UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA STUDENT FEEDBACK 16-17 Student Profiles

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA STUDENT FEEDBACK 16-17 Student Profiles

Ellen American Studies Georgia American Studies Charlotte Geography with International Study Samuel Psychology Connor Physics with Astrophysics Max Physics with Theoretical Physics Joshua Physics Frances Geography with International Study

DISCLAIMER: Feedback from former participants is made available by the International Programmes Office to assist students preparing for their time abroad. The comments expressed herein are those of individual students who have previously studied or worked abroad and do not represent the views of the International Programmes Office or the University of Manchester. While every effort is made to ensure the information is accurate and up-to-date it is essential that it is read in conjunction with the Study and Work Abroad Handbook and other official resources provided by the International Programmes Office.

Ellen Accommodation wise I made a fault in choosing to live in the on-campus I-House. It was a very heavy controlled area by staff and the resident advisors that made it a very restrictive place to live. Heavily enforced rules on drinking and quiet hours were often far more extreme than necessary and created a culture of resentment with many of the residents. Being on campus was handy for getting to classes but also meant I was further out of the city of often isolated on campus. Many friends of mine lived off campus and had a more enjoyable living experience so I would recommend that.

Georgia I lived in an apartment home-share (with USH) for the first semester which was great but a little expensive and in Albany which is a 15min bus ride away. You get a free bus pass but most people live right near campus so it's better to live closer. I would recommend the co-ops, they're one of the cheapest options, food is included (Bay Area food is so expensive) and it's a really fun experience.

Charlotte I lived in private dorms. International students are placed in triple rooms with two roommates. You'll have 1 or 2 RAs on your floor who organise events and programmes for floor bonding You must buy a catered meal plan but the food is exceptional! Accommodation is expensive! A triple room with a basic 14 meals a week plan was $14,000.

Samuel I was staying in university apartments on campus, specifically in the international halls. I was initially very reluctant to be bunged in with the internationals and actually appealed against it because I wanted to have an authentic American experience. I am glad they rejected my appeal for several reasons. a) I now have friends all over the world. b). international students are very keen to travel and make the most of weekends by taking trips away etc. (as I'm sure you will too) and this is a great way to meet and band together to organise these. c) the international apartments at Santa Cruz are actually about 50% American students anyway (my apartment was 4 Americans to 2 internationals - myself included). d). if you are going into the year abroad with the correct mind-set and are brave, then you will meet plenty of people outside of where you live anyway, besides - you are already a novelty if you are British and living in America - this will work to your favour when meeting people! e). The age of international students is generally higher and closer to your own, whereas other students living in halls may generally be first years, which you may find fun at first but a little tiring after a while. ------all this being said, I'm sure you could have an excellent experience doing the exact opposite of what I have described - in fact, I'm sure I would have myself, but that's the beauty of the year abroad - go with your gut and make the best of every situation you find yourself in, that way, whatever happens, you'll have a great time! It was however, insanely expensive, somewhere in the region of $10,000 for the year - but as far as I remember that included food, which is a big expense over there, and as mentioned before the convenience of the dining halls is pretty invaluable. I am sure it is possible to find quite significantly cheaper places to live off campus, but if you do this before you move over there you have no way of viewing the places yourself, you don't know the local area, and you don't know anyone who you can arrange to live with. A good solution for this, if you want to live off campus, would be to live in the international halls for the first semester and then move out for the second two.

Connor Whilst at UCLA I lived 'on the hill' in the university-controlled halls, aka dorms. I went for the cheapest possible room, which was still around $12,000 for the year. The room was a classic triple, meaning I was sharing a room with two other people, and no air conditioning. The room was well furnished and clean, and you get used to having roommates surprisingly quickly, however to counteract the LA heat we had to have 3/4 electric fans set up around the room going constantly. The bathroom I had access to was shared between all the guys on the floor (around 50), but it got cleaned twice a day and there were plenty of showers and toilets so I never had any problems there. I would however recommend bringing a pair of flip flops that you don't care much about to wear in the shower. There is no kitchen you can access, however you are allowed to have fridges and microwaves in your room if you want to keep snacks/cereal. Honestly you wont miss having a kitchen if you live on the hill because included in your rent is a meal plan for the on campus restaurants, which have been voted as the best college food in the country, and after eating there you would probably agree. If you are unable to live on the hill, then most other students live in apartments in Westwood, right next to campus. I lived there over summer and it is a nice neighbourhood nearly entirely consisting of students and not too far from campus. Prices in those apartments typically range from $500-$1000 per month, and then of course you have to buy and cook your own food on top of that.

