SPI ON XCOUNTRY SOLO FLIES INTO LOWERING WX SIT. HE REQUESTS A DSCNT THROUGH CLOUD LAYER BUT DOES NOT FIND VMC. ASSIGNED AN INST APCH; HE MUST CONFESS THAT HE HAS NO CHARTS AND IS NOT RATED. CTLR VECTORS HIM TO A VFR ARPT FOR LNDG.

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I MADE SOME VERY POOR DECISIONS DURING MY LONG XCOUNTRY SOLO. I HAD PREPLANNED A SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT FROM MCCLELLAN TO FRESNO AND THEN ON TO WATSONVILLE THE NIGHT BEFORE. THE ONLY INFO I NEEDED WAS THE CURRENT WX CONDITIONS. PRIOR TO DEPARTING; I CALLED THE RANCHO MURIETA FSS AND OBTAINED A STANDARD WX BRIEFING. THE WX LOOKED GREAT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE SACRAMENTO VALLEY AND THE MONTEREY TAF FORECASTED CLR SKIES AND 25 MI VISIBILITIES (WHEN I WOULD BE ARRIVING). AFTER THE WX BRIEFING; I MET WITH MY INSTRUCTOR AND WE DISCUSSED THE FLT. HE VERIFIED THE WX VIA THE DUATS; AND WARNED ME OF THE USUAL STUFF -- CLOSE OUT YOUR FLT PLAN; GET A NEW WX BRIEFING IN FRESNO; AND MAKE SURE I REFUEL ON BOTH STOPS. NEITHER ONE OF US THOUGHT TO DISCUSS DIVERTING FOR WX BECAUSE WE DIDN'T SEE ANY NEED -- THE DAY WAS GORGEOUS; AND THE FORECAST CALLED FOR NOTHING BUT GREAT FLYING WX. I COMPLETED MY FLT PLAN; PREFLTED ACFT AND FLEW TO FRESNO UNEVENTFULLY. UPON LNDG IN FRESNO; I AGAIN CALLED FSS TO CLOSE OUT MY FLT PLAN; OBTAIN THE MOST RECENT WX; AND OPEN A NEW FLT PLAN FOR THE WATSONVILLE LEG. THIS TIME I ASKED FOR AN ABBREVIATED WX BRIEF. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE; I RECALL THE BRIEFER STATING THAT MONTEREY WAS SHOWING A 5500 FT OVCST; 4500 FT BROKEN. VISIBILITY WAS 7 MI. THE ONLY WARNING I RECEIVED WAS FOR MOUNTAIN OBSCURITIES. AT THIS POINT; I WAS A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT THE WX BECAUSE I KNEW I HAD TO FLY OVER MOUNTAINS TO GET TO WATSONVILLE. HOWEVER; THE CONDITIONS WERE WITHIN THE VFR MINIMUMS SO I DIDN'T FEEL THE NEED TO CALL MY INSTRUCTOR FOR ADVICE. I DECIDED TO PRESS ON THINKING THAT I COULD CHK THINGS OUT WHEN I GOT THERE. I LEFT FRESNO; CLBED TO 6500 FT; AND HEADED TOWARDS WATSONVILLE. ABOUT 30 MINS INTO MY FLT; THINGS STARTED TO GO DOWNHILL. I NOTICED I WAS HDG STRAIGHT FOR A CLOUD LAYER THAT SEEMED TO BE RIGHT ABOVE THE MOUNTAINS BEFORE WATSONVILLE. I CONTINUED MY FLT AND INSTITUTED A CLB TO 9500 FT RIGHT AFTER I CROSSED I-5. I WAS NAVING VIA GND REF AND XCHKING USING VORS. AT THIS POINT; THE GND WAS BECOMING VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE. THE LAST GND REF POINT I SAW WAS SAN LUIS RESERVOIR NEAR LA VEAGA AND CATHEDRAL PEAKS. I MADE THE DECISION TO CONTINUE ON RATHER THAN TO TURN BACK BECAUSE I THOUGHT THE CLOUD LAYER WOULD BREAK UP AFTER I CROSSED THE MOUNTAINS. THEN I COULD LAND UNEVENTFULLY IN WATSONVILLE. I COULDN'T HAVE BEEN MORE WRONG. I CONTINUED TOWARDS WATSONVILLE NAVING USING VORS (PRIMARILY THE SALINAS AND MERCY HOT SPRINGS VOR). BASED ON THE VORS; I KNEW I WAS GETTING CLOSE TO WATSONVILLE. I CALLED MONTEREY APCH (ATC) AND ASKED FOR MY LOCATION. I BELIEVE THEY TOLD ME I WAS 3 MI NE OF THE ARPT. ATC RPTED WATSONVILLE WX FROM A PLT WHO HAD JUST LANDED. THEY RPTED 3 MI VISIBILITY AND A 1200 FT CEILING. I WAS STARTING TO GET ANXIOUS. I CALLED ATC; TOLD THEM MY ALT; DEST; AND THAT I DIDN'T SEE A BREAK IN THE CLOUDS. I THEN ASKED FOR SUGGESTIONS. I NEVER MENTIONED ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT