LA/Irvine/SD question

[Eraserhead]

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So, I have an interview at UCSD in one month, do people from So. Cal. think its reasonable to try to coordinate other possible interviews at USC, UCLA, or UCI and rent a car etc. or that it would be more reasonable to fly to each city separately? I know they are pretty close, but its probably pretty expensive to drive 80 plus miles in a rental car. Does anyone here rent cars on a regular basis? I've never done it, do you have to be 25 years old?

Does Irvine have its own airport and public transit? Actually do any of these cities have public transit at all? Yikes, I might need to rent a car either way.

 

[kwanny]

Originally posted by DoctorKevin
So, I have an interview at UCSD in one month, do people from So. Cal. think its reasonable to try to coordinate other possible interviews at USC, UCLA, or UCI and rent a car etc. or that it would be more reasonable to fly to each city separately? I know they are pretty close, but its probably pretty expensive to drive 80 plus miles in a rental car. Does anyone here rent cars on a regular basis? I've never done it, do you have to be 25 years old?

Does Irvine have its own airport and public transit? Actually do any of these cities have public transit at all? Yikes, I might need to rent a car either way.

Congrats on the interview, DK. Man, you're like the golden boy in SDN.

To answer your question, I think it's unreasonable to rent a car to travel from SD to other schools. However, if you could coordinate interviews from those other schools close together, then I would fly from SD to LA, and then rent a car in LA. They're all at a reasonable distance from each other. Good luck, man.

 

[supersunny]

long beach airport is a 20-30 minute drive from uci. not too far from ucla either. check it out on mapquest.👍

 

[Street Philosopher]

the drive to SD is not terrible. it should take you only a few hours... i think maybe 4 from LA. the drive to SF is probably around 7 hrs, and I don't recommend doing that. flying southwest is probably easier AND maybe cheaper.

 

[Eraserhead]

Hmmmm does anyone know when Keck and UCLA even start interviewing, I don't think I can expect such a swift response from them for some reason....

but UCI I should probably wait for.... Thanks for the help, I feel like scheduling and planning this stuff is like a second job.

 

[Street Philosopher]

yeah it's a hassle. last year keck started interviewing around 10/15 I think. i dunno about ucla because... well, you can figure out why.

 

[chapinsita]

I disagree that it is unreasonable to rent a car. I think it's crazy to fly from city to city. Irvine is 40 minutes from UCSD and 1 hour from UCLA (due to higher traffic volume). Try to fly to John Wayne airport (2 minutes from UCI) and stay there. Drive to the other 2 places. This is completely reasonable and totally worth it. You'll save some $ too. I can only speak for Irvine, but there is not good public transit. Rent a car.

 

[askew01]

UCLA/USC are about 2 hours away from UCSD with moderate traffic. UCI is about 45 mins from UCLA and USC. You decide.

 

[lessismoe]

I've rented cars a couple of times. Make sure you go with a company that quotes you the "unlimited miles" feature. Look for coupons in the mail or newspaper, and look into if your memberships (like AAA) will get you a deal. Yes, it is cheaper if you are over 25, and some places don't rent to people under 25, unfortunately.

 

[voltron77]

DoctorKevin,

First off, congratulations on your interview at UCSD!!!! Good luck with your interview there. Second, it may be a little too much to be driving around to SD, Irvine and LA (2 schools) but it is not impossible. You should try calling up these other nearby schools and tell them you will be in southern California and if it is possible to interview there while you are in the area. No harm in trying and the worse they can say is no. You don't want to have any regrets later on by not asking and wondering if it was possible. Again, congratulations and good luck. Stay positive, be prepared, and be yourself!!!!

🙂 😀

 

[Winston Smith]

DoctorKevin, flying from city to city is totally unreasonable. Do what most here are saying -- rent a car and drive from city to city. USC and UCLA are close to one another (not sure how long the drive is, but it is very very convenient). UCLA is about 40 minutes from UCI or so. And to drive from UCSD to UCLA should be around 3.5 hrs or so. BUT if you get an interview up at UCSF, you'll have to fly.

 

[harrypotter]

Congratulations!

I think you can drive between UCLA, USC, and UCI. You could also drive from UCSD but that school is furtherest from LA and Irvine. You could land at John Wayne (irvine) or Long Beach (kind of inbetween LAX and John Wayne) or LAX.

For most rental companies, they prefer you to be 25 years old, but if you're not, some of them just charge an extra fee. I would check on if they have unlimited miles when you call also.

Irvine does have its own airport but public transportation in southern cali is pretty weak. In LA, it's better with the bus and metro but most people just drive.

hope this helps and good luck!! 😀

 

[PrincetonRocks]

You should definitely try to coordinate your interviews!! I'm flying back to CA from NJ for UCSD, UCI, and USC interviews in the October also! I tried to call UCLA, but they said that they haven't made a decision on my file yet.


Since UCI and USC are both in OC/LA area...i would rent a car to go to those places from the airport (fly into LAX...it's cheaper than John Wayne). And then it's a two hour drive down UCSD...you can do this in a week.

See you at the interviews! and Congrats

 

[411]

Originally posted by PrincetonRocks
You should definitely try to coordinate your interviews!! I'm flying back to CA from NJ for UCSD, UCI, and USC interviews in the October also! I tried to call UCLA, but they said that they haven't made a decision on my file yet.

Congrats on your interviews. How did you hear from UCI about your interview? Did you call the admissions office or is it already showing up on your application status page? Thanks and good luck.

 

[Eraserhead]

Wow, yeah I haven't heard anything from UCI/LA or USC but I suppose I should at least email them. Princeton Rocks- how did you hear?

I live in SF, so more than one trip is not a big deal, I'm just not familiar with Southern California at all.

Thanks for all the help! I will probably drive between Irvine and LA at the very least, but a three and a half hour drive from SD to LA is a bit long for me.

 

[supersunny]

Originally posted by DoctorKevin
Wow, yeah I haven't heard anything from UCI/LA or USC but I suppose I should at least email them. Princeton Rocks- how did you hear?

I live in SF, so more than one trip is not a big deal, I'm just not familiar with Southern California at all.

Thanks for all the help! I will probably drive between Irvine and LA at the very least, but a three and a half hour drive from SD to LA is a bit long for me.

i live 30 minutes north of la and it takes me 3 hours to get to sd so i highly doubt it'd take you 3.5 hours. it also depends what time of day you go too but i think you'll be fine.

 

[pathstudent]

it makes total sense to do all three close together.

It also makes sense to fly out a couple of times if you can afford. Just wait until Dec so you can go enjoy some winter heat.