G’day from Sydney Australia. I’m on the hunt for a college to spend 6 months in as part of an exchange and I need your advice and recommendations. I was originally planning on going to Europe, but everything I can do there as a student, I can do later by working and living there, where as I’ll only have the opportunity for U.S college life once.
I’ve tried to narrow down criteria as much as possible and listed them below.
Disregard tuition costs, as the exchange program from my home university (University of New South Wales or UNSW) means I trade places with another student from a college and I continue paying my regular fees in Australia
Academic prestige is not a priority at all, I'm after an immersive, local experience and not to boost my CV with a recognizable college
I really just want to party and have an awesome social life, from what I've heard that revolves around Greek life and sport, so how hard is it to get involved in the scene?
I'll be going for the first half of 2018, so winter/ spring I guess?
I won't have a car, so the campus has to allow for that
I study both Mechanical Engineering and Business, which is a five and a half year degree, and I'll be starting my fifth year on exchange at age 22
I'd prefer not to have a roommate but still live on campus in dorms, but from what I've heard that isn't common
I'd prefer to cook for myself as I have lived away from home for the last 4 years, but again, this isn't very common?
I love skiing and outdoor activities, as well as recreational relaxation activities that are only permitted in certain states ;)
I'd want to travel a fair bit as well if possible
Ideally I'd like a college that people don't commute to but stay on campus the whole time, but I also want to meet the local version of me, hopefully a group of friends that party, can show me around, and travel with me to places around the country wherever possible like on road-trips etc and just generally show me a good time.
Based off party/social life rankings I’ve picked the following:
University of Colorado Boulder
University California Santa Barbara
University Wisconsin Madison
University of California Los Angeles
I had tailgating, drinking, partying, crazy football games and college town school spirit in my head when I found these, however I only just realized that football season won’t be on when I’m going, so what is the atmosphere and campus life like with no football in the colder months? Do basketball and baseball seasons have the same atmosphere? Hence why I put Wisconsin a bit further down the list.
You picked four of the best schools. Given your proclivity for winter sports, that rules out UCSB. If you want really great skiing, climbing, biking, food, and extreme athletics in general, as well as legal ‘recreational activities’, Boulder is the clear choice. It is also the fittest place in the USA, people scramble over the nearby hills like ants, bike everywhere and are very laid back.
I agree that Boulder seems to be a good choice for what you want but here are some other ideas:
Consider adding UC Davis and maybe UC Berkeley to your California list as they have very easy access to the Tahoe ski areas with party busses leaving each campus every weekend during the winter/early spring. Of course Boulder will be hard to beat on that score but the northern California campuses would also give you proximity to San Francisco and mild weather (possibly a bit rainy in Jan/Feb).
Davis is an excellent “all American” university. It’s located among sleepy, nondescript farmland but the town itself is great and it’s an easy train ride into the Bay Area on weekends. It also has a world leading wine program (as it’s the closest UC to Napa Valley) and a very popular beer program. Friendly, down to earth students and a decent supply of off campus housing available.
As for tailgating: baseball has a more relaxed vibe but if you can pick a school whose basketball team makes the NCAA March Madness tournament finals, you would be in for a treat. With that in mind, maybe add University of Oregon to your list…I think Oregon would hit on a number of your points actually.
Before I got to the bottom, CU Boulder was going to at the top of my list. You nailed that already. The rest can be a bit tricky depending on whether or not legal, recreational MJ is a must have or not. It’s legal in a few states now, but really only up and going on a retail basis in CO and OR. If you don’t need to take any engineering course work, Oregon would be a great option with a great part scene, rabid fans for both football and basketball and close to Mt. Hood. Oregon State is the school with engineering, also good, but not the same raucous party environment as U of O. The location and laid backness of UCSB is hard to beat, plus the engineering program is solid. I’d certainly choose it over UCLA for what you’re looking for. Neither CA schools are super convenient to skiing though and recreational retail won’t be available yet. Wisconsin would be great. No MJ though. Lastly, Colorado State could be an option, but not as convenient to skiing as Boulder.
