Yes, I am going to law school. I know Stanford and Boalt is probably out of the question due to my sucky GPA. Yeah I been looking at USC, UCLA, Davis, Hastings, and San Diego....then I have a plethora of schools at other places.

Just gotta take the LSAT in June then take it from there. How is the cost of living? I imagine it'd be comprable to DC or perhaps even higher. I KNOW there is no worse traffic than DC so anything would be better than here.

 

I've never lived on the east coast, so I don't know firsthand how cost of living is out there. I do have a friend who went to UCLA with me and recently moved to NYC, so that's the only real comparison I have.

Based on what he's told me, rent in NYC is definitely higher than anywhere around here, but West LA isn't that far behind. Do you know how DC compares to NYC? Maybe we can extrapolate from that.

I left West LA in 2000, but at the time, it was anywhere from $1500-$2000 for a decent 2-bedroom apartment. It's likely gone up since then. That's within walking distance of UCLA, though. It gets a lot cheaper when you move further from campus. Parking at UCLA sucks, though, so the extra cost might be worth it. Also, the rates will vary pretty dramatically as you move around the LA area. I'd expect rent near USC to be cheaper since the area isn't nearly as upscale.

 

Around my area is about 12-1500 for a decent 2 bedroom. In DC is probably even more expensive, so it's probably comprable. I'd like to believe NY is probably the highest of anywhere.

 

what grad school? keep in mind, weather is important, but i'd be more interested in the reputation & quality of the program you are interested in. grad school si 3-4 yrs, but the pedigree & the experience you learn from it will be timeless. goodluck!

 

Of course reputation is important, I wouldnt go to some no name place and spend 150k just to go a third tier toilet school. But besides the very top programs the rest are regional so whereever I go is where I'll likely end up.

This is for law school. I cant wait to experience this. I have never lived anywhere besides northern Virginia. I wanna see new things and meet new people all while getting an incredible school experience that's extremely challenging as well as enjoyable.

 

oh great.. as if our society needs another f##King lawyer...



lol j/k goodluck to u!!!

 

i lived in Tucson Az for about 10years.

Flagstaff is nice but tends to dry out and get grass fires, you will get some snow there. Tucson is cooler than Phoenix by about 3-5 degrees but it all gets very hot in the summer, consistantly tops 100 degrees there so air conditioning is required. In Tucson you can use an evaporative cooler which gives some break on the electric bill. the night temperature are consistantly 30 degrees lower, the coolest part of the day is just before sun rise. winter is about 65degrees and snow is very infrequent in Tucson and Phoenix. there is a time of year where moisture comes up from the south giving afternoon thunder showers. these can be intense but cool off things for the portion of the summer the rains run.

there is a fair amount of things to do in Arizona, lots of mountains and outdoor stuff. The state is close to Cal but sometimes not close enough and it takes on a dork attitude. Flagstaff is very very nice for the outdoor peep but it is a small town. again Tucson is a smaller town than Phoenix and a better place to live but less opportunity.

a lot of things are different in Az and if change is what you want try it. i enjoyed living there. good luck

 

SoCal is always between great and perfect. It barely rains, but rains enough to make things green in the winter and spring. If it's 72 in the winter it wouldn't surprise me, and if it is 72 in the summer it wouldn't be a shocker either. Humidity is in the 40%-70% most days. The real beauty is if you want to go to the beach, drive west, if you want to see the snow, go to the mountains, if you want to keep warm in the spring and fall, head to the desert. All should be less than 2 hours away. The only climate we don't have is tropical. If you ask me, this is the best place to live.

Sam