University: University of California Los Angeles
City: Los Angeles
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: economics
Study type: Summer Sessions
In the land of unlimited opportunities
When you arrive in the second most populated city in the United States, you first have to adjust to the incredible size of this city. It’s teeming with taxis, bus services and busy people. At first glance, this hustle and bustle seems very strange, because it is 3 a.m. in the morning.
With the shuttle taxi in the direction of Westwood – in a pleasant price range of around $15 and no problem if you have the exact address of your accommodation ready. It is also possible to experience this trip by bus, but this is not recommended for the first trip. Visit existingcountries.com to get information about Universitat Autonoma De Barcelona student review 2.
Once the accommodation has been found, be it in the Saxon Suites in Riber Hall in other various accommodations on campus or a self-organized off-campus apartment, you can prepare for room sharing. This may be a bit unfamiliar at the beginning, but it can be very helpful, especially for the next actions.
From shopping for coffee to an evening lunch, everything is within reach in Westwood. Life is cheaper when you go shopping and prepare your own food if possible. However, the various canteens and cafeterias on campus are not to be scoffed at and a welcome change for the coming study days.
The first week is full of new impressions and important courses. A visit to the Health Care Office and the Bruin Card Office (to obtain the official student card) is essential.
It’s basically very impressive, the UCLA campus is the size of a small town and houses everything your heart desires, from bruin shops to burger joints. With its brick construction, the main building and the library are reminiscent of European city libraries.
What is striking is the clear and unmistakable way the local/regular students express their affiliations with UCLA. Shirts, sweaters, shorts are printed with UCLA slogans or sports team affiliations. This expresses a kind of togetherness that I was not familiar with from German student life. This feeling is even greater in the local fraternities, who also clearly show their Greek letters on shirts.
I also quickly realized that the UCLA economics faculty’s approach to teaching differed significantly from my experience. Many facts are explained in a simpler way and in many cases presented in diagrams. The material presented in the lessons is queried in homework and deepened by further texts. Additional reading is also recommended in most courses, but this is not really necessary, especially since it is not very cheap in order to be able to follow the material. After a few weeks of learning, intermediate exams are written, which, like the homworks, count towards the final grade of the course. Here, too, it takes some getting used to the fact that the performances are compared with the other students in percentage points.
Life after learning and studying is also very interesting. Los Angeles is a city that unfortunately can hardly be explored on foot. The university has set up a Bruinsbus shuttle for this purpose, which drives to the important points on campus upon presentation of the Bruincard. The city can be accessed with various bus lines. The most important lines to Hollywood, Santa Monica, Vanice, Palms and the airport run right down from the campus. The rides on these buses normally cost $1, as a student (not during summer quarters) $0.50.
Sideseeing on the beaches is part of every good degree. The Santa Monica Pier can be reached by bus in about 30 minutes and is an absolute must in the first few days.
Another facet of the city and student life at UCLA is that there’s 24-hour shopping, lots of celebrations, and a few movie premieres. It is good to get to know locals as quickly as possible, who can show you the various options.
Most important and last information, leave the alcohol packed on the street, buy it as early as possible in the evening, because after 2 a.m. nobody is sold anymore and otherwise you will feel comfortable at UCLA. Of course, I’m happy to answer any questions you may have, just contact me. From my own experience, I can give you some advice along the way, if you need help on site, MicroEdu is always there to help with these things.
