@NewJeffCT
I’ve lived in So Cal almost 40 years and have visited UCSD, UCI, UCLA, USC, UCSB many times for a variety of reasons including school tours when S was in hs. I agree with posters above about flying into San Diego and moving northwards. I also like the idea of returning from UCSB and flying out of Burbank as if you don’t time your trip from back UCSB to LAX just right, you could end up in a traffic mess on 101/405 parking lots (aka freeways). Honestly you could time your trip back from UCSB to LAX perfectly, and you’re one accident/police chase away from missing your flight. Flying out of Burbank “might” be less of a hassle if you leave UCSB south to Ventura, then take 126 to 5 to Burbank. Actually if you’re set on flying out of LAX, I’d consider returning to LAX area from UCSB the night before and stay in hotel near airport.
June gloom is not peculiar to San Diego, it can affect all of So Cal especially in May/June. June gloom is a marine layer (ie clouds, perhaps/perhaps not some drizzle) that can hit area. May, June are most common months. This marine layer typically burns off by early PM but can persist during day. So although you’re going in March, you still may get some marine layer in AM in So Cal. Also is it always sunny in 80s in CT in June.
Thanks @Jugulator20 - I was already checking flight days/times and we can get a non stop flight back from LAX to BDL , though I think we may stop once on the way there.
@NewJeffCT I just hate flying west to east with one stop as you either have to leave at sunrise to get to destination at reasonble time or arrive very late/next day. Hassle (and cost) of traveling back/forth may be a consideration for D going to school in So cal, especially if she wants to come home during breaks/holidays. .
@Jugulator20 agree that the cost of flying back & forth is something to consider, as well as the time and fatigue - a cross country flight back 3 time zones can be tiring.
A year ago at this time, however, my daughter favored NYU. But, after visiting some small colleges, mid sized and large schools, including NYU, my daughter prefers a mid sized or large school and also definitely wants something with a campus (NYU does not really have a campus, and the BU campus is limited) - so, the UC schools and USC combine very good academics while also offering a real campus.
@NewJeffCT - “the UC schools and USC combine very good academics while also offering a real campus.” This is true of literally hundreds of schools across the nation. NYU and BU are extreme examples of urban campuses that are not self-contained. There are way fewer of those (George Washington, NYU, and BU being among the least self-contained urban campuses).
I’m not saying not to come to CA – it’s a fabulous state – but the UCs are hardly the only examples of schools with strong academics and well-defined campuses. There are more potential downsides for an OOS student at a UC than there are upsides.
You need to think about other descriptors re: location and quality. The first question should be “What does she want study and which schools have the best programs those areas?” The next question should be “Does she want an urban or a suburban school?” (judging by her other choices, I going to assume that rural schools are off the table).
There are literally dozen of schools that combine very good academics and a “real campus” experience across the nation – even in your same time zone (e.g., Vanderbilt, Emory, Tulane, Duke for starters).
Thanks @LoveTheBard - Vanderbilt, Duke, Tulane and Emory are in the South. Not too get too political, but I’m not sure my daughter would be comfortable in a location where - if she left campus - her friends may not have as many rights as she has or people she doesn’t know can open carry assault rifles into the local convenience store.
That leaves the West Coast, Northeast/Mid Atlantic and upper Midwest
Are you looking for additional suggestions for mid-size or larger, suburban/urban with a defined campus, located in West Coast, Northeast/Mid Atlantic and upper Midwest?
At varying levels of selectivity, there’s Chicago, UPenn, Hopkins, Northwestern, Brown, WashU, Georgetown, Tufts, CMU, U Roch, Case, Brandeis, BC, Northeastern, Villanova, Syracuse, Fordham, American, U Denver, Marquette, Loyola Chicago, SLU. (And if Florida isn’t too politically southern, U Miami.)
@NewJeffCT - Okay, so now you’ve given us something else to work with…
You should know that most college campuses – even in red states – lean blue. Most urban areas do too. That said, I totally get wanting to be in a state without open carry laws and with a greater tolerance for diversity.
@evergreen5 has given you a good list to start out with. (Also, it’s worth noting that if your D registers to vote in the state in which her school is located, her vote might be more impactful).
Thanks - if you go to the various college rankings, Syracuse, Fordham, Loyola-Chicago, American and a few others of those are not rated highly enough for my wife to even consider visiting there. I’m sure they’re great in individual areas (Syracuse for Media/Broadcatsing, for example)
Univ of Chicago is a great school, but it’s also been the most selective admission college in the country the past few years. I think the Ivies, Univ of Chicago, Duke, Stanford and a few of the elite liberal arts colleges are likely too much of a reach for my daughter (Williams & Amherst - we visited just to see if she liked LACs) Not to mention MIT and Cal Tech.
The next tier after that top 15 or so is a smaller reach, which probably includes Berkeley, UCLA and USC.
I thought Boston College was a great fit and my wife & I both loved the campus, but my daughter thought it was too cookie cutter.
@NewJeffCT - “The next tier after that top 15 or so is a smaller reach” includes every other school on @evergreen5’s list which seems to be in order of selectivity and are within the political and geographic parameters you’ve described (i.e., UPenn, Hopkins, Northwestern, Brown, WashU, Georgetown, Tufts, CMU, U Roch, Case, Brandeis), not to mention some of the other Ivy League schools (e.g. Columbia), some of the solid non-urban schools (e.g., Vassar), or consortium schools . How you get from there to Berkeley, UCLA and USC being at the top of the list it what I don’t get. I’m not saying that Berkeley and UCLA are not wonderful schools – they are – but I question if they are worth the OOS tuition.
As UC Forum Champion, I completely understand the appeal of the UC’s for many students especially top schools like UCLA/UCB but I also question spending $65K/year to attend one of these schools unless you have a unlimited budget and can easily spend $260K+ for your daughter’s Undergrad experience.
For an in-state California resident, you cannot go wrong with any of these schools and as a full pay parent I was more than willing to pay $30K/year for both my son’s. One son did attend a UC and he did end up enjoying his college experience but he is definitely glad he did not have to take out student loans and we did not have to take out Parent Plus loans for any college. He agrees there is nothing better than the gift of no undergrad debt so run the Net Price Calculators of any schools of interest before finalizing her list.
He is also thinking about Grad school so that is something you should consider especially with your daughters interest in theater/acting, psychology, game design, history. She is looking at possible majors that would require some advanced degree to make a living.
I wish you and your family a great California college tour and the California UC’s would love to have her attend since they can always use a large infusion of $$$.
However, the counter-argument is that if you go to a private school like say USC or Georgetown, for full pay it’s going to cost you $250K-300K as well. So then it really comes down to the school itself.
Some parts of some of these places can be unfriendly in this sense. For example, many places in the Midwest have high levels of racial segregation in residential patterns, as do some Mid-Atlantic places.
Quite a few parents (but not most) I know can afford to spend $250K+ for the 4 year costs of top tier private schools (meaning in the top 25 to 30 USNews rankings for national schools). Some CA students of these parents would choose schools like Georgetown, Carnegie Mellon, Emory, USC, Notre Dame, etc. over much cheaper in state alternatives such as UC Berkeley or UCLA. Others who cannot afford the high private college costs would pick UC Berkeley or UCLA over the private schools.
I understand that this is just an informational college visit, but do not let her fall in love with a school if you cannot come through in paying the costs of attendance.
@NewJeffCT, college can be an opportunity for your daughter to mix with people who are different from her, experience new environments, and in the process debunk stereotypes. I am sure you want her to grow up open-minded and not discounting people and places with which she is not familiar. Best of luck!
