Semester abroad at University of California Santa Barbara

Studying under the Californian sun

The preparation started with a very good contact with the organization "World of Students". We discussed the requirements and application steps of the host university together. Thus, I got a good overview before I was contacted by the host university itself. The application was quickly and easily uploaded to the portal, and a few weeks later came the acceptance of the host university. Since flights to the U.S. are notoriously expensive, I booked them quickly - definitely recommended! The financing of the semester abroad should be in place before the application begins.

The journey follows via the airport in Los Angeles (LAX). After that you have to take care about the onward journey to Santa Barbara. I recommend the train for this route. There is also a bus. The support on site is sensationally well organized and transparent. The International Program Office, explicitly Alex Clarke, did a very good job explaining everything to you. There was a welcome event before the start of lectures, where all international students came together. There questions are answered, the campus is shown and time is given to connect with other students. During the semester abroad, there were numerous events organized by the International Office. The IO is usually always available and responds within a few hours.

I found my accommodation via the host universities page. A room was posted there with a private family and I made contact. The prices of the accommodations are high. You should expect rents from 1000€ up to 2000€. My room cost 1350€. You should definitely take care of it early. If you want to party every night and live the student life to the fullest, look for an accommodation in Isla Vista. For a bit more peace and quiet, look around Isla Vista e.g. Goleta or directly on campus. Since everything there is done by bike anyway, a top location is not everything.

The courses were interesting, organized and as described. The lecturers very friendly and understanding, for our special time. The lecture times students friendly and I had plenty of time for leisure. My daily routine was as follows, I had lecture in the morning and then had lunch with fellow students. After that I made the three minute walk to the beach and went swimming. In the evening I went to the gym or tennis on campus. Afterwards, I rode my bike home again or met up with friends.

The daily routine varies a lot, but it is clearly student friendly and just right for the semester abroad. We also went on excursions in a group of fellow students, e.g. Los Angeles (1.5 hours), San Francisco (5 hours). Among other things, we had nice evenings in Santa Barbara downtown. There are also student events, many restaurants, nice beach, activities, etc.! To Santa Barbara Downtown it takes 20 minutes by bus. The rides are free for students.

The return and credit from the courses went flawlessly. I was able to request and submit the Transcript of Records online in the follow-up.

I had a very interesting, beautiful and fun time at the University of California Santa Barbara. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to live on the beach, do a lot of sports, feel the special atmosphere and landscape in California, experience college life like in the movies and study under palm trees.