Know Before You Go

 Summer Contact Information

Summer Contact information will vary depending on campus location. Details will be included in a Final Bulletin that you will receive via your Summer Portal in early June. 

Top

 Transportation & Arrival Information

If your flight or train is cancelled and/or changed, please call the Summer Discovery Office at your campus location (details will be included in the Final Bulletin in early June) so we can meet you at your designated airport at the correct time. 

• Packing List: A campus specific packing will be uploaded to your Summer Portal.
• Airport Check-In: Please check in online within 24 hours of your flight.  All Summer Discovery staff members arrive on-campus one week prior to the program; therefore, there will not be a Summer Discovery representative at your home airport or on any flight. The Counselor or admin that is on site would communicate with the campus office and relay information about changes to the team on site.  
• Online Check-In and Baggage Fees: Please check-in online and pay your baggage fees within 24 hours of your departure time. If your luggage is overweight, please make sure you arrive at the airport early to pay excess bag fees. It is the student’s/parent’s responsibility to pay these fees for both their departure and return flights. 
• Arrival: Summer Discovery Resident Counselors (RCs), wearing bright blue Summer Discovery shirts and carrying Summer Discovery signs, will meet all students. Staff will greet and direct students to our charter buses/vans which will take them to the your residence hall.
  • At the airport, Summer Discovery Staff will meet students at Baggage Claim or outside Customs for international flights. 
• Transfer Arrangements: To ensure that you will be met at the airport, a copy of your itinerary must be uploaded to your Summer Discovery Summer Summer Portal no later than June 15th, 2023. 
• Airline Unaccompanied Minor Status: Take note that most airlines do not require unaccompanied minor status for students under 16 years old. Please see the website of your child’s airline for the specific requirements/policies.  
• If the airline carrier requires unaccompanied minor status for your child: 
  • Contact the Summer Discovery office on-campus the day before departure to find out which Summer Discovery staff member will meet your child at the airport. This is the only name you should include when requesting unaccompanied minor status for your child.
  • DO NOT give the airline a specific name until you speak to the Summer Discovery office on-campus.
  • DO NOT give the name of the Campus Specialist on any Unaccompanied Minor form as they WILL NOT be at the airport on arrival day.
  • Any additional fees must be paid at the airport by the parent when leaving for campus, and by the student upon their departure from campus. 
• Driving to Campus: You will receive information about exactly where to drop off students via your summer portal.
  • Cars: Students may not have a car on campus and may not drive to campus on their own.  
• Food for Thought: The first meal served on-campus will be dinner the day of arrival; the last meal served on-campus will be breakfast on the day of departure. 

Top

On-Campus Information

• Course Schedules: Students are provided course schedules upon arrival; they are not available prior. Calculators, laptops and other items will not be provided by Summer Discovery or the instructor. Be prepared for class by bringing a notebook, pens and backpack/book bag. Laptops are required for your program. No courses may be changed without written parental permission.
• Computer Internet Access: Students are required to bring their laptop as wireless internet access is available in all student rooms, and laptops may be required for class.  
• Towels and Linens:  Towels and linens are subject to change based on campus location. You will recieve a campus specific packing list via your Summer Portal prior to your arrival. 
• Spending Money: As a guide, we recommend students have approximately $75 to $125 a week available for spending money. Do not bring or keep large amounts of cash. The Summer Discovery office is unable to cash checks, and there are no safes available in the rooms or the Summer Discovery office. 
• Cell Phones Required with US Number: All students are required to have a working cell phone with a data plan. Summer Discovery staff need to be able to communicate with students at all times while on the program. Prior to arriving on campus, please download BAND from your phone’s app store. Upon arrival and check-in, students will be asked to join their campus specific BAND for communication and notifications while on campus. 
• Motorized Scooters and Motorized Bikes: Students cannot bring, rent, or ride motorized scooters or motorized bikes at any time, on or off-campus. Non-motorized scooters are permitted; however, a helmet is required. 
• Daily Bulletins: Students and parents have access to Daily Bulletins on campus describing the activities and events for the upcoming days. Students and parents can access these each day through a link that will be shared prior to your students arrival.
• Forms Reminder: Ensure that you have submitted all of your campus forms. You may access any necessary forms during the summer by going to your Summer Discovery Summer Portal. Please Note: All forms MUST be completed prior to arrival or you will not be able to check-in.  
• Rooming: Rooming assignments will be provided the first day of the program, not before. Mutual requests will be honored. Requests for room type preference are subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed.  
• The Roommate Bill of Rights Most students have roommates or suitemates. Common courtesy and tolerance will make you a great roommate and ensure that every student has: 
  • The right to sleep and study free from undue interference in one’s own room.
  • The right to expect that a roommate will respect one’s personal belongings.
  • The right to a clean environment in which to live.
  • The right to free access to one’s room/suite without the pressure from a roommate.
  • The right to privacy.
  • The right to be free from fear of intimidation, physical and/or emotional harm.
  • The right to be free from peer pressure or ridicule if one’s lifestyle choices differ from one’s roommate.   
• Visitors & Getting Signed Out to go Off-Campus: All visitors must be indicated on the student’s Off-Campus/Overnight Visitation form. If a visitor needs to be added to the form, please contact the Summer Discovery office at your campus location (details will be included in the Final Bulletin in early June), and you will be sent a digital form to complete. For a student to leave campus, visitor(s) must come to the Summer Discovery office on campus with a valid Driver’s License/Photo I.D. and the student and sign the student out. To return to campus, students must be back no later than 10:30PM and be signed in with the visitor(s) that signed the student out. Students cannot be signed out during class times. If a student is signed out for an overnight visit, the student must return to campus on-time for their classes. Please note, NO visitors (including parents/guardians) are allowed on the floors or in student rooms, INCLUDING on arrival/departure days. If a student gets into a car with an unauthorized person at any point, it will result in removal from the program.  
• UCSB Visitors & Getting Signed Out to go Off-Campus: Visitors & Getting Signed Out to go Off-Campus. Students who are part of the SRA and RMP program are not allowed to get signed out throughout the duration of the program. In the case of an emergency, those requests will be evaluated and approved on a case-by-case basis and only individuals on emergency contacts will be allowed to pick up students. Parents are welcome to visit students on campus, but keep in mind that this is an academically rigorous program and students will be busy a large portion of the time.
• Off-Campus Visitation: Visitor(s) must be 21 years or older to sign a student out.  
• Overnight Visitation: Visitor(s) must be 25 years or older to sign a student out overnight.  
• Tuition is Non-Refundable: There are no refunds once the program commences for any reason. This includes, but is not limited to tuition, room and board, all supplements and fees for excursions.  

Top

 COVID-19

All COVID-19 policies are subject to change. Please see our COVID-19 Updates for more.