Advantages & Disadvantages of Studying in San Francisco

You think about studying in San Francisco but want to get additional information about student life, tuition, living costs, housing, quality of education, safety, nightlife and much more before making your final decision in this regard?

Great! Stick with me since I will show you the pros and cons of studying in San Francisco in the following chapters.

Study in San Francisco – Overview

Advantages of Studying in San Francisco

1. Decent quality of education for students in San Francisco
2. Many student clubs and other organizations to join
3. Students in San Francisco can engage in extracurricular activities
4. San Francisco is a pretty tolerant city
5. You can meet many interesting people in the San Francisco area
6. Easy for students to socialize in San Francisco
7. Many interesting bars and clubs to party in San Francisco
8. Students in San Francisco can enjoy sunny summers
9. Mild winters are attractive to many students in San Francisco
10. Many recreational spaces in San Francisco
11. San Francisco is surrounded by beautiful nature
12. People studying in San Francisco can spend lots of time outdoors
13. You can stay fit in the San Francisco region
14. San Francisco is a pretty relaxed student city
15. Easy to get around for students in San Francisco
16. Decent supply of material goods
17. Many libraries for students in San Francisco
18. You can make memories for a lifetime
19. You can meet many international students in San Francisco
20. Decent guest professors in San Francisco
21. Many people will envy and admire you for studying in San Francisco
22. Students in San Francisco can relax at the beach
23. Many big corporations to work for in San Francisco

Decent quality of education for students in San Francisco

One advantage of studying in San Francisco is that you will find some really decent universities and colleges and while you may not find the same world-class education as people studying at Harvard, it will still be good enough to find decent jobs after graduation.

Many student clubs and other organizations to join

There are also many student clubs you can join in the San Francisco region and this can be great since you will find many like-minded people and can just have a great time together.

Students in San Francisco can engage in extracurricular activities

Since you can do many extracurricular activities, you can also make your student life in San Francisco really interesting since you can not only get a fancy degree but also engage in many social projects and can therefore also do good for society at the same time.

San Francisco is a pretty tolerant city

You should also know that compared to most other big cities, San Francisco is a pretty tolerant region.

Consequently, it doesn’t matter where you come from.

As long as you are friendly, open and tolerant, you can just have a great time as a student in San Francisco.

You can meet many interesting people in the San Francisco area

San Francisco is a melting pot for people from many different cultures and you can therefore also meet many interesting students and other people in the Bay Area and by talking to those people, you can really grow in character and will be able to see the world from a different perspective.

Easy for students to socialize in San Francisco

Another upside to studying in San Francisco is since people are friendly and outgoing, you will also have a pretty easy time making new friends in this region and chances are you will never run out of social contacts and can just have a great time with many interesting people in this region.

Many interesting bars and clubs to party in San Francisco

You will also find many great bars in the San Francisco region where you can hang out with other young people and will also have some clubs where students can party until the early morning and chances are you will never get bored with nightlife in San Francisco.

Students in San Francisco can enjoy sunny summers

Many students also appreciate the really nice climate in San Francisco.

While summers are warm, students in San Francisco still don’t have to deal with extreme heat compared to students in Austin or other hotter and more humid places and you may therefore just have more energy as a student in San Francisco.

Mild winters are attractive to many students in San Francisco

Not only summers are great in San Francisco, but also winters are pretty mild and this makes you feel like being on vacation all year long while students in Chicago and other colder regions may not get this great feeling.

Many recreational spaces in San Francisco

You should also know that there are many parks and other green spaces where you can study so you can get lots of fresh air and can therefore also get more than enough oxygen so your brain can work in an ideal manner and you can study pretty efficiently.

San Francisco is surrounded by beautiful nature

Another benefit of studying in San Francisco is that the city is also surrounded by beautiful national parks and nature reserves and you can therefore make many nice day trips so you can reload your batteries and stay motivated to push through difficult periods of your student life.

People studying in San Francisco can spend lots of time outdoors

Since weather in San Francisco is great and there are so many things to do in nature, students in San Francisco also have the incentive to spend lots of time outdoors and this can be great since you will be in a better mood on average compared to students in rainier regions who often just spend lots of time indoors and get lazy sooner or later.

You can stay fit in the San Francisco region

Since you can spend lots of time outdoors and can exercise in a natural manner, you will also be at lower risk of becoming obese compared to students in many other regions where there are not as many nice things to do in nature as in the San Francisco area.

San Francisco is a pretty relaxed student city

Compared to many other big cities in the US, San Francisco can also be considered rather relaxed since people are usually not as career-focused as in other metropolitan regions and will take more time to help you out in case you need assistance in various parts of life.

Easy to get around for students in San Francisco

Since San Francisco is a pretty bicycle-friendly place and also has decent public transport, you can get around in a pretty efficient manner without even urgently needing a car and this can save you lots of money in the long run and you can also do good for our environment at the same time.

Decent supply of material goods

You also don’t have to worry about running out of important material goods in the San Francisco region since supply of material goods is decent and you will find most things you need close to your home.

Many libraries for students in San Francisco

There are also many decent libraries and other quiet spaces where you can really focus on your studies and exam preparation as a student in San Francisco and can therefore study without getting distracted by loud noises or annoying people.

You can make memories for a lifetime

Since San Francisco is a pretty nice city where you will have more than enough things to do as a student, you can also meet many great people and can make memories for a lifetime and you will also have many nice stories to tell and can impress many people by talking about your great student life in San Francisco.

