People have a lot of misconceptions when it comes to going to college in Los Angeles. They make it out to be far more glamorous than it really is. So whether you're about to make the big move yourself or you know someone who is, here are 9 shocking truths about what it's really like to go to school in the City of Angels.

1. Trying to get around sucks.

Unlike most cities, you can't rely on public transportation in Los Angeles. You need a car if you want to get around reliably. But if you're moving to the city from somewhere far away, then getting a car just isn't practical for you. If you want to get around and explore more than just the area around campus, you either need get very close to your local friends who do have car, or become familiar with Uber.

2. Your day is wasted being stuck in traffic.

Because there's not really any great public transportation, everyone in Los Angeles has a car. This means that there is traffic constantly; every hour is rush hour. And because the city is very spread out, this means that it's not surprising to spend an hour just trying to get across town.

3. You don't actually get to spend all your time at the beach.

I remember during my senior year of high school, when my friends and I were talking about our upcoming dorm situations for our freshman year of college, one of them asked me if "beach view" was an option. Though I'm sure she was joking, many of my Midwestern friends back home are surprised to learn that I've only been to the beach a handful of times in my 3 years in L.A. Finding time to go to the beach during the semester is hard because you have classes and homework, and a lot of times they tend to be overcrowded or not very scenic.

4. Everything is crazy expensive.

I cry every time I talk to my hometown friends about how much housing for the school year costs. Being an already broke college student doesn't change the fact that you're living in a city with one of the highest housing costs. What you could pay to get your own place at a different university gets you three roommates, half a bathroom, and half a bedroom in L.A. And if you have to pump over priced gas for that car you were forced to buy to get around, then you better get used to the taste of Ramen noodles for dinner because that will be pretty much all you can afford.

5. L.A. changes how you deal with weather.

When I first got to Southern California, I proclaimed that having grown up in a place that actually gets cold, I could withstand any weather L.A. could throw at me. Fast forward a few months and I'm shivering the instant it hits 59 degrees. No matter how hard you try, you will acclimate to the constant, sunny, 70-degree L.A. weather so that when it deviates even a little from the norm, you won't be able to handle it.

6. You don't casually run into celebrities as often as you'd like.

Los Angeles is the city of celebrities and bigwigs in the entertainment industry. However, people tend to forget that it's also home to almost 19 million other people too. Unfortunately, you won't be running into your favorite movie stars or singers as often as you might think, and you can bet that when you do bump into them, you'll be totally unprepared and blubbering like an idiot.

7. Everything is way too crowded.

I would like to restate that 19 million people live in the Greater Los Angeles Area. That's a lot of people. And unless you go far out from the city, it can feel stifling at times. Everyone seems to come to L.A. but no one seems to leave. If you have a problem with crowds, be warned that you won't be able to escape them in L.A.

8. It's not as pretty as you think.

The celebrities, the beaches, the mountains--everything is gorgeous in L.A. right? Well while the city certainly does have some beautiful spots, it's still a huge metropolitan area. That means tons of smog, trash, and bad smells. Why do you think tourists spend so much time looking up at the palm trees and not down at the city itself?

9. You don't get your own college town.

Whenever I visit other colleges, the thing that always fascinates me is the idea of a college town. While it's great to live in a big city where there's a lot to do and see, it must also be nice to have your own little self-sustained area with the university at it's heart. You can bump into someone from class while walking down the street, and the town is synced up to whatever is going at school. At the end of the day, Los Angeles is by no means a city for college students, and doesn't stop regardless of what's going on at school.