<p>My name is Adriel, and I'm from Sao Paulo Brazil.
I always wanted to study and live in California, I saved some money and I finally can afford my education, I`m thinking of going to a community college.
I have some questions about California, could you help me please? </p>
<p>What's studying and living in California like?
Where in California is the best place to study and live?
Do you have any advices or recommendations? </p>
<ol>
<li>Northern and southern CA are very different. But living and studying in CA is a great experience</li>
<li>The Santa Monica College in LA appears to be a good spot, although I haven’t attended it.</li>
<li>I recommend that you find a spot where you have some support network. People will probably be more important than the actual school that you go to. </li>
</ol>
<p>Follow-up:
3. I also recommend that you get an English speaker to review your personal statement. There are lot of people on this site that are willing to do this for free or editing services are available - I’ve provided a list in a couple of posts in the past, but feel free to ping me if you can’t find it.</p>
<p>I second looking into Santa Monica Community College. It seems to be thriving and has a great reputation. Santa Monica is a fun city to explore too. There is so much to do in L.A. In general, though, the CA CCs are well-thought of. <em>Some</em> of them actually have dorms, so that could be something to guide your decision. I have met a bunch of Brazilian students in San Francisco - don’t know if that is different than other cities, but a lot of them come here to learn English - I think there is a particular language school they go to?
What sort of environment are you looking for, because CA is large, and there are all sorts of different natural regions and cultures</p>