Santa Monica College

I was really impressed with Santa Monica College. The campus has a lot of modern, updated buildings, and you can tell they’re still investing heavily in improvements—there are quite a few construction areas where older buildings are being replaced with new, modern facilities, which I think is a great move for the school’s future. The facilities overall are excellent, and one thing I especially appreciated is the free underground parking, which makes commuting so much easier. The campus feels clean, organized, and well-designed, and it shows that SMC is constantly upgrading to give students a better environment. Overall, it’s a very solid campus with great facilities and a forward-thinking approach to development.

I entered UC Davis expecting a serious academic environment—one built on rigor, collaboration, and mentorship. What I found instead was an institution propped up by reputation more than results. The culture felt crowded with ego, politics, and surface-level ambition. Collaboration was talked about constantly but rarely practiced. Too often, success seemed tied to appearances, social positioning, and knowing the right people rather than actual competence or effort. What stood out was the gap between confidence and capability. Many students carried an inflated sense of intelligence simply because of the UC label, yet showed little depth or curiosity when challenged. Independent thinkers or genuinely strong students were frequently dismissed, sidelined, or treated harshly for not fitting into the dominant academic culture. There was very little awareness of personal limits, and questioning the system—or outperforming it quietly—was not welcomed. The lack of meaningful support only reinforced this. Advisors were stretched thin, professors were often inaccessible, and career guidance felt disconnected from real-world outcomes. For an institution that costs so much and markets itself as elite, the results were underwhelming—especially when many graduates end up earning about the same as an Uber driver. Santa Monica College, by contrast, was grounded, disciplined, and results-oriented. Despite being a community college, it consistently sends a large number of well-prepared students to UC campuses, including UC Davis. At SMC, the focus was on mastery and momentum, not branding. Classes were demanding in the right ways, professors were engaged, and students were expected to actually learn—not just signal achievement. Advising at SMC was intentional and personal. Counselors helped students build concrete transfer plans and career pathways, not vague narratives about prestige. The environment rewarded focus, work ethic, and clarity of goals rather than ego or academic theater. When you compare outcomes instead of logos, Santa Monica College delivered far more value than UC Davis. It respected students’ time, intelligence, and finances while quietly producing students who were better prepared and more resilient. If I had to do it again, I’d choose Santa Monica College without hesitation. It offered structure, accountability, and a real return on investment—things UC Davis promised loudly but failed to deliver consistently.

i love my school. I have been in and out of classes for about 2 years on and off. The teachers are amazing! The professors are some of the most amazing people i have met. My ONLY complaint is the counselors and Black Collegians/ Latino programs. Black collegians being the WORST experience. The program is ran by Sherri Bradford whom ive dealt with for YEARS on a personal and academic level. I believe Sherri is overwhelmed and isn't good at coaching, training or teaching her staff. So us students suffer because of it. I have had to deal with such poor behavior behind her staff. Bad attitudes, lack of knowledge, tardiness, lack of accountability, compassion, and empathy, discouraging behavior and tones, you name it. And i have also had to I match it, because i too am an adult with feelings and opinions. I have had countless interactions with the Black Collegians programs and everything about it is unorganized. None of the staff are really invested in students success, if they were...they wouldn't make succeeding so difficult. In office- its unorganized. Ive had 2 appointments scheduled by students on the wrong dates, (So that means they're not being trained properly) I don't think i have EVER had a counselor show up ON TIME for a ZOOM meeting. Ive had more success seeing a regular counselor. The latino and Black Collegians programs are very rushed and unorganized. I still cannot see the benefit of said programs. Other than that. The school is beautiful, Amazing, and theres ample opportunity to dream big.

Please, don't fall for the advertising that this is the best college in LA. The staff are incompetent, they don't know what they're doing, there are no professional development trainings, and they treat students like garbage, just trying to get rid of them and their problems as quickly as possible. It took me about 8 months for them to simply confirm my residency, and I had to drop 2 classes because of it. The financial aid office is just as bad – I dropped two more classes because of their internal communication problems between offices. Choose SMC only if you want to study at the WORST college!

If you are an INTERNATIONAL STUDENT or A LEGAL IMMIGRANT, do not attend the Film Production program at Santa Monica College!!! From the head of the program to the only career counselor assigned to this pathway lack the necessary qualifications for their positions and have engaged in behavior that is manipulative and unprofessional. I was repeatedly discouraged, dismissed, and given wrong information. At no point did I feel supported. It became clear very quickly that the program’s guidance, opportunities, and advocacy are effectively reserved for U.S. citizens at every stage, including class projects! Despite being a legal resident with work authorization, I was treated as a problem rather than a student. There is no meaningful guidance toward realistic employment outcomes for non–U.S. citizens. Throughout the program, my experience was not just frustrating, it was demoralizing. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS deserve to know that they may be paying for a program that is not designed to support them at all. I strongly recommend international students to choose better school!

The best college in Santa Monica. It has been a number one transfer college to UC for many years.

Excellent teachers at a very affordable price especially for the media, film, and arts programs. However, a lot of students think it’s cool to be lazy and waste the opportunity.