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California or Sydney?

Pagey

Pagey

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Helloo,
I need some advice: I'm applying to do a semester abroad next year (not sure whether first or second semester yet...probably first) and I'm hesitating about whether to put the University of California or the uni of Sydney down as my first choice. For California I'm applying to the campuses in Berkeley, LA and Santa Barbara but I don't get to choose which one I go to if I get in. I've been to neither California nor Sydney and I really don't know which one to choose considering I really like both their programs just as much.
On the one hand, Sydney would be awesome because it's just so far away and 'exotic' (I'm currently studying in London btw) and well I'm probably not gonna have many opportunities to go there.
On the other hand, the idea of California is very appealing partly just because of the weather and beaches and all that - I also like the idea of having a real campus experience as that's impossible to get here (you can't live on campus in London). One thing that annoys me though is the drinking age over there. I'm 18 and I'd be really annoyed if I couldn't get into bars or clubs or whatever.
Also, a reassuring thing about California is I've got family in Seattle so it wouldn't be too far if something goes wrong. Sydney on the other hand, is pretty far from everything.

I'm leaning towards California but I dunno...it'd just be amazing to go to Australia...I'm really torn. What would you guys do in my place?
 
legal drinking, sun and plenty of beaches around sydney, mate.

clean air too
 
depends what sort of nightlife you would be after (in regard to the legal drinking thing, it seems to factor into your decision).
no offence to any sydneysiders, but the sydney club scene doesn't appeal to me much at all. has a great gay scene...but i didn't really dig it. depends entirely what you're into, really...

as far as australia goes, sydney is not a rock'n'roll town - that's melbourne nowadays. sydney is a big shiny city, sprawling and pricey. have you looked into melbourne?
that seems to be the most desirable city for young australians i know. it's the 'cultural capital' of australia. art, music, stuff happening.
then again, it all depends on your tastes. i'm from perth (other side of the country) and would just as well stay here than move to sydney. melbourne, on the other hand...
[there is a big syd/melb rivalry, so this post will most likely ruffle some aussie feathers, but if the choice was between california or sydney, i'd go cali. the grass is always greener etc etc tho...)
 
A couple questions:

1. How old are you?
2. What year are you in?

These are important if Australia doesn't offer on-campus housing and the California schools do. I wouldn't have wanted to stay 'on campus' in an urban environment (Chicago) after sophomore year and I'm glad I didn't. That said, it was very fun and something I'll never forget to be in that community whilst I was attending my first 2 years. So, that part IMO depends on how much weight you put on that kind of experience. I'd put more weight on how much I enjoyed being on-campus for my first 2 years now than I first did entering school.

A thought: Seattle isn't *that* close to all the places you listed. Unless you think you're going to get in trouble in the U.S., which, I'm sure you're not expecting, I don't know how much of a 'help' your relatives will be other than peace of mind.

Another thought: I think you would still be able to enter bars etc. in California but you might get the dreaded black Xs on your hands upon entering a club so you wouldn't be able to drink. That said figuring out how to drink/party was never a problem for me in college in the States... I'm pretty sure it's the same for almost everybody in the U.S.

Last thought: I agree with you in the beaches. I know Sydney is into their beaches as well but it's kind of a whole 'way of life' in several areas in California (though not Berkeley... San Fran is an entirely different kind of town from most of the typical 'Cali' perspectives as I know you know). So take that as you will.

Tough choice. Good luck. :)
 
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Thanks a lot for all the answers :)

spacejunk said:
depends what sort of nightlife you would be after (in regard to the legal drinking thing, it seems to factor into your decision).
no offence to any sydneysiders, but the sydney club scene doesn't appeal to me much at all. has a great gay scene...but i didn't really dig it. depends entirely what you're into, really...

as far as australia goes, sydney is not a rock'n'roll town - that's melbourne nowadays. sydney is a big shiny city, sprawling and pricey. have you looked into melbourne?
that seems to be the most desirable city for young australians i know. it's the 'cultural capital' of australia. art, music, stuff happening.
then again, it all depends on your tastes. i'm from perth (other side of the country) and would just as well stay here than move to sydney. melbourne, on the other hand...
[there is a big syd/melb rivalry, so this post will most likely ruffle some aussie feathers, but if the choice was between california or sydney, i'd go cali. the grass is always greener etc etc tho...)
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I don't have a choice as to where I could go in Australia, the only university offered to me is the Sydney one (since it's for a term abroad through my current uni there's a very limited number of choices). I am really more into the rock scene so that's a shame...I've heard Sydney and the areas around are really beautiful, would that make it worth it maybe? I'm only going for a few months after all and if I'm going all the way to the other side of the world I definitely expect to do a lot of visiting :)
Also - does anyone know how Sydney compares to London in terms of living costs? I kinda figured it couldn't possible be more expensive than London but I'm not sure...


