To anticipate the most important thing: My summer at UC Berkeley was an unforgettable, great time with lots of experiences and new experiences! And if you want to experience this time too, then I can only advise you to organize your summer session through MicroEDU – very nice and everything runs stress-free!
I spent a total of three months in Berkeley with…
….Reside
During my summer session I lived in the “Unit 2 Residence Halls” in a double room in the “Cunningham Building”. The buildings in which the students of the summer session are housed don’t look very nice from the outside, but everything is quite clean and the atmosphere among the residents is good. You quickly get to know the people from your dormitory at the many “socials” organized by the Residence Halls team. French, Finns, Mexicans, Indians, Koreans, Italians, Chinese and also Americans lived on my floor (there are 8 in total) during the three months, so it was pretty international. Each floor has its own bathroom with a sufficient number of individual showers and sinks. In contrast to the rooms, the floors are not always separated by gender, but nobody really had a problem with that. As a rule, the bathrooms are cleaned every day by very cheerful and friendly cleaners. You have to keep your room clean yourself, for which vacuum cleaners are available. Visit mcat-test-centers.com to get information about vocational education in Norway.
In my first 4 weeks I was lucky enough to have a double room to myself because my roommate did not show up. After that I lived with a Korean who was unfortunately very unsure of the English language and – like unfortunately many Asians – stayed with his own kind all the time. Since other cultures apparently have very different ideas about when to sleep, you should agree on rest times with your “room-mate”. There are plenty of opportunities to learn or meet people in the Residence Halls. Every second floor has a “study lounge” and in the inner courtyard there is also enough space inside and outside to either be quiet or not to disturb anyone when it gets louder.
The Unit 2 Residence Halls are located on the south side of the campus and if you don’t have to go all the way to the other side, every building can be reached on foot in 15 minutes.
Yes, food was a generally popular topic. As a resident of the Residence Hall, you get “Mealpoints” for the Unimensa “Crossroads” included in the price. There is a more or less extensive buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you don’t set your own standards too high and ignore one or the other bad day, then there should actually be something enjoyable for every taste. There is definitely always a large selection of muesli and a salad bar. In addition, there was almost always really fresh fruit (strawberries, bananas, melons…) on offer. You can also spend your “Mealpoints” in the “Golden Bears” (a kind of small supermarket with a bistro) or at “Peets” in a cafe. There is also a very large selection of restaurants in Berkeley. The following are particularly recommended and quite inexpensive: “Gypsies”, “Smart Alex” and “Noahs Bagels”. My culinary highlight, however, was “Jamba Juice”, a kind of Starbucks for smoothies (these pure fruit drinks).
…To study
I took the courses “Phil 3: The Nature of Mind” and “PACS 10: Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies” at UC Berkeley. I was particularly enthusiastic about the “Peace and Conflict Studies” course and if the professor (Francesca Giovaninni) teaches a course again next summer, then I can only recommend it! However, I also had to change my schedule twice because I signed up for too many courses at the beginning. Under no circumstances should you take more than the minimum requirement for “Units”! At least in the courses that I have chosen, you are already busy, especially if you want to do something on the weekend. In both courses, two longer essays and a final exam were written. If you find it difficult to write in English, this is helped free of charge by tutors in the “Student Learning Center”. But even so, it is a good tip to have your essays read through there before submitting them. An American “paper” is very different in style and structure from what we ask for! The level was quite high in both courses, but if you allocate your time well (especially for reading), you can manage it. In general, I can only recommend everyone not to be afraid to speak to the professor or the GSI (Graduate Student Instructor) directly if they have any questions or problems. They are really very helpful and friendly! what is required of us! The level was quite high in both courses, but if you allocate your time well (especially for reading), you can manage it. In general, I can only recommend everyone not to be afraid to speak to the professor or the GSI (Graduate Student Instructor) directly if they have any questions or problems. They are really very helpful and friendly! what is required of us! The level was quite high in both courses, but if you allocate your time well (especially for reading), you can manage it. In general, I can only recommend everyone not to be afraid to speak to the professor or the GSI (Graduate Student Instructor) directly if they have any questions or problems. They are really very helpful and friendly!
…Celebrate
There isn’t too much going out culture in Berkeley itself. At most, the “Blakes on Telegraph”, as a music bar, is a good meeting place in the evening. Of course, San Francisco has a lot more to offer. With the BART (the Bayarea train) you can get there very quickly (less than 30 minutes). It takes a little longer by bus – it’s free. Otherwise you should make friends as quickly as possible with a Berkeley student who knows where the frat parties take place. Anyone who has ever seen an American teenage film actually knows exactly how it works. Certainly a matter of taste, but you should have seen it!
…Travel
When it comes to traveling, it should be said in advance that in America you really have to think in other dimensions. Even if it looks like Los Angeles is right next door on a map, it takes around 6-8 hours by car (depending on the traffic). That’s why I flew to Los Angeles. I paid $ 200 for the flight, but you can certainly get something cheaper if you book earlier. Otherwise, there is a trip to Las Vegas or Yosemite National Park. In my experience, however, there is generally no need for a lot of planning in advance. Usually there is a nice travel community on site!
So… I hope that I was able to give a good first impression of the UC Berkeley Summer Session and I wish everyone who now decides to spend a summer in Berkeley a lot of fun and a great time in the Bayarea!
