Hey there! My name is Hannah, and I am a second year University student at the University of Southampton. I have recently completed a semester abroad in Los Angles, at Whittier College, and I thought I would share what I got up to in the 5 months I was away! I have broken down my experience into categories, so feel free to either read the categories that apply to you most or stick around for the whole thing!
Moving away from home.
Firstly, I thought I would cover what it was like to move so far away from home, and some things that helped me settle in within the first few weeks! California is obviously super far away from the U.K, with an 8-hour time difference, meaning I made a real effort to do as much as I could to settle in, and make my new home feel like home. On the first few days I was out there, college hadn’t started yet, and it was very easy to feel alone and scared. To combat this, I went out exploring the area for hours at a time, to get comfortable with my surroundings, to enjoy the sunny weather, and distract myself from the fact I was so far away from home! This helped massively, and by the end of the week of exploring, I had already found some go-to coffee shops and shops that eventually became my staples whilst I was out there! One thing which helped me massively was the warm weather and long sunny days. Although it was January, Whittier was reaching highs of 23/24 degrees Celsius, and being in the warmth and sun for the majority of my experience helped me settle in so well. I think if I had gone to a cold and rainy place for my study abroad, I would have really struggled to settle in, and so this is also something I would recommend you consider when looking at going abroad for a year or semester!
What studying in America was like.
Studying in an American college for 5 months really did live up to all my expectations (particularly the high school musical esc ones). The campus was absolutely beautiful, with such lovely communal areas to study in. That said, the American approach to education couldn’t have been more different from the way things were done at Southampton. In the U.K, we choose our ‘majors’ when we apply to university, weather that be history, maths, politics etc. In America, you don’t choose your major until 3rd or 4th year, so for the first half of your college experience, you have to take classes from a wide range of areas, with the only requirement being a certain amount of credits you need to fulfil. This means you could take whatever classes you want, from whatever subject area you want. As a result, I took 3 history classes, and changed my final class to a politics one instead! Taking a politics class whilst also experiencing Trump come into power was super interesting, as we got to analyse all the new executive orders and ludicrous bills Trump was imposing on America in real time, which is something you just don’t get to do at home. I also found their way of assessing was much better and less stressful than what I am used to at Southampton. We had a lot of guidance with our professors and had 1-1s with them every time we had a new assessment come up, and it made the experience a lot less stressful and far more enjoyable!
Campus life.
One thing I was so grateful for at Whittier, was how small the college was, meaning you got to know everyone so quickly. Weather you were on your way to class, or off to the canteen, you always saw someone you knew, and it made making friends just that little bit easier! The grounds of the campus were also gorgeous, and there’s not a day that goes by where I don’t miss it! One of my favourite parts from my experience was the weekly basketball games that happened whilst I was out there. I made friends with a few guys on the Whittier College basketball team, and so watching them play and cheering them on every Saturday afternoon quickly came to be one of my favourite pass times, and it drew me a lot closer to the friends I made whilst I was out there! One of the best parts about living in Whittier, was the beach trips my friends and I took after classes had finished when it was a warm sunny day out! We would pack our bags and head to the beach for the afternoon/evening, and I will forever miss those days as you certainly can’t do that after a day of classes in Southampton!
Making friends.
Making friends whilst abroad was one of the things that worried me most, but I kept reminding myself that if I can move to Southampton and make friends, then I can move a little further out and also make friends, which I did do! One thing that scared me the most, but turned out to be the absolute best thing I did, was to have a roommate. The thought of sharing my space with someone absolutely terrified me, but my roommate turned out to be my best friend whilst I was away, and we were joined at the hip! She lived about an hour away from the college, and on one of the weekends whilst I was out there, I went home with her for the weekend, and we had the most amazing time. I miss her so much, and to think I nearly applied for a single dorm and missed such an amazing opportunity is crazy to me! So, whilst it seems absolutely terrifying, apply for a roommate, it could be the best thing to happen to you whilst abroad!
Travel.
One thing I would recommend no matter where you go to study abroad, is to travel around if you’re able to! My birthday fell over spring break and so my mum and dad came out for 2 weeks to visit me. During the second week of their visit (spring break), we took a road trip from LA to San Francisco, stopping overnight halfway up in Monterey Bay. In San Francisco, we cycled over Golden Gate Bridge, visited Alcatraz, took the trams all over the city, and overall had the most amazing trip. It is something that I will never forget, and it will stay with me for life! On top of that, when my boyfriend came out to visit, we took a 40-minute flight over to Las Vegas for a long weekend, and again, this is something I will also never forget! Exploring areas more local to you is just as fun, and on top of both San Francisco and Vegas, I also played tourist and visited Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Hollywood, and so much more. All of these travel experiences will stay with me for life, and so if you have the opportunity to travel whilst abroad, I cannot recommend it more!
Reflection.
Since returning home in May, there is not a day goes by where I don’t miss the experience I had whilst out in California. Moving abroad so far away from home, completely on your own, shapes you as a person and changes you in a way moving to university alone does not. The life experience you gain from moving abroad is something that will stay with you throughout your whole life, and I would give absolutely anything to go back and re-live just one day I spent at Whittier College. I made friends for life and have experiences I will hold so closely to me for the rest of my life, and so if you’re thinking about going abroad but you’re not sure if you should do it or not, take this as your sign and make the leap! It will without a doubt be the most amazing experience of your life so far.