does it help to move to sf while I wait to hear if I've been accepted to UCSF MEPN?

[artemis527]

I'm living in New Orleans right now, but I'm probably going to have to move to California before summer. I'm aiming to apply to UCSF MESPN program in June/July, so I wondered if there would be any advantage to actually being in SF during the time I'm waiting to find out if I've been accepted or not.

My family lives in L.A., so it might be slightly less expensive for me to be there (I still have to pay rent there). But L.A. sucks all my energy out of me, and I really am unhappy there. I lived there for 7 years before I came out here to Nola, so I know this is not likely to change for the better..

On the other hand, I know I love living in the Bay Area. I did my undergrad up there, and have never lived in the city. I know everyone says it's super expensive, but how much worse can it be than L.A. finances-wise?

Of course I am also considering the fact that it would be fascinating to get to know the city beforehand, and the populations up there, and get involved in the health care field somehow before school comes onto the horizon. I'm working with mothers and newborns, anyway! There are tons of them no matter where you go, but the challenges they face can change according to the region they're in.. I can tell you that in post-K, Gulf Coast New Orleans, there are going to be different issues going on than in California, for example..

Does anyone have any insight into this?

Thanks!