You could go lots of places in the east bay it is not bad, but east San Jose is really bad. Maybe you had those mixed up. Honestly, you can live basically anywhere in the bay area, because Cal Train will connect you to San Jose from as far as San Francisco. I am very familiar with the bay area since I live here now and my fiance was born and raised in San Jose. If you want specific information about neighborhoods etc I would be happy to tell you more if you want to pm me. Santa Clara is in a nice area and Los Gatos would probably be the best location for purposes of getting to school although it is a bit pricy there. Well good luck to you.