Moving to Sunnyvale for school (San Jose, Santa Clara: loans, college, closing)

[MindsEYE90]

Hello everyone I'm new to the board, I was accepted into the animation program at Cogswell Polytechnical College, I've wanted to be an animator for ages and they are really being accommodating to my situation. My father passed away not to long ago and left my mother nothing but debt, so the banks are foreclosing on her home. Normally I'd go out to California by myself and be a traditional student but her health is so bad that I would need to keep an eye on her and care for her in my spare hours. I currently live in Florida so the trip will be long, and would have to be on a moment's notice. I was wondering if you all knew of a town in the bay area close to Sunnyvale that's nice, safe and fairly cheap. We would preferably live in a suburb outside a city so that the hustle and bustle won't disturb my mom too much. Mainly I'm looking for something nice and serene, but not to mention safe. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

[kayy911]

First of all, I know people who have worked for Cogswell and who have attended there and have nothing but great things to say, however, it is VERY expensive, pretty much the only requirement to getting in is writing the check.

Sunnyvale and cheap don't mix, its in a very nice area surrounded by pricey Santa Clara, Cupertino, Mountain View (home of Google) and Los Altos (which is one of the most elite zipcodes in the country). You might have luck in kind of close by Campbell, but my understanding is thats not very cheap either, San Jose is kind of schlep and even though its pricey, its still a major city so I'm sure there is some cheap housing there, but it might be in the ghetto.

[MindsEYE90]

Thank you, I was wondering about Cogswell, I've never heard of it because I live all the way out here. They actually are providing me with a sizable scholarship and my grants cover the rest of tuition the only thing I'll need to take out is loans to live off of. Their housing is like $1000 a month but it's student housing, so you know how that goes. I was thinking I could use the $1000 a month and have my mom pay like $400-600 a month to cover the rest, because I know that living is expensive out there. Our price range is $1200-$1600 max. I know of San Jose and was warned to stay away, so my real dilemma is finding something nice, and in a nice area, somewhere she can retire in peace and get away from FL.