You can meet many international students in San Francisco

Since San Francisco is a pretty popular city all over the world, many international students also want to study in this region and you will therefore have a rather easy time meeting people from all over the globe and by talking to those people, you can see the world from a different perspective and can also really grow in character in the long run since you will learn a lot about different cultures and traditions.

Decent guest professors in San Francisco

There are also many decent guest professors in the San Francisco region and this can be really interesting for students in San Francisco since you will experience many different teaching styles and methods from which you can really learn and benefit.

Many people will envy and admire you for studying in San Francisco

Since San Francisco is such a popular city, many of your loved ones will also envy and admire you for your plans of studying in San Francisco and you will therefore be able to achieve a really high social status among your peers.

Students in San Francisco can relax at the beach

Since San Francisco is located at the coast, students in San Francisco can go surfing on a regular basis while people who study in Dallas and other places that are not close to the coast will just not have this luxury.

Many big corporations to work for in San Francisco

Studying in San Francisco can also make quite a lot of sense since you will also find many student jobs and internships in this region and once you graduate, you will also find many well-paying jobs in this region.

As you can see, there are many reasons for studying in San Francisco.

Yet, you should also know about the drawbacks of studying in San Francisco which I want to address in the following so you will be better able to decide whether you still want to study in San Francisco or rather want to spend your student life in a different city instead.

Disadvantages of Studying in San Francisco

1. High living costs are a problem for many students in San Francisco
2. Rents are barely affordable for many people who study in San Francisco
3. Hard to find an affordable place to stay
4. Overall high financial pressure for students in San Francisco
5. San Francisco has to deal with many social problems
6. San Francisco becomes increasingly crowded
7. You may have to live in a rather dodgy district in San Francisco
8. Crime is a big problem in the San Francisco area
9. Lack of real seasons may be annoying
10. High tuition may become a serious problem for students in San Francisco
11. Many people who study in San Francisco have to use student loan debt
12. San Francisco may be overrated

High living costs are a problem for many students in San Francisco

One problem with studying in San Francisco is that living costs are pretty high in this region and many students really struggle to finance their degrees.

Thus, if you don’t get financial support from your parents or have lots of money in the bank, you may get into serious financial trouble as a student in San Francisco since many things of daily life are just pretty expensive.

Rents are barely affordable for many people who study in San Francisco

Not only living costs are pretty high, but also rents are barely affordable for many students in San Francisco.

In fact, rents in San Francisco have skyrocketed over the past decades and housing has become too expensive for many people in this region and may also force many people to leave San Francisco in the long run.

Hard to find an affordable place to stay

Since rents are pretty high and housing shortage is a big problem, students in San Francisco also have a pretty hard time finding a decent and affordable place to stay within a reasonable timeframe while students in Indianapolis and other less popular cities often have a much easier time in this regard.

Overall high financial pressure for students in San Francisco

Due to high housing and living costs, students in San Francisco also often have to worry about financial problems and are just not able to focus on their studies which may lead to poor exam results and worse job prospects.

San Francisco has to deal with many social problems

You should also know that the city of San Francisco also has to deal with many social problems.

In fact, homelessness has become a serious problem and many people just no longer feel comfortable and welcome in their neighborhoods anymore.

San Francisco becomes increasingly crowded

Another downside to studying in San Francisco is that due to its popularity, the city also becomes increasingly crowded and this will not only lead to even bigger housing shortage but also to a state where students will no longer find enough quiet spaces to study in an efficient manner.

You may have to live in a rather dodgy district in San Francisco

Many students in San Francisco also have to live in rather dodgy neighborhoods where they often don’t feel safe since housing is pretty expensive and they just can’t afford to live in one of those fancy districts.

Crime is a big problem in the San Francisco area

Over the past decades, crime rates have increased significantly in the San Francisco region and chances are that this problem will even get worse due to an increasing gap between the poor and the rich and since many people no longer know how to pay for rent and other important things of daily life.

Lack of real seasons may be annoying

Since winters in San Francisco are pretty mild, you may also miss real seasons in the San Francisco area and while other students may be able to go skiing in winter, you will have almost no chance in this regard directly in the Bay Area.

High tuition may become a serious problem for students in San Francisco

Another disadvantage of studying in San Francisco is that tuition costs are often pretty high and you may therefore have to spend lots of money on education and should make sure that it is really worth it to you before making this big financial commitment.

Many people who study in San Francisco have to use student loan debt

Due to high living and housing costs and since tuition is often pretty high, many students also have to use lots of student loan debt to finance their degrees which they would have to pay back later in life.

San Francisco may be overrated

While San Francisco is a great city, it has also become extremely expensive over the past decades and may therefore be considered overrated when you compare what you have to pay for what you get in this region.

Top 10 Studying in San Francisco Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is San Franciso A Good City For Students?

While studying in San Francisco can be great since you can meet many people from all over the world, quality of education is decent and you can also enjoy great weather, you should also know that living and housing costs are pretty high and many students in San Francisco have to finance their degree with significant amounts of student loan debt.

Alternative Cities To Study

If you don’t want to study in San Francisco anymore, you should also have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of studying in Phoenix

Advantages and disadvantages of studying in Jacksonville

Advantages and disadvantages of studying in Charlotte

Sources

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/sanfranciscocountycalifornia

Own research.

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.