Exchange University: California State Polytechnic University Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona)
1 semester autumn(fall) 2013
What department do you study in at Strathclyde?
Mechanical Engineering
Which classes did you enrol in at the host university?
KIN 120A Beginning Aikido
KIN 126A Soccer
ME 311 Fluid Mechanics
ME316 Intermediate Dynamics
ME 325 Machine Design
ME325L Machine Design Lab
Did you find the classes difficult/easy?
Apart from soccer and aikido I found the classes very difficult, it was my own fault since I chose
classes that were designed for 4th and 5th year students rather than for a 3rd year student like
me. I thought they would allocate class codes for the level of the class like strathclyde does so be
careful when choosing classes and make sure to ask if the classes are suitable for you.
I would say the quality of classes and lecturers were of the same standard as strathclyde which is
very good especially for engineering but the teaching and grading style were very different. All of
the classes in Cal Poly are held in small classrooms like in high school rather than in big lecture
halls which means that you are able to have more interaction with your lecturer. There is more
emphasis on midterm class tests in the USA when compared with the UK, final exams are only
worth 40% of your total grade while the rest is made up of midterms and homework
assignments. This was a big change for me because I had to keep up date with my work more
than I would have to at strathclyde.
Where did you stay?
I stayed in the university village which is an apartment complex right next to the main campus.
There are other places to stay at Cal Poly but they recommend that exchange students stay in the
village rather than the on campus dorms and suites since the village is a lot cheaper. It's a 10-15
minute walk from the village to the main buildings or a 5 minute bus ride. The bus service is free
and there is a bus every 15-20 minutes. There are 3 choices of rooms to stay in and they are all
differently priced depending on whether you share a room with somebody else or have a single
room to yourself. I chose a phase 1 room which meant I shared a room with somebody which
wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, I got on really well with my roommates. The different
phases range from $640-$790 per month and they are $100 cheaper during the summer. The
rooms and the whole university village were well equipped. The rooms came with all the basic
amenities including a kitchen, 2 bathrooms and Wi-Fi. The village also had a pool, basketball
court ,and free to use washing machines and dryers.
Food Arrangements
There are meal plans available if you stay in the university dorms or suites but the university
village is self-catering since the rooms come with kitchens. It is highly recommended that you
make friends with someone who owns a car or rent one yourself since it is very difficult to get
around California without one. The USA is a very widely spaced out country so it is necessary to
have a car to go anywhere including to the supermarket. There are small shops and restaurants
on campus that sell food but they are slightly overpriced, going to the big supermarkets out of
town is much better since they are a lot cheaper and they have a massive selection of food.
Insurance
I was able to apply for travel insurance through strathclyde for free so I was covered for the
flights to and from California but it did not cover me on campus. Cal Poly requires you to
purchase health insurance, I bought this through the university since it was the cheapest and
easiest option for me. You can buy your own insurance with another company which will provide
more cover but it is up to you, I figured that the insurance they recommended would be best
since it covers all the criteria they want from an insurance plan.
Cost of Travel
Flights to and from California cost about £750-£850 depending on how early you book the flights.
I booked flights with British airways which cost £750, the overall journey took 19hours because I
had to stop off in London and Dallas before landing finally in California. I decided to fly to Ontario
airport (ONT) rather than LAX since it was a lot closer to Cal Poly which meant it was a lot easier
to get there. When I landed in Ontario I got a shuttle bus straight to campus but it is possible to
get a regular bus as well (get the 61 to Pomona then the 482 to Cal Poly). The bus service is very
cheap in California but they are also very slow and infrequent, it costs about $1.50 for a single.
To get to Los Angeles from Cal Poly by car it takes roughly 45 minutes, to get there by bus it takes
about 2 and a half hours which is quite frustrating but I made that journey by bus many times
and it was definitely worth it.
Cost of textbooks
Textbooks are very expensive in the USA, they can range from $100-$250 to buy and/or rent.
Make sure they are necessary to own before you buy them because for some classes you don't
need them at all but for others they are completely necessary since you will need to use them for
open book class tests. Check Amazon, ebay and any other websites for cheaper options because I
was able to get a $200 textbook for $30 online which is a massive saving.
Visa application
Exchange students travelling to the USA are required to travel to a US embassy in London or
Belfast to obtain a visa. You will have a very short interview in the embassy about where and why
you are travelling to the USA and then you will have your fingerprints scanned. Security in the
embassy is very high, they will not let anyone in with any electronic devices including mobile
phones and car keys etc and you are not allowed to bring a back pack either. You are required to
bring your passport and other documents that Cal Poly will send to you. I decided to go to the
London embassy so that I could visit the rest of London afterwards.
Sports Facilities
The most popular sports in the university are baseball, soccer, volleyball and basket ball so if you
enjoy any of these there are lots of places for you to play. There is also a large sports centre
being built in Cal Poly just now that will be finished in late 2014 that will include large swimming
pools, a gym and an indoor running track. If you want to play any sports competitively or just for
fun you can join an intramural team and play against other Cal Poly students.
Unlike other American universities Cal Poly does not have an American football team so if you
want to watch American football you'll have to go to one of the universities in Los Angeles.
Social activities
There are lots of clubs and groups to join at Cal Poly, there is usually a big fair where all the
groups can give you information on how to sign up for them. There is also usually something
going on at the rec centre in the university village where they will hold various social events. The
legal drinking age in the USA is 21 so if you are under 21 I would recommend that you try to
avoid drinking in public or anywhere at all since you can be fined and/or jailed for drinking
underage. I found that there were a lot more parties going on in the USA when compared with
the UK, if you have friends you should ask to come along with them to parties since they are a
great way to meet new people and have fun.
You can also join a fraternity or sorority when you are in Cal Poly, I'm still not entirely sure what
they are all about but they are basically a social club that you have to pay to be a part of, with
the money they host various parties and events.
Any other information you may wish to share with future study abroad candidates?
The three months I spent in California were some of the best months of my life. I would highly
recommend anyone to go on an exchange program to USA especially Cal Poly since there is so
much to see and do. I chose Cal Poly because I wanted to study somewhere with brilliant
weather, it is right next to Los Angeles so there is a lot to see and do and it is possible to travel to
other places like San Diego and San Francisco, and because I wanted to experience living in
America. I also got to meet a lot of people and make friends with Americans and other
international students. Being an international student is brilliant, people are genuinely interested
to hear about where you are from and having a "foreign" accent is a really good conversation
starter. I also got to experience lots of things that other people will likely never do in their whole
lifetime like driving a Lamborghini or flying from Los Angeles to San Francisco and over the
golden gate bridge (my roommate happened to be a pilot) so you never know what you will get
to do.
If you have any questions you can email me at:
ewan.wilson.2013@uni.strath.ac.uk