AmorRoark said:
A couple questions:

1. How old are you?
2. What year are you in?

These are important if Australia doesn't offer on-campus housing and the California schools do. I wouldn't have wanted to stay 'on campus' in an urban environment (Chicago) after sophomore year and I'm glad I didn't. That said, it was very fun and something I'll never forget to be in that community whilst I was attending my first 2 years. So, that part IMO depends on how much weight you put on that kind of experience. I'd put more weight on it now than I first did entering school.

A thought: Seattle isn't *that* close to all the places you listed. Unless you think you're going to get in trouble in the U.S., which, I'm sure you're not expecting that, I don't know how much of a 'help' your relatives will be other than peace of mind.

Another thought: I think you would still be able to enter bars etc. in California but you might get the dreaded black Xs on your hands upon entering a club so you wouldn't be able to drink. That said figuring out how to drink/party was never a problem for me in college in the States... I'm pretty sure it's the same for almost everybody in the U.S.

Last thought: I agree with you in the beaches. I know Sydney is into their beaches as well but it's kind of a whole 'way of life' in several areas in California. So take that as you will.

Tough choice. Good luck. :)
Click to expand...

I'm 18 and currently in my first year undergrad, so this exchange would be during my second year.
It would definitely be a plus for me to have that on-campus experience. Right now I'm living in student accomodation but it's seperate from my university and well it's just like living in a normal building really, so I'd like to have that opportunity.

Oh yeah I realize it's not that close, I just meant that if something urgent happens I could get to Seattle from California more easily than back home to Paris (where I come from) from Australia!

Oh okay that's good to know. It would be so sad to finally be the legal age here and then have to resort back to fake IDs and such again, haha.

I've also got another question which I know will probably sound really stupid buuut - I know there aren't any snakes in the city of Sydney itself but are there any around the city? I'm absolutely absolutely terrified of snakes and that would actually be something I'd need to take into account :(

Again, thanks for the help!
 
^ Glad I could help and I see your point about Seattle. You're right, it would be much easier if you needed to get away or needed someone to visit you.

Ouh, you're Parisian? I know potential dating partners would find your accent irresistible here not that I doubt it would be any different in Australia. ;)

Both choices would be lovely, I think. I'm not sure you can go wrong either way. What a fun dilemma. :)
 
Haha, I've got an American accent sadly, blame the Seattle relatives, but I could probably play the french one up if I wanted to :P

Yeah, can't really complaina bout the dilemma!
 
Ooh la la, tough choice! I'd go to Cali, though.

'MERICA!!!!
 
Wow, seems almost unanimous :p I think I'm going to put Cali as my first choice and Sydney second. There's only two spots available at UC in any case so I might end up in Sydney, not too bad for a safety option...! Anyway thanks for the answers everyone!
 
Being a biased person I would say Sydney all day. Sydney Uni is pretty much in the heart of Sydney & you would have some fun in the inner west esp if you are bohemian in any way. If you like the beach Sydney is a great choice & as the drinking age is 18 you can piss up all you want.

Expense wise Sydney is not cheap but comparable to London & it all depends on where you live & what you do really. As for the wild life yes Sydney does have snakes & yes some will push your shit in if you get bitten. It ain't gonna happen though so don't worry about it.
 
If you're looking for beaches and sun, pick the southern CA schools. Norcal beaches are pretty but not fun unless you like the cold and wind. UCSB is right on the coast, gorgeous campus, lots of parties, fairly solid academics. Berkeley is great for being close to the Bay Area, it has more of the hippie vibe, excellent if you're studying sciences. UCLA is right next to Westwood so you'll have to deal with crowdedness, expensiveness, and hills, but its also a very nice campus.

That being said, Sydney looks like so much fun. You'll have a great time regardless of where you go.
 
There is no argument here!

Syd-e-ley!..............all the way, don't mind CA. Been to both, lived in one and can honestly say you will adore Oz for sooo many reasons that there just isn't enough time left in the day to tell you.

C'mon, who doesn't want to live in a country where there are soo many handsome fellas, and enough dangerous species of living things that can kill a grown man with a sidewards swipe.

You have Kings Cross in Syd-e-ley and Paddo.........and Bondi and blah blah blah, look just go, forget about CA. Oz is where it's at.
PS don't mind those Melburnians ;)
 
Go to Sydney. Cali blows in spite of what you might read on here and see on TV.

If you have been to the US already, why not go to Australia for a new adventure. I'd do it in a heartbeat if given the choice.
 
Blaaaah now you're all making me doubt my choice! =D
I genuinely have no idea what to choose. I hate that I can't just put them both down as an equal choice and then see which one I get into. I might seriously just have to flip a coin in the end...anyway I'll let you know what I end up doing :)
 
dude if you dig rock n roll. definitely live in LA. We have a pretty big music scene there.

cali only sucks if you don't know the right places or the right people.
 
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