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any advice on moving to southern CA for college?

hey, im moving to southern california from the east coast and id like some input from a CA native on this....im thinking of going to SDSU or LBSU. i want to live on a coastal region so i can experience all ive heard about it. if i went to LB i'd commute from coastal orange county. if i went to SDSU (not ucsd for tuition purposes) id commute from western SD. for a 21 year old who's fairly quiet and laid back, a part-time musician, wants to meet a few new people and doesnt want a party every night...what advice would a native have about the pros/cons of the two places. or just advice. either would work. thanks. maybe someone out there knows the local scenes better than myself. and im also an avid sports follower, to the point where my career might involve them. if that factors into anything..... thanks.

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1. Although I am currently teaching in Indiana I have lived my entire life in Southern California. It is very expensive to live in Southern California. It is also more expensive for non-residents to attend the State schools. If you have good grades you should consider applying at schools like Pepperdine which has a beautiful campus on the beach. San Diego is probably better for most things and probably a bit more expensive. Long Beach is part of the Harbor district and could be cheaper because of the industrial nature of the area. If you have a long term plan, you might want to move to California and establish residency. If you are 18(claiming independence) and live there for a year your tuition is a lot, lot cheaper at the State schools. Community colleges are generally much cheaper and credits are transferable if you are careful what you take.
2. I would agree with Drama guy on attending a Community College before attending one of the State Universities. However being a Calif native for 63 years, born in Long Beach, and moving to North San Diego County at the age of 10, I would somewhat disagree with about the costs of housing. It would completely rest on your defintion of Coastal Orange County and Western San Diego. Coastal Orange County goes from San Clemente to Huntington Beach, all of which are expensive properties and high rent areas. There is one more community between HB and UCLB and that would be Naples/Belmont Shore area where rates are off the charts. If you select UCLB I would consider perhaps Lakewood or a surrounding community and save quite a few bucks in rental costs. The drive would be a short one to either Long Beach City College or UCLB. If you choose San Diego,which would be my personal choice, and plan to attend a Community College first,consider North San Diego County, and attend Palomar College. I say this because you state that your a laid back guy and its a liitle more laid back there than the downtown area. Oceanside is a community in which your rent might be a little more affordable than most of the other coastal towns. Im not sure what you mean by Western San Diego as West of downtown is pretty much San Diego Harbor so you might find it on the wet side there. If you're speaking of the Point Loma area, I hope you have realtives there who can put you up, or you have enough money that it doesnt matter what the costs are. If costs are an issue however then consider Pacific Beach or Imperial Beach. The thing to remember is this, the closer to the water the more you pay. Traffic is bad either place. I would cosnider a place 5 to 10 miles in from the water and save a few bucks in either location. Just so you will know, I have attended Palomar College, Long Beach City College and UCLB. I served 31 years as a Fireman with a large Orange County City, while residing in North San Diego County. I truly think you would be happier in the San Diego area,however, you may want to fly out and see the two areas for yourself. In any case feel free to ask any questions of me if you need further clarification. My email would be firecapt_4u@yahoo.com. Good luck in your move,I'm sure you will enjoy Calif. where ever you choose.
3. uci or lbsu