Max I found a room in a private home after arriving without being able to find a place to live. I had a private room for $750/month, which is cheap as it was out of the way and I had to cycle 5 miles to get to campus! Isla Vista is the Fallowfield of UCSB, and most students live in doubles or triples there and pay a similar amount to me for the privilege. I wrote an email to an incoming student that Ronia put on file which is much more explicit.

Joshua I lived in university accommodation, on 'the hill'. It was easy to arrange and good fun, however a triple room means you don't get much alone time. Frances I went into private halls as the college ones were not available to me. I was unsure about finding housemates online as I would not have met them etc. However, I moved out of the halls after the second quarter and would highly recommend jumping in the deep end and picking housemates and living in houses. Don't sign any contracts until you reach America to allow flexibility and maybe even just sublease for one quarter find to find your footing. But I would 100% not recommend going into Tropicana or any other private halls in Santa Barbara. Despite being highly convenient, it is overpriced and you are with mostly freshmen, also you become much more immersed into the real UCSB "scene" through living in a house with people who are beyond freshmen. It means they know where to go and what to do.

Ellen Academically UCSD differed quite a lot from Manchester. For many of my courses the assessments were far more frequent, but worth less of your grade. I found the marking system to be surprisingly generous, which I think occurs because there is less study time, so lower expectations of what can be achieved. There are no study weeks like in Manchester for either midterms or finals which can be quite stressful. Overall I found that as long as I completed the work and attended all the classes/did readings, my grades were higher than that of Manchester.

I selected all of my modules prior to arriving however, when enrolling, many of those classes weren't running so I had to change. I would recommend taking any courses you know you really want to do in your first quarter if they are available as you can't guarantee they will be running in the second. Professors are also more than happy for you to email them prior to enrolling to a class if you have any questions.

Georgia Academically, it was a lot more intense than Manchester, people worked consistently all day (and sometimes night) throughout the entire year. The work was easier though and there was little to no research unless the class was a research class or had a specific paper. The professors were really engaged with students personally (through office hrs etc.) and the classes were more participatory (even big 150 people lectures).

Sign up for modules as soon as they come out because popular classes fill up very quickly! Charlotte There are 3 10-week terms instead of 2, and midterm exams are held in week 4/5/6. There is also generally more homework but at a lower level, making UCLA much more rushed than UoM.

Select modules straight away, you'll be given an enrolment time. Lots of classes may already be full as we don't get first choice. If you really need that class email your professor explaining you're from the UK and ask for a spot. Samuel At UCSC we had similar internet pages for organising work and classes to UoM, except some different classes used different sites instead of there being a centralised one for everything. Contact time per class was quite a lot more at UCSC than UoM - but because you are on a quarter programme (3 quarters) as opposed to semesters (2 semesters) you take less classes per quarter, but they add up because you take the first set of classes for 10 weeks and then you move onto the next set. There is also a more consistent flow of coursework required, but each piece was less demanding than the coursework back at Manchester. Otherwise, style of teaching was very similar at both institutions. Teaching facilities and resources were excellent.

I had to select some preliminary classes before arrival for the UoM end of proceedings, but chose my actual classes and enrolled after arrival in the first week before classes started. Psychology and Law (I+II) and Legitimising (In)Equality were two incredible classes I would recommend to anyone. Otherwise, I would suggest as a general rule you make the most of the opportunity to study in areas of interest to you outside your normal school limitations back in Manchester (assuming your school allows this) and even inside your subject area, take what excites you, especially if its something a little different that you haven't seen back in Manchester!

