UCLA Anderson - Real cost of attendance ?

Question

Hi ,
I'd like to ask any current or previous students regarding the actual cost of each year at Anderson. It seems like their estimates on UCLA website ate on the higher side of the scale, at least compared to what I've heard from friends studying in other top programs.
If anyone has a personal experience to share I'd be grateful

hopeful101candidate · Answer

I would say it's on the low end. $21,400 for room and board per year in LA? Yeah right. Do a quick Zillow search for apartments for rent and you'll realize you'll be paying way over $21k per year to live in LA assuming you don't have any roommates. Even personal expenses will be way higher in LA compared to schools in smaller, more remote cities. But I think that all MBA programs underestimate the cost of attendance they publish on their websites. I mean, $4,600 for travel? If you do one global exchange/trek in a year, you've already spent that $5k. I guess it also depends on what sort of lifestyle you want during your MBA.

JAYYYYTEE · Answer

I'll reply here as I live in Orange County - just outside of LA.

The actual cost depends on your style of living - but West LA is no joke. Traffic is terrible, and public transportation isn't great. I pay $1500/mo for a one bedroom apartment just outside of Long Beach, in an average neighborhood. Rent in Westwood is 1700 for a studio, and close to 2.5k for a 1 bedroom.

Your cost of living will depend on your lifestyle. An average meal will be anywhere from 5-15$, unless you cook for yourself. Organic/raw eats/hip food will cost more than a fast food dollar menu.
 If you plan on driving - parking in LA is metered, so add that into your cost. Gas can add up as well, but it will depend on your habits.

To put things in perspective - Beverly Hills borders Westwood. Life in LA isn't cheap, but we pay for sunshine, great weather, and culture.

I am open to chat about Southern CA in general if you'd like to PM me.

dovdevan05 · Answer

JAYYYTEE, thanks for replying, good to have a first hand account.

So you own a car in OC or do you use public transportation?

How bad is the commute? Do you feel that living further from the university distances you from activities or friends?

Also, what are good neighbourhoods to look at when searching for an apartment for a family that would have sensible rent prices and not too far from Anderson.

Thanks again

Posted from my mobile device

JAYYYYTEE · Answer

My wife and I each have our own car. A commute to westwood from Orange County is possible, but not realistic. West LA has some of the worst traffic. There are jokes that it takes 45 minutes to get to west LA and then 30-45 minutes to get wherever you want within west LA. Realistically with a daily commute it will be anywhere from 90 min to 2 hours commuting from Long Beach, each way. Although rent may be higher in Westwood, it may be worth it to pay it and avoid the heartache and cost of driving. Gas prices can be checked on gasbuddy.com and you can look for housing on apartments.com. I filled up yesterday and it was about $3/gallon.

Living away from campus may distance you from activities- but that doesn’t necessarily mean you will miss out. You may spend less time at home, or more time driving. There is a running joke that when people live in west la - they never leave it simply because the burden of traffic. A lot of students I know choose to live in Santa Monica by the beach - and then they commute to school. They don’t mind the traffic because living by the beach gives them the Southern California Experience. I would play with some sort of rent finder and experiment with different cities.

Please note that if it seems too good to be true - it probably is. There are very cheap places in LA but they aren’t always in the best parts.

Sent from my iPhone using  GMAT Club Forum mobile app

ltal · Answer

I guess that university housing is significantly cheaper and that the estimates are based on in campus living rather than off campus. And yet, I was thinking maybe they throw in the housing prices unnecessary meal plans (I prefer to cool for myself anyway).
JAYYYYTEE, thanks for the info. Tbh, I doubt I'll opt for living far and owning a car due to the parking problems and driving time... I do consider to share a larger apartment with few friends however but I guess it's more common during the second year of school.

indecisive · Answer

I'll be bringing my car. I've only been a couple of times but LA just doesn't seem to have the public transit infrastructure to get by without one.
I'm hoping that my girlfriend finds a job in LA so we can split rent, but if she doesn't then I'll probably be looking for a roommate as well.

ApplicantLab · Answer

Are you bringing a family? That does complicate things a bit since, apart from any student housing that might be available, the price estimate of $21,000 / year for rent seems a bit low. If you ARE bringing a family, look over the student clubs at UCLA to see if they have a partners / families club. I'm SURE those folks know the absolute latest and greatest in terms of neighborhoods, commutes, etc. My (retired) parents occasionally work part-time at UCLA and they take public transportation (bus) from Culver City, which might be a smidge less expensive than Westwood / BH / Brentwood for rent (but is an "up and coming" area so prices are going up quite a bit). "Close-ish" to Westwood but on the relatively less-expensive end would probably be Palms. While life on the "west side" is considered to be "nicer", I'd try to stay east of the 405 freeway if possible, because traffic from people trying to get *on* to the 405 at rush-hour backs up the major arteries like Wilshire, Santa Monica blvd, etc. pretty massively. I used to live in Brentwood and I would commute to an office in Westwood and it would take me -- I'm not exaggerating -- 5 minutes if not in rush hour; but up to 20-30 minutes if IN rush hour, because Wilshire became a parking lot if the 405 was jammed. Blah! I wonder if anyone going to Anderson lives in Sherman Oaks and then just pops down / up Sepulveda Blvd? Rent up there might be a bit cheaper, and I'm guessing we'd be talking about a 30-minute drive (Sherman Oaks --> Sunset --> Anderson)? Oh and re: Orange County...no way. You'd be way too miserable to do that every single day. To give you a sense, I currently live about 6 miles south of UCLA, and I had to commute to Irvine a few years ago and it was 1.5 hrs each way during rush hour. If you're going to spend 1 - 1.5 hrs in a car, you might want to look north, in the "Valley" because then at least you'd still be close to the rest of L.A. and what it has to offer? Or better yet, make an investment in your own mental health and bite the bullet and live closer to campus

Either way, welcome to L.A.! For all its faults, the year-round weather, cultural opportunities, and proximity to nature-stuff for nature-types really can't be beat

And p.s. welcome also to Angelinos' favorite past-time: discussing traffic, routes, side-streets, etc. watch "SNL the Californians" to see Saturday Night Live's hilarious -- and 100% accurate -- take on this! Best, Maria

bb · Answer

UCLA Anderson - Real cost of attendance ?

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