University: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA
City: Santa Barbara
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Study type: semester abroad
1. Study at UCSB
1.1 Conditions of study for foreign students
The UIP (University Immersion Program) semester program at UCSB enables foreign students to study for one to three trimesters at UCSB. It is managed very professionally by the UCSB Extension. The people responsible for this program were very friendly and always willing to respond to all requests, answer questions and look for solutions to problems. There is also a detailed, well-organized introductory event in which the university is presented and a wide variety of questions are answered. See mcat-test-centers for University of Essex.
International students are very welcome at UCSB. Both the lecturers and those responsible in the secretariats and those employed in other areas of the university always made an effort to answer questions. They were also interested in international students, asked questions about their country of origin and why they went to university. Some lecturers were also interested in which lectures I had attended in Germany and how the courses were structured there. I felt welcome. The professors were pleased that international students also took part in their courses.
1.2 “Statistics and Applied Probability”
department – study conditions and research
opportunities The “Statistics and Applied Probability” department offers a wide range of courses, particularly in the areas of statistics and financial mathematics. The courses are usually small, eg it is common for fewer than 15 students to attend a lecture. In addition to the lectures, there are also “Discussion Sections” which are led by other students and in which the course content is discussed. Both the student assistants and the professors have various office hours and are ready to discuss a wide variety of problems with their students.
Certain prerequisites are necessary for the individual courses in order to be able to participate in them. If these are met, the choice of course is not a problem. In principle, there is sufficient capacity in the “Statistics and Applied Probability” department and every student gets a place in every course that he or she wants to attend. It is also possible to attend certain courses even if not all the requirements are met, if the professor approves. There is an offer to attend different courses in the first three weeks in order to get a good insight into the course content and the course level. You only have to commit to certain courses after this period has expired.
2.1 Living conditions at the study location
Santa Barbara is a very beautiful city on the west coast of the USA, about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Almost 100,000 people live there. Santa Barbara is considered the capital of the “American Riviera” and is now a magnet for tourists and many celebrities.
Santa Barbara enjoys a temperate climate year-round as the Santa Ynez Mountains and Channel Islands protect the region from harsh weather. This autumn (September – December) the daytime temperatures were rarely below 20 degrees Celsius and even in December there were still days when it was 26 degrees and you could still enjoy the sun on the beach.
The University of California, Santa Barbara is located about 20 minutes outside of downtown Santa Barbara on the Pacific Ocean. The university has two large stretches of beach and its own lagoon on campus. The campus itself is very green – just beautiful! Many students live on campus or in the adjacent community of Isla Vista. As a result, there is an active campus life at UCSB.
Santa Barbara is one of the most expensive cities in the USA. The median home price is $1.13 million, more than double the average price in California. This is also reflected in the rents. Many students (especially undergraduate students) therefore share a room. Based on interviews with American and international students and my own experience, I find that renting even half a room is very rare for less than $500 a month. Single rooms are correspondingly more expensive.
2.2 Tips and recommendations
• Santa Barbara Tourist Hostel
The Santa Barbara International Hostel is located right in downtown Santa Barbara. I lived there for the first week after my arrival in Santa Barbara to look for a room in a shared flat from there. The hostel is very simply furnished and therefore cheap. You also have the opportunity to make initial contacts with international students at UCSB, as many students first live there before finding a longer-term place to stay.
- Living in Isla Vista
Many students live on campus or in Isla Vista. I would recommend all students to look for accommodation there, especially those who do not intend to buy a car during their stay abroad. From Isla Vista you can walk or cycle to the campus in less than five minutes and supermarkets, cinemas etc. can also be reached quickly by bike. Regular buses also run from Isla Vista and the campus to downtown Santa Barbara.
Almost exclusively students live in Isla Vista. If you prefer to live with a family, you may have to live further away from the university. Accommodation in families can also be arranged directly by the “Extension” of the university for an additional fee.
Personally, I shared a room and lived with five American women in a small house in Isla Vista. I really enjoyed this time. The flat share resulted in many contacts to local students, so that I was able to actively participate in Californian student life. I would choose this solution again and again!
Both shared rooms and rooms in families can be found quickly at: http: //santabarbara.craigslist.org/ - UCSB Recreation Center
The offers of the UCSB Recreation Center are recommended for all sports enthusiasts. There is a wide range of sports on offer: from the gym to various ball sports, swimming, surfing, sailing, dancing or golfing – simply everything you could wish for in terms of sports.
The Recreation Center also offers many adventure programs. For example, you can take part in many hiking, climbing, camping or backpacker trips to different national parks. You can get to know Yosemite National Park, Sequoia National Park or Big Sur National Park in this way, for example. Day trips for kayaking are also offered and you can explore the caves around Santa Cruz Island by kayak and, with a bit of luck, see whales and hundreds of dolphins on the boat trip there.
Conclusion
Studying at UCSB and staying in Santa Barbara as a whole has far exceeded my expectations. I met a lot of nice people from different countries and made friends with Americans and other international students.
Overall, I was also very enthusiastic about the courses on offer and the courses that I finally decided to take.
The time at UCSB was great!