Connor The academic system at UCLA is notably different from that in Manchester. Firstly, UCLA works on a quarter system rather than a semester system, meaning there are 3 terms: Fall, Winter and Spring. In each term you need to take a minimum of 12 units, which equates to three classes. Each class I took would have 3 hours worth of lectures a week with a 1 hour discussion session. Each class would set weekly homework, which would count towards your final grade. Many classes also had 1 or 2 midterms, again which counted to your final grade, and well as a final exam. The amount of work set/difficulty of each class really depends on the professor teaching the class. Examinations are taken in lecture halls and are much more casual/less standardized than at Manchester, no two exams that I took were in the same format. I would say that overall that although the amount of work I did was greater in LA than in Manchester, the difficulty was of a similar level. The facilities on campus are great and each professor always holds office hours each week where you can go and talk to them about any problems you may be having in the class. You should try to make an appearance at least one office hour, as it is the professor who gets to decide your final grade for each course. I recommend staying organized, keeping on top of homework and getting involved in discussions at classes to do well.

Classes at UCLA can fill up extremely quickly. You should go into each enrolment session with a rough idea of the classes you want to take that quarter, but have back- up plans for if you cant enrol in your first choices. UCLA make this easy by having class planners for upcoming quarters online. Make sure you know when your online enrolment period is so that you can sign up for classes as soon as possible. If you don't make it into a class you need, don't worry too much. Chances are that you can get on a waitlist in case people drop out of the class so you can take their spot. Failing that, go and speak to the professor who is running the class in person, as long as they have room in the classroom then they are usually accommodating in helping you register for the class. I would recommend signing up for no more than 3 classes per quarter as the workload is noticeably more than in Manchester.

Joshua The main difference was the continuous assessment, with most courses having graded homework, midterms and a final exam. This continuous style is more stressful in my opinion, but does offer more of a safety net when it comes to finals. It is important to know when your enrolment slot is, and to already have planned what you want to enrol in when that slot comes around. It is hard to get onto courses here, and therefore it is crucial to be organised, otherwise your classes will simply fill up.

Frances I felt the form of assessment was generally of a slightly easier standard but on such a regular basis that I was working just as hard. There were more contact hours in a sense that instead of having 3 lectures of 2 hours, you had 6 lectures of 1 hour each. I found this much more effective because you were more inclined to pay attention for a short period of time and also were constantly refreshed on material. The teaching facilities were varied, some lecture theatres and classrooms were pretty dated whilst others were incredibly modern. I did not venture into the engineering buildings or physics though I heard that they were fantastic and as a result UCSB is incredibly popular for these majors. The BREN building of environmental studies was also incredibly impressive and I spent some time here. Something I wasn't expecting, and I'm not sure why, was the dedication students had to school work and their school. They were incredibly hard working and held a lot of school pride. I found it interesting how students treated University almost like a working week, they worked incredibly hard during the week with few social events on week nights and generally took the weekend off for social activities such as travelling, surfing and BBQs.

As international students you get access to the first pass time which is considered a serious privilege, so take advantage of it to get on to courses which are often considered competitive. If you don't get into modules that you originally wanted, go and speak to the head of the department or email them, they are normally incredibly facilitating. Also in the first week of classes you can "crash" classes so turn up 10/15 minutes early to any class that you wish to join and speak to the professor saying that you are an international student and they normally will let you join the class. Basically, person to person contact is crucial and don't take the word "full" online as the final answer! Also if you don't have the prerequisites, again go to the department and they will normally clear you. Ellen How did the cost of living compare to Manchester? More expensive I did have to provide financial evidence which ended up being useful as I did end up needing extra money so knowing you have it is good. I set up a US bank account which is good for avoiding fees (I used to transfer it over using transferwise as you get a better rate). It is definitely ideal to try and have some extra savings as I found my loan was not enough. Food is very expensive in the US so worth budgeting for that.

Georgia How did the cost of living compare to Manchester? More expensive Food is very expensive. Make use of the university services like the food pantry.

Charlotte How did the cost of living compare to Manchester? More expensive Set up a Chase college checking account when you arrive Use TransferWise to transfer money, it's the cheapest way and gives you the best exchange rate.

Samuel How did the cost of living compare to Manchester? More expensive You have to provide financial evidence that proves you or a guardian can afford the costs of living for the year to obtain your visa. I set up a Wells Fargo bank account, but didn't do much comparison between banks before deciding - it met my needs fine though.

