Moving alone to Los Angeles for UCLA grad school - QUESTIONS

[GypsyLady13]

indianajosh, please let us know how you make out with your move to los angeles or no move.
wishing the best for you and your furry best friend.

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by ccm123

The commuting to UCLA from the Valley would be time consuming.

Not only that, parking once you get to campus is extremely scarce and expensive. I'd try to find something on a bus line that will take you to Westwood.

[indianajosh]

Small update: My brother-in-law has a friend in the LA area who can rent me a place for $500. He works near UCLA, but apparently doesn't live too, too close. I think about 30 miles. But apparently it takes him an hour and a half to get to UCLA, same amount of time to get back.

Would this just be absolute killer for a graduate student? 3 hours of my day would be spent commuting, in addition to whatever courses, teaching, research, etc I might need to do.

Should I give this offer any serious thought, or would this just be so frustrating and nightmarish to not make it worth it. I'm starting to wonder how ANYbody gets by as a student in LA!

[PDF]

I think a commute like that would drive you insane.

I live in Westwood across street from campus. Lots of students live 4 people to a 2-bedroom apartment. It's a great area, but expensive. But people make it work.

I was going to suggest looking on Craigslist where you can find a room for $600-700, but being 30 and with a dog you're going to want your own place or would have a hard time finding someone accepting you as a roommate.

[GypsyLady13]

Originally Posted by indianajosh

Small update: My brother-in-law has a friend in the LA area who can rent me a place for $500. He works near UCLA, but apparently doesn't live too, too close. I think about 30 miles. But apparently it takes him an hour and a half to get to UCLA, same amount of time to get back.

Would this just be absolute killer for a graduate student? 3 hours of my day would be spent commuting, in addition to whatever courses, teaching, research, etc I might need to do.

Should I give this offer any serious thought, or would this just be so frustrating and nightmarish to not make it worth it. I'm starting to wonder how ANYbody gets by as a student in LA!

That would total to approximately 15 hours a week just for travel time. don't know indianajosh... it's a tough decision.
it's tough because it's really what you want and yet, it's 15 hours a week of wasted time, that's almost a whole day. and that travel time is taking away the time you need to be with your dog and your study time.
it's not too late for you to apply to other colleges in other states is it? how about seattle, or phoenix.
i personally would try to apply to other colleges and see what happens. you still have some time.
i have my fingers crossed for you that something great will happen for you and your furry friend.

[HarryKerryJr]

Originally Posted by indianajosh

Small update: My brother-in-law has a friend in the LA area who can rent me a place for $500. He works near UCLA, but apparently doesn't live too, too close. I think about 30 miles. But apparently it takes him an hour and a half to get to UCLA, same amount of time to get back.

Would this just be absolute killer for a graduate student? 3 hours of my day would be spent commuting, in addition to whatever courses, teaching, research, etc I might need to do.

Should I give this offer any serious thought, or would this just be so frustrating and nightmarish to not make it worth it. I'm starting to wonder how ANYbody gets by as a student in LA!

It would be a huge shock to your system to deal with that commute as a new transplant. YOU WILL HATE IT! Now, those who have lived here long enough can "suck up" a crappy commute, but they have adapted and acclimated to traffic commute problems here. They still HATE IT, but they deal with it or look for a job with a better commute or move to have better alternatives to driving the commute.

Agreed, commuting from the SFV to UCLA is NOT for newbies to LA. My aunt had her hellish commute from the SFV to UCLA for years and, as many of you know, it means going over the Santa Monica mountains with the rest of the world on narrow winding roads that can often be impacted by weather conditions and wildfires, or, even WORSE, the dreaded 405 over the hills we go at a horribly glacial pace. THAT's IT! Those are you ONLY options to commuting to UCLA from the already busy SFV with its own traffic problems just getting to the road over the hills to UCLA. Look at Google Maps and see how there are very few options over those mountains, and all the roads and Sepulveda Blvd. are PACKED during commute time. Those mountains isolate the SFV and the westside in a way that creates horrible traffic for commuting or even NON commuting hours. The 405 between SFV and westside (UCLA area) is the WORST of all the LA metro area. YOU DON'T KNOW. Trust us.

My aunt HATED her commute, but being one born and raised here, knew what to expect and learned to take it in stride whenever possible, but she often carpooled when she could. It's hard to explain how it takes TIME to accept long commutes here. People here may have no choice but to accept a rotten commute because they need the job and moving would be too expensive and they may prefer where they live and deal as best they can with the commute, but that's something for you to consider if you choose to live here long-term.This is NOT how you want to spend your first day, months, and even years here doing. Find something reasonable close to UCLA on the westside. Unfortunately, the westside is not well served by Metro rail nor at all by Metrolink commuter trains, so transit is mostly bus and the rail transit in the SFV is too far away to be of any use commuting to UCLA.
Yes, let us know how this turns out.

[Breakaway_Girl]

Stay close to the University. Look to share a house with other dog-loving grad students. In addition to cost savings, you'll have a few people to hang out with until you make your own friends and you'll feel safer having other people around while you get to know the area. Good luck and congratulations!

[linden52]

Maybe you could start out living in this place being offered to you, and once you get settled start looking for something closer - and one that would also take your dog? Maybe if you didn't think of having to make that long of a commute the entire time you're in school it would seem more doable.

Also, this is a room in someone's house, right? Or is it an apartment? It would be cheap for being an apartment, even for a studio or bachelor.

Originally Posted by indianajosh

Small update: My brother-in-law has a friend in the LA area who can rent me a place for $500. He works near UCLA, but apparently doesn't live too, too close. I think about 30 miles. But apparently it takes him an hour and a half to get to UCLA, same amount of time to get back.

Would this just be absolute killer for a graduate student? 3 hours of my day would be spent commuting, in addition to whatever courses, teaching, research, etc I might need to do.

Should I give this offer any serious thought, or would this just be so frustrating and nightmarish to not make it worth it. I'm starting to wonder how ANYbody gets by as a student in LA!

[fatherdowling]

Originally Posted by indianajosh

Thanks for the wonderful responses, everyone.

@GypsyLady13, I have also been accepted into UC Santa Barbara's grad school with a full ride, plus stipend and teaching positions---although this is for a PhD and UCLA is for a Masters. I'm not entirely sure at this moment I want to commit myself to a PhD program, so I thought UCLA just seemed all around better. I'm also not entirely sure that the logistical issues (housing, finances, dog, etc) would be at all remedied by choosing Santa Barbara over LA.

I grew up in LA and went to UC Santa Barbara for undergrad. I would strongly urge you to think more about UC Santa Barbara. It's a great location, great school, pretty great quality of life for a student.

(PS cool dog, I have a Treeing Walker Coonhound.)

[5pyg1a55]

Grad students at UCLA get by here by renting barely livable, old, run--down and rent-controlled places in Hollywood, West LA, Palms and Pico-Robertson/South Beverly-Hills Adjacent areas (10-20 minutes from Westwood in no traffic, maybe 35-50 minutes or so at peak rush hour).

You can find a studio apt in these areas with all utilities included in the $800-$1000 range. Then the rest of your 17k can go to gas, parking and cheap food.

Work a P/T job for funny money--lost of professors & grad students take tudoring gigs for BevHills high school students or undergrads at $30-50/hr or so.

I would suggest living inside the basin versus the valley. Not because the Valley does not have charming neighborhoods or good rent prices--it does. But it's cheaper for a reason: Commuting over the hill is brutal, especially in rush hour traffic. It's brutal for ordinary working people--I cannot imagine a 3 hour daily commute for a grad student. How would you get anything done?