It was always fun being at Parkside and the food was really good too! Nice dorms that was almost apartment style. The great thing about living in these dorms is that they were not too far away from campus. A shuttle bus would arrive every 15 minutes to take students from and to campus as needed. Show
Social scene: Lots of students! Most from all over Europe, but not necessarily Spain. If you come to Alicante to study, it can be tough to find Spanish friends because there are so many exchange students, but I would really suggest to make it a priority to speak Spanish while you are here! Don't just stay in a group with Americans the entire time. The nightlife here is fun but it might feel monotonous at times, especially since most places play the same type of commercial music. That's why you have to travel to experience more diversity! School: Depending on your subject and luck, classes can be really tough or easy. Your level of Spanish should be really good but it does not need to be perfect. Good news is teachers are generally more lenient with the exchange students, especially if you speak with them one on one. Do not expect to get straight A's here and expect to study. If you come here, be sure to TRAVEL around Spain! Alicante is small so traveling on days off of school is the best thing to do and traveling is cheap!! And Spain is SO amazing, every city is different. My experience has been great. I met friends that I know I will have for the rest of my life and I've seen places that are incredibly special here in Spain. Traveling abroad is what you make of it....it can be the best time of your life, it is mine! Not much to say that hasn't already been said. This was absolutely worth every penny that you spend, and it's a lot of pennies. I haven't met anyone who said "Gosh, I sure do regret studying abroad." There's a ton of stuff to do with a group of friends or on your own. Keep an open mind because the more stuff you do, the more fun you have. Difficulties: Finding housing - the staff in Coventry were extremely unhelpful, told us we should "just keep looking around the city, maybe even Birmingham" and that there was "nothing we can do to help". The Theatre and Professional Practice program was much more basic and elementary in comparison with the Theatre Arts program at Long Beach State. I did not learn very much about theatre but I did learn about how to deal with people in the arts that may not be at your same level and still having to work with them to create something collaboratively. It was a lot of work on patience. Highlights: I loved the small town feel. The city was perfect in allowing me to truly get to know the people and experience the culture. I was thankful to not be in London getting lost in some big city. It was nice to call Coventry home for 4 months. I would only recommend this program to someone if they were simply looking to experience a culture different from their own and go abroad and learn and experience art outside of the university setting. However, if they wanted to go abroad and increase their actor training then no, I would not recommend this program. You will not receive quality training - there were times I became frustrated because I felt I was wasting time in classes when I could have been out exploring art and culture via a variety of venues outside of the university. Leicester was such an amazing place. It has the best of two places in one city: the urban and suburban scene. The student accommodation that I stayed at was in a suburban area, but as you head towards Uni and town, you'll start seeing the city life with shopping, buildings, and monuments (such as the Clock Tower in the city centre). Everyone was really friendly and welcoming. The students in my classes were always interested in my views coming from a different country, but the feeling was mutual. It's interesting to see a country that speaks the same language can have such a different culture than what you're used to. The campus was really small, but that's a good thing since you won't have to walk too far to get from one place of campus to the other. The library had a great selection of books for doing your papers, but don't pull it off to the last minute because all the books will be checked out by then. The dining hall food, well, it's dining hall food. You can't expect more than that. Haha. I mean, even when the food was rubbish, you are always with your housemates chatting and catching up with your day and figuring out everyone's plans for the night. Overall, my experience in England was amazing. I wouldn't take anything back! Absolutely loved the program! Housing was a little bit of an issue though. If you are going make sure you talk to the housing office right away. A lot of their places only have 1 year leases, even the dorms. Besides the issues with housing though it was wonderful. I absolutely loved it! Programs 5 reviews California State University, Long Beach: Office of Study Abroad CSULB - London SemesterLive and study for your spring semester in one of the most exciting... Alumni InterviewsThese are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni. Caleb KimWhy did you decide to study abroad with CSULB in England?Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to travel (typical dream of many people). So when I entered CSULB, I wanted to make that dream into reality. Out of all the countries I could've chosen from, the reason why I chose the United Kingdom is because I was always interested in the English culture. Within the UK, there were 4 different schools that had a partnership with CSULB. They were Leicester, Coventry, Hertforshire, and Nottingham-Trent. But the reason why I chose Leicester is due to the fact that the University of Leicester has one of the best Psychology programs in the UK, also UoL is in the top 2% of best universities in the world! What made your study abroad experience unique and special?Out of everything, the friends that I have made is what made this semester unique and special. As soon as I arrived to my accommodation, all my housemates welcomed me in with open arms. There was one other exchange student from South Africa who moved in the same time I did, and we were the oldest out of 16 guys. The other guys were all first years. But the age gap did not matter, we all created wonderful, funny, and interesting memories that would last a lifetime. View Entire Interview How has this experience impacted your future?My time at the University of Leicester truly changed the way I look at education. The English education system is different than the system we are all accustomed to in America. At UoL, a student starts their degree studies from the first semester of their first year, and they focus on only that until they graduate. The students do not take "general electives" and graduate within 3 years. I found this to be amazing. Also, the intellectual level of each individual was mind boggling. I expected the first years to only care about partying; however I was wrong, for they cared about partying on top of philosophy, politics, education, physics, and etc... This impacted my personal life. Because of the conversations we would hold, I wanted to get more involved in these issues, so I changed my personal lifestyle. Instead of watching movies and playing games, I would read journal articles and newspaper columns. These changes were also a help to my professionalism. Is California State University Long Beach good for international students?More than 3,000 international students from 100 different countries already call CSULB home. CSULB provides an exceptional student experience through nationally recognized academic programs and personalized support services. Is Cal State Long Beach prestigious?Cal State Long Beach is ranked No. 1 among “national universities” for promoting social mobility, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2024 Best Colleges rankings released today. What is the international ranking of California State University Long Beach?Being among the ranked universities in USA, California State University Long Beach, established in 1949, comes with experience and quality education. This university is ranked at 1201-1400 QS World University Ranking in 2024. Is Cal State Long Beach a hard school to get into?Admissions Summary California State University: Long Beach is selective with an acceptance rate of 47%. Regular applications are due November 30. |