Connor How did the cost of living compare to Manchester? More expensive Make sure you get a couple of hundred dollars in cash BEFORE you arrive in LA, so you don't have to worry about money whilst getting settled. The first thing I did when I arrived in LA was set up a bank account. I went with chase as they have ATMs all around LA, and they don't charge any maintenance fees on your account. The minimum deposit needed to open an account was $100. After that I exchanged money from my English account into my US account in as large amounts as possible to avoid transfer fees, which were normally around $15 per transaction.

Max How did the cost of living compare to Manchester? More expensive

Joshua How did the cost of living compare to Manchester? More expensive I opened an account with Chase and they were pretty good, with a decent number of ATMs. Download the app Venmo once you get to the US, it makes paying for stuff much easier. You need to provide financial info for your Visa application.

Frances How did the cost of living compare to Manchester? More expensive Food is more expensive in the US which surprised me. I set up a bank account with Wells Fargo just because there was a branch round the corner from where I lived and this was super convenient as if I had any issues I could easily sort them out. I would definitely set up a bank account if you can as it just makes things easier such as paying rent, and random little things that you wouldn't think of.

Ellen UCSD is a very well organised university. The campus is massive and located in the wealthy area of San Diego 'La Jolla'. Its specialty areas revolve mostly around computer, sciences and engineering, however I study American Studies and found plenty of courses to suit me. It is a fairly liberal university, that though doesn't have a great deal of history or communal school spirit, has very enthusiastic teachers and students. San Diego is a huge city divided in to its many different areas. It is best navigable with a car as the public transport system lacks investment (uber is also very useful out there). The different parts of SD vary from small hippy beach towns to the built up downtown cityscapes. As a city it lacks a big cultural scene unlike its other Californian counterparts, but makes up for it with its beautiful scenery and surf.

Georgia Lots going on in Berkeley and the surrounding areas like Oakland and Albany- e.g. Cinemas, book store events, local festivals, gigs, bars. There are loads of breweries and really good coffee places. The Greek theatre has good concerts and there are other venues too. San Francisco is also really close so there's so much to do there too. Charlotte UCLA is a similar size to UoM, school spirit is essential! People wear head-to-toe UCLA gear, go to all the sports games and know all the chants! Campus is like a bubble, you live, eat and go to school in the same place. The Dashew (international) Centre is exceptional - use them for trips around LA/CA, friends, events.

LA is expensive! It is also huge! Don't rely on public transport - cars are the transport of choice, most students Uber everywhere

Samuel Beautiful situated campus in the redwood forests in the hills of Santa Cruz. 20/25 minutes from the beach by bus and a short walk. Nice mix of new and old buildings and departments around the campus. Walks to class through the woods, along long wooden bridges that bridge valleys in the woods. Meal plans for all-you-can-eat across all 5 dining halls on campus, so there's normally one close enough by. Quarry central plaza with the bookstore and a cafe. Quite a large campus all in all, especially including the vast untouched forest above the university (also part of the campus) which is perfect for hikes, mountain biking, or just finding somewhere quiet to hide from everything else that's going on. That being said, the campus has a cosy, local feel - partly due to its slightly isolated position up in the hills and in the woods. Again, its only 15-20 minutes on the bus or around the same time cycling to get to the town though (although cycling is much more fun on the way down the hill than all the way back up again.) Stunning view over all of Santa Cruz and the Bay all the way to Monterey on a clear day from the hillside road that goes along the left hand-side of campus on the way down. McHenry library is huge and you can always find a space there to study. OPERS gym and sports facilities are great and next to a sports field that is open to everyone and has an equally astounding view. Santa Cruz is a smallish town, not much nightlife but several fun bars and the music venue, the Catalyst puts on lots of shows and 'nights' in the bar upstairs. Lovely high street called Pacific which caters for all your shopping/restaurant/cafe needs. Very friendly locals. Sadly a lot of homeless people in town as is generally found on the west coast and especially closer to San Fran/in the bay (one of the most expensive places to live in the country) but they are generally equally friendly. If you want to do further travel to destinations other than just immediately neighbouring towns renting a car or going with a friend who has one is definitely advised, public transport is very limited. To get to San Fran this way is possible but will take about 3 hours and to go south to Monterey (just a 45 minute drive) will take around 4 hours by transport, depending on time of day maybe slightly less but more if you're unlucky - basically don't do it. Zipcar is a great way to get around and pay reasonable car rental fees based on the amount of time you need the car and there are a bunch of cars all over the campus for you to use if you sign up to this service. Just be very careful to return it within the agreed times otherwise you will be hit with a substantial fine (this happened to me in spectacular fashion). Generally the town is a very pleasant laid back place to be and I would recommend it to anyone unless they feel the need to be in some kind of cultural epicentre, which it is fair to say Santa Cruz is not. But there's enough to do - and there's always the beach when you don't feel like doing much at all.

