Largest City - Los Angeles
Population - 37,253,956
Timezone - Pacific Time
Study in California
So why do so many non-California residents and international students want to study in California? Quite simply, California has it all! California boasts one of the largest economies in the world and is an international epicenter for the entertainment, information, education, and technology industries. Nationally, California is a significant contributor in the agricultural, aerospace, and manufacturing sectors, which is why many universities have created high quality and affordable programs that focus on Engineering and Technology—among other fields as well. Because of its size, California is a large state allowing students to choose just about any field of study.
California Culture & Lifestyle
While California no doubt embodies Western American culture, it is also regarded as a socially more liberal state that boasts a large and culturally diverse population, including a growing Hispanic population. With many students coming from countries like India, Japan, Korea, China, and Canada year after year and choosing to study in California, California remains one of the most active and inviting American states in recruiting international students.
Many foreign students have narrowed California down to their number one pick - in fact, the University of Southern California enrolls more international students each year than any other university in the entire United States! Because of this, living in California means experiencing and embracing new and novel languages, foods, cultures, peoples, ideas, celebrations, and activities on a daily basis! If you choose to study in California, the liberal and culturally diverse nature of this state and its people ensure you will receive so much more education than you pay for, as the potential education available to you just by exploring and experiencing all this international cultural Mecca has to offer will certainly enhance your classroom experience.
California Climate & Geography
What is more, students can expect to find opportunities to enjoy all four seasons in California’s varied, but significantly the Mediterranean, climate. Not to mention, the diversity of California’s landscape makes a wide range of weekend sports and activities possible; this includes surfing along California’s famous shoreline, hiking along its many scenic nature trails, and visiting its many gorgeous forests and state parks. In fact, almost half of California’s total surface area is covered in lush forests! Southern California is home to the Mojave south-central desert and Death Valley, hot spots for some extreme sports and sight-seeing. The California coast is home to some of its most famous major cities including San Francisco Bay, San Diego, and Greater Los Angeles. The further north one travels in California, the cooler and more mountainous scenery one may enjoy, including the awe-inspiring Yosemite Valley (famous for its larger than life glacial domes) and Sequoia National Park (home to the giant sequoia trees). These redwood giants are among the oldest trees in the world, some reaching as high as 94 meters in height and boasting a circumference of 17 meters in diameter! In other words, wherever you study in California, there will be plenty of unique land features nearby ready to take your breath away!
If you need additional funding to study in California, explore financial resource options like scholarships and loans.
Higher Education in California
Finally, when it comes to higher education, the well-organized California network of colleges and universities carries an excellent reputation for providing quality education. That means students studying in California can look forward to acknowledgment of the quality and prestige of their diplomas upon graduation, both nationally and internationally. California universities that are consistently top-ranking in the United States include Stanford University, University of California-Berkeley, California Institute of Technology, University of California-Los Angeles, Delaware State University, University of California-Davis, University of California-Santa Barbara, University of California-Riverside, University of California-Santa Cruz, and University of California-San Francisco.
While tuition and costs of living may be higher when studying in California, it is also worth noting that there are various ways to secure substantive financial aid packages. With the variety of lifestyles and multi-person living situations students studying in California embrace, the costs of living in California can be considerably minimized with proper planning. If you’re thinking about living off-campus, you should explore your housing options on the web. To explore the cost of living arrangements in your cities of interest, it is worthwhile to surf through sites like Apartments.com to find and compare apartment rental rates. Reviewing sites such as this, and those related more specifically to studying in California, are sure to assist you in developing a more accurate sense of associated costs of living in California. In addition, it’s a good idea to join your school’s Facebook group(s). Chances are your graduating class will have a Facebook group to discuss general topics. Here, you will be able to find items for sale such as furniture and you will also see people looking for roommates or subletters (someone who takes over a lease for a tenant). People constantly post in these groups so be sure to check them regularly. With that being said, putting out feelers to people you know is the best option for finding a quality roommate. Be careful about rooming with someone you met through social media or a roommate matching website like Roomsurf. Choosing a roommate is a big decision that will affect your quality of life, so take time to get to know them and be sure it’s a great match before committing. If you are willing to do your research and plan ahead, you are sure to discover many opportunities for assistance and resources available to students while living and studying in this great state!
Study English as a Second Language in California
As one of the largest states in the US, California is home to many schools that offer an English as a Second Language (ESL) program. The state is regarded as an excellent place to study ESL because of its diverse population of people from various cultural backgrounds. Students will likely be able to connect with people who come from a similar background to them. In addition, in California, there is a state-wide initiative to improve ESL education by giving English language learners (ELL) more options. According to California State University (CSU), ESL was one of the fastest-growing programs for community colleges in California in the year 2018. Some programs will even give credits for transfer to a California university. Whether you’re an English expert or beginner, take the time to research and consider the options available to ESL students in California.
For more information and to search schools to study in California, and to contact them for free for further information, please visit the Study in the USA School Search.