University: University of California Riverside
City: Riverside
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: business administration
Study type: semester abroad
“Riverside is comparable to a donut hole, it contains nothing but is however surrounded by everything.” That’s how my fun-loving roommate and Riverside resident (born and raised) was able to describe the ambivalent situation of the medium-sized city of Riverside in Riverside County. If you are looking for a big, exciting, diverse and beautiful city for a possible stay abroad, Riverside is actually a bad choice. In addition to the renowned UCR University (it’s not the only one in town), the city doesn’t have much to offer apart from countless fast food restaurants, two malls and a dubious but worthwhile Irish pub. So if you’re longing for beach parties or a variety of nightlife options, go to a university in San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara or Los Angeles referenced. These cities are clearly superior to Riverside in terms of cultural, sports and leisure activities. Visit jibin123.com to get information about Semester Abroad In Brock University.
However, the citations made do not mean that one cannot enjoy the amenities of all cities in California by studying and residing in Riverside. Due to the favorable central location, a large part of the extremely interesting state of California can be reached from Riverside. (San Diego in 90 minutes, LA in 60 minutes, Beach Cities in 45-55 minutes, San Francisco in 6 hours, Sacramento in 6 hours, Las Vegas in 4 hours – so everything within one day!) Riverside’s obviously central location is therefore a favorable factor to book.
In the following, a few words about the UCR itself should be mentioned. Organizational challenges are almost non-existent thanks to the very friendly and helpful people at MicroEdu.com. No matter what question torments you, MicroEdu knows the answer. They take care of all the necessary documents and forward them to the desired university. The registration process will therefore run smoothly. But then… the sometimes nerve-wracking misfortune of probably every guest student at an American university is that you are usually enrolled via the Extension Center subfaculty and not directly via the actual university. This is also the case at the UCR. In principle, this practice, which is profitable for the Extension Center, means that guest students are treated like second-class students, because they cannot choose their desired courses online like all other students and cannot be put on any waiting lists for the courses. In the end you have to be satisfied with the places that are still available in the lectures that are left. Even the first contact person for guest students, who is always friendly and in a good mood but seems frighteningly incompetent, can do little to change the misery. So if you don’t want to choose the second-class courses of the extension center (some universities do not count them), you have to embed yourself in the classic campus courses of the university via course-crashing. That means that you first have to meet the professor or something similar. asks about admission to the course and then tries to be enrolled in the course by the dean of the respective department. This process can be good and quick or it can be ugly and annoying if the dean refuses to enroll you in the course because it is too full (i.e. the course). Although the course choice is usually successful, massive dissatisfaction and anger during the course of enrollment in the first few weeks cannot be ruled out. A courageous German student, Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management legend, recently tried to optimize the process in the interests of the students, let’s see if it worked…
But once you’re enrolled, the fun can begin. Studying on campus is a lot of fun because the campus is very large and quite beautiful and you can experience a lot of college life. Roughly as you know it from films like “One Like None” etc. Studying at the extension center, on the other hand, is less fun, since you usually study there with adults and the courses only take place late in the evening. In addition, the business class level of the UCR courses cannot be compared with the level of German universities (finance courses may be an exception here). At least in terms of the degree of difficulty, there are worlds between the UCR and the University of Münster, which makes operational studying quite pleasant. Comparisons to other German universities should be similar. It also seems worth mentioning that far fewer Germans study at the UCR than in San Diego, for example, which immensely increases the chance to improve your English and the feeling of being in an Anglo-American country. All in all: studying at the UCR is quite easy, very interesting but a little time-consuming due to the numerous and extensive homework assignments. The relatively easy degree is nevertheless also a favorable factor. very interesting but a little time-consuming due to numerous and extensive homework. The relatively easy degree is nevertheless also a favorable factor. very interesting but a little time-consuming due to numerous and extensive homework. The relatively easy degree is nevertheless also a favorable factor.
Regarding the climatic conditions in Riverside, it should only be said that the weather is usually fantastically beautiful: blue skies and sunshine almost every day, and temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius. At the beginning of September, however, it takes some getting used to and it gets a bit cooler from December onwards, around 10 degrees Celsius. According to many locals, Riverside is already “in the dessert”. All in all, great weather, which enriches everyday life.
With regard to the central decision on the living situation, I can only advise not to book a room in the international village, as they are very small, poorly equipped and obviously exorbitantly expensive. Other good options are staying with a host family or finding a roommate via roommates.com or craigslist. However, since there are also some uneducated and low-income households in Riverside, you should be patient when looking for accommodation. Furthermore, a car with a GPS system is indispensable when looking for an apartment. Otherwise you will never find the residential property you are looking for!
Speaking of cars, those who do not live in the immediate vicinity of the university should be prepared for the need for a car. California is so extensive and the cities usually do not have a good network of local public transport, so that without a car you are actually in a fix and sometimes even unable to act. In any case, you need the car for the numerous exciting excursions. If you think you have to do without a car because it is too expensive, you should not try your luck with a semester abroad in California or rather include the costs for a car in your budget.
In summary, it can be said that a stay at the UCR in Riverside is actually worthwhile if you want to study reasonably seriously, improve your English and explore California and neighboring countries and have to pay attention to your expenses. The cost of living is comparatively cheap in Riverside, which increases budgets for upcoming trips.
My personal conclusion of the time at the UCR may seem contrary to the written text, but I had a wonderful 4 months there, which is certainly also due to my fantastic living situation. Furthermore, I was able to meet many outstanding people (both Americans and Germans) and experience one or the other anecdote as well as improve my English massively. In addition, I was quite rightly quite often with the Münster friends at the Party Uni in San Diego…
