. He only talked highly about UCLA because it starts with UC. </p>
<p>Now that you mention Cal (UC Berkeley) expect him to change gears and recommend Cal – qui pour lui est la 8</p>
<p>If you’re talking prestige and career opportunities, Wharton is probably the strongest on your list.</p>
<p>Berkeley or Columbia.</p>
<p>Berkeley/SF Bay Area if you want to see west coast.
Columbia/NYC if you want to see east coast.</p>
<p>Yep, Cal and Columbia represent the best choices for someone who … shared that tuition fees are not important but living expenses are. The Bay Area and NYC are such a bargain for student lodging. </p>
<p>/smile</p>
<p>OP,</p>
<p>How much per month can you afford for living expenses? If you can’t afford NYC/SF Bay Area/LA (with a car in LA; it su*ks without one), you can cross off some of the choices right away. Cambridge or parts of Boston such as South End are probably only slightly cheaper than (if not already comparable) SF/Berkeley but Boston’s public transit is decent so you can probably find some cheaper places more easily. Center City near Penn isn’t cheap and I don’t know much about other areas which you have to mindful of because Philly as a whole is one of the more dangerous cities and some of the dangerous areas not so far from Penn. </p>
<p>Princeton seems to be the best in everything!</p>
<p>Yeah, I’d listen to Alexandre, also. But I wouldn’t discount RML’s statements either because he is a Euro also, I believe. So he knows what you all think and feel and obviously has feedback from his friends. (And I hope the term Euro still has a non-pejorative feel; I apologize if it doesn’t.)</p>
<p>I wouldn’t heed xiggi’s statements, simply because his posts have too much of a foreboding tone to them, which he tries so desperately to lessen by inserting smiley faces, etc in his posts. He’ll turn any airy, light discussion to one of dire importance, and one of the OP having to make the right choice. You’re studying abroad; why make it of such importance? </p>
<p>In other words, go to whatever part of the country interests you, whether it be east PA, NYC, Cambridge Mass, LA, SF or wherever else, with prestige of U of lesser importance. I disagree with UCB who says something like the Bay Area is more quintessential CA than the part of LA in which UCLA is located. I would think the area around UCSB would be the most quintessential of all CA u’s, because it is immersed deeply in beach culture along with its requisite conviviality, and neither SF Bay or LA define CA culture as perhaps the image that Baywatch brought all over the world. And no, the area around UCLA isn’t defined by crips, etc. </p>
<p>Sam Lee’s perpetual anti-LA statements don’t apply to UCLA. UCLA is in the heart of arguably the most expensive real estate on the planet, and is undoubtedly top-10. (ANd WLA isn’t really for those of limited funds, which may exclude it from your consideration.) </p>
<p>Much of LA is urban sprawl as so many here have described it, along with really bad & cheap utilitarian urban architecture, but this doesn’t apply to UCLA’s locale nor the campus itself. The campus is beautiful and hilly and has an abundance of green foliage. The girls are gorgeous and hot. And the U is just five miles from the green Pacific. Yeah, the oceans are polluted, but unless you like to recreate in the water, body and/or board surfing, etc, you won’t have to deal with the pollution and can find life comfortable around it with plenty of things to do.</p>
<p>I appreciate RML’s statements because people like xiggi and Sam Lee try to denigrate UCLA and LA, but opposite to what RML stated, the humanities majors do eventually find grad school in law, management, etc, or go into bus sector fields where major isn’t important. They probably attend grad school in greater proportions than engineering and econ majors.</p>
<p>^It’s halirious to see how you attack the messengers. </p>
<p>UCLA is just a dot on the map of LA. It’s obvious that any generalization about LA doesn’t necessarily apply to UCLA. You are too sensitive to think I somehow “denigrate UCLA”. </p>
<p>I don’t expect anyone to be in Westwood 24/7. Westwood is a cute little neighborhood but its center is not gonna be that exciting for someone from a world-class city like Paris. I took couple classes through UCLA extension (not that great by the way); it’s funny how some of the UCLA fans so overhype Westwood. The center is only few blocks! </p>
<p>One doesn’t need to be an expert of real estate in the world to know Westwood is far from “the most expensive real estate on the planet”. Heck, it’s not even the most expensive in California. Westwood is cheap comapred to many areas in Monaco, London, Hong Kong, and yes, Paris, etc.</p>
<p>^Another dumb reply. Where does tOSU figure in all of this? Even if you just included Westwood, you have the Holmby Hills part of WW which has the former Spelling mansion. But why would I exclude Bel Air, which is just across Sunset Boulevard, one of the most interesting streets in the world? World famous, but what does Columbus have, lol?</p>
<p>Perhaps I’ve mistaken you for Sparkeye. And no coaching from xiggi, btw, who has said the same things about my ‘attacking.’ Sensitive fellow, this xiggi; can dish it out, but not take it back.</p>
<p>Drax, you are indeed a gullible fellow.</p>
<p>Oh, xiggi, right on time. ;)</p>
<p>Nice smiley!</p>
