Andrii's Student Blog

Fed up with studying?

Wanna have some fun?

Go make sports! MiraCosta provides a lot of sport activities. No matter what is your gender you can participate in any sport activities you like. There are some popular activities such as: women’s soccer, men’s soccer, basketball (both gender), surfing, volleyball, and intramural sports.

It is so nice to take a break, at least once a week, and play with your sport mates.

I just have interviewed one of my friends who is fond of soccer. His name is Ismail, from Morocco. Every Friday he goes to play soccer and he loves it! that’s what he says

 (Ismail): “MiraCosta has two ways to play soccer – to join a soccer club (a professional soccer team) where you play with a fixed team, referee, etc. or you can come on Friday between 3 o’clock and play with arbitrary players without referee, etc. I, for instance, prefer to come every Friday and play with my friends, there is no restriction on your cloth, no strict rules that you have to obey, etc. It is like a street soccer where everyone is welcome to join!!! “ 

(I): “Why wouldn’t you join the professional soccer club?” 

(Ismail): “I decided not to go to the professional MiraCosta College’ s soccer only because it is a little bit tedious for me. You see… even though I am a good soccer player I don’t have good stamina. If you want to go to the professional soccer club you better be in good shape because you will run A LOT!”

(I): “What do you think is the advantage of being in MiraCosta soccer team?”

(Ismail): “Well, I would say it keeps you in shape. Soccer is not just kicking a ball but also a lot of running. Also, every semester different of colleges/universities hold tournaments with each other. For instance, you have a chance to play with UCSD, SDSU, etc.”

                                                Questions

1. Are international students permitted to work while they attend Mira Costa College?

International students (F1Visa) are allowed to work only inside their college/university but they cannot work outside of college without special permission.

If you are interested in working outside of MiraCosta follow the following:

Approval to work as an F-1 student

• You must have been an F-1 student for at least one academic year
• Your academic major at MiraCosta must include Occupational Work Experience or Internship as a course meeting a degree requirement
• You must enroll and receive a grade for a Occupational Work Experience or an Internship class during the semester that you are allowed to work
• CPT is granted for a specific job title, a specific company and for only one semester at a time. 
• You must complete Curricular Practical Training (CPT) Form and have your I-20 form approved for CPT by the IIP before you begin working.

2. What are your impressions of Mira Costa? How are the atmosphere and the community? Is it a generally nice place to live?

My impressions are very positive! It is a very nice neighborhood with very quiet area. The atmosphere is very friendly; I would even say the friendliest. If to compare MiraCosta with any other colleges in urban cities you would find that it is very clean, comfortable (very close to the ocean), and peaceful.

3. How was the Visa interview? Were they cruel? What sorts of questions did they ask you?

I remember I had the exact same question when I was about to undergo my first interview with the ambassador. I was so stressed about getting my visa (especially when my parents said that in case of failure I will have to go to the army) that I prepered a speach on the paper. Now looking back I know that my anxiety was in vain. First, ask yourself: Why Would they Be Cruel? They are interested to have you as their student. As long as you pay for your education you are fine. Just think about it in an economical way – you bring and spend money from your country and spend them in their country. It is a huge benefit for the USA economy. Second, they will ask you simple (basic) questions like “What is your purpose for coming to the USA”, “Why do you want study in the USA” etc.

4. How much flexibility will I have as far as my major at Mira Costa? Do I need to know exactly which program I need to finish when I arrive, or is it possible to change programs after the first semester?

       1) When you get accepted to college you need to visit counselor to set your major requirements. (He/She will tell you your general education requirements and major requirements courses based on transfer preferences)

2) If you are still undecided about your major, don't worry. You can do your general education classes and then figure out.

3) Yes you can change your major any time. (For example, when I first stated I thought my major to be computer science, after one semester I changed it to Finance) But you need to inform the International Office!

                                                                                    My housing experience

I live in very peaceful and quiet neighborhood. It allocates less than 5 minutes (by car) from MiraCosta or 20 minutes walking. I found this house in MiraCosta’s website for housing. I was very lucky because usually houses with a close distance to the college are scarce. In addition, you need to call at least few weeks before moving in. After I checked my room I decided that it is going to be the great house for me. I signed a contract and paid deposit. (Note: read your contract very carefully because some landlords have very peculiar rules.).

         
(my neighborhood)

  (Right next to my house; Great place to relax)

(My house)

I was very exited to move in as soon as possible, especially when my landlord had told me that I will have 2 female roommates. We easily pal up both with my roommates and landlord. My landlord is a very nice, friendly woman. Even though she is 60 something years old she appeared to be very funny and helpful. Every week she takes me to the grocery store and sometimes helps me with cooking.  Right now it is hard to recall how many different dishes we made together. For instance, we made about 5 different soups, brownie (from the scratch), variety of milkshakes, few cakes, pudding rice, and so forth.

My landlord Denise and dog Bella

Currently I live with two male roommates – Steven and Trevor.

They are very nice guys. Trevor and I are taking statistics class together. The class starts at 7 a.m. So every morning we usually wake up each other.

For the past 2 years I had three roommates and now two more. A lot of stuff happened, good and bad, funny and sad. So as you understand it is fun to live with someone else, you never get bored.

