Hi everyone,
I spent a total of 12 weeks (Session A + D) at Berkeley and had a unique and unforgettable time there, so I can encourage everyone to go there too. Even before I left my home university, I agreed the credit options with the various chairs, which was relatively easy – after all, University of California Berkeley is one of the most renowned universities in the world.
In Session A I took the courses “Organizational Behavior” and “Management of Human Resources”, and in Session D “Communication for leaders” and “Marketing”. I particularly liked “Communication for leaders”, which was about practicing speaking and presenting in front of a group. The professor Ericka Lutz tried to teach us the different techniques in a funny but competent way. The speeches that we had to give were recorded on video so that we could then assess our strengths and weaknesses ourselves. The feedback we received from both the professor and our fellow students brought about great improvements in everyone in the group. Note: University of California Berkeley is also known as UCB on abbreviationfinder.
The workload in the individual courses has differed greatly from one another, but in general it can be said that it is considerably higher than at German universities – not surprising, because at least you go through the entire material in 6 weeks, which otherwise takes 14 weeks ” normal “semester is discussed. In the summer courses at the Haas School of Business, mainly international students take part, and only very few “full-time cal-students”. However, this can also differ from faculty to faculty. The books that were to be obtained for the individual courses were extremely expensive, so you should definitely budget a few hundred dollars for them. There is also the possibility to rent books, but even this book rent is very high – I had to pay almost 100 dollars to rent a book for 6 weeks! The campus is beautiful and has lots of green areas that are perfect for relaxing in free hours. In addition, everyone should take the elevator up to the bell tower, the Sather Tower, which is free for students. From there you have a wonderful view of the campus and all of Berkeley; in very good weather you can even look over the bay and San Francisco.
I lived in the Residence Halls for 12 weeks and have never regretted the decision. I was housed in Unit 2, in the “Davidson” building on the 7th floor. It was particularly positive for me that, although I booked a triple, I was alone in the room for the first 4 weeks, as my roommates didn’t start the summer sessions until Session C. The rooms are functional, but in good condition, so I settled in very quickly. It should be noted, however, that most of the people who choose the Residence Halls are of Asian origin, which initially surprised me. My two roommates also came from Hong Kong. Despite the obvious cultural differences, we got along quite well.
For the entire time they had 1056 mealpoints available, which can be redeemed in restaurants and cafés all over the campus. The number of mealpoints is absolutely sufficient, so at the end I was able to stock up on snacks and drinks for my return trip. Meals are mainly taken in the “Crossroads”, the main cafeteria of University of California Berkeley (unfortunately also the only one that is open in summer). The choice is quite large. For example, there is a large salad bar, pasta, pizza and other main dishes every day.
I especially liked the gym – for only 10 dollars you could use it, take part in all classes and also use the Strawberry Canyon pool. Of course, you have to be aware that the Bay Area does not have pool weather every day. On the contrary, it tends to be cool in the mornings and evenings, and especially at the beginning of my time in Berkeley, it rained quite often.
In Berkeley itself, parties tend to take place in the frat or co-op houses. If you want to go to a decent club, you have to go to San Francisco.
There are numerous possibilities for excursions in the area. We have been to Yosemite National Park, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe, among others.
Ice cream lovers shouldn’t miss “Cream”, an ice cream shop very close to the campus. There are ice cream sandwiches there, consisting of two cookies and a large scoop of ice cream. For those who like pizza, I can recommend “Cheeseboard” and “Zachary’s”.
In summary, I can say that the stay abroad at University of California Berkeley was definitely worth it, even if it was admittedly quite expensive. Within a very short time, I got to know people from all over the world and quickly made friends. MicroEDU was always on hand to provide advice and assistance and answered all of my questions quickly. Again, a big thank you at this point!
