University: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA
City: Santa Barbara
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: sociology, social sciences
Study type: semester abroad
California is awesome. Lots of sun, people in a good mood… what more could you ask for? I think most testimonials sum up roughly the same thing: A once in a lifetime experience. See mcat-test-centers for Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak.
I’m Enes, I’m studying BA Social Sciences at HU Berlin and I spent my fifth semester at the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA (UCSB). I just want to touch on a few things that I personally find somewhat important.
Organizational:
I really didn’t think that studying abroad as a freemover could be so easy. In any case, MicroEdu relieves you of a lot of work and stress. If you are interested in a university, you will be sent a kind of “ instructions ” (from AZ). Just follow and you’re in. You don’t have to do more.
Accommodation:
What probably gave me the biggest headache was the accommodation. I wanted to clarify it before I arrived. There are many apartments in the Facebook groups, but as an extension student it’s a bit more difficult. If you only study a quarter at UCSB, nobody wants to lease you an apartment. You can usually only sub-lease. That fell away for me. And the big companies that provide rooms were too expensive for me. I put up an ad on Craigslist looking for a room. A family contacted me who had a room available. After my arrival I am allowed to make all the payment etc. Pleasebe careful on craigslist because some want the money before then. That’s not necessarily very serious. I advise against it. Then better organize everything on site. I was lucky with the family there.
Courses:
Basically, I recommend you not to take any extension courses. Why? Because these are mostly courses in which foreign students take part and the level is much lower. But I wanted to study at UCSB as a “normal” student and have contact with other local students. However, because of my IELTS, I had to take two English extension courses. Mostly there were younger (new) students from China, whose level was relatively lowwas. The level was definitely very low, I felt like I was in elementary school. If you can speak and write reasonably well, the courses are not for you. Therefore, you should make sure you get enough points on the English test.
In addition to the two extension courses, I also took two regular (open university) courses in sociology. You’ve probably heard that Extension students have to scramble to find free courses. At first it is relatively difficult. However, most of the professors are very nice and accommodating. I recommend that you pick out at least three or four courses and attend them. The first few days are always very busy – just like at your home university. If you ask politely after the seminar if you can take part in the course as an extension student, the professors will put you on the waiting list. orsometimes they accept you straight away (along the lines of “you didn’t have the opportunity to register online beforehand”). At least that’s how it was for me.
Otherwise: The seminars are a bit different. In most cases you have to be present at all times. The professors grade very generously, so you shouldn’t worry as much. Before that, I sent the syllabi to my university in Germany and let them know that I would like them to be credited. It also worked well. I got a total of 25 LP credited.
Leisure:
What I can definitely advise you to do is register with the Excursion Club. Best right at the beginning. I found out about it way too late, so I couldn’t take part in many of the activities. You get to know a lot of new people (locals), travel for a cheap price and have a lot of fun. Don’t miss this. Otherwise, the university has large sports facilities and fitness centers. You can do a lot of sports there, go swimming or take part in courses ( football, tennis, etc.).
Travel:
I got in touch with another one from Germany through College Contact. We got along really well and traveled together. Most of the time we rented a car (preferably with the ISIC student discount ) and drove to San Francisco, Yosemite, Los Angeles and so on. Therefore I can recommend you – especially if you are alone – to contact other people from Germany. Then you definitely don’t feel alone or similar and can travel around a bit before the university starts.
Conclusion:
I don’t want to spoil you too much. I know that at the beginning you are very excited and read through tons of testimonials. But let yourself be surprised. It is a unique experience. A lot of sun. Good mood. Nice university. Have fun!