International Education Center - Santa Monica College

Join the IEC for an exciting field trip to LACMA!
 
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is the largest art museum in the western United States and is home to more than 140,000 objects that span centuries! 🏺🖼
 
Connect with fellow SMC international students as you explore this world-renowned museum and snap a photo at the iconic “Urban Light” street lamp installation. 🤳 Don’t miss out on this cultural adventure!
 
📌 Details on the event:
• What: International Education Center field trip to LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art)
• Free admission and transportation to the museum provided by the IEC
• Where: We will meet at the IEC office, then depart together via shuttle to the museum
• When: Thursday, September 19, 2024 from 11:00 AM-3:30 PM
 
 
📌 How to reserve your spot (required)
• This event is free!! But a refundable $10 cash deposit is required to reserve your spot.
• Come to the IEC office (located on the 3rd floor of the Student Services Center, Main Campus) to sign up and reserve your spot- please bring $10 in exact cash!
• Upon arriving at LACMA, your deposit will be returned to you.
 
Can’t wait to see you there! 🙃

⏰ Reminder! ⏰ Today is the Fall 2024 semester overseas application deadline! If you are an international student applying to SMC and are not currently studying in the U.S., make sure to pay your application fee by midnight tonight (PST) and submit the required documents as soon as possible to ensure entry into the upcoming Fall term.

If you are an international student currently studying within the U.S, the Fall 2024 transfer application deadline is 🗓️ Thursday, August 1st.

‼️Note: If you miss the Fall 2024 application deadlines, we encourage you to email the IEC at [email protected] to inquire about working with an admissions coach to apply for the Fall term.

Campus will be closed (including the IEC office) and no classes will be in session tomororw, July 4th, in honor of the U.S. Independence Day! ❤️🇺🇸💙

Happy first day of the Summer 2024 term! ☀️REMINDER: campus will be closed and no classes will be in session this Wednesday, June 19th in recognition of the Juneteenth holiday ❤️💛💚🖤

As a community college, SMC provides the first two years of American university education to help you get where you want to be.
We are the #1 school to transfer to the UC system- that includes schools like UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, and more!

We are also #1 in transfers to private schools like USC, and LMU.

You may be asking yourself:

• What is a community college?
A community college is a two year school that offers a number of certificates and associate’s degrees, which typically take two years or less to complete. A bachelors degree typically takes four years to complete in the United States, so many students either do their first two years at SMC and then transfer to a university to complete the final two years, or complete a certificate or associate degree program only at SMC.

• What are just a few of the benefits of attending a community college like Santa Monica College first?
- Increases your chances of getting into a 4 year school
- Can be less intimidating to try out different classes, potential degrees, and US college life
- Is much more affordable than several nearby 4 year schools — Average full-time tuition and fees: $9,111 (Comparison: UCLA & UC Berkeley annual average is $64,300)

It’s the last day of Passover!

Repost from : We wish you a to all who celebrate, from all of us at SMC!

On April 11, a group of SMC International students visited the Huntington Botanic Gardens near Pasadena for a Spring Break excursion. They explored the lush gardens, full of Springtime flowers and foliage, under the beautiful Southern California sun! ☀️

Even better, they got up-close to the rare art on display in the historical museums there too!

Have you been to the Huntington?

Join us on a fun day trip to the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena! The Huntington Gardens house over 150,000 plant varieties on 120 acres. The Huntington opened its doors over a century ago in 1919, when Henry and Arabella Huntington turned their private estate into the beautiful Garden and Library that it is today. It feels like stepping into an old world vibe with almost endless amount of rich cultural objects and plants to see. Another reason to visit is to enjoy the gorgeous Sakura bloom at the Japanese Garden, because it is Cherry Blossom season!

