MY SEMESTER ABROAD AT UCSB, CALIFORNIA 2014
BY SAMANTHA TOLLMAN
Academics
I spent a considerable amount of time before departing for the US, dedicated to organizing which courses I was going to take in order to receive the credits from UCT upon arrival. This was not an easy process since California has a 10 hour time difference, however, the staff at UCSB were very helpful in assisting me with the process. I had to email a number of lecturers from UCSB to request course outlines/descriptions (as these were not publicly available on the UCSB website) before I could receive the signature of credit from the corresponding UCT course head. Kate Kerish, the head of the UCSB exchange office, was incredibly efficient in answering my emails and assisting me with various other academic queries. She notified me when the online registration would occur so I could login to “GOLD” and register for the courses I had previously found to match my UCT courses. I managed to get into 2 courses (Macroeconomics and Environmental Economics) and was placed on the waiting list for Business Writing and Econometrics.
Settling in
The first week at UCSB was quite daunting for me as I had a lot of administration to organize. I struggled immensely to get into Business Writing and Econometrics but refused to take no as an answer. I went to see the lecturers, wrote emails and even went to the intro lectures. In the end I managed to get into Business Writing, which I needed to receive a Professional Communication credit from UCT. I decided to take Marketing through the UCSB extension course program instead of Econometrics as I was advised that a Business Science Finance student from UCT had done the same course the previous year. I then emailed UCT to get the credit acceptance in writing so that there would be no credit problems when I got home. Once my courses were sorted and I had managed to waive my health insurance by purchasing an online package that costed 1/3 of the price, I managed to start settling into university life and enjoying my time abroad.
Finances
UCT gave me $6000, which I used towards my living expenses. In addition to this, my parents gave me some extra money for my month’s travels before the semester at UCSB began. Although I did receive additional money, I do believe that provided one is cautious and clever with money, the $6000 would be basically enough for the time away. I found food to be very expensive and roughly spent $500 per month (including meals out on my weekend trips away).
Accommodation
A friend of mine did the same exchange to UCSB in 2013 so he kindly posted on one of the Greek sorority’s Facebook pages that I was looking to sub-lease from someone who lived in Isla Vista (the student town right next to the university). This ended up working brilliantly as one of the girls in the senior house was going to Washington for the semester so she was interested in me subleasing from her. We then arranged the sublease details on Facebook and agreed to $700 dollars rent per month. I was so lucky to end up living on the beach in a sorority house on the most sought after street in Isla Vista, Del Playa Drive.
Culture Shock
I found it difficult to adjust to the American student lifestyle in the beginning. It took me roughly 4 weeks to start making friends and settling into the university life, which is a pity as I was only there for about 8 weeks. Looking back, I would tell students going on exchange to just take chances and immerse themselves in the student life as quickly as possible as it all goes so fast like a roller-coaster ride!
Travelling around the US
Before I did my semester abroad at UCSB I used the in-between time to travel around the US and decided to take advantage of the sunny American weather. I flew from Cape Town to New York and met up with my good family friend who is studying at Boston University. He showed me around New York and we took the train to Boston for a few nights. I enjoyed seeing the bustling academic and college life Boston had to offer but was happy to be studying in a warmer climate in California. I then did a 2-week Contiki trip alone that started in New York and went to San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It was an incredible experience and I believe the best possible way to see the highlights in these exciting cities.
When I finally began my time at UCSB I used my weekends to travel with like-minded international students from the UK and Australia. We spent Halloween in San Francisco, many weekends in Los Angeles, a weekend in San Diego and did an awesome camping trip to Big Sur. The Armtrak train and ride sharing with other students is the best way to travel locally around California. My mom came down for Thanksgiving, which was awesome as we hired a car and discovered our way around Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Laguna Beach (Orange County).
Tips
Join as many clubs and committees as you possibly can in order to immerse yourself in the university life as quickly as possible. I highly recommend joining the Excursion club for anyone going to UCSB. This was my favorite club I was part of and it was great to meet so many wonderful people through the club. Try and use the orientation process to talk to as many other exchange students as this is how I met many of my friends. I suggest making the most of every weekend spent abroad as they go so quickly. Travel around as much as you can to get familiar with the region. I loved my trips to Los Angeles, San Diego and San Franciso and my camping trip in Big Sur with the excursion club! I also suggest bringing basic bedding and 1 towel with you in your suitcase so you don’t need to rush to the store as soon as you arrive (you can leave the bedding there before coming home). Also I suggest putting your money on a Bidvest US dollar Travel card as this really worked well for me and allowed me to manage my finances, keeping track of my balance with emails constantly. For grocery shopping I highly suggest Trader Joes as it was good quality and well priced for the US. Last but not least, enjoy yourself and live the American experience!