Newbie needs some help. (Los Angeles, San Diego: apartment, school, college)

[HWKH]

Hi, this is my first post.. I'm Hamani, 17 years old (turning 18 on November). From Kuwait.. I'm moving to the US after summer.. gonna spend 8 months in an English Program and after that joining college.

I'm gonna spend the first 8 months (Which I'll be studying English in) in a fun city.. I'm planning to make this the best 8 months of my life before I join college and study engineering..

So first 8 months I'm picking a fun city and after that I'm picking a more urban/colder/relaxed city (probably Philadelphia, Seattle or Chicago)
BUT BUT BUT I might continue Uni in the same city if I really liked it and if I see that it's fun but livable and home-feeling city.

But now I have to decide which city I should go for the English Program first 8 months. Oh did I add that I'm on a scholarship? So they pay for the college and I get $2200 each month for housing and stuff.. So my budget is $2200 monthly...

Now I need to pick a city.. I was thinking about Chicago, as I REALLY love the urban lifestyle malls and stuff. But I talked to a friend of mine who have studied English there and he told me that It's only fun there if you're in a group (I'm only going there with 1 person which is my best friend).. so is this true? Is Chicago fun only if ur in a group?

Also lately I've been thinking about San Diego and Los Angeles alot.. I've been in LA last summer for vacation and I loved it.. So I wanna ask, Is it the best choice? Which one is better? Why? What's the difference? And is a budget of $2200/month enough for housing and entertainment?

OHH also, I'm gonna study English in USC (Los Angeles) or SDSU (San diego) so which one of these uni's are in the best location? and which is the best choice?

That's all, I'm waiting anxiously for your replies and I'm really glad that I've registered in this forum.

Thanks in advance!

[oddstray]

I don't know anything about the English courses at USC or SDSU.

LA is a bigger city, so there will be more to do there. Both LA and San Diego are sprawling. Will you have a car or will you need to rely on public transportation?

For engineering, USC is more highly esteemed than SDSU. Even better than USC would be a school like MIT or UC Berkeley or Cal Tech.

[DCStudent]

You might find it difficult to live on $2200 monthly in any big city, LA and San Diego included, unless you lived further out from the actual city. If you did live further out and had to commute in, you will need a vehicle or lots of time to commit to using public transportation. I would think you'd have an easier time in San Diego than LA living on your budget (but I could be wrong about that, I don't have much insight on living in/near downtown LA.)

[tonyinsd]

No, you can do it. You can get an apartment for around $1000, and then you've got $1200 to pay for everything else.

For a college student, that's enough.

[lrmsd]

Your budget foro san diego is completely possible. You could get a studio ro one bedroom, or a two bedroom split between you and your friend, or do roommates with others, and share a house.
But, as mentioned, SDSU means you do need a car. SD requires a car, perhaps even more than LA in my opinion. Anywhere you want to be in SD requires a vehicle, for the most part. In LA, you can get by living in that area, wher eyou will study, and enjoy what the city has to offer. SDSU is in a residential/urban area, but not located near anything you'd want to do, so to speak.

That said, SD is a great place to spend several months. Not sure what you mean by lifestyle malls in chicago, but southern califronia as a whole is completely malls. Not very pedestrian. You loved LA; San Diego is quite different than LA, but still has the so cal weather and vibe. Just slower paced [relatively speaking] and obviously not as cosmpolitan. But SD has better beaches, more of them, cleaner and easier access, and better air quality. And you can do day trips to LA or Mexico.
SD is a nice place; most people enjoy visiting or studying here.

Chicago is completely different, so it's really a matter of what type of experience you want. Good luck-sounds like a great opportunity for you!

[illusion887]

go to Chicago

[oddstray]

Ask about Chicago by posting in the Chicago forum.