The visit will be on Thursday April 11th, from 9:00AM - 3:00PM

Sign ups are first come, first serve while supplies last for our International Student Community Exclusively. Please visit the International Education Center to sign up, and make sure to bring:
1) SMC student ID or Passport
2) $10 US dollars Cash (will be refunded day of event)

If you have any questions, you can also visit our Activities Page at:
https://www.smc.edu/student-support/international-education/activities-events.php

Or reach out to us at:
email: [email protected]
phone: (310) 754-5063

Check out our Spring 24' Beach Day Photo 📸 Album!
It was a beautiful sunny ☀️ day by the Santa Monica Pier Beach, there were games, Volleyball, great conversations, forging of new connections and friendships, delicious burgers and a ton of fun!

We invite you to keep an eye out for our upcoming International Student Events and Activities for future opportunities to socialize, make new friends and get to see more of the great places Los Angeles has to offer.

😁 Happy International Day of Happiness!
Today is a day to celebrate all the little wins, joys and things. The mundane day to day things that help us feel happy. Remember joy is contagious, feel free to share. How will your celebrate or mark the occasion today?
Share in the comments below 👇🏾

Happy Nowruz from IEC!
Nowruz commemorates the Persian New Year. It is a day to be with family while enjoying delicious feasts. A common ritual is the symbolic tossing of sprouts into flowing water to signify a break with the past year. On the final day of Nowruz, picnicking in the countryside and discarding sprouts into moving water mark a fresh start amidst the changing seasons.

Happy Pi Day!
Every year on March 14th March 14th we celebrate Pi Day around the 🌎
Pi, expressed using its Greek symbol “π”, is used in mathematics to represent a constant , the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter , which is approximately 3.14159. Every year we take the opportunity to celebrate by:
1)Reciting the infinite digits of Pi if you are a math enthusiast,
2)Eat Pie 🥧 if you are a foodie without a mathematical inclination or
3)Recite the infinite digits of Pi while eating Pie 🥧 (because why not?)

In honor of Pi Day the IEC would like to share its very first swipe left to see them all!

Pi has been calculated to over 50 trillion digits beyond its decimal point, that is a lot of calculating 🧮 😅!

As an irrational and transcendental 💫 #, it will continue infinitely ♾️ without repetition or pattern. While only a handful of digits are needed for typical calculations, pi’s infinite ♾️ nature makes it not just a unicorn 🦄 number, but also a fun challenge to memorize, and to computationally calculate more and more digits if you are into Numerical challenges 😊

📅Tuesday March 12th is a Faculty Flex Day, as well as Professional Development Day 💫 for SMC Staff. Classes will not be in session and all SMC offices will be closed.
Enjoy your day off! 🏖️

If you have any questions please send them to [email protected], and we will respond on March 13th when we resume regular operations.

Ramadan Kareem!

Ramadan is considered one of the holiest months of the year for Muslims . During Ramadan, people of the Muslim faith, commemorate the revelation of the Qur’an, and fast from food 🍽️ and drink 🥛 during the ☀️ sunlit hours. The fasting practice is a means of coming closer to God and cultivating gratitude, self-control and compassion. Ramadan is a month of spiritual rejuvenation with a focus on devotion, during which Muslims spend extra time reading the Qur’an and performing special prayers 🤲🏽.

Nyepi, is a Balinese holiday commemorating the Saka New Year, it is also known as the “Bali Day of Silence,” 🤫 , which is observed following the new moon in March. The island comes to a standstill for 24 hours, with no lights, music, nor noise; transport is halted, and everyone must stay at home🏡. This year celebrates the year 1944 of the Saka calendar 📅 year, it is a time for meditation 🧘🏽‍♂️ and self-purification. Nyepi is a deeply spiritual time of self-reflection.

The IEC Staff at Santa Monica College wishes you a wonderful and self-nurturing Balinese New Year!

It's that time of the year! Join us for Spring 24 Beach day fun on March 8th! Come by the office and sign up (while supplies last) for a free Burger! Only a few slots left...Don't miss out!

We will be meeting at Santa Monica Beach by the pier on Friday March 8th at 11:30am. If you sign up for a free burger please plan to arrive on time, as we can't guarantee that there will be food left after 12pm. We will be where the big blue Santa Monica College Tents Are. Bring a jacket just in case it get a little chilly.