Connor UCLA as a school is similar in size to Manchester in terms of student population, but has a much larger campus. The campus is located in Westwood, an area of LA that lies between Santa Monica, Bel Air and Hollywood. On the west side of the campus is "the hill", which is where all the university halls are located. From there, there is a path called "bruin walk" which takes you right through the heart of campus, past all the amazing sport facilities (Drake stadium, Pauley Pavilion), and over to the East side of campus where all the lecture halls and libraries are. The east side of campus is split into two main groups, "North campus", which is where all the arts and humanities have there lectures, and then "south campus", where the sciences and engineering lie. Westwood is a great location. Most of the population are students and young professionals so you never feel out of place, plus being near Bel Air and the Beverly Hills means that it is a really safe place to live too. If you want to go to the beach, Santa Monica is only a short bus ride or uber down the road, whilst places like Hollywood, Venice Beach and Downtown LA are all easily accessible too for sightseeing. Celebrities aren't such a rare sight in Westwood either, many of them come onto campus to watch the college basketball games or attend movie premieres in Westwood village (everything from La La Land to the Emoji Movie premiered right next to campus whilst I was there), plus Kanye West can be spotted in the local Denny's getting breakfast from time to time. The weather in LA is almost always sunny and warm, so make sure to bring sunscreen and a good pair of sunglasses. Joshua UCLA is a beautiful, vibrant campus of medium size. It is located in Westwood, an upmarket area of LA, next to Bel Air and close to Santa Monica and Venice. It is about 30 minutes from downtown LA, and about 40 minutes from the iconic views of Griffith observatory and the Hollywood sign. Westwood is a very nice place to live, as it is a safe student community. It has a number of restaurants, bars and cinemas. However, due to its location, it is very expensive - even items in the local Target are marked up significantly. Frances UCSB was incredibly organised and facilitating towards all of its international students. I really enjoyed the size of UCSB as it was big enough to have a lot going on but small enough to not feel swamped and lost in the crowd. It is a very relaxed environment and a truly wonderful and beautiful place, located right on the coast. If you are interested in travelling it is perfectly situated to allow this and if you are by any means outdoorsy and sporty it is a great place to pursue new outdoors adventures and pick up new hobbies such as surfing and hiking.

Santa Barbra is incredibly relaxed and welcoming. Generally students were incredibly interested to meet you and open and inclusive which was lovely. I can't sing Santa Barbara's praises enough and am not really sure how to summarise all the things I loved about living here into this box! Isla Vista is where I lived and is the town adjacent to UCSB campus and its population is approx. 80% students. This made for a really chilled, laid back and truly So Cal. environment which was incredible. Combine this with IV being situated on the beach it truly couldn't get much better.

Georgia Get the BART from the airport and then uber/ lyft from the station.

Charlotte Take the FlyAway from LAX which drops you off in the centre of Westwood, it costs $10 and takes 40 mins. Alternatively the Super Shuttle takes you directly to your door but also drops everyone else off at their door so took us 2 hours and cost $20.

Samuel Norwegian Air seemed to be the cheapest airline by far - fly to San Francisco International and then get a greyhound or similar bus to Santa Cruz from there. That takes you to the metro bus station in Santa Cruz and it's just one short bus from there up the hill to campus.

Connor Definitely try and book return flights whenever you can as they work out a lot cheaper than one way flights. Most airlines do regular direct flights from London Heathrow to LAX, and there are even a few direct flights run from Manchester airport to LAX by Thomas Cook. Flight time is normally around 11 hours. Once you arrive at LAX it is about a 45 minute drive up to Westwood, unless you hit the infamous 405 traffic, in which case it can take well over an hour. A taxi will set you back around $50, whilst an uber is usually around $25. The cheapest option is a UCLA run shuttle bus, which I believe is only around $10 and takes you right to University dorms, although these buses only run at certain times. Max Fly to LAX, then there's a bus (expensive as hell). In hindsight, if you can join the UCSB rideshare groups, a lot of students drive up through LA so if you can catch someone doing this, that will be much faster and much cheaper.