TYPE OF PLT OR RATINGS I HELD. ATC RESPONDED BY OFFERING ME AN IFR CLRNC. I WAS HESITANT TO TAKE THIS AT FIRST; AND TOLD THEM I'D GET BACK TO THEM. SEVERAL THINGS BEGAN RACING THROUGH MY MIND. I REALLY WANTED TO COMPLETE THIS MISSION TO WATSONVILLE. I WAS DESPERATELY TRYING TO OBTAIN MY PPL SINCE THE LAST DAY TO UPDATE MY APPLICATION WAS 3 DAYS AWAY. I FELT TRAPPED. IF I TURNED BACK AT THIS POINT; I THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE TO REDO THE MISSION. I DIDN'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT. THE WX HAD BEEN AGAINST ME FOR THE PAST MONTH. I KNEW THAT THE IFR CLRNC COULD GET ME THROUGH THE CLOUDS AND INTO WATSONVILLE. I RATIONALIZED TAKING THE CLRNC JUST TO GET THROUGH THE CLOUDS. AFTER EXITING THE CLOUDS; I COULD JUST LAND VFR IN WATSONVILLE. I WAS CONFIDENT THAT I COULD FLY ON INSTS JUST TO GET DOWN FROM THE CLOUDS. I WASN'T THINKING ABOUT THE RISKS AT THIS POINT. I RADIOED BACK TO ATC AND ASKED IF I COULD TAKE THE IFR CLRNC TO GET DOWN THROUGH THE CLOUDS AND THEN SHOOT A VISUAL APCH. THEY ASKED IF I WANTED THE CLRNC OR NOT. I ACCEPTED. ENORMOUS MISTAKE. I BEGAN A DSCNT AS INSTRUCTEDBY ATC. I FLEW TO THE HDGS AND ALTS AS INSTRUCTED BY ATC. I WAS ON THOSE INSTS USING THE HUB AND SPOKE TECHNIQUE I KEPT THE PLANE AS LEVEL AS I COULD. AND BESIDES GETTING KICKED AROUND A BIT; EVERYTHING SEEMED OK. I WAS IN CTL. THE ONLY PROB WAS THAT AS I DSNDED I DIDN'T SEE ANY BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS. I CONTINUED ON AS INSTRUCTED BY ATC UNTIL I WAS AT ABOUT 2000 FT. ATC CLRED ME FOR THE ILS LOC APCH INTO WATSONVILLE. I REALIZED I NEEDED THE ILS APCH PLATES AND LOC FREQ -- NEITHER OF WHICH I HAD. ATC RADIOED BACK SAYING THAT I WAS OFF COURSE. I ASKED FOR A VECTOR BACK TO COURSE. I THINK THIS IS WHEN ATC BEGAN TO GET SUSPICIOUS OF MY CAPABILITIES. THE CTLR RADIOED BACK CONFUSED SAYING THAT SHE WASN'T SURE WHAT I MEANT. I ASKED FOR A VECTOR AND SHE AGAIN ASKED WHAT I MEANT. NOW CONFUSED; OFF COURSE; AND AROUND 2000 FT; I REALIZED THE SIT WAS GETTING OUT OF MY CTL. I MADE THE DECISION TO SEEK HELP AND ADMITTED THAT I WAS ONLY A STUDENT PLT WHO SHOULDN'T BE ON THIS TYPE OF APCH. I COULD TELL THE CTLR WAS UPSET; BUT SHE DIDN'T PANIC. SHE INSTRUCTED ME TO CLB. I CLBED TO ABOUT 2500 FT. SHE THEN INSTRUCTED ME TO AVOID ALL CLOUDS AND LEVEL OFF. I COULDN'T AVOID THE CLOUDS. SHE CALLED BACK WITH A HDG THAT WOULD GIVE ME VFR CONDITIONS. I FLEW TO THE HDG AND SAW THE GND. I FOLLOWED HER INSTRUCTIONS TO AVOID THE CLOUDS. BASICALLY; I CIRCLED FOR ABOUT 10-15 MINS. SHE CALLED BACK WITH THE LOCATIONS OF SEVERAL ARPTS -- SALINAS; MONTEREY; AND MARINA. I STILL COULDN'T LOCATE ANY OF THEM. I CONTINUED TO CIRCLE WHEN I FINALLY SAW MARINA ARPT AFTER THE CTLR RELAYED IT WAS AT MY 4 O'CLOCK. SHE INSTRUCTED ME TO LAND VFR AT MARINA; AND THEN TO CALL BACK ON THE SAME FREQ (133.0) FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS. I LANDED AT MARINA ARPT. I CALLED BACK TO MONTEREY APCH; AND THEY GAVE ME A PHONE NUMBER TO CALL. I CALLED THE NUMBER AND RPTED THE INCIDENT. I WISH I COULD GO BACK AND CHANGE WHAT I DID. I MADE SOME REALLY; REALLY POOR DECISIONS THAT COULD HAVE COST ME MY LIFE. I LEARNED A VALUABLE LESSONTHE HARD WAY. THIS EVENT WILL REMAIN WITH ME FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. I CAN ONLY HOPE IT DOESN'T RUIN MY CHANCE AT A FUTURE FLYING CAREER.