D is going for her TTP appointment on Weds. alone. Is Uber the best way to get from the airport to campus? I admit having an 18 year girl getting into an unknown Uber car alone makes me nervous. I’ve used public transit before from the aiport but it was complicated and I have no confidence in her navigating the transfers required.
@SC Anteater - My daughter has taken an Uber from LAX to USC (and back) numerous times. I was a little nervous as well. I usually have her call me once she’s on her way so I can talk with her during the ride. The savings can be significant. Cabs usually run about $70.00. The Uber ride is about $30.00 or $35.00, I believe.
@jcwjnw99 The phone call is a good idea. Thanks for that!
Uber or Lyft are her best bet. She will go upstairs to DEPARTURE level and there are marked pick up points – she should request the ride when she has her luggage.
Yes Uber is way to go. D did it as high school senior to USC for interview and many many times since. Never a problem and definitely less expensive and way less time than other options. It will be good for her to do this on her own.
@SC Anteater You might want to accompany your daughter for the TTP meeting. Parents are very welcome. Last year we did that for S. We also sat in for the meeting. There were many parents there and they also sat in the meetings with their S or D. Very few went solo. Have your questions listed and ready to be asked. You have 30 min.
@UCBUSCalum Neither parent can attend due to work commitments, so D has to go solo. I’m confident she can handle the meeting fine, it just the getting there that’s the issue.
You can also do a Super Shuttle group van if time is not tight.
@SC Anteater Last year driving to and from LAX to USC was horrendous due to the number of cars on the Santa Monica Freeway, Hwy 10. This year I am going to experiment for the first time by flying to and from the Burbank Airport. Hopefully the Harbor Freeway, Hwy110, won/t be as bad as Hwy10.
@UCBUSCalum Is there ever a time when the L.A. freeways aren’t bad??? I’d never take the 10 from LAX though. 105 to the 110 is how we usually go.
From Burbank I’ve found loading up the Google Maps recommendation helpful. Sometimes the 101 is better than the 134 to the 110.
@"“SC Anteater” When my D did her interview at USC while in high school and went solo, the admissions person’s mentioned how impressive it was that she was traveling on her own, so she will be fine. They like independent kids. Be prepared that who you get for these meetings can vary. It is either the “helpful nice advisor,” or the “you should feel lucky that we are still considering you” arrogant advisor. Prepare your D for either scenario. The main thing is for her to convey her commitment to attending, she won’t get that much, if any, new info out of it that can’t be found in the transfer brochure (or asked about from the advisor later or on here, etc). So tell her not to stress trying to remember all the A-H categories of GEs that the advisor mentions. Relax and again, just be enthusiastic about USC.
Is she going to a 4 year or cc? Ya, 105 to 110 is the play. And if you have carpool from the 105 ramp to 110, even better.
@CADREAMIN She is going to UCSB. My hope is that she likes it and wants to stay, but she’s doing the meeting to keep her option open.
“@SC Anteater”
Sounds like a perfect approach. Hopefully she immerses herself into UCSB life and loves it. I just hope kids have a great freshman year wherever they are. For kids at 4 years, I think it is best to stay on course for your major there and not focus on doing everything that USC wants. Some majors have very specific 4 year course plans with a critical path, so it is best to stay on their pathway. Even trying to plan classes based on what USC wants can be a distraction all year. A strong GPA is the most important thing, and good whether she stays or not. Class selection for TTP students is less important compared with regular transfers.
I cannot remember how to do a name with a space in it! What am I missing here?
@CADREAMIN My trick used to work, but seems to have been eliminated in an “enhancement.” You can accomplish the same thing though by substituting “%20” (no quotes) for the space. So @SC%20Anteater
The above comments about Uber/Lyft (I much prefer Lyft - same cost but they treat their people MUCH better and it’s generally the same pool of drivers) are accurate and it’s not as bad as you think. L.A. has a very big pool of people in the “gig economy” so lots of otherwise perfectly normal people will drive for Uber/Lyft for extra cash. It should be $20-$30 each way (haven’t gone to USC specifically from LAX so can’t say) and not too bad. I would also avoid Super Shuttle, Prime Time Shuttle, etc. if at all possible… those things are cattle cars that will circle the airport 5-10 times after they pick you up, trying to pick up extra passengers, and it can take a ridiculous amount of time to get home. Nowadays they also cost about the same as Uber/Lyft so NOT at all worth it.
UCSB is an excellent school too (also a great place to go to college) so your child has excellent options either way.
My son just got back from a solo trip to Orientation and had no trouble with uber and lyft to and from LAX. About $35 each way. Uber app has a feature where he was able to “share” the ride with me so I could see when he was picked up and dropped off and who the driver was.
If you aren’t pressed for time, Supershuttle works fine and is quite reasonable.