I signed up to visit UCLA for ASW and was thrilled to learn that the costs of my visit would be covered by UCLA. I just got into Berkeley and learned that Berkeley's ASW is the SAME WEEKEND as UCLA's!

I live on the East Coast and haven't been to CA since I was an infant, so I really want to get a feel for L.A. and San Fran before deciding on a school. Would it be rude to ask UCLA if I could use the travel stipend to visit UCLA for part of the weekend or another weekend? I am thinking I could possibly rent a car and somehow take a week to visit both schools. Is this a crazy idea?

Doesn't hurt to ask.

It's a pretty long drive between UCLA and S.F. It's about 6.5 hours if you don't hit traffic and don't get lost. Having rented cars to do this drive before, it's pretty expensive, especially if you're younger than 25 (there's an extra charge) and if you're returning the car to a different location than you picked it up. It's probably only cheaper than buying a plane ticket if you have company and would otherwise have to purchase multiple tickets. If you're going alone, I would suggest just flying. It's a really short flight and you'll save yourself 7 hours alone in the car on the most boring highway of all time, so even if it's a bit more, I think it's worth it. If you're spending several days in L.A. and want to rent a car, that's not a bad idea, because it's quite difficult to see the city via public transit. You probably won't want a rental car in S.F. if that's where you'll be staying. It's a difficult city to drive in if you're not familiar with it. I would stick to BART and MUNI.

I'm currently facing the same/similar situation. I have an all-expense paid trip for UCLA's ASW or the $300 travel stipend from UC Berkeley. I'm going to attempt to attend both events.

I think it depends on which school is ranked higher on your personal list and then choosing to prioritize it (for me it's Berkeley).

Berkeley's ASW is from 4/12-14. But to get the $300 OOS stipend you only need to participate in the official ASD on 4/13. According to the schedule, so far nothing major is happening on 4/14. Theoretically, you can fly in a couple days early (4/10ish) to get a feel for San Fran and Berkeley.

*You could then catch a round trip flight from SF to LA on 4/14 to participate in UCLA's official ASD on 4/15. Spend a couple days in LA to get a feel for it. Fly back to SF to catch the return flight back home.

*= dependent on if you can get UCLA to change to an in-state travel stipend to cover the SF to LA flight (I don't know if they have it or how much it is). If not, the flight is less than $150 and cheap hostels are abundant in LA.