Frances Norwegian air is good for cheap flights though often with all the extras of baggage it can come out a similar price. The Santa Barbara Airbus is pretty much the only way to get from LAX to Santa Barbara and is $50 which may seem steep but welcome to public transport in America! Its very efficient and runs pretty regularly. Get off at the Goleta stop as this is closest to UCSB. Don't fly into Santa Barbara Airport, flights are so much more expensive if you fly here, just fly to LAX then bus to SB.

Ellen Not a lot of public transport, if you can drive renting or even buying a car is a good idea (though expensive). Uber is also used a lot.

Georgia Free bus pass for East Bay area, bart trains- not that effective around San Francisco as you often have to get a bus afterwards ($2.50) but good to get there ($8 return).

Charlotte Students Uber everywhere! The Big Blue Bus is useful for going to the coast LA traffic is terrible. Samuel Local buses are free with your UCSC "Slugcard" (student ID) and that if you want to travel beyond quite locally a driving licence would be very useful. Connor One of the most surprising things about LA is just how big it is. To get just about anywhere you need to travel by car, and public transport is almost non-existent. There are a couple of bus lines that run to downtown/ Santa Monica, but that's about it. It is also probably not worth getting a car whilst in LA as parking spots in Westwood are in high demand making owning a car extremely expensive. The best way to get around is definitely using uber or lyft, especially if you are traveling in a group so you can split the cost. Joshua LA has poor public transport, but Ubers are everywhere and very cheap as a result of this. Also, many US students have cars, so you may end up being driven around for the most part. Frances There is a bus which takes you downtown which is pretty good and is useful when you want to venture out of the UCSB bubble and you get a free bus sticker every quarter so never have to pay which is good. Trains are ok but otherwise California is pretty car centric.

Ellen The healthcare at UCSD is good but expensive. Some people I know saved money by completing a waiver which meant they paid less. I didn't get round to doing it but wish I had. Georgia Vaccinations and proof of chicken pox blood test are required. The university health insurance is around $1400/semester and ISO insurance is $650. Charlotte You'll have to pay $700 a quarter for health insurance, hospital appointments are an additional $15 and ER visits are $125 UCLA has a doctors on campus you are automatically registered with You need to provide evidence of vaccinations before you leave. Samuel I needed a couple of vaccinations but I can't remember exactly what they were, and what you're required to get depends on your travel history etc. I was on the UCSC medical insurance plan, which may have been slightly more expensive than other policies but it meant you could get instant access to treatment and medication on campus without having to pay up front (apart from a small amount for prescriptions). You are automatically enrolled in the UCSC health insurance and have to prove you have an alternate that covers the requirements in order to waive it if you want to change. Connor UCLA make you sign up for there $700 per quarter on campus health care. It is expensive, but you should be able to claim the cost back from student finance. The facilities are great however. If you ever need to see a doctor you will get an appointment on campus the same day. Max Get the vaccines on the list. Get the Gaucho Health Insurance, but be aware that you'll still have co-payments for some services. If you have insurance, US healthcare is better than the NHS. I needed to have surgery over here, and this will leave me with an out-of-pocket cost of around $1500. There is a medical emergency fund you can apply to - they were great and said they will pay most of that for me. Joshua The on campus health plan is mandatory for foreign students, and includes access to the on-campus Ashe centre. Here you can get treatment, however beware of co- pay fees for prescriptions (usually $5).

Georgia Generic medicines (ibuprofen, paracetamol) and toiletries are really expensive. Samuel Depending on where you are going I am sure this will vary, but for those of you going to a place with a large department store that you can get to at the start of your year - don't take anything that you would be able to get there (bedding, most toiletries {I know this is different for girls and things like make up, but things like shampoo, conditioner, and others are all heavy and you can get them anywhere}) this leaves room to pack the things that really matter to you and that you won't be able to find there without at least excessive cost - and hopefully still pack light, which I would advise because you will definitely want to bring back lots of stuff that you accrue while you're out there! Connor The good thing about America is they have stores for everything, so if you forget to bring anything with you, then you can always buy it over here. Try bringing a few home comforts that you know you can't but whilst abroad, like pictures of your friends/family, maybe a teddy or some of your favourite British snacks (think Jaffa Cakes, Cadburys).

