Community Colleges in San Diego (Sacramento, El Centro: rent, transferring to, neighborhood)

[rpc1]

I'm 36, living in Sacramento and just starting my college career. I have several questions about community colleges in San Diego and about San Diego life in general. Insight is appreciated.

1.) Is it too late to enroll in classes for fall term and have my financial aid, which was originally intended to be sent to a school here in Sacramento, instead sent to a school in San Diego?

2.) For someone who is (slightly) intimidated by the prospect of being lost in the shuffle at a big school, and by the hustle-bustle of crowded environments in general, which community college would likely be the best fit?

3.) I'll be using public transportation; which community college is in a part of town that is easily accessed by bus, but is also safe? To be frank, I suppose that by "safe" I mean "in a nice area of town." I hate to be narrow, but it is an honest concern.

4.) While I do want to live in a pleasant environment, I need to be money-conscious; is there a school in a fairly "nice" neighborhood, but with rent prices that would suit an individual living on a budget?

5.) Is there a school that fits the description I've been hinting at with these questions and has a significantly higher transfer rate to either the UC or CSU universities?

As an aside, I'm open to living in most any district of the San Diego metro area that suits the needs I've described here.

Thanks for your guidance!

[oddstray]

San Diego is far more expensive to live in than Sacramento. As long as you need to be budget conscious, can you do your community college in Sacramento and then transfer to a UC or CSU after that?

When I did that, American River College was the one to go to for engineering students, rather than Sac City. In fact, if you're majoring in a STEM subject I'd recommend American River College in Sacramento over any of the San Diego cc's (assuming it's still as good as it was in the 80's).

[hitman619]

Grossmont College Has all what you're looking for.Followed by San Diego Community College

[rpc1]

hitman, Grossmont was apparently voted "best community college" in the San Diego area. Not sure who votes on that, but I've been reading various articles on Google, and it sounds like a nice school in a nice area.

Thanks!

[armourereric]

If you don't mind El Centro, check out Imperial Valley College, beautiful campus, very affordable.

[rpc1]

So I'm all dialed in to go to school here in Sacramento, but I don't want to live in Sacramento. School starts in 18 days on the San Diego community college circuit, and I don't know if that's enough time to get down there, find a place, get enrolled, take placement tests, transfer my financial aid, etc. Should I chance it, or should I play it safe and stay here?

What do you guys think?

[moved]

That's not enough time for all of that. Did you check to see if you can actually transfer your financial aid from Sacramento to San Diego? Play it safe and stay in Sacramento. Think about moving at a later date.

[oddstray]

Originally Posted by moved

That's not enough time for all of that. Did you check to see if you can actually transfer your financial aid from Sacramento to San Diego? Play it safe and stay in Sacramento. Think about moving at a later date.

^^^This. Even if you don't want to live in Sacramento over the long run, put up with it for a semester or a year and give yourself time to investigate the logistics of transferring to somewhere else in a way that won't cost you unnecessarily.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Way late in the game. You should see the mess at Mesa with so many kids trying to crash classes in the fall. FYI the night class gig is mostly adults vs the younger set.

[oddstray]

To avoid "getting lost in the shuffle", don't go to Mesa. Go to one of the other cc's.