I signed up to study abroad at Cal Poly last year without really knowing what to expect. All I knew was that Cal Poly was in the middle of the Californian coast, it had great weather and was a small college town. After growing up in London, and studying at a university in the second largest city in England, it sounded like the perfect place to experience American college life. Here are a few of the unique aspects of life at Cal Poly which I’ve found to be completely different to student life in the UK:
WOW Week.
WOW felt like a weeklong summer camp for college students. Coming from a British university, where the orientation week consisted of bar crawls, costumesfancy dress, themed nights out and a Fresher’s Ball , where everyone dressed up formally just to get way too drunk at the nightclub on campus, WOW was a refreshing chance to get to meet new people without alcohol involved. I feel like it allowed you to actually get to know people, rather than drunkenly take someone’s number and then never see them again. Plus, it was a great way to get to know Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo, with beach trips, kayaking, a visit to the farmer’s market and a drive-in movie theatre mixed in with on campus orientation events.
WOW-O-RAMA.
You would never get away with WOW-A-RAMA at a university in England. Mainly because the drinking age is 18. So instead British students would most likely be dancing drunk in a nightclub rather than sober on a sports field. British university students definitely don’t have the same enthusiasm, energy or school spirit for it to work. Despite being in a too-close proximity to thousands of other people and massaging sweaty strangers, it was definitely an experience I won’t forget. Whenever ‘Anything Can Happen’ by Ellie Goulding starts playing, I’m always reminded of the crazy games and running through a football field in the dark with a bunch of strangers.
Wearing workout clothes to class every day.
Lulu Lemon shorts, flip-flops and sorority shirts (or a similar kind of athletic top) seem to be the unofficial uniform at Cal Poly. This is mainly because of the year-round warm weather, but it really does feel more practical and should definitely be a thing in England. Most people at British universities tend to dress up to go to lectures and, depending on the class, lectures can become a kind of fashion show. Most of the time, I find myself wearing workout clothes to class, and bring another set to go to the gym with. If it wasn’t too cold to wear shorts for more than two weeks a year, I would definitely want to bring this trend to England
Hiking.
People in England don’t hike. Mainly because it rains 75% of the time and there aren’t really mountains. And when we do go call it walking and the only people that go on walks for fun are old people or families. At Cal Poly, hiking is done with the same enthusiasm and frequency as British people going to the pub. It’s a much healthier alternative and a great way to experience the nature and beautiful weather around SLO, and having already ticked Bishops Peak off my Cal Poly bucket list, I hope to make it up a few more by the end of the year.
Getting points for showing up to class.
At least two out of the four classes I’m taking this quarter assign a certain percentage of the grade to participation and attendance, and it seems like it’s the same in a lot of the classes here. If this was a thing in England, I feel like there would be much more of an incentive to go to lectures, instead of just watching them online. At the same time, it’s a lot easier to hide behind a laptop and sleep off your hangover or catch up on other work when you’re not getting points for raising your hand and taking part. Along with the fact that most professors don’t allow laptops and phones in class, maybe you actually learn a lot more here.
People obsessing over your accent.
Maybe it’s because most people at Cal Poly are from California, and only 1% of the student body is international, but I when I meet new people I find I’m instantly interesting just because I have a British accent. Even the baristas at Starbucks will ask me where I’m from. At my university back home, students in general are less openly welcoming, and we have a relatively high percentage of international students. Because of this, British students rarely make an effort to show interest in, or get to know exchange students and international students, and something I love about Cal Poly is how genuinely interested everyone is in finding out more about England.
Realizsing that SLO really is ‘The Happiest City in America’.
The people at Cal Poly, and around SLO in general are some of the happiest and most friendly people I have met, especially compared to the majority of British people who are generally reserved and like to complain a lot. Admittedly there is a lot less to complain about here, with amazing weather all year round, the beautiful nature surrounding SLO, and it’s proximity to the ocean. And at first, I was pretty sceptical that the welcoming and open nature of people here couldn’t be genuine, but it seems it really is normal to meet someone they really are interested in getting to know you, making it a lot easier to meet new people.
There are so many more aspects of life at Cal Poly which make it unique, and completely different from student life in the UK, and if you have a chance to study abroad at all during your degree I would definitely recommend it.