University: University of California Berkeley
City: Berkeley
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: business administration
Study type: Summer Sessions
Hello, everyone!
Unlike most of the students I met during my summer semester at Berkeley, I’m currently a student. After the summer holidays, I’ll attend grade 13 and then do my Abitur in the spring. Since I already know that I want to study business administration, I decided to gain some study experience during the summer holidays and to improve my English. In addition, I get credit for the courses later in my studies and no longer have to take them. Visit mcat-test-centers.com to get information about University of Winnipeg.
Given that I was an exchange student in the San Francisco Bay Area two years ago, I already knew the university from hearsay. Family members who studied there themselves have always raved to me about the liberal spirit there. Since I also wanted to spend a lot of time with my host family and old high school friends alongside my studies, I deliberately did not live on campus, but found accommodation with my former host family in nearby Alameda. As a Berkeley student you can use the bus for free, so I used it every morning.
So, now to the two courses I took. Both the Marketing and the Organizational Behavior course confirmed my decision to study business administration. To my own surprise, the workload was very manageable and the fun factor was higher than expected. My professors were great and made the lessons very unconventional. Not infrequently they made the whole lecture hall laugh with their sense of humour. The work was always very practice-oriented, i.e. with many case studies. In particular, the videos and cartoons used as media have greatly enriched the lessons. Group work was a big part of my final grades. Even without study experience, the content was easy to follow. I didn’t find it too difficult finish with top marks. On the contrary.
I recommend everyone to take part in the activities offered by the International House. Unfortunately, many do not know that for only €10 you can use the pools and gyms on campus all summer long. Even yoga and Pilates courses can then be taken. If you’re a fan of Indian and Thai food, you’ll love Berkeley’s gastronomy. One has the impression that each country is represented here with its own restaurant. This multicultural feeling is also reflected in other areas. One or the other will be surprised how many different ethnicities study at Berkeley. Homemade jewellery, dream catchers and local items are sold on the roadside by vendors from all over the world. You should also know in advance that the people in Berkeley are conspicuously liberal and also alternative. What I’m trying to say is that you can definitely tell that the city was once one of the centers of the hippie movement in the 1970s.
In my opinion, the things you can do as a tourist in the greater Bay Area are extremely diverse. San Francisco has so much to offer that you could easily spend several days just sightseeing there. Anyone who would like to try Californian wine is in the right place in the Napa wine region. I can also recommend Lake Tahoe and Yosemite to nature lovers. Lake Tahoe is just a three-hour drive away. For a day trip to the beach, Half Moon Bay, Pismo Beach, Santa Cruz and Camel, among others, are very interesting. From my own experience I know that Southwest Airlines offer very cheap flights from Oakland to Los Angeles and also to San Diego. If you have the opportunity, you should also consider a small road trip there.
Finally, something about my support from MicroEdu. I applied in March. After that everything went very, very quickly and within two weeks I received my confirmation from the university. Whenever I had questions, they helped me gladly and immediately. I was surprised that the registration process was so uncomplicated and not very time-consuming, i.e. hardly any forms had to be filled out and so on. Looking back, I am incredibly happy that I took the opportunity to do a summer semester. I had a great time, met a lot of new people, saw a lot and also gained experience for my later studies. It’s great when learning can be so much fun!
