Moving to LA to have a writer career? (Los Angeles, Santa Monica: cheap apartment, crime)

[John A]

Hey, I'm John. I'm 18 and I would really like to move to Los Angeles for many reasons; I love to write and my favourite writers lived in LA, (charles bukowski and john fante) they said many times that it was an awesome city, I also like music, and well, LA gave us The Doors, Metallica... etc... I like the beach, the ocean, the sun... LA seems to have all of that. However, I was wondering where is a good place, not so expensive, for me to live? I've heard Venice Beach is very bohemian and crazy, but also very dangerous at night is that right? I would like to stuy in UCLA, and I know its located in westwood, is that a safe zone? Where in the west part can I find a good safe place to live? Also near the beach. If there's any part you can think of, I would really appreciate you tell me.

Greetings.

[Ceece]

If you are accepted into UCLA they can help you with student housing.

[Charles]

What's your budget?
Have you been accepted to UCLA?
Are you familiar the academic profile of the typical freshman? (Think Ivy League)

[Ceece]

Really bad writing from a wannabe writer. I didn't want to try too hard.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Ceece

Really bad writing from a wannabe writer. I didn't want to try too hard.

Come on, Jimi Hendrix couldn't sing, Sid Vicious couldn't play guitar, and John Wayne couldn't act - but they made it.

[John A]

Originally Posted by Ceece

Really bad writing from a wannabe writer. I didn't want to try too hard.

Haha! Hey! English is NOT my first lenguage... its spanish, I'm going to London for 9 months to improve it... And actually I think I have a very good english compared to other spanish people. I Just like American literature and read a lot of it.

PD: I would like to enter to UCLA, however its fine if I do in another university, I just want to know about the city.

[nighthouse66]

not another one of these.......we really need a sticky or something for people who want to move here.

los angeles is all the things you mentioned, and its also in the top four in the whole united states for trying to find a job (and this means starbucks too, plus industry jobs). it is in the state with the highest unemployment rate in the nation as well. the housing crunch has hit southern california harder than most places, tho it has happened all over.

i lived in venice for two years and had a roommate who had been there for 8, and had cheap rent. the other apartments in that building, which was just a regular old run down two story building, nothing spectacular, ran 1800-1900 a month for two tiny bedrooms and one bath. most people pay something like 2000 for an apartment close to the beach. i was a few blocks away, right next to the main drag. most people i knew who were not professionals worked two jobs. some of them three, some three and slung herb on the side. they were never at home and many is the time i would hear them complain that they had moved out here to enjoy the place and never got a chance to because they had to work all the time.

if you really want to come here, there are only two ways at your age.

prepare to live in your car or van, which i have done and many others have done. one girl i knew lived in her car for a year. i have met people who have lived in their RVs in venice for years.

the second is to get student housing through UCLA. which is expensive. unless you have quite a bit of college money saved you are going to be in over your head, being an out of state resident. i would suggest going to a city college but most of those (in fact, none that i know of) have student housing.

spanish will come in really handy here though. there aren't really any truly dangerous places in los angeles much anymore, things happen sort of randomly and there has been a HUGE drop in the crime rate, even in compton. i would suggest if you want to move here and do it cheaply, live on the eastside, or pasadena. lincoln heights, boyle heights, those places are highly underrated and working class. not dangerous anymore. and if you speak spanish that will be a plus- those places are something like 70-80 percent latino. i lived there and loved it. its just regular people.

[disgruntled la native]

I don't mean to rain on your parade but getting into UCLA is extremely difficult. When I went there, you had to have a 4.0+ GPA and a very high SAT score. Now it's only harder, the most applied to school in the country. Around 20% get in, and everyone there was valedictorian of their high school. Everyone wants to go to UCLA. Great school, great location, beautiful campus, world class facilities and professors, and relatively cheap tuition...compared to the private schools

Maybe you can go to Santa Monica College which takes anybody, and if you do well there you have a good shot at getting into UCLA. A lot of my classmates at UCLA who were slackers in high school (or just not the valedictorian) ended up doing SMC, working their, and transferring in.

Writing is not lucrative at all except for very few. I'd suggest having another job to pay the bills, and writing in your free time. Or maybe you have rich family to take care of you while you pursue your dream, that's another option if available.

[John A]

Thanks for your answers. I could also try SMC. I know that about writing, I plan to have a job, yes, but I want, in a future, to write novels and stuff, just a drean, xD.... and well my family does have money although we aint that rich for me to get a place in Beverly Hills or something like that, I need a decent but cheap apartment, and as you said, a job.

[Ceece]

Wait until you are 21 because there will be things you are just shut out of as a minor. Get as much education as you can where you are, and get as much money together as you can. Then move wherever you like. Of course, you know you can write anywhere so go ahead and do that now and see how it goes.

That's all there is to say on it. You don't need to worry about where to live quite yet.