Lottie Harold – Geography – University of California, Los Angeles – United States Well, it’s time for the blog I couldn’t even imagine writing when I started applying for the Go Abroad process TWO YEARS ago! As a Global Ambassador, I have been helping out at UoM’s Go Abroad fair, as well as information sessions for prospective students, and it’s great to see everyone so excited about applying and going on their year abroad! I remember sitting there, desperately wanting to get into California but trying to be realistic and telling myself it probably wouldn’t happen! Don’t be put off, APPLY!!!

Lottie Harold – Geography – University of California, Los Angeles – United States If you’ve ever wondered what going to college in America is like here’s a brief tour to explain! UCLA originally started life as the southern branch of UC Berkeley, before being renamed to the University of California, Los Angeles. UCLA now receives 120,000 applications a year (the most of any US university) and currently has 45,000 students!

Lottie Harold – Geography – University of California, Los Angeles – United States I decided before leaving for UCLA that I wanted to spend the whole year abroad to get the most out of my experience, so instead of going home for Christmas my boyfriend came to me! We hired a car with a fold-out bed in the back and set out on our two-week 1500 mile journey around California. Here are some of the highlights:

Lottie Harold –  Geography – University of California, Los Angeles – United States Everyone says your year abroad will be the greatest year of your life. That in mind, I went to UCLA with the expectation that every moment would be pure bliss, I’d be constantly happy, and I’d have made new best friends for life instantly. Of course this didn’t happen. And when it didn’t, a million questions started circling my head: Have I made the right decision? Have I just wasted all this time and money to come here and not be happy? Why does everyone seemed to have settled in so much better than I have? It…

Lottie Harold –  Geography – University of California, Los Angeles – United States Having spent all of the previous day hysterically clinging onto my boyfriend and telling myself I didn’t want to go, when the plane touched down on Saturday I knew I was going to have a fantastic year. Saturday was a mad rush, after leaving the airport at 3pm, Josh, another UoM student, and I waited for a SuperShuttle to UCLA. With 7 different stop offs before ours we ended up getting a tour of LA by taxi and talking to the guy sat next to us about the Roast of Rob Lowe – turns out he wrote…