h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I think you've summed it up perfectly. I lived there for most of my life and always felt that the only really good thing about it was how close it was to everything else. But it does have a couple of fairly decent universities.

University of Redlands is a good one if you're pursuing a music degree (several of my musically talented friends got their degrees there) and UC Riverside is a UC, and you can't go too wrong with one of those. I didn't want to go to UCR, though, because it was too close to home; after graduation, I wanted to get as far away as possible. So when the counselor from UCR came to visit me, presumably to offer me a scholarship (quite possibly a full ride) I blew her off...and now I kick myself in the ass every time I'm reminded of it.

I too wanted to get far away, although I ended up not nearly as far as I'd wanted. I've decided I'm happy where I am, though. But you're lucky to have gotten that kind of offer from UCR. I only got that from a couple of Cal States.