Advantages & Disadvantages of Studying in Los Angeles

You think about studying in Los Angeles?

While L.A. is a great place to go to college, there are also many downsides related to it.

Thus, make sure to have a look at all the pros and cons of studying in Los Angeles so that you are able to make a profound decision and can avoid common mistakes in this regard.

Studying in Los Angeles – Overview

Advantages of Studying in Los Angeles

1. Los Angeles has many universities to choose from
2. Good overall quality of education
3. Some world-class universities in L.A.
4. You have excellent career prospects
5. Many networking opportunities
6. Nightlife in Los Angeles is great for students
7. You will meet many students from all over the world
8. L.A. offers great climatic conditions
9. Many libraries and other spaces to study
10. Numerous leisure activities to choose from
11. Los Angeles offers beautiful beaches
12. You can go surfing or swimming before or after class
13. You can do winter sports as well
14. Los Angeles is a pretty tolerant city
15. Decent public infrastructure in L.A.
16. Many extracurricular activities to choose from
17. Broad range of courses
18. Many scholarships available

Los Angeles has many universities to choose from

One advantage of studying in Los Angeles is that you have many universities to choose from.

No matter what degree you aspire, you will find at least one college that offers great courses in this regard.

Consequently, you can be sure that you find the right education for you in L.A. and don’t run out of relevant courses so that you can use your time efficiently and study in the most comprehensive manner.

Good overall quality of education

Quality of colleges and universities in Los Angeles is also pretty good and they are often ranked above-average compared to other colleges in the US.

Thus, colleges in L.A. have a pretty solid reputation and many people will admire you for your degree from one of those renowned colleges.

Some world-class universities in L.A.

Not only is the average quality of colleges quite good in L.A., but you will also have some world-class universities located in this beautiful place.

For instance, UCLA is known for world-class research in many different fields and you will therefore meet many talented people from all over the world by studying at these prestigious colleges and your college education will also look pretty good on your resumé.

You have excellent career prospects

Another upside to studying in Los Angeles is that you will have excellent career prospects once you finish your degree and apply for jobs.

In fact, many big corporations recruit from Los Angeles campuses and you will most likely find a pretty decent job from which you can make good money, at least if you get your degree in something that provides real practical value to the private sector while people studying in Phoenix may have a more difficult time in this regard.

Many networking opportunities

Since colleges in L.A. attract many talented and motivated people from all over the US, you will have many valuable networking opportunities.

In fact, you should stay in touch with your friends from college since those people will often find good jobs in the corporate world and if you are friends with those people, your chances of getting a really good job increase significantly.

Networking is a big part of succeeding in the corporate world and the more contacts you have with important people, the higher your chances of climbing the career ladder soon.

Nightlife in Los Angeles is great for students

Los Angeles not only provides great student life, but you can also enjoy your time in numerous bars and clubs all over the city.

In fact, L.A. has great nightlife and if you have the money, you can party all night long and can spend nights you will remember for the rest of your life.

You can also just hang out with other students in a relaxed manner and socialize in a cozy bar whenever you want since L.A. has so many different places to offer in this regard.

You will meet many students from all over the world

Since L.A. attracts many students from all over the world, you can make friends with people from many different foreign countries.

In turn, you can have many interesting conversations and talking to those people with different cultural backgrounds really enables you to see the world from a different perspective and to grow in character in the long run since you will be really thankful for your own life when you hear many bad stories from your fellow students.

L.A. offers great climatic conditions

Los Angeles is also a great place to study since you will have excellent climatic conditions.

Not only will you have warm and cozy summers, but you will also be able to enjoy pretty mild winters and this gives you the opportunity to spend lots of time outdoors and to really enjoy your leisure in nature.

Many libraries and other spaces to study

Another reason to study in Los Angeles is that you will have many quiet spaces where you can learn and practice together with other students and this can really help you understand the course material much better and can also help you socialize and find new friends in the long run.

Numerous leisure activities to choose from

Not only is Los Angeles a great place to learn, but it also offers many leisure activities you can engage in once you have studied enough and need some time to unplug and to relax to reload your batteries.

Los Angeles is great in this regard since you will have many recreational spaces to choose from and you will also have many things to spend your leisure in general.

Los Angeles offers beautiful beaches

Another benefit of studying in Los Angeles is that you can enjoy beautiful beaches where you can go surfing, swimming, fishing or just enjoy the relaxed atmosphere by tanning at the beach.

This is a real luxury that not many other people studying in other cities are able to experience and can really make your student life much better in the long run.

You can go surfing or swimming before or after class

Not only will you have access to many beautiful beaches, but you can also spend your time at the beach before, after or even between two classes when you have some leisure and don’t know how to use it productively.

This can be really great to recharge your batteries so that you have enough mental capacity for additional courses yet to come.

You can do winter sports as well

Since Los Angeles is not too far from the mountains, you will also be able to do many winter sports like skiing as well within just a few-hour drive and this can really enrich your student life since you can go skiing or snowboarding with your fellow students and can really network in a fun way.

Los Angeles is a pretty tolerant city

Los Angeles is also a great place to study since it is a pretty tolerant place and you will be welcome from all parts of the world.

In turn, you don’t have to worry about getting socially isolated but can rather spend your time with many like-minded people from many different countries in an awesome manner and can also make many new friends in the long run.

Decent public infrastructure in L.A.

Los Angeles also offers everything students need for daily life.

Consequently, you can enjoy pretty decent public infrastructure and will find most things you need at almost every corner so that you will get what you need rather quickly.

