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<p>This is a very mature attitude to take. Back when we moved to CA in '86, when my H took a position at USC, we of course had no idea that '10 would be like this, and that we’d really have to research the UC’s carefully for our senior S. Thankfully as an academic, my H has sources that he can use.</p>
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Cal States are not the same as UCs. I’ve attended both and had all kinds of trouble enrolling in classes at my Cal State, I did not have a problem at UC…this seems to be reinforced by the majority of posts here.</p>
<p>bluebayou, I think for us the decision will be choosing between Cal private and public schools. As an outsider, I’m relying on USNews, etc., to try and compare the objective pieces. And we watch the economic news in California to see if the picture is changing before our eyes. If those of you with kids in UCs right now start telling us that the quality of education is slipping badly, that will factor in. Of course, the fuzzy part where my daughter falls in love with some corner of a campus is completely not scalable…</p>
<p>From what I’ve read in the newspapers, the community colleges seem to be in the same boat at the Cal State campuses regarding the difficulties in enrolling in classes. This has already caused some problems for HS students who may have received conditional offers, providing they take xxx class before enrolling at a UC or CSU, only to find they can’t get in at their local CC. Difficulties are rolling down hill.</p>
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Actually, it’s generally less expensive to live off-campus in an apartment in Westwood than on-campus in the dorms - thanks (thanks??) to the relatively high cost of living in the dorms. The traffic isn’t usually an issue since the off-campus students can usually either walk to campus or walk to a nearby campus shuttle stop. The same is true for UCSD even though living in upscale La Jolla. I’ve heard it’s about the same at UCB. It’s a skewed equation though since it’s only due to the (IMO) extra high charge for on-campus housing, especially at UCB, that the off-campus housing, even in expensive neighborhoods, is more affordable than the on-campus housing.</p>
<p>Not just community colleges, K-12 schools are affected. I paid close to $500 for my daughter’s team sport and all she gets is clothes that have been worn from students from previous years. I rather the coach stated that up front, that they really need is donation.</p>
<p>It is a tough economy right now and I do fear for the UC system. Here is a controversial thread that may shed some light on the current state. If you look beyond the banter, there are tons of informational links about the current economic and academic state of the UC system. </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-los-angeles/770864-deterioration-ucla.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-los-angeles/770864-deterioration-ucla.html</a></p>
<p>^ why are you bringing up this thread again? </p>
<p>California budget proposal restores state funding to UC.</p>
<p>bayboi10 seems to be posting the link to that thread anywhere he sees a reference to UCLA. Even though he doesn’t attend UCLA and has demonstrated that he’s not accurately informed about UCLA he still frequently posts negative remarks about UCLA for some reason.</p>
<p>probably just didn’t get in…</p>