@Haydos Great list, and agree @eyemgh that UCSB is tough to beat based on your preferences. It’s unlikely you’d be able to rush a fraternity mid-year and for such a short time commitment, so you really need to focus on living in a college town. I’m a UCSB alum and their “Ski Club” is fantastic! Large group of students and very active with several trips throughout the winter. So much fun! Plus, the weather in SB during winter/spring is pretty tough to beat. Only downside is it would be unlikely to have a single dorm room (more likely to have an ocean view from your dorm :-). Have fun!
Thanks guys, cannot tell you how much all the advice means to me, definitely cemented my decision for Colorado at the top mainly for the convenience of the snow, something that is a minimum 6 hours away from me now for poor snow at best, and that I live near one of the best beaches in the world already, (had to have a quick brag) pushing UCSB to a close second. Plus there is always opportunity for me to embark on a roadtrip to the coast via Vegas for spring break.
I’m thinking University of Wisconsin - Madison and University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign as third and fourth preference followed by University of Texas - Austin, as these all have an abundance of bars, and that as a 22 year old, I might gear toward this sort of vibe more, even maybe more so than the apparent house party culture of IV at UCSB. Can anyone comment on being an older-ish student (senior I guess?) and what is the norm for social life after moving out of the underage party phase? Don’t get me wrong I love a good house party, but if the bar scene will be geared toward the over 21 bracket, then I probably should consider a town with a strip of venues to go along with it, and for that I’ve heard good things about Texas especially, but how do Colorado and UCSB fair in this department?
Lastly, considering my age and as an international student coming for only six months, what is my best bet for accommodation, namely in Colorado but for all my preferences. What type of housing would get me the most college experience without say sharing a room? Am I likely to be able to find a single room in a share-house for 6 months, or even a single room in a dorm with shared facilities? Because to be able to cook would be great for not only my budget, but also whoever I room with, as I rate myself behind the wheel of a kitchen, and I think cooking and sharing a meal is one of the best ways to bond with mates.
“Am I likely to be able to find a single room in a share-house for 6 months,”
From what you said, this sounds like the best bet. You will probably need to check with the school to find out how to arrange this.
“…or even a single room in a dorm with shared facilities? Because to be able to cook would be great”.
In my experience (including when I was in a dorm and also looking at dorms that my older daughter was in or either daughter was considering) cooking facilities in college dorms usually exist, but typically are not very convenient.
By the way, of the universities that you listed I agree that Colorado seems like the best bet. UCLA would require some serious studying, and as far as I know is pretty far from any ski-able mountain (water skiing being something I assume that you can get in Australia).
Regarding “I live near one of the best beaches in the world already”. Isn’t that the entire coast of Australia?
Awesome, I’ll investigate fully once I’m accepted.
I’d be up for the studying, both UCLA or Berkeley, but I don’t want that to dominate my experience, as I do enough of that here and want to experience culture and foreign places, which I think hectic study will limit, plus our grading on exchange is pass/fail, so hopefully I can do enough just to get by, and see everything else on offer.
Thanks so much guys, sending my application off now, fingers crossed.
Ha, I thought of Wisconsin right away! Their basketball is always good, and their hockey might be interesting to you also. It always surprises people how much more exciting hockey is in person. Madison is quite the party school, though it is also a good school. CHI isn’t far away for weekend visits. Great city.
Since football is out it eliminates a lot of the classic Southern schools and their tailgating insanity.
Since you already have great weather in Oz, maybe CO or WI and it’s winter weather would be a fun change.
Boulder sounds like a really great fit for you, as does UCSB (although the uniqueness of the snow at CU does win).
UIUC does have an abundance of bars, but depending on what kind of vibe you are looking for, UW and UT are both in the middle of small but thriving cities full of lots of other young 20somethings you could hang out with. Urbana-Champaign is a small, isolated, rural town and the scene is going to be much more the college scene. Now, that’s not necessarily a BAD thing - college students make their own fun! But you do have to think about what kind of experience you want to have.