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You can always cherry pick different parts. The fact is WLA/Westwood are pretty cheap compared to many areas in the world, esp in terms of price per square foot. I don’t see how homes behind gates and largely invisible behind privacy fences matter to anyone in his/her school decision anyway. </p>
<p>Sunset Blvd is “one of the most interesting street in the world”? You seem easily amused by anything in LA; or you haven’t really travelled much outside the US. It’s good that you like where you live so much though; but I know a lot of people absoultely hate it.</p>
<p>Well, I am not from Paris originally, so I am renting a studio here, which is not too expensive. In a quiet and safe area, 15 minutes away from the Louvre by subway, a 26-m2-large studio costs me 490 EUR per month (around 600 USD as of today) - that includes electricity and all other charges.</p>
<p>This is not too cheap, but considering that it’s Paris and in comparison with other European megapolises where I lived, it is affordable.</p>
<p>I hope accommodation will not cost me more than this and I would of course like to live in an area more affluent and less isolated, even if I would be getting a significantly smaller flat. That’s why I disliked cities such as London and Moscow - half of each of those are no-go areas and the overall crime situation is pretty serious. (whereas the other half is prohibitively expensive)</p>
<p>In comparison cities such as Zurich and Vienna appeal to me because you can walk into any part of the city at any time of day and night and not be worried about getting mugged.</p>
<p>I’m sorry I can only give European cities as indicators of what I prefer, but I really don’t know the US well enough to name a city that has these or those qualities.</p>
<p>For me Safety and Quietude >> Urban Area and Clubbing</p>
<p>26 m^2 translates to about 280 sq feet. Actually, US studios are usually bigger than this and that actually work against you. You can easily find places that are cheaper <em>per sq foot</em> but because most units are not this small, it’ll be hard to find cheaper place, except maybe in Princeton</p>
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<p>Except it’s not really cherry picking. To the east of Westwood are Century City and Beverly Hills; To the west are Brentwood and Santa Monica; immediately to the north is Bel Air, with Holmby Hills somewhere near by. None of those places are inexpensive.</p>
<p>Many people actually live in the valley, and commute to LA (since it’s far cheaper.)</p>
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<p>In one of my classes, this girl from some European country said something like “LA is easy to hate, but it’s hard to love.” She further qualified that by saying something like you have to find out where you fit in the city, and i think that’s true. It certainly isn’t for everyone, but i’m sure no city is. (i didn’t really like SF myself.)</p>
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<p>You wouldn’t find a studio anywhere near that cheap in Los Angeles, or at least in the UCLA area. Again, though, many people manage with roommates though.</p>
<p>I also don’t think that the area immediately around Princeton is by any means cheap. Apartments next to universities usually have inflated rent. However, you might be able to find a cheap place that is like a 10-15 minute commute away. Will you be able to find a studio in NJ for $600/mo? While i’m not too sure, a quick browse on craigslist showed at least a few possible places, but idk what neighborhoods they’re in, etc.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/uc-transfers/379990-why-does-ucla-suck.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/uc-transfers/379990-why-does-ucla-suck.html</a></p>
<p>beyphy,</p>
<p>Let me just say that those areas are largely residential with many gated communities.<br>
Do college students really care about them? Many UCLA students probably never step into Holmby Hills and Bel Air. It’s not like those celebs will invite the UCLA kids over either. Forget about going to many of those areas without a car, assuming one even cares to look.</p>
<p>But to elaborate what I meant and to address your response, I never said those areas are inexpensive. I said those areas are simply not the most expensive real estate in the world as drax claimed, not even close. A random search online I just did now shows a 1br/ba condo by the beach in Santa Monica would cost $429k; a 3bd/3ba house in Bel Air would cost $1M. It’s not that much considering the location; $429k would get you only a 500 sq-ft flat in an average area in Hong Kong; a $1M would buy you only a 1000-sq ft condo in an average area in Hong Kong, not a house! The 1,700-sq ft condo my family lived before was built in 1980s and is now selling for $2 millions. It’s not even that upscale! It may cost even more in London. I just want to bring a more balanced view here before people like drax blow it out of proportion. </p>
<p>[Simon</a> Salloom | Santa Monica Real Estate | Brentwood Real Estate | Houses | Condos](<a href=“http://santamonicarealestatesearch.com/]Simon”>http://santamonicarealestatesearch.com/)</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1354753-us-universities-comparable-ucla.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1354753-us-universities-comparable-ucla.html</a></p>
<p>Need more than one source for evaluating real estate in Santa Monica:</p>
<p>[Santa</a> Monica Homes - A Real Estate Site by a Real Expert](<a href=“http://www.santamonicahomes.net/]Santa”>http://www.santamonicahomes.net/)</p>