Transfer student/non-driver interested in colleges in California (Long Beach, Riverside: credit, dorms)

[briquelinda]

This is my dilemma,

I was accepted to a school in Chicago but prefer to be in a moderate climate or just stay in New York. I was also accepted to a school abroad for cosmetic science for the Fall of 2010 (Which would be my first choice). Unfortunately financial aid doesn't cover much of the expenses. It's an undergrad degree and apparently financial aid isn’t offered much for undergrad degrees abroad. So, I’m looking into attending school in California (Santa Barbara, San Fran or LA) or somewhere with moderate weather (may even look into DC or Arizona but California sounds like a better fit). I don't drive therefore I’m interested in an area that has somewhat reliable public transportation.

In my research the CU and CSU schools are not accepting lower division transfers. i won't know if i'm considered a lower division transfer until i send transcripts to each college. I've attended 2 other colleges. SJU in NY (acquired 52 credits) and LIU in NY. Of course when you transfer credits are lost so I believe I have about 50 credits. it seems that my best option is to apply to one of the CC Colleges. I need to find a school that has housing on campus or offers housing options. The cccapply.org site lists the following:

Most students who attend community colleges live at home. However, there are a few campuses, like Lassen College, College of the Redwoods, Shasta College, Sierra College, College of the Siskiyous, Santa Rosa Junior College, West Hills College, Taft College, and Columbia College that have housing on campus.

Are any of these schools accessible via public transportation or do I have other choices? i'm going to apply to SFSU to see what my chances are. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

[bhcompy]

couldnt tell you about those colleges, but long beach city college is pretty much surrounded by college type housing and long beach has about as good a public transport system as you'll get in CA

[BRinSM]

same goes for santa monica college and la city college. smc will have a light rail line nearby in the next few years and lacc is very close to the subway.

[uptown_urbanist]

First, some of these colleges don't have the stereotypical "California" weather that you may be thinking about; it snows in places like Susanville (Lassen College), for example.

If you're interested in each of these specific schools you should try looking them each up to see where they're located; I don't know where they're all located, but at least some of them are in places where it would be difficult to live without a car. Why do need to have housing on campus? If you choose a community college like Santa Monica, Long Beach, Pasadena, etc., you'd still have lots of housing options (even if not official dorms) and you'd have better public transportation options.

[brianguy]

Originally Posted by bhcompy

couldnt tell you about those colleges, but long beach city college is pretty much surrounded by college type housing and long beach has about as good a public transport system as you'll get in CA

agreed I went to LBCC back in the day (really, we're only talking 10 years ago) and loved it. it's not perfect but it worked out great for me.

Orange Coast College has a lot of students that live just off-campus, but it ain't exactly cheap. but hey nowhere in CA is. with roommates and a good PT job, anything's possible.

[Topekachef]

For what it's worth you might look at UC Davis in Davis,CA. My sister graduated there and they had quite the transportation system and was very bike friendly.

[pv1-ready]

If you go to Santa Barbara Community College all you'll need is a bike to get around, downtown, beach, school, work.

[uptown_urbanist]

Santa Barbara would be a great place to spend a couple of years. It's also on Amtrak, so you'd have easy connections to LA when you need it. Some of the other schools you've listed are in very off-the-beaten-track locations. That's something to consider for getting to and from the school, too; if you think you'll be flying back and forth between NY and CA very often it would be a major hassle or expense to get to and from a major airport without a car. Somewhere like Santa Barbara would be an easy flight to LA, or you'd also have the option (if there was a massive difference in prices, etc.) of taking the train to LA (think it's about two hours); there's a direct airport shuttle that picks up at LA's Union Station and brings you straight to LAX.

Check the websites of each town or county where you're considering applying, though; the big cities have the best public transportation options, but smaller cities can be pretty convenient, too, and often offer a blend of bus service plus walkability. I don't know anything about the school itself, but Monterey Peninsula College is an example of a CC in a smaller city where it's possible (and not that unrealistic) to live without a car.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by brianguy

agreed I went to LBCC back in the day (really, we're only talking 10 years ago) and loved it. it's not perfect but it worked out great for me.

Orange Coast College has a lot of students that live just off-campus, but it ain't exactly cheap. but hey nowhere in CA is. with roommates and a good PT job, anything's possible.

Orange Coast sounds like a great choice.

Nita

[bentstrider]

Stay away from the Victor Valley.
Some who have attended VVC have transferred to CSU San Bernardino and UC Riverside, but otherwise many use cars to get around here and down to there.
I ride a bicycle all over the place up here, but the side-streets end when they hit the 15, Mojave River, or the railroad tracks.

Best bet is to do like all the previous posters suggest and stick to the dedicated, college towns(UC Davis.,etc) or the LA or OC areas.

Lots of bicycle and public transportation options to meet your needs.
I'm not into college myself, but plenty of universities and such to meet your educational needs down there as well.