Austin is sprawling and, from my limited experience, doesn’t have the greatest public transit system in the world. I think UT is nearby a good strip of downtown bars and such that are in walking distance, but not 100% sure. I’d investigate that a little bit.
There’s no norm for social life after moving out of undergrad - it depends on the student. When I was a 20something in New York, the bar scene definitely was more dominant but I still enjoyed a good house party and there were many of those. I think the biggest difference is that there are fewer…shenanigans. I don’t know how to put it, but the vibe is more toned down. No less fun, of course, but less likely to get you arrested for disorderly conduct or result in waking up somewhere you’re not sure how you got there.
As for housing, in many college towns upperclassmen (juniors, seniors, sometimes sophomores) go off campus to share an apartment with each other. That satisfies a lot of your criteria: usually you get your own bedroom, and typically the apartments have a kitchen in which you can cook. Craigslist is probably one of the premier ways to find such a situation - you can look for people who are subletting a room in their apartment for 6 months for whatever reason. Often times you share with 2 or 3 other people in a 3- or 4-bedroom apartment, sometimes (often) walking distance to campus or on a convenient bus route. Once you do settle on a school, some universities also have off-campus housing listings you can access that will allow you to browse who has rooms for rent.
You forgot Washington eyemgh, retail going strong in our state. I pass the sign spinners every day on the way to work.
The colleges tend to have about 1000 open housing spots for spring semester due to dropouts and December graduations so housing will be easy. Just know that even the smell of MJ in a dorm or school owned housing may be enough to get you kicked out. Legal in the state does not mean allowed on campus. Another vote for UC Boulder.
@Magnetron, Dooh! In that case, I’d probably add UW. There’s no fear of not being admitted to engineering because the OP is already in. Seattle is a great town. It’s close to the sky areas at Snoqualmie and Crystal Mountain, an amazing area, isn’t too far. CU Boulder probably wins out, but being a Husky for 6 months would be OK too.
Application submitted! And the waiting game begins. In the end I went with in this order:
CU Boulder
UT Austin
UW Madison
UCSB
UCB
UCLA
with CU way out in front, I’ve really set my eyes on it now. Plus I’ll have to pay roughly an extra $1000 for mandatory health insurance at UT and UW as they don’t care about my university’s cover and won’t waive their SHIP cover and fees, quite hefty for a student on a budget. But I’m nitpicking, and I’ll definitely be happy at any one of these institutions.
Found out there were rules for applying to UC, and you had to pick 3 campus preferences, no more no less, list them consecutively and you could end up at any of them, hence why UCSB got pushed down the list.
Thanks again everyone for all the input, looking forward to more of this famous hospitality come January 2018
That’s a great list. But how did UT Austin jump in there? It’s a fine school and a great college town, but the nearest snow skiing is going to be about 10-12 hour drive to either New Mexico or Colorado.
The three California schools are all reasonably close to skiing. You can be in world class skiing at Lake Tahoe in less than 3 hours from Berkeley, and there is pretty good skiing right outside the LA/Santa Barbara basin.
Wisconsin is a fun school, but not for skiing. And Texas is even further.
I was also going to say University of Wisconsin – basketball and hockey are huge sports for students to follow, the teams are very competitive. Academically, engineering is very strong, so you aren’t missing anything that way. My UW grad still counts spilling out onto State St (the main pedestrian street) celebrating the Men;s basketball win that took them into the final 4 (I think, I may have my details wrong). There is pond hockey on Lake Mendota (plus ice fishing on Lake Monona, but that is an acquired taste), and opportunities for cross country skiing are plenty.
No one needs a car, chances of getting a single bedroom sublet in an apartment around Langdon St (the heart of greek life) is very good, as many UW students go abroad in spring and there are likely to be single semester openings. Greek life is fairly open, in that you can get in to parties by knowing some folks. Madison has a great farm-to-table restaurant scene. And, don’t forget, in the movie Love Actually, Collin Frissell meets some WI gals which may be a completely unfair stereotype.
