Semester Abroad in UCSB

My name is Philip and I studied for a semester at the University of California at Santa Barbara. If you ask me today whether I would choose to spend a semester abroad at UCSB again, the answer is definitely “yes”. But read for yourself.

After a long flight from Germany, I arrived in Santa Barbara at 10 p.m. local time. So my trip lasted exactly 27 hours. Entry into LA took a while, but went smoothly. It is very advisable to inform yourself shortly beforehand (information desk, information staff) which documents are required from you. You want to avoid having to queue again because you forgot some white customs form XY, for example. There are two ways to get to Santa Barbara from LAX. First, you can take a bus to Union Station and take the train to Santa Barbara (times at www.amtrak.com, cost about 30 USD). There are also buses from the airport to Santa Barbara called “Santa Barbara Airbus”, which cost around 50 USD (information at www.santabarbaraairbus.com). In any case, you should first familiarize yourself with the local conditions in Santa Barbara via Google Maps, because the university, which is located in Isla Vista, and downtown Santa Barbara are 16 km away. So if you already have a room near the university, you have to see how you get from downtown to Isla Vista. For those of you who are looking for an apartment on site, as I did, the hostel, which is right by the train station, is probably the first point of contact. I had a good night’s sleep in my 12 bed room. so must see how he gets from downtown to Isla Vista. For those of you who are looking for an apartment on site, as I did, the hostel, which is right by the train station, is probably the first point of contact. I had a good night’s sleep in my 12 bed room. so must see how he gets from downtown to Isla Vista. For those of you who are looking for an apartment on site, as I did, the hostel, which is right by the train station, is probably the first point of contact. I had a good night’s sleep in my 12 bed room.

Finding an apartment is definitely the most difficult undertaking when it comes to staying abroad. Friends of mine were very lucky and have already been able to organize a very nice room from Germany. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. In the best case scenario, in my opinion, you live in Isla Vista, a small community that borders directly on the campus. Most of the students live there. All other university facilities are also located there (sports center, university cinema, etc.). In addition, you are very independent there (except for larger purchases) and you can reach everything by bike. Furthermore, all parties take place there, which unfortunately always end at 12 o’clock at night. The other areas such as Santa Barbara Downtown and Goleta are very far away and do not differ much in terms of price. But on the contrary, you usually don’t live there with students, but with a family, which makes it very difficult to come into contact with Americans. If, on the other hand, you live in a shared apartment (usually 4-10 people in a house or in an apartment) you have found a small group of friends straight away. From this situation it is very easy to integrate. I lived with 7 Americans in a house on Fortuna Road, the so-called “Fortuna House”. The only disadvantage is that you have to share your room in any case. A single room in Isla Vista would be an absolute exception. I searched for a week and the best platform for this is the website www.craigslist.com. I would also like to add that exchange students are nothing out of the ordinary at UCSB, so you were always greeted warmly everywhere.

I arrived 3 weeks before the start of the semester, so my daily routine always consisted of going to university in the morning and then taking care of an apartment and other administrative stuff on site. I always did this from a café that has free internet access (Isla Vista Centrum). I also got acquainted with the bus system. There are express buses that take just 15 minutes from downtown Santa Barbara to the UCSB. You drive just as long in the car. The bike is placed on a scaffold at the front.