Ellen 1. Think carefully about the accommodation you want (the lifestyle that would follow). 2. Join clubs/societies with interests similar to yours. 3. Spend time at the beginning of each quarter making sure you courses are right for you, there is a lot of flexibility early on to switch. 4. Go on as many trips as you can. 5. Try and meet up with other exchangers! Charlotte Prepare! Look at classes and enrol, get all the compulsory orientation courses done. You are given the email address of your roommates, so chat to them before you get there! Connor 1. Plan ahead. Make sure you have some idea what the first week in your new country will entail before you arrive so you can make the most of it. 2. Try new things. Your time abroad will fly by incredibly fast, so try to say yes to new opportunities that present themselves. 3. Call Home. Living abroad is not always going to be easy, and it's ok to miss your friends and family, they're probably missing you too. Try to keep in touch regularly. 4. Take lots of pictures. A lot will happen, so make sure you document it. Not only will the pictures serve as a nice reminders of your time abroad for yourself. Those tourism pics will also do wonders for your Instagram. 5. Enjoy it. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA STUDENT FEEDBACK 17-18 Student Profiles

Natalie BSc (Hons) Geog w Int Study Amanda BSc (Hons) Psychology w Int Study Thomas MPhys(Hons) Physics Rachel BSc (Hons) Geog w Int Study

Natalie Join the Facebook groups; UCSB Housing, EAP Housing etc. also craigslist can be useful for furniture too. Would recommend living in Isla Vista, and not on-campus housing in dorms. Amanda Applied through the university for on campus housing. However, it isn't first come first serve, you just get what you are given so I ended up with really expensive housing that I was worried about affording. It was about $14,000 for the whole year. Despite this I still think this was the best choice for me as it allowed you to meet people also food! Thomas I lived in private housing next to a fraternity so it was extremely social.

Rachel Dorm room - shared with two other girls. This was the cheapest on campus accom at around £8,500 for the year- off camus was slightly cheaper although you didn't get the amazing food. The price of your room here would vary depending on what meal plan you got - I got 14 which was 2 a day.

Natalie The workload was much higher than at Manchester, but the standard of work was much easier. The marking system was very generous, so gaining a pass mark required more consistent, regular work than actual hard work. I found it very easy to enroll onto modules, my recommendations would be to research the courses well in advance and attend all classes in the first few weeks of each quarter.

Amanda The workload was much heavier however for my subject the work was so much easier. As long as you did the work and revised the content you'll be fine. The teaching support was very good although I didn't use it much. The only adjustment I had was the workload and the fact that sometimes attendance counted. Students were also a lot more eager there. I had to select my modules after arrival but as long as you did it on time there usually weren't many problems with doing the modules you wanted. Most psychology modules were straightforward as they were almost all multiple choice. Some of them required a lot more reading than others though. With enrollment you usually got an appointment a few weeks before the next quarter that lasted about a week. If you enrolled right at the beginning of your appointment then you will be fine.

Thomas Physics courses were very similar but you have to be much more organised about enrolment and you have more flexible option modules. It's good to know in advance which quarters you need to take which modules and apply to enrol on the day they open enrolment. Rachel Style of teaching - very interactive, constant discussions, large class sizes Workload - less difficult content but high quantity of work - I wrote 15,000 words in my last three weeks for that semesters final projects, midterms were week 6 of courses and finals were week 11 so regular exams - many multiple choice! Some science or maths subjects had 2 rounds of exams even before the finals. Very straightforward and if you dont meet the entry requirements then email them, tell them youre a study abroad student and try and get the sympathy vote and you should be able to get yourself on the course!

Amanda I needed to provide financial evidence to get a visa, would also recommend setting up a bank account asap after arriving, since withdrawing money costs $3 each time unless at your bank's machine. It was more expensive than the UK.

Thomas The app Venmo is great for transferring money to and from friends; makes buying utilities and generic supplies much easier.

