<p>My 3 cents.
i'm from brazil but i have visited US many times.Socal is definitely the best place to live in america, great weather, the ocean, the desert and the mountains, the cost of living is expensive but if you have a good job(100K+) you can have a very good life.If you are materialist(i'm sorry but i like bling bling a lot) Socal is the place to be.
My second favorite spot is texas more specific DFW metroplex, very very welthy(20 billionaires 3 place after NYC,LA)dallas is very modern city with plenty of things to do, also it's not expensive to live there..so if you like money,nice weather( a little too hot and humid but ) and a modern city...that's the place to be.
then you have Orlando florida...enterteniment city, very friendly people,a lot of ferraris,nice weather, cheap housing(compared to Socal)and laid back lifestyle.</p>
<p>I'm at school in SoCal and I love being here, but I have little interest in staying (although it remains a distinct possibility). The point is that SoCal is a unique and diverse environment, but it's absolutely NOT for everyone. Visit before you decide to attend school here, or have a good reason for your interest. Too many people simply say "I want to go to school in CA" without knowing anything at all about the region, and that just doesn't make sense no matter WHERE you're talking about.</p>
<p>As previous posters said, giving some stats will give people a better idea of what you're looking for and what might be within your range. The Claremont Colleges <em>as a whole</em> are very highly-regarded (but as with any LACs, only within that circle that has actually heard of them). Oxy, LMU, USD...also all great. None of these are schools whose names will ring out with everyone you ever speak to, but none of them will chain you to LA, either. If you have any post-grad education goals, the <em>name</em> of your undergrad school is not something you should be overly-focused on.</p>
<p>(Let's please avoid turning this into another "This is why SoCal rocks/sucks" thread. See the "Current Opinions on USC" post if you really want to study responses to that question.)</p>
<p>UCSD is an oft-overlooked school in SoCal, and I think it's a pity.</p>