I decided to take part in Summer Session C rather spontaneously. And because the testimonials from former participants helped me with my decision, I decided to write down my experiences as well. The summer session was my first stay abroad and I have to say that it was definitely a great experience because these six weeks took away my fear of going abroad that would last a semester or two. I now know how it feels to be in another country, to study in another language and I have also seen how independent I really am!
Application
The application process is really very straightforward, because MicroEDU will get in touch with the university for you and can help you with any questions you may have. During the application period and also during my stay at UCLA, I never had the feeling of being alone, because you could turn to the MicroEDU team with any questions and the e-mails were answered relatively quickly! So at this point a huge thank you to MicroEDU!
Since I found out late about the possibility of something like summer sessions, my application phase was a bit stressful because I got an appointment at the American embassy for the visa only ten days before my flight to the USA. Fortunately, I got my visa on time! So if you want to save yourself the stress, then you should get a visa as early as possible. Get more student review on University of California Los Angeles on maternityetchic.
I lived in a two-bed room in the Rieber-Hall and was very happy with my decision, because there was really very little space in a triple room. I got on well with my roommate and I haven’t heard from others that they didn’t like their roommates at all. Since my roommate was rarely in our room, I was able to study in peace, but apart from that there is also a study room in each corridor. In addition, every hallway has a washroom with toilets and showers and this was cleaned every day. In general, everything was always very clean in the dormitory and everywhere else. There was also a computer room in the dorm that anyone could use. But I would still recommend bringing your own laptop because it is much more practical
I had booked 11 meals, which was definitely enough for me, because you could eat your fill at the buffet every time. Fortunately, in addition to fast food, there was also salad and most of the time I found the food very tasty. If you got hungry in between, you could go to Westwood Village, which is about a 15-minute walk from UCLA, because it has a supermarket and restaurants.
Courses
I have a history course with Dr. Namala and the course “American Fiction since 1945” with Professor Mott. I found both courses to be labor-intensive because for both courses I had to read 7 books within those six weeks. In addition, I had to write essays instead of exams, which meant a lot of work. But the effort was worth it for me because I got good grades afterwards. And despite the high workload, I have not regretted taking these two courses, because both of the professors have made them really interesting. There was a lot of discussion and overall the lessons were much more interactive than I am used to here in Germany at my university. In the beginning I was a little worried that I would have problems following the class, because everything was in English, of course, and because there were mostly Americans in my classes, English was spoken pretty fast too. But after a few days I got used to it and was able to understand almost everything and follow the lessons.
What I would definitely recommend is that you clarify whether the courses at your own German university will be credited to you before you leave for the USA. I did this and then had no problems getting credit for my courses.
Leisure time
In addition to all the learning, I also found time to see something of LA and the surrounding area. I would definitely recommend going to Santa Monica and Venice Beach
. The good thing is that public bus travel isn’t expensive at all. I paid just a dollar for the 50 minute drive to Venice Beach. The buses run very regularly, so I never had to wait long. The Getty Center, a museum located near UCLA, is also highly recommended; especially for everyone who is interested in art. I also took a trip to Las Vegas and loved this city very much!
There is also a lot you can do in your free time at UCLA itself. Above all, I took advantage of the fitness center’s offers. You could either use the various fitness equipment or purchase a fitness pass for $ 25 and take part in group classes.
All in all, my time at UCLA was a great experience and I would really recommend everyone to take part in a summer session. The only downside was the really high cost, but I experienced a lot of unforgettable things during my stay. The six weeks went by in a flash, which is why it is very important to use the time as wisely as possible!
