Local Living
3-minute Travel Guide: Aukland, New Zealand
DON'T FORGET TO PACK Sunscreen! Down under, especially in Australia and New Zealand, the UV is way stronger than in the US, so be mindful when planning outdoor activities and always have sunscreen on. BEST LEFT AT HOME Multiple layers of clothing. You are not going to...
How I Turned My Study Abroad Experience into a Foodie Adventure
Planning to study abroad? UC Santa Barbara student Jacob Dicker turned his European adventure into a food lover’s quest, discovering everything from affordable Michelin-starred brunches to hidden food halls. Here’s his insider’s guide to eating well on a student budget, including the three best apps for finding amazing food abroad and why Copenhagen might just beat Paris as Europe’s top foodie destination.
Saying “Yes” to the Unexpected: A Barcelona Story
Rebecca Mendoza (UC Berkeley) arrived in Barcelona with a plan—take classes in English, stay comfortable, explore the usual tourist spots. But when she said yes to an intensive Catalan course, everything changed. From racing gravel bikes with professional athletes to volunteering at a gala in London, Rebecca’s willingness to embrace the unexpected transformed her semester abroad into something far more meaningful than she ever imagined.
Inside Sweden’s Student Culture: Traditions That Unite Two Historic Universities
Step into Sweden’s vibrant university culture, where centuries-old traditions shape daily student life in unexpected ways. From racing tandem bikes across the country to joining medieval student nations, UC Berkeley students Max Morena and Stella Keval discovered that studying abroad in Sweden means becoming part of a legacy where formal dinners include napkin-tossing rituals, stress relief comes in the form of collective 10 PM screams, and coffee breaks are elevated to an art form. They reveal how these distinctive traditions transform international students into cultural insiders at Uppsala and Lund Universities.
Tips to Maximize Language Immersion on Study Abroad
A UC Los Angeles engineering student shares her journey to master Spanish and connect with her Puerto Rican heritage through study abroad. Despite the challenges of fitting language immersion into a packed STEM schedule, she discovered practical strategies—from living with non-English speakers to consuming Spanish-only media—that helped her achieve fluency in just five months. Her story offers valuable insights for students seeking to maximize their language learning abroad while balancing academic requirements.
Living in Multiple Time Zones: A Guide to Staying Connected While on Study Abroad
For the first half of her semester in Rio, Katherine Rodriguez (UC Berkeley) found herself living in two time zones—checking good morning texts after full days of classes and lying awake at night for responses from California. Through therapy and establishing healthy boundaries, she learned that staying connected doesn’t mean sacrificing sleep or the once-in-a-lifetime experience of studying abroad in Brazil.
From Strangers to Family: Building Your Community Abroad
When fifty friends gathered around a makeshift Thanksgiving table in Edinburgh, they were no longer strangers but family. From joining Scotland’s oldest sport to creating nightly traditions in the Warrender dorms, one UC Santa Barbara student shares how she transformed her biggest study abroad fear – loneliness – into an unforgettable story of community and connection. Through candlelit dinners, Highland adventures, and tearful goodbyes at Kings Cross Station, discover how saying “yes” to every opportunity built lasting friendships that bridged 5,000 miles.
A Black Woman’s Guide to Thriving in South Korea
No two study abroad experiences are alike. In this guide, Jodi Felder (UC Riverside) shares the insights that helped her thrive as a Black woman studying abroad in Korea, where she experienced racial prejudice and still has no regrets about taking part in this transformative journey.
All the things to learn about your study abroad location
When you hear you should “research the location” before you leave for study abroad, what do you do? Here’s a list of all the things to research before you leave the US on your study abroad adventure.
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