Tips for Students Moving to the Golden State
California is known for a lot of great things, including being the home of many recognized colleges and universities, such as Stanford, UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC Davis, among others. Students with plans to move to the Golden State in order to attend school have quite a process ahead of them, such as picking a place to live, determining whether or not to use auto shipping services to bring their cars with them, etc. Those unfamiliar with California will want to take extra steps to ensure that the transition is a smooth one with as few unpleasant surprises as possible.
It goes without saying that before making the commitment to enroll in a California college or university, students from out-of-state should go on college tours to see things with their own eyes. Virtual tours are helpful, as is online research but nothing compares to being right there on campus. In addition to exploring the school itself, it is recommended that students and their families also expand their tour to the surrounding community. Doing so is a great way to find out what type of environment students will be around, especially if they are planning to search for a place to live off campus.
When looking for housing off campus, it is important to note that the cost of living in California can be very pricey and the rates for rent vary greatly from city to city. This is a vital factor to keep in mind. For example, a studio apartment in San Francisco could easily go for well over $1,500 per month, compared to a place in Sacramento where rent could be as low as $700-$800 per month. Even assisted living communities are known for carrying high price tags. To avoid this kind of sticker shock, arranging a trip to spend time in California well in advance is an effective method for scouting places to live and putting together a realistic budget.
It is also a good idea to find out what the crime rate is for whatever area a student is thinking about moving to. Making a phone call or visiting the police department’s website is a quick way to find out what issues certain communities deal with, as well as what safety precautions to take into consideration when choosing a place to live off campus. Keep in mind that the safer the neighborhood, the more expensive it is to live there.
Another factor to keep in mind when preparing to make a big move to California is how to handle the car situation. Students hoping to use a car shipping company to bring their vehicle to campus with them will have to deal with California’s various DMV rules and regulations, including changing tags, meeting smog requirements and other “conversion” issues.
In the long run it might end up being more cost effective for students to leave their vehicles in their home state and use public transportation to get to and from school.