Where to move to in California? Affordable, Academic Atmosphere, Pet Friendly. (San Diego: 2014, lease)

[tsakijha]

Dear Members of City-Data,
I created an account due to the many uncertainties fogging my mind lately. I am hoping someone out there can understand/ relate to my situation and offer me solid advice. I am an international student (23 years old) with a temporary green card who just graduated from the University of Southern Florida in Saint Petersburg. I want to continue my studies in one of the great programs offered at schools in Northern California, (or San Diego). I am willing to pay $1200 a month for a studio that accepts me and my 47 pound dog. She is extremely friendly and loving, she is a Labrador/Pitbul, without a scintilla of aggression. I will be applying for grad programs by September 2014, till then I need to live somewhere in a downtown area where I do not need to use my car everyday, I wish to find a good job/internship that will offer me experience. Also somewhere where I can find local cafes, bookshops, and outdoor activities. Affordable is elemental for a student like me (still relaying on my parents both of which live abroad) or else I would be in San Francisco and not asking for advice on this site. I have been looking of padmapper, hotpads, and craigslist the prices are so high and I am loosing hope, however the remaining optimism is still searching..

[AADAD]

Short and sweet. Go the best school which accepts you and find cheap housing.

[Jehjeh]

I mean this nicely: Is this a real post? You have a big pitbull mix -- even if friendly and sweet, pitbulls are often not allowed at many properties -- and you want to cram yourself and this 47-pound dog into a studio. Studios here can be anywhere from 200 to 500 square feet, and you'll pay dearly for those bigger studios, especially if you find one that allows pets. (And the dog might be fine in a 500-square-foot studio, but what if the only places you can find are 300 square feet? That's going to be very cramped with furniture and the dog. Yes, I've lived in small studios, and it's a lot more cramped than you'd think.) Plus you want to move with no job/internship lined up and then find one. Sorry if this is a real post -- I don't mean to insult you -- but I'm reminded of the thread from several months ago where we spoofed a lot of the "moving to San Diego" posts we've seen.

If this is a serious post, find your job/internship first and move to that city, wherever it is. Then take care of the grad school applications. You don't want to be stuck in a lease in San Diego and find that the only job offer you get is a four-hour drive away.

There's nothing wrong with trying to find your dream home and dream city, but being practical has its merits, too. More power to you, but be aware that you're asking for a lot.