University of California Berkeley Review (12)

University of California Berkeley Review (12)

North America

University: University of California Berkeley

City: Berkeley

Country: United States

Continent: North America

Study type: Summer Sessions

When I was a student, I never took the opportunity to do a semester abroad, although it always appealed to me. A good friend of mine visited UC Berkeley five years ago over the summer and reported so many good things about it that the university and the stories stayed in my head for a long time. After my masters degree and two years working at a daily newspaper I wanted a change in my life and so I decided to do a Summer Session on MicroEdu. At the beginning I didn’t know where I was going to end up. The offer was huge and one thing was clear from the start – I really wanted to do the Summer Session in America. Visit jibin123.com to get information about Semester Abroad In University of California Irvine.

My decision to go to UC Berkeley was very easy for me. For one thing, I’ve always wanted to go to California and especially San Francisco and the university sounded perfect to me for the qualifications, education and all the other activities around campus. With MicroEdu, applying to the university, choosing the courses and applying for the student visa was no problem. With every question I always received a very helpful answer within a few days. I chose two courses – Information of History and English as a Second Language: Sports and Games.
Finding an apartment was a bit more difficult. It was only with Craigslist that I found a room in a private apartment because all the dormitories were full. The apartment was only a 5 minute walk from campus and in good weather you could see the Golden Gate Bridge from the window.

Anyone who decides to go to Berkeley, whether for a semester, the summer session or even longer, is making a good choice. The city has a charm all of its own and the campus is stunning. Everywhere cafes invite you to study and meet friends. There are many leisure activities and everything can be reached on foot. Whether going to the cinema, eating out, the subway station (Bart), sports center (CalRecSport Center), tennis courts, soccer field, shopping and much more. A variety of buses travel further afield, and San Francisco is a 20-minute subway ride or an hour’s ride on the F bus.

The university extends over a large campus, which is filled with green spaces, cafes and of course the Sather Tower and Sather Gate. Found everywhere – The squirrels of Berkeley. Very trusting and curious and a real landmark of the city. The campus always seems to be bustling with life during the day, but at any time you can find a quiet spot to study or relax. A must for any Berkeley visitor and especially student is the stunning and beautiful Doe Library – the university library. The classes at UC Berkeley were very experiential and educational. Extraordinary activities with the class, such as going to a baseball game, were also included. The professors were all very helpful and kind and encouraged each student to to get the most out of his time at university. With a midterm, a final test and a lot of homework, you received your final grade at the end.

Sather Gate takes you straight to THE street in Berkeley – Telegraph Avenue. Here you will not only find shops for shopping, cafes, restaurants but also bars such as Pappy’s Grill and Sports Bar or Kips where you can party in the evenings in addition to the sports broadcasts on TV, especially on weekends. You can also go to San Francisco to celebrate (preferably with UBER, as the drivers are nicer here and it is usually cheaper than a normal taxi). When partying in America, however, you have to remember that you can only enter the club/bar at the age of 21 and that you easily have to pay over 20 dollars and more for admission, especially in big cities.

Also very impressive are the California Memorial Stadium, the Haas Pavilion, Strawberry Creek and The Big C with the view of Berkeley. The weather in Berkeley is very European, which is hard to believe in California. And a road trip with friends on State Route 1 (Highway 1) is a must.

I would describe my time at Berkeley as one of the best. I met wonderful and interesting people from different nationalities and I wouldn’t want to miss the time and I would always take the chance to go to UC Berkeley for a summer session.

University of California Berkeley Review (12)