University: University of California Berkeley
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: International Business Administration
Study type: Summer Sessions
The choice to go to the University of California at Berkeley was already decided before the list of offered universities was fully read. The Berkeley name is associated with a tremendous reputation in business and science, and its proximity to Silicon Valley as the place for innovation and development created a strong desire to garner the experience. It was also the opportunity to get a glimpse of American student life at the end of the bachelor’s degree. Visit jibin123.com to get information about Semester Abroad In Hawaii Pacific University.
Preparation
The application and the whole process behind it went so smoothly and easily that I was completely relaxed. The all-round great advice and support from MicroEdu made a big contribution to this. I decided to take the International Business course at the Haas School of Business. Both the professor of the course, Dan Himmelstein, was rated very well, as was the course itself. Furthermore, real economics Nobel Prize winners teach at the Haas, which gives a little push again.
Why did I only choose one course? I couldn’t really assess how much was in store for me. In retrospect, however, I would take two courses. On the other hand, of course, I had my course during the day and was able to explore the city and the surrounding area in my free time. However, I would not recommend more than two courses.
Housing
After being a bit put off by International House in the reviews, I decided to look for a solution privately. I used Airbnb to search. Although I had read that some had already gotten rooms via craigslist, I feel that Airbnb is a more serious platform. After a rather boring flight, I moved into my room at “The Metropolitan”, a one-year-old private student residence, on the weekend before the course started. In hindsight, it was a very good decision, because the dormitory contained a small home cinema, lounges with a pool table and table football, as well as a huge American communal kitchen. All shared rooms were cleaned every day by cleaning staff.The absolute highlight, however, was the roof terrace with seating. Doesn’t that sound special? It was of course with Bay View including San Francisco Skyline and Golden Gate Bridge. My room was in a 4-person apartment, which means I had three roommates. I shared a large bathroom and living room/kitchen with them.
Campus
Arriving on the weekend before the course started enabled me to explore the university campus. Before that, I had already been in contact with other German students (contact through MicroEdu), so I wasn’t traveling alone. The campus can sometimes seem overwhelming. However, it is in a very nice location and sometimes steep. Anyone who also takes courses at Haas and lives on the western edge of the campus should take this into account when running. The campus is very green and the buildings look very stately. Especially when studying in the library you notice this very special atmosphere and you are aware of the place where you are studying.
Of course
International Business was just as I had imagined. If I remember correctly, we were 14 or 15 different cultures with almost 50 students. For example, we should always prepare a current article in the field of economics for every Wednesday and discuss it in small groups, after which it was presented before the course and discussed again. This may sound like a lot of repetition, but the diversity of the course has resulted in interesting discussions. Dan Himmelstein, the professor, made the rest of the lectures very informative and repeatedly incorporated his own experiences and his time in the private sector. Everything is explained in a much more capitalistic way than one is used to from German lectures. By the way, through the group work you get to know a lot of different people very quickly. Topic book list and book purchase: The books can sometimes be really expensive. My course book cost a whopping $250. Tip: Write to the lecturer whether the book is really needed in the edition. If not, order an earlier version of the book, some of which are incredibly cheaper.
Living in Berkeley
Berkeley is a real student town, with lots of small bars and cafes. But that’s really all so far. You can use your student ID, which is also your bus ticket, to go to the marina in Berkeley, but that’s the ultimate feeling. There’s definitely more to do in San Francisco, just under an hour by bus or 30 minutes by BART. Anyone who is open-minded and likes to get to know lots of people will definitely always have something to do in Berkeley. There are countless connections that also love to throw a party. It’s really like something out of a movie, but the roof of the Metropolitan was always crowded towards the end of the week.
Likewise, I recommend paying attention to International House promotions. At best, you know someone who lives in International House, because you can always join them there.
For $10 a full session, you can also use the university’s insanely large sports facilities. This includes various fitness centers, sports courses, swimming pools and tennis, squash and whatever courts. Definitely worth it.
A little tip for those over 21 and under 25: At Enterprise (car rental station) you get a refund of the young driver fee if you show your Berkeley student ID. That can really save money. The rental is super fast and is right on campus. Travel time to Yosemite is about 3-3 1/2 hours to Vegas is 8-10 hours depending on traffic, LA also because of traffic 6-7 hours. A little insider tip is Crater Lake NP in Oregon, hardly any tourists and incredibly beautiful.
Security
I had read a lot in other testimonials. You should decide the topic for yourself and use common sense to decide what to do and what not to do. Do I walk across campus alone at night? No better not. Because the campus is also wooded and unfortunately Berkeley has an extreme homeless scene. There are security posts all over campus where you can call the police in minutes. There is also a campus bus that also runs at night. If you are traveling in groups, you really have nothing to fear. I have never felt unsafe.
Conclusion
The Summer Session at UC Berkeley was an incredibly good experience that also helped me personally. Even now, three months later, I still have a lot of contact with the people I met during my time in Berkeley. Then I explored the country on vacation. With THE MUST BUY in Berkeley, of course, the University of Berkeley Hoodie. Even in New York you are still greeted with a “Go Bears”. The only correct answer to this call is:
“GO BEARS”!
