Will Boxer – BSc Physics

My name is Will, I am a Physics BSc student and I have just completed my year study abroad program at California State University Los Angeles. This university is right in the middle of Los Angeles, close to beaches, Hollywood and everything the city has to offer. The campus accommodation is very friendly and right next to where my classes were held. As for classes, the American school system allows for you to choose a wide variety of classes that you are unable to take at your home university. For example, I took a Spanish class, marketing class and some history classes!

Whilst groceries can be quite expensive in LA, the university has an on-campus dining plan, which is a catered cafeteria that operates from breakfast through till dinner every day. Despite being somebody who likes cooking for themselves, I definitely recommend taking advantage of this as it will save you a lot of money and time!

California has a lot to offer and LA is just one city, there are other big cities nearby that are definitely worth a visit such as San Diego, San Francisco and even Vegas is only a 4-hour drive away from LA. LA is a very large city that is spread out far, without a car you may find it difficult to get around. A lot of international students bought cars for the period of time they were out there and sold them before they left to make sure they could get around and have autonomy whilst living there. However, I did not do this and didn’t have any difficulty getting anywhere I wanted; there are many American students that drive, who are more than happy to take you with them or offer to drive you to places you need to go.

One thing to note is the presence of amazing food everywhere you go in LA, on most street corners you will find Mexican food stands/taco trucks and in other parts of the city Korean and Filipino food stands. Overall, the West Coast culture is very welcoming and relaxed, with a diverse range of people going about their business all throughout the city.