Many extracurricular activities to choose from

L.A. not only offers great conditions for students, but colleges also offer many extracurricular activities, including cooking courses, trips to museums and many other things to do.

In turn, you will really have the opportunity to get to know the city and can enjoy your student life as much as possible.

Broad range of courses

Since you will have many big colleges to choose from, you will also have a broad range of courses and you can just choose the courses that you are interested in the most and will have a bigger variety of courses compared to most other states in the US.

In turn, you will also find exotic specializations and can really enroll in classes you are most fascinated by.

Many scholarships available

Universities in L.A. also have many partnerships from where you can get scholarships to finance your degree so that you don’t have to pay all of the tuition and other expenses related to college yourself but can rather save some money that you can spend on other nice things instead.

As you can see, there are many advantages to going to college in Los Angeles.

However, it is still not all upside and we should also talk about the negative things that come along with it to give you a better impression of what student life in L.A. really looks like and whether you still want to study in this city or rather want to go for a different region instead.

Disadvantages of Studying in Los Angeles

1. Studying in Los Angeles is pretty expensive
2. High living costs
3. Rents have increased significantly over the past years
4. Hard to find a place to stay
5. You may have to take on significant student loan debt to finance your degree
6. Los Angeles is a pretty busy city
7. Public transport is rather poor
8. Student jobs often don’t pay enough money to make a living
9. Large class sizes can be a problem
10. Traffic is a big problem in L.A.
11. Fierce competition among students
12. Courses are often too theoretical

Studying in Los Angeles is pretty expensive

One downside to studying in Los Angeles is that tuition and other expenses related to college are often pretty expensive and not many students are able or willing to pay such big amounts of money for education and you should also ask yourself whether it is worth it to you to invest that much money on your education before applying for college in L.A.

High living costs

Not only college education is pretty expensive, but also living costs are in L.A. are pretty high.

For instance, if you go out to a bar or a club, you will pay much more for a drink compared to other states in the US and this can really eat up your financial reserves in the long run, especially if you love nightlife and want to party as much as possible while people studying in Philadelphia don’t have to spend as much on things for daily life.

Rents have increased significantly over the past years

Another problem with studying in Los Angeles is that rents have increased significantly over the past years and will likely continue to do so in the near future.

Consequently, you would also have to spend lots of money on housing and you may therefore really struggle to pay your bills in the long run since the more you spend on housing, the less money will be left to spend on other important things for daily life.

Hard to find a place to stay

Not only are rents pretty high, but also housing shortage is a big problem in Los Angeles and you may just not find a suitable place to stay anytime soon if your college doesn’t have enough dorm rooms and you have to search for an apartment on the private market where competition is often pretty fierce and college students often have a hard time finding a place to stay.

You may have to take on significant student loan debt to finance your degree

Since studying in L.A. is such expensive, many people have to take on significant student loans to finance their degrees that they have to pay back later in their lives.

In fact, many students are in six-figure debt and it will take them quite long to pay back those enormous amounts of money.

Los Angeles is a pretty busy city

You should also note that Los Angeles is a pretty busy city and if you don’t like big city life, you may be better off studying in a smaller town where everything is more relaxed and not as hectic as in L.A. or other major cities in the US.

Public transport is rather poor

Another disadvantage of studying in Los Angeles is that public transport is pretty poor, especially in the suburbs of L.A.

Consequently, it will be hard for you to get around by bus or other means of public transport and you will also be late for classes quite often since public transport is pretty unreliable.

Student jobs often don’t pay enough money to make a living

While you will find many student jobs in L.A., those jobs often pay pretty poor money compared to overall living costs and tuition.

In turn, your income from those student jobs will not be enough to make a living and you will have to finance your degree by either taking on student loans or by using your savings or the money of your parents.

Large class sizes can be a problem

In many colleges in L.A., class sizes are pretty large and the professor may not have time to answer all questions that may pop up.

Consequently, you may just not get the best learning experience possible and may have to study hard on your own to really understand what your professor talked about during class.

Traffic is a big problem in L.A.

You should also be aware of the fact that traffic is a really big problem in Los Angeles and that traffic jams are quite common.

Hence, it will take you quite long to get to college and you may also be late quite often since you underestimated the traffic problem and may also not find a parking lot.

Fierce competition among students

Another reason not to study in Los Angeles is that competition among students is often pretty fierce since everyone wants to get good grades to get a great job afterward and if you are not a competitive person, chances are that you will just not feel well in such an environment.

Courses are often too theoretical

Students in Los Angeles also often complain that their courses are far too theoretical and that they don’t learn enough practical things that could really be helpful in their jobs later on.

Consequently, you may just waste lots of time on things you may actually never need again for your future career.

Top 10 Studying in Los Angeles Pros & Cons – Summary List

Should You Study in Los Angeles?

While Los Angeles is a great place to study since you can study at renowned universities and can also enjoy student life at the same time, going to college in L.A. is also pretty expensive and has some additional downsides.

In the end, you should evaluate all the advantages and disadvantages of studying in Los Angeles carefully to make the best possible decision in this regard.

If you not only consider studying in L.A. but rather also think about moving to Los Angeles in the long run, you should also have a look at all the pros and cons of living in Los Angeles.

Alternative Student Cities

If you want to study in a different city, you may also want to have a look at the advantages and disadvantages of studying in NYC.

Sources

https://lacounty.gov/government/geography-statistics/statistics/

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.