The UCSB campus is wonderfully located and surrounded by water on all sides. Bicycle paths run through the campus, which you can use for orientation. The University Center (Ucen) is the geographical and social center of the campus. The selection of courses is a bit chaotic and requires a little patience and nerves. The process works as follows: As an “Exchange Student”, the courses that you want to take must be “crashed”. This means that you have to attend the first appointment of the course in order to be able to ask the professor at the end if there is still a free place. Special sheets of paper must be brought with you for this (can be obtained from the exchange student office). Since you won’t be able to get into every course with certainty, you have to attend a lot of events in the first week of lectures, which of course can be a bit annoying. If you then have a place, it is only secure once you have paid the course fees. There is an office for exchange students on site, which is open most of the time, even if the lectures have not yet started. The on-site support is excellent, so you have a lot of contacts at all times. There is also a very detailed introductory event. Every e-mail is also replied to within one day. I have attended master’s courses myself, which I really enjoyed. The atmosphere is not anonymous like in Germany. The lectures take place in dialogue and the number of participants is usually manageable. There is an office for exchange students on site, which is open most of the time, even if the lectures have not yet started. The on-site support is excellent, so you have a lot of contacts at all times. There is also a very detailed introductory event. Every e-mail is also replied to within one day. I have attended master’s courses myself, which I really enjoyed. The atmosphere is not anonymous like in Germany. The lectures take place in dialogue and the number of participants is usually manageable. There is an office for exchange students on site, which is open most of the time, even if the lectures have not yet started. The on-site support is excellent, so you have a lot of contacts at all times. There is also a very detailed introductory event. Every e-mail is also replied to within one day. I have attended master’s courses myself, which I really enjoyed. The atmosphere is not anonymous like in Germany. The lectures take place in dialogue and the number of participants is usually manageable. Every e-mail is also replied to within one day. I have attended master’s courses myself, which I really enjoyed. The atmosphere is not anonymous like in Germany. The lectures take place in dialogue and the number of participants is usually manageable. Every e-mail is also replied to within one day. I have attended master’s courses myself, which I really enjoyed. The atmosphere is not anonymous like in Germany. The lectures take place in dialogue and the number of participants is usually manageable. According to AbbreviationFinder, UCSB is the abbreviation of University of California Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara offers a lot of possibilities, because you will live the Californian dream for half a year. The big advantage of Santa Barbara is the manageability of this beautiful coastal city. In contrast to large American metropolises like Los Angeles, you don’t get lost in size. Downtown there are nice cafes and restaurants and also a pier. Every Thursday night buses (USD 10 there and back) run from Isla Vista to Downtown, as Thursday is Student Night in Santa Barbara. There is no entrance fee to pay for the bars, which also serve as clubs. You only have to pay for the drinks, which are of course a bit more expensive (beer 4-6 USD). Always be on the move with a passport / perso, otherwise you will not get in anywhere. There will also be a lot of parties in Isla Vista starting Thursday. No house in Isla Vista is more than 4 blocks from the beach, where you can swim, surf, and play soccer with fellow students during the day. Or you go jogging. In addition, I can only recommend everyone to look for a sport and to take part in this part. I took part in Black Tide, the UCSB’s ultimate frisbee team. The sports center really offers everything you want on a huge, well-kept area, including a whirlpool. One should continue to take the opportunity and go on weekend trips. Good hotels and rental cars, as well as gasoline, are very cheap, for example if there are four people traveling. From Santa Barbara it is a 1.5 hour drive to Los Angeles, and 5 hours each to San Francisco and Las Vegas. can surf and play soccer. Or you go jogging. In addition, I can only recommend everyone to look for a sport and to take part in this part. I took part in Black Tide, the UCSB’s ultimate frisbee team. The sports center really offers everything you want on a huge, well-kept area, including a whirlpool. One should continue to take the opportunity and go on weekend trips. Good hotels and rental cars, as well as gasoline, are very cheap, for example if there are four people traveling. From Santa Barbara it is a 1.5 hour drive to Los Angeles, and 5 hours each to San Francisco and Las Vegas. The sports center really offers everything you want on a huge, well-kept area, including a whirlpool. One should continue to take the opportunity and go on weekend trips. Good hotels and rental cars, as well as gasoline, are very cheap, for example if there are four people traveling. From Santa Barbara it is a 1.5 hour drive to Los Angeles, and 5 hours each to San Francisco and Las Vegas. The sports center really offers everything you want on a huge, well-kept area, including a whirlpool. One should continue to take the opportunity and go on weekend trips. Good hotels and rental cars, as well as gasoline, are very cheap, for example if there are four people traveling. From Santa Barbara it is a 1.5 hour drive to Los Angeles, and 5 hours each to San Francisco and Las Vegas.

Of course, there are a couple of negative sides. You should definitely behave in California, because eating cherries with the “cops” is not good, especially when it comes to things that are not a problem in Germany. It is not allowed to drink on the street. Even transporting an empty beer can is definitely counted as an “open container” and costs really “gravel”. You should also avoid going out on the streets drunk, which can be a big problem, especially if you are under 21 years of age. Loud music may not be played after 12 noon. Otherwise the party will be “crashed” and the residents of the respective house will get a hefty fine. A friendly “Could you please turn the music down”, as one is used to from the German police, should not be expected. At the weekend, Del Playa Drive, the last street before the sea, is felt to be crowded because this is where most of the parties take place. You can expect a small group of police officers every 15 meters.

You should also be very careful about your costs, because the good life is not cheap. The tuition fees are to be paid in one fell swoop. Especially at the beginning you have a lot of expenses because you have to make a lot of purchases (registration library and sports center, buying a bike and mobile phone, possibly furniture, etc.). Furthermore, food is not cheap. The rent is no less than 600 USD and even if you choose to live outside of any student life, you will still have to shell out around 500 USD. To fully experience the California student life in Santa Barbara, one should stay in Isla Vista.

However, it’s definitely worth it.