You all probably have heard about horrible violence that took place in the Connecticut and other states throughout the USA.There is a question that pops up – “Is it safe to go study to MiraCosta College?”

Speaking from my experience I say – “YES, IT IS SAFE”. For the past one and a half year I haven’t experience any violence or dangerous situations. MiraCosta College locates in a suburban area - a very calm, and peaceful area where mostly seniors and families live. Moreover, MiraCosta has its own police that always patrol the campuses.

For example, just by looking at me (or any of my friends) one may conclude that I never worry about my safety. I take both morning and evening classes. I usually walk to my place alone no matter what time it is. Every Tuesday and Thursday I go home at 8(9) p.m. and all people that I see are usually couple seniors walking their dogs.

Here is a police report for all the violation that was committed in MiraCosta for the year of 2011:

Murders – 0

Manslaughter – 0

Non-Forcible sex offences – 1

Robbery – 0 

Aggravated Assault – 0

Burglary – 0

Arson – 0

Stolen vehicles - 2

Notice: There were no reported hate crimes for the years 2009, 2010 or 2011.

Here is an advice from police - How to reduce the risk of rape and sexual assault on campus:

1. Avoid isolated or dark areas; use sidewalks. 

2. Be aware of your surroundings, know that rapes/sexual assaults occur during the day as well as during evening hours.

3. Walk with friends.

4. Keep your car doors locked at all times.

5. If you are being followed or you are not comfortable with your safety, go to a populated area.

Honestly guys there is nothing to worry about

                                                    Applicants’ questions:

        1)   How long will it take me to finish the college?

   First of all it depends on your major. For example, if you are majoring in computer technology you may expect studying 2.5 (at least) or more years. Communication- lesser. Second, it depends how diligent you are going to study. Per semester you make take exactly 12 units or all 18. So again, it depends on you and your major. 

        2)   Can I transfer from my university (in my country) to MiraCosta without loosing my previous units? 

  It is fully understandable that after studying in your country you don’t want to start from scratch. Honestly, this kind of question you will ascertain only after applying. MiraCosta may accept your units from your previous university or may not. Again, you need to apply.

        3)   Is it hard enough to study here?  

  At the very beginning (1 semester) you may find it easy. However, when you are going further, and you take, lets say, 5 or more classes you wish to go back in time to your 1 semester. What I am trying to say is the pressure of classes is doable unless you take too many classes. 

        4)   Are there seminars? 

No, lectures mainly and some laboratory classes. 

        5)   Is there homework?

Yes! All professors give you homework assignments.

        6)   Can I work while studying? 

Yes you can. International students are allowed to work inside MiraCosta College without changing visa. If you want to work outside, you have to receive special permission.

 Tips of my own

(I wish someone would had told me them when I first stated the college…)

I would like to share with you all the important knowledge that I have accumulated for the past two (three) semesters.

1) Housing 

- Whether you have a car or not always search for the place to live as close as possible to the college. It can save time as well as money.

- Follow these two websites to find a place near to MiraCosta College

a) http://www.miracosta.edu/studentservices/housing/viewrental.html

b) sandiego.craigslist.org

- Make sure that the place you had chosen is furnished; otherwise you would have to buy it.

2) How to be successful in school?

- Good planning of your day. Just keep in mind that with a well-planned day you can do more things.

- Don’t procrastinate!!! I did it last semester, guess what, my GPA went down.

- Go to the library to study.

- As you probably already heard from your professors, you should spend at least twice the time you had spent in class. Well, that’s not always true, sometimes it is less or more.

- If you stuck on something and you don’t understand the material, DON’T WAIT! GO TO PROFESSOR’S OFFICE TIME. 

3) Extracurricular activities

- Go to MiraCosta’s clubs.

- Our college provides plenty of field trips. It is a good way to make friends.

- Take up sports.

- Become a volunteer 

- Internships

I would also recommend going to the workshop and just be aware of everything that is going on in the college.

                 Time Management

A lot of students experience problem in their time schedule. It is so challenging to combine your education with work (if you have one) or home chores, and leave some time just for yourself.  However, the right time allocation can help you to do it.

    Tips:

        -       Disconnect yourself from distractions like YouTube, Facebook… until weekends.

        -       Turn off your phone and stop constantly checking for email when you study.

        -       Go to places like library where you can focus on what you are doing  

        -       Don’t expect to do everything at one day;  break down your work so that you are able to do it without depriving yourself from slumber

        -    Before going to sleep spend few minutes to write a plan for the next whole day. In the end of your day look what actually you have managed to complete. 

        -       Write down your goals for the future 

        -       Include some time for relaxation and unpredictable circumstances. 

                                                Interesting places to visit

Do you have any planes for the following winter break?

Do you want to visit interesting places?

Here is a list of things that you can do:

       1)   Birch Aquarium.

It is an amazing place where the marine life is fully open for its visitors. You would be able to observe diversity of fishes, plants and many others.

       2)   La Jolla.

This place is known to be one of the most affluent communities in the United States.

It has wonderful beaches, cultural activities, museums, art galleries, and fine restaurants. 

       3)   Seaworld in San Diego

       4)   San Diego Zoo

The San Diego Zoo is a zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California housing over 3,700 animals of more than 650 species and subspecies. It is also one of the few zoos in the world that houses the giant panda.