How to get the most out of your college experience!

It’s been a year since the big adventure in the land of opportunities started for me. An adventure that took me to study at one of the most beautiful campuses in the world. This is a story about my first year under the Californian sun at Santa Barbara City College.

Taking swimming classes

It’s not far of the truth if I say that the life I live now is a life that I have always dreamed of. Naturally, the first months at SBCC felt tough, since it took a while for me to adapt to all the new things, like the American culture and the different school system. When I got through the beginning struggles and started feeling that I belonged here, I started enjoying the Cali life for real. Thanks to SBCC’s amazing location and the great atmosphere around the campus, I manage many times to combine fun and school work. A good example of this is that I do most of my readings at the beach, sometimes even together with friends, while enjoying the ocean breeze and getting tan.

Film Studies was fun!

I take both studying and my free time seriously. The effort I’ve put in the school work during my first year has been awarded with Phi Theta Kappa Honors society membership, President's Honor Roll, and of course, with good grades. Next year I have plans to be more active around the campus. I got accepted to SBCC’s Ambassador program, which means that I’m going to be a SBCC Ambassador starting this fall. I’m also going to be volunteering and organizing different events together with the other ambassadors. My other goal for next year is to get a internship, which will hopefully give me some real life experience in my field of study. Furthermore, my active social life with both SBCC and UCSB students has brought me heaps of long-lasting friendships and tons of unforgettable memories. This has changed me as a person in a good way. Success in my studies and realization that political science is the right major for me has given me confidence to believe that I’m on the right path to fulfill my academic dreams. All the new friends and connections that I’ve made during my time in Santa Barbara have broaden my international network, which is not only just amazing, but can also be helpful when thinking about my future career as a diplomat.

But what do I do when it’s time for a study break? 

Hanging out with friends on the beach

The view from my balcony

When it's time to let my brain rest I give myself time to enjoy all the things that California has to offer. On my free time I visit other cities and sometimes even other states. So far, I have visited San Diego, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Palm Springs. Spring Break 2018 even took me all the way to beautiful Mexico. But as you probably guess, most of the time I don’t get to leave Santa Barbara because of school and that’s when I usually go hiking, surfing, swimming, play volleyball, or just chill at the beach.

Receiving the President's Honors Roll Certificate

The key of getting the most out of your SBCC experience is by being open to new things. By this I mean learning to know new people, taking classes you never thought you would or could take, and experience adventures you could only dream about before you ended up in Santa Barbara. I also think it’s important to get out of your comfort zone in order to get the most out of your college experience. This could mean making friends outside of your usual friends network. For many international students, this would mean to bond with people from other countries. Also, becoming friends with Americans (i.e locals) will help you to fit-in and get the real American college experience. In my opinion, this is also the best way to improve your language skills. By becoming friends with students who have a similar academic interest, can also help you to reach your academic goals. I also think it’s good to learn to know people from other campuses, like UCSB, because this way you will get a wider view of different campuses and universities in California. It can also be useful to know about other campuses if or when you start planning to transfer. I, for example, have lots of friends from UCSB, UCLA, and UCSD. They haven’t only helped me with my studies, but they have also shown me how things are done around their campuses. My advice for the students who want to get the most out of their college experience can be found in the old saying, "when in Rome, do as the Romans do,” meaning that it’s advisable to follow the conventions of the area in which you are residing. By putting an effort in your studies, it will make your time and money worthy, but in order to get most out of the unique Cali lifestyle, you need to remember to allow yourself to also have some fun and not to be afraid of adventures.

Sunset on the Beach

SBCC Ambassadors: #YouAreWelcomeHere

Emilio, SBCC Ambassador

Hey there! Emilio and Julia here from the SBCC Ambassadors! We’re here to tell you a little bit about one of the awesome programs that we have on campus. The Ambassador Program started in 2010 as a way to engage the different groups of SBCC and plan events for international students to integrate into the SBCC community.  We collaborate with other groups on campus to put on an event each month that we hope brings together students from SB and around the world!  Most events are free, but sometimes we charge fees for participating in certain activities to raise money for special causes. For example, we charge a fee for participating in the Volleyball tournament to raise money for a student in Rwanda whose college tuition we are sponsoring. Our group is extremely diverse and our current members come from 20 different countries.Although most of our members are international students, we also have Americans in our group!

Julia, SBCC Ambassador

Julia Lastikka I joined the Ambassador program in my second semester at SBCC. As an international student, I was excited to be part of a group that was really diverse and to meet other international students on campus. For me the program has been a great place to meet new people and improve several skills. I’ve learned a lot about communication, teamwork, and leadership. The Ambassador Program is a great way to become a part of the community at school and in Santa Barbara. My second semester I worked as one of the group leaders, which was a great opportunity for me to become more comfortable in a leadership role. Currently, I’m one of the two Ambassador interns and having more responsibility in the program has improved my social, communication, and leadership skills. Even though being an Ambassador might sometimes seem like a lot of work, it has really been a low stress environment where I can have fun with my friends while bringing the community closer together! I have met so many amazing people form all over the world, and I’m super happy to be a part of this amazing, happy group!

Emilio Fuentes I have lived in Santa Barbara all of my life. Once I started SBCC, I wanted to get more involved with the community and the international students on campus. A good friend of mine recommended that I join the Ambassadors. Once I joined, I quickly made lots of friends and I was able to connect with people who wanted to connect with the community on campus just like me. My favorite part of being an Ambassador is planning all of the events. My favorite event each semester is our International Food Fair. Each semester we invite the entire community to come and try food from around the world. Ambassadors cook the food and the community comes out to try it. Being in Ambassadors has built up my confidence, my leadership skills, and my ability to communicate and work in a team. I am extremely proud to be part of such an awesome and supportive group!

We both welcome all of you to join us at our events and also to join our amazing program! You can follow us on social media for the latest greatest news!

SBCC Ambassadors