Choosing the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) for my study abroad destination, being a student from London, truly felt like the best way to experience a completely different university culture. As a campus university that was distant from San Diego’s chaotic, metropolitan centre, it felt as though we students were living in a separate city with supermarkets, entertainment and classes distributed minutes away from us. This was the first noticeable difference between UCSD and King’s, as the latter is conveniently located next to Covent Garden and Trafalgar Square.
Weather and University Culture
California is known for its picturesque beaches and particularly sunny weather, which provided a stark contrast to the cloudiness and often grey climate of London. Thus, many activities hosted by the university took place on beaches, such as La Jolla Shores, which is known for its formidable waves and breath-taking landscape. Whilst both cities seem to attract lots of wind, the weather in London permits more indoor activities, such as going to restaurants with friends, attempting an escape room or having a flat party. Speaking of parties, UCSD or the US in general seems to have a strong house/dorm party culture. Whilst Londoners seem to opt for the numerous bars and clubs at their disposal, students in San Diego seemed happy to have mini house parties in their dorms on a weekly basis.
A similarity between both universities is the diversity of people you will meet. A lot of students are from different parts of the world, speak multiple languages and grew up in a variety of areas which makes for a lot of cool friends and impromptu language lessons! For example, UCSD hosted language conversation tables, where we could attend a casual class and practice speaking a language of our choice, run by students from the school. Similarly, King’s’ Modern Language Centre also allows you to learn a language as part of your course or for any other reason.
Activities
While my usual after school activities at King’s consist of grabbing a drink nearby, planning a trip to the theatre or heading back home on the tube, UCSD’s immense campus usually meant that a lot of the events were occurring within the university, taking full advantage of the many green spaces and open terrain. For example, within my first week of moving in, I rode on a mechanic bull, attended a pop-up Asian food market, enjoyed some savoury frozen yogurt and went on an attraction park ride, all without leaving UCSD’s campus. Partly due to a strong sense of good old fashioned American school spirit, these events were usually packed with students and oftentimes free! In contrast, King’s seems to opt more for events in different venues across London, from boat parties to friendship mixers, taking advantage of its proximity to busy areas, whilst also organising events on campus.
Outback Adventures
One thing that particularly stood out to me about UCSD was their outback adventures group. This consisted of day or overnight trips where we could choose to do activities with the university. For example, I went sunset kayaking at Mission Bay (which was 20$ all included) and went on a short trip to Baja California, where we did some horseback riding and hiking on a ranch in Mexico! This created some extraordinary memories and a camera full of photographs, which was particularly cool for international or exchange students wanting to travel within/around the US.
Academics
Although my family likes to refer to my exchange program as a holiday, there was some serious studying that took place as well! The main difference between King’s and UCSD seems to be the assessments. King’s opts for a final exam that carries significant weight towards your grade whilst UCSD prioritises continuous assessments, meaning that you get a sense of your potential grade as the semester progresses. It is up to each person to decide which structure they prefer. I, for one, am undecided as I like the idea of only having one or two assessments for each module. However, that also means that too much stress is put on a single paper that determines how well you have done in the class. Assessments are also carried out differently, as I completed many multiple-choice exams and shorter essays at UCSD compared to King’s. Lastly, the choice of classes was noticeably different at both institutions. While they both provide the opportunity to join classes that are unique, the universities offered different kinds of courses with a variety of content that would not be available at other schools.
The Verdict
Overall, I am very pleased with both of my experiences at these institutions. The exchange program allowed me to witness a completely different college experience, enjoy a different climate and meet new people. And King’s introduced me to a range of societies, entertainment and bustling city. Now I am left with unforgettable memories from both!