So as many of you know Marc got accepted to Dental School in Decemeber. We had a really hard time narrowing it down, but got it down to two schools. We honestly could not decide between the two schools, UCLA and UCSF. So we choaked down the deposits at two schools and set a date for us to take a trip and visit both schools. Marc had been to both, so I guess it was more of a trip for me to see everything than it was for him. It was a really quick trip, but it was great to see both schools. So here are the highlights from the trip.
Flight #1...Jackson wasn't so sure about the airplane on the first flight and screamed for quie some time, but by the next fight he loved it! We had a miserable layover in Las Vegas that lead to a 3 hour flight delay and luggage that took an hour and a half to appear in SF. Not so fun when it is the middle of the night and you have an 18 month old with you.
Our first hotel room. A quint little row home in SF. My only complaint that they failed to have a crib that they promised us and the room never quite got warm all night.
Jackson stood here and watched TV while we got ready.
This is the drive between Campus at UCSF and the married student housing. Very cool! You don't even feel like you are in the city!
The housing at UCSF. It sits up on a hill with trees surrounding it. It is beautiful. And the school sits just at the base of the hill.
The view from near the student housing..how awesome is that?!
Playing at the beach
Marc and Jackson getting a little too close to the water! Jackson took a face plant into the water right after I took this picture. 
Riding on the "train" from the car rental to the airport. Jacksons most favorite part of the trip!
The married student housing at UCLA
We drove the PCH, up to Malibu...so Jackson could get some sort of a nap in.
Jackson loved chasing the birds on the beach
The Beach
The place of eating that took us way too long to find, but tasted really good!
Jackson driving us crazy by the end of the trip! :)So my thoughts on the trip and what each school is like. Marc feels that both the dental schools seem equal. They are both really good schools and have a large number of oppertunities to specialize out of them. So then, if I were just to compare cities....hands down San Francisco wins. San Francisco is a way cooler, cleaner, more beautiful city. But then I ask myself, what is real life. How often do you go into the city or get out on the town. Maybe on the weekends, but not a daily living reality.
My daily living consists of being at home with Jackson, how close the grocery store is and how many other "stay at home" moms are going to be around to do things with. I talked with two moms in SF that told me that there are very few moms. Most of the women that at married to Dental students are working and don't have kids until there last year of school. So there are about 4 moms currently living in the housing at SF (One of which will be leaving at the end of the year). Not too many moms. One of the moms I talked to did say that anything in the city is really fun because it is really geared to younger kids. Simply because most people move out of the city by the time there kids reach school age. So that sounds great, but if there aren't other moms to do it with?! Than maybe not so great. The grocery store is about 5 minutes away. Not hard to get to at all. There is a Target about 10-15 minutes away and easy to get to. The housing is really nice and it is awesome how close it is to the school and how the trees make it so secluded. Seriously the city of SF is beautiful!
As for UCLA, the housing is gated and set up similar to Wymount with playgrounds in the middle of sections of housing. I spoke with one mom at UCLA who told me about the housing. She said, that they have a ton of activities, music class for toddlers, playdates, and it is easy to look out your window and see other kids playing and then head out. She said that when the husbands are busy studying for boards or other tests, that the wives plan even more activities to keep themselves busy. There are a TON of moms! The beach is about 10 minutes away and they go there quite often too. The grocery store is about a block away, very close and a Target is about 10 minutes away. The area around the housing isn't very nice....a little run down, but not scary. Just what you picture LA to look like. The area around the school is really nice (it backs up to Bel Air).
So what would you do? We have already decided, but you'll have to stay tuned for that post later! :)
My daily living consists of being at home with Jackson, how close the grocery store is and how many other "stay at home" moms are going to be around to do things with. I talked with two moms in SF that told me that there are very few moms. Most of the women that at married to Dental students are working and don't have kids until there last year of school. So there are about 4 moms currently living in the housing at SF (One of which will be leaving at the end of the year). Not too many moms. One of the moms I talked to did say that anything in the city is really fun because it is really geared to younger kids. Simply because most people move out of the city by the time there kids reach school age. So that sounds great, but if there aren't other moms to do it with?! Than maybe not so great. The grocery store is about 5 minutes away. Not hard to get to at all. There is a Target about 10-15 minutes away and easy to get to. The housing is really nice and it is awesome how close it is to the school and how the trees make it so secluded. Seriously the city of SF is beautiful!
As for UCLA, the housing is gated and set up similar to Wymount with playgrounds in the middle of sections of housing. I spoke with one mom at UCLA who told me about the housing. She said, that they have a ton of activities, music class for toddlers, playdates, and it is easy to look out your window and see other kids playing and then head out. She said that when the husbands are busy studying for boards or other tests, that the wives plan even more activities to keep themselves busy. There are a TON of moms! The beach is about 10 minutes away and they go there quite often too. The grocery store is about a block away, very close and a Target is about 10 minutes away. The area around the housing isn't very nice....a little run down, but not scary. Just what you picture LA to look like. The area around the school is really nice (it backs up to Bel Air).
So what would you do? We have already decided, but you'll have to stay tuned for that post later! :)
8 comments:
hmm, well, i'm all for being closer to the beach! Jared and i are going out to CA this weekend to check out UC Irvine and UC Riverside, we still have 7 schools to hear from but these are two of his top three choices. That is so exciting that you know where you are going! when will you be moving?
well, coming from someone who is right in the middle of being a dental school wife/mom, it sounds like ucla is a great option for you. i'm excited to hear your decision!
Ya, from someone who has been there, I feel that having other moms and friends there to keep you busy and enjoy life with out a spouse is my pick. Looking back at the past couple of years, with out the moms and friends that I met here, i'd probably have gotten depressed. I actually started to when we first moved here cause it was right after Emma was born and I was inside all day. I didn't know anyone. So I think UCLA sounds great for your circumstance in life. The main thing that you'll be centered around is your kids. So it's nice to have activities and things going on that they are included in. And I love the playground in the center. That's a daily must for Emma or she doesn't get a good nap :) But that's just my opinion. Good luck!
I think LA sounds great, but San Francisco is so much closer to ME! We're actually going to San Francisco for a day trip tomorrow! It would be so fun to be able to see you every once in awhile...but you definitely want some moms closer than we are!!! I'm excited to hear where you decided to go!
They sound great but what a tough decision. SF sounds beautiful, but for your sake it sounds like being a mom would be easier in LA. They both have their pros and cons, I am anxious to hear your decison!!
I think LA sounds the best for your situation and it would be so fun to have a lot of mom's around to do things with. :-) It seems that Lyssa is always doing fun things with mom's in her area and so I think once Tyler goes to school, it will be a MUST to find somewhere with a lot of mom's and fun activities. SF does look so beautiful though. Gook luck. Can't wait to hear! When does his school start?
oooh... so many great points made! Man, I thought you had a decision and was waiting for the VERY end to post it!!! But alas, you make it a cliff hanger!
I still will always love San Fran, you know that. However, the LA thing is sounding really good. In fact, your description of it is making it sound like it is the better choice. I am thinking THAT is the place you decided upon. AM I RIGHT???
I can't wait to see the follow up one. Just know, we'll come visit you where-ever you go! Ok? Good.
:) Ahh, love the huge life altering decisions we get to make. love it.
Hi Michelle,
This is Nancy Johnson. I do live in the UCLA housing and it's really great! We have an awesome community here and I really like all my neighbors, Mormon and non-Mormon. I think you'll be really happy here! Contact me when you get here and I'll show you the ropes...
Post a Comment