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Thank you for the kind comments last week, guys. It was pretty damn helpful to get some other perspectives.
Anyway, when it came to the crunch, after the meeting on Wednesday, I decided that I couldn't handle myself if I didn't give America a go. That I was worried about whether it would be a decision I would regret making for the rest of my life. ( Read more... )
Anyway, when it came to the crunch, after the meeting on Wednesday, I decided that I couldn't handle myself if I didn't give America a go. That I was worried about whether it would be a decision I would regret making for the rest of my life. ( Read more... )
During the first week, there were an insane number of group meetings for the international students. Some of them were a waste of time; some of them were really useful. You can also sign up for a guided tour of the library really easily. But bear in mind that UCB is huuuge, so full orientation is not really possible. I got lost every day the first month I was there and I spent a lot of that time in a state of complete confusion. That said, if you do have problems, the advisers at the International House are really, really helpful. They have drop-in all day every day, so you can just turn up and ask them questions. So, at times you might feel like you're stranded and have no idea what's going on, but as long as you know where to look, there is help there.
is it easy to get to know people even when its so massive?
People in America are generally really friendly (and, as a cute English chick, you are instantly interesting!) so I wouldn't worry about meeting people. I didn't make friends with many people in my classes (although maybe I didn't try hard enough?), but I found that students at UCB were way into extracurricular clubs and organized events, which made it really easy to meet people. Most of my friends were people living at my house or people I met through the mentoring program I joined.
(As a side note, you need to decide whether you want to go to a huge university or a small liberal arts college. At a small college, you may find that you end up knowing absolutely everyone, simply by virtue of it being so small. I don't necessarily find that so appealing. At UCB there were always endless untapped sources of people to meet. Your friends are pissing you off this week? Go join a club and meet some entirely new people! You don't get that same luxury at a small college, where you'll find it difficult to escape annoying people.)
did you manage to make friends with actual Americans or did you just fall into an English crowd?
All my friends were American! Unless you live in the International House and/or go to exclusively International events, you won't find you meet many English people at all. Basically, you can choose whether to hang out with English people. Like you, I thought it was a bit pointless, so I radiated towards Americans, but there are upsides to keeping in touch with other international students: e.g. having people to go travelling/sightseeing with.
(Another side note: it's easy to get caught up in the "bubble" of campus life and not really *see* America, so I would recommend joining some kind of club that gives you contact with the community. I mentored a kid at a local school and it was really rewarding blah blah blah, but it was also fascinating to meet "real Americans", not just middle-class college kids.)
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NO, NOT AT ALL. Man, I worried about this so much and there was really no need!
You'll probably find that you miss the deadline for applying to live in dorms (because you find out where you'll be in CA so late in the year), but that doesn't mean there aren't rooms available. There are always dorm rooms available. I knew people who turned up in August, didn't like their arranged housing, so they just moved into dorms there and then, with no prior application. That said, I would avoid dorms at all costs, unless you want to live with a bunch of 18-year-olds and eat burgers and chips from the dining halls. Just like in Norwich, there will be plenty of people looking to rent out a room in their shared house. There's a service called Cal Rentals that can help you with that. Also, everyone in the US swears by craigslist for finding a place to live. What I did--and what I would recommend--is to live in a co-op. You can find out a lot of information at their website. (There are co-ops everywhere across the US, so it's worth looking into that option no matter where you end up.) They're much cheaper than dorms/renting, and you get the structure of a dorm-like environment whilst retaining the control of living in a shared house. Also, it's an excellent way to meet a lot of people (co-ops are known for being very friendly, because you're supposed to be, uh, co-operative) and the people living there will generally be older (sophomores, juniors, seniors, grad students). Plus, the best part is, you can apply while you're in the UK, the same way you would apply to live in dorms.
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