Rachel UC SHIP was a huge cost I didn't expect - make sure you look into this and make sure you can afford it. UCLA was a very pricey year - more than I thought and especially when travelling round the US - so getting a job can be helpful and is easy to do. Natalie UCSB is a really beautiful campus, located right on the coast and with a lagoon next to the main student building and plaza. Isla Vista is a great place to live, next to the beach and close to campus. I would recommend joining the Excursion Club, which supplies surfboards and outdoor gear for only $60 a year. Amanda It was a campus uni, so you just had to walk from your accommodation to classes (about 15-20 minutes). Pretty big university and obviously right in the middle of los angeles so loads of things to see (e.g. walk of fame, santa monica, venice beach). Beautiful city to live in, really nice people, always sunny and very diverse in all senses. Couple of negatives: SO expensive! Really have to be able to afford it nothing is cheap there. Also there is barely any public transport so spent most of my money on ubers. Thomas Beautiful Campus, Outstanding Facilities, Very student inclusive, Fantastic atmosphere at sports events, Family feel.

Westwood is an expensive part of LA being close to Beverly Hills. The town centre is pretty and has lots of food options. Rachel UCLA is a campus based uni in westwood,LA. Everything is walkable, campus life is lively and the campus itself is beautiful. Sports are huge and there is always something going on around campus. Santa Monica was 15/20 mins drive away, hollywood around 25 and downtown LA was around 40 but these times vary hugely depending on traffic. Good things: Lots to see, great nightlife, always something going on in the city. celebrity spotting! Bad things: Very expensive, everything spread out, no public transport.

Natalie From LAX to Santa Barbara, get either the Santa Barbara Airbus for 3-4 hours ($55) or catch a 45 ish minute flight, for about $80 but much easier with luggage, and the airport is right next to the UCSB campus and Isla Vista. Amanda There is a bus called the 'flyaway' that goes from LAX to near the college. However I never took it. I heard good and bad things about it, but I did attempt to take it once and it never came. My recommendation is to just take an uber. Thomas There is a bus from the airport but if you can take the hit an uber is probably the best option as you won't go back there ever so much easier.

Rachel Be prepared for the cost of visa application and the implications it might have on your summer travel plans when they keep your passport for a few weeks. Also try to not lose your passport as its a nightmare to sort out - I know this as three of my friends managed to lose theirs.

Natalie Everyone cycles, so transport costs were not a huge issue. Each student gets a bus sticker each quarter too, which means free buses around Santa Barbara.

Amanda There are only really buses around the university and everything is so spread out that it takes ages to get somewhere so its not worth it. Having a driving license is not necessarily useful as it is hard to have a car on campus as there are limited spaces. Thomas Terrible. LA traffic is terrible. After 2 PM every day you can pretty much give up. If your planning on leaving LA on a road trip. Then go very early or very late. It once took me 5 hours to drive across LA due to traffic when leaving for Arizona at 3PM. Rachel The public transport was horrific in LA - be prepared for heavy traffic and for uber to become your best friend.

Natalie Buy the mandatory Gaucho Health Insurance, though it is expensive but will reduce costs of any prescriptions etc. Some costs are still present when getting medications though, the health insurance is only a co-pay scheme. Amanda You need to have a varicella titer which is basically a test to say you had chickenpox. It cost me £50. You also have to purchase medical insurance from the university unless you find a way to waiver this. Quite expensive but is worth it. Also don't take an ambulance as insurance does not cover this and it costs $450. Thomas Health Insurance is compulsary.

Amanda Don't take any jackets if you're going to LA you wont need them. Natalie Organise all paperwork before arriving, and figure out a budget, although it may be less realistic after arriving. Thomas 1. Use any contacts you have in that city. 2. Don't try to all the touristy stuff at the start. Instead focus on (and save money for) joining clubs, societies and going out for drinks. Making friends makes the year. 3. Always keep your academic performance up, but don't waste your whole year in the library not embracing the fact you're abroad. 4. Explore research opportunities. At UCLA professors are much easier to approach for research experience and it looks great on the CV. 5. HAVE FUN!

Rachel 1. Be confident and in the first few weeks go out of your way to make friends. 2. Dont panic if you feel overwhelmed at first. 3. Explore as much as the city as you can. 4. Travel round the US and go on spring break - its amazing. 5. Throw yourself into campus life.