University: University of California Berkeley
City: Berkeley
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: computer science
Study type: Summer Sessions
The Beginning and Berkeley
I knew from the very beginning that this was all going to overwhelm me. It started with the taxis at the airport, the people and the weather. I found it all pretty exciting. The student town of Berkeley isn’t a big city, but it’s not a very small one either, I can confirm that;-). The University of Berkeley is one of the most beautiful universities I have ever seen in my life. The university is huge.
Each individual department on campus has its own building. The campus has a CALstore for students where every student can buy t-shirts, sweaters, hoodies, laptops and so on for humane prices. The famous sights of the university are the Sather Tower and Sather Gate. What I always found so great was that the students were selling newspapers there or also opening organic fruit and vegetable stands to sell them there as well. The university is just amazing. The lecture I attended there was very interesting for me. The American universities are known for the fact that they impart the material in a very practical way. For example, we had that Google algorithm calculates, who had the idea etc., who was there, which professors helped and so on.. Visit jibin123.com to get information about Semester Abroad In Saint Marys University.
Since I stayed at the Ihouse personally, it wasn’t far to the university either. From the outside, the I-House is not that big. But inside the building complex I had to swallow deeply and say that it is really quite big and there is enough space for everyone;-). You get to know a lot of people from all over the world, friendships are made. Coffee and cookies are on the program there every day. It was a feeling you don’t really know. The I-House still offers various trips such as Alcatraz (prison island), Los Angeles, Grand Canyon, Yosemite Park and so on. The International House also provides coffee hours and many other activities to share with residents.
San Francisco
In the vicinity of Berkeley is the beautiful metropolis of San Francisco, which can be reached very quickly and easily using the BART (TRAM). It takes about 15-20 minutes from Berkeley to San Francisco. You quickly forget the time you spend on the road because you have such a beautiful view of Oakland, the port city of San Francisco, the Bay Area, etc.. San Francisco has everything your heart desires you can eat well there, shop, nightlife, bars, lounge, Piers 39, Fisherman’s Wharf, Sausalito, last but not least The Golden Gate Bridge. I just wanted to say something about shopping. In Germany we are used to what is on the price tag, that’s what the product costs. It’s not like that in the States. I had the shock experience with my first purchase.
I actually thought that a t-shirt would cost 30 dollars, but at the checkout the tax (VAT) quickly came on top of that. That was like three dollars or four dollars and a few crushed ones. So here again all attention;-)!.
Now back to San Francisco. San Francisco is a really beautiful city located in the Bay Area of California. I was very impressed by the city, the city offers a lot of variety. It starts with the people and ends with the sights of the city. There is so much to see such as Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, China Town and so on. The tourist attraction not to be missed is Fisherman’s Wharf. Fisherman’s Wharf is like a small town right on the Bay Area with views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and the sea lions. Simply breathtaking. You have to do the sea lions;-). Very funny animals.
Overall view
It was by far the best experience I’ve ever had in my life. I can recommend it to everyone. The USA is, as has always been heard, “simply crazy”. The little things that symbolize this country so strongly are, for example, Red Bull cans in 0.65 liter cans or the 6 meter jeeps, otherwise the large portions of food and so on. Everything oversized. It’s all the way you see it on TV. I don’t know of any other country like the USA, where friends are always excited to hear and want to know everything in detail afterwards. The downside to the whole story is that San Francisco and Berkeley are pretty expensive. But who doesn’t know that metropolises and famous universities cost something. Otherwise, it’s worth the experience!.
