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What is being a student like?

What's it like to live in LA as a student?

  • I'm currently 17 and in my last year of high school and lately I've been thinking a lot about my future. I want to become either an aerospace engineer or neuroscientist, or start my own business. I currently live in Adelaide, South Australia and am planning on going to Uni here, but I would love to do a one-year study exchange to UCLA. I've always wanted to go to LA and this seems like the perfect opportunity. I get straight A+s and I am top of my class, and very determined to do what's needed to achieve my goals and dreams. But I'd love to know more about what it's like to be a student in LA so I know exactly what will be involved. Are living costs expensive as a student? I know it's very expensive to live in LA, but living costs are also rather expensive here. I know tuition is expensive, but I'm saving, I have a lot of money saved already from middle/highschool scholarships and it's only for a year. I'm more concerned about food/clothes etc - do most students cope financially without leaving with a massive debt? Is it safe for a girl on her own? I'll be 19 or 20, and I want to know if it's ok for me to go out alone? I'm used to living in a very small, safe, secure city, but I'm guessing most girls don't go out alone at night in LA. What do you use for transport? Is it easy to get around if you don't have a car? Is there a subway/metro or do you have to take taxis to get anywhere easily? What's the climate like? I love heat, does it ever get very cold? What's the risk of natural disasters? If you live/have lived/travelled to LA what was your impression? Did you feel comfortable? Would you recommend it? Thanks for helping me!

  • Answer:

    Hi Isabelle, I'll try my best to answer your questions, but there will have to be SOME mystery because LA is just too big to describe in a paragraph or two: -Check out tuition costs first. Prices are very high for non-residents of California, and it's about as much as going to a private school like USC. -Living expenses in the nice part of town, where UCLA is, are astronomical. You should contact someone at the University to get a rundown of costs. A typical 1BR apartment is about $1600US per month. A studio would be slightly cheaper. Best bet is to live on campus. Many students run up a significant amount of debt. -LA isn't really safe to go out alone late at night. It's fine enough during the day, but girls always go out with at least one other person, many times in packs. It's more fun, as well as being safer. -LA is the land of the car. You can get around without one, but it's difficult. Kinda like swimming across Sydney Harbor. It can be done, but it's much easier to just use the bridge or a boat. In fact, we are so reliant on cars here that it borders on the ridiculous. (Google "Carmageddon" to see the dire predictions for this weekend, when a section of freeway will be closed). Train service is very limited, and bus service is very slow. LA is HUGE, and distances are far apart. -The climate is GREAT here. Weather is pretty boring, with about 340+ days of sunshine per year. We get about 15 inches of rainfall per year, mostly November through February. If it drizzles, it's the top news story. Go to laalmanac.com to see average temps by month. "Cold" is relative, and it really doesn't get cold here. Not cold enough to snow, at least. Last snow downtown was 1949 or so. -As for natural disasters, we always have the possibility of an earthquake. Last big one was 1994, and the one before that was 1971. No hurricanes, tornadoes, or tsunamis here. Just quakes. Last one we felt was almost a year ago. -I would recommend going to LA for the experience. You may love it, and you may just have a better appreciation for Adelaide. I had a jr high school chum who moved to Adelaide after he met and married an Aussie lady, and he loves it there. Good luck!

Isabelle at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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i agree with the guy above... lost angeles is way overrated plus you'll be paying even more tuition being from out of state. everyone wants to come live here. why? I have no idea

West of Encino

LOS ANGELES

Alexis Tagliani

= Find out the tuition and expenses on the schools website that you want to go to and assume you will spend $1000 for a studio apartment or $1500 for a two bedroom, get a roommate, it's way cheaper. Groceries are just as cheap as anywhere else.

It sounds like you're planning to do a year abroad through your university, that is the best way to go, and will likely be the least expensive. If the university has study abroad programs, it helps you handle everything. You will pay more than your typical university costs, but it should be less expensive than doing it yourself. Many of my son's friends are spending their sophomore year at a foreign college, like in Florence, Shanghai, Buenos Aires, and London. Not everyone who wants to participate may, it's competitive for spaces. The cost of one LA college program I know of is the regular tuition cost plus about $18,000 for the academic year for room & board, living expenses, flight (group flight), field trips, activities, etc. For the programs I'm aware of at US colleges, financial aid and scholarships may be applied toward the costs, unless there are restrictions. I believe some Australian colleges have partnerships with US colleges for a study abroad type/exchange program. I've heard it's very competitive to get a space at UCLA, something to look into. If you want to arrange attending UCLA yourself, the Cost of Attendance (tuition, fees, room & board, etc) for UCLA for internationals students is about $60,000 for a year. That is the amount you must have written bank proof of for the US government before you can get your visa. It must be cash, in a savings account, not in investment type accounts. This amount is living on a starving student budget, you would likely need a bit more, and the amount goes up each year. Look under International Student on college websites you are interested in. (The cost would be similar for all UC's, and for private colleges like USC the cost would be similar or a bit more.) If you come here on a study abroad program, you may come over with other students, and your college probably arranges housing. Other students from the program would have stayed in those places and done the things you're likely to do, so you can speak to them to see what it is like. LA is like any other big city, it has it's good areas and not-so-good areas. If you are aware of your environment, have good locks on your doors and windows, and don't do dumb stuff like walk around late at night or invite over strangers, you should be fine. People are friendly, our public transportation isn't great (buses, light rail, subway), but it's doable for college students, taxis are extremely expensive. Unless you have unusually generous scholarships and aid, it's likely you will have some big debt. Good luck!

maliboo_girl

No, Boston is wayyy better. Go to Boston U

Mitchzilla

other people already answered your questions so i'm gonna add a little info. so i've met quite a few study abroad australians...they all want to come back to LA ^.^ so pretty much they're trying to get another semester here.

Pineapples aren't quiet Strawberries!!

I think if you want a real college experience head to New York City. That city has got so much more to offer than LA.

smith_la

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