I was allowed to spend my summer 2018 at the University of California Los Angeles. UCLA is one of the most renowned universities in the world, including Laurence Fink, one of the most influential people in the world, who studied here. For me, three factors were decisive in going to UCLA.
Reputation of the university. I particularly recommend all economists to choose universities that are not just “party universities”. Every year “Reputation Rankings”, for example by Times Higher Education, are published to help you orient yourself.
The period of the summer session. This complemented the exams at my home university perfectly.
The city of Los Angeles. Los Angeles is very diverse, especially in terms of people, food and nature in the hinterland (Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Yosemite)
Studies:
During the summer session you can choose from a large pool of courses. I was very impressed by the offer. During my time I took two courses with Prof. John Ullmen (MGMT 180, MGMT 182), which I can only highly recommend. He brought content to the students in a way that I was not familiar with from Germany. In retrospect, I would call him the best professor I have ever had. His courses are less about learning content by heart than about really understanding content and applying it for later life. I was able to take away more from my two courses than in any other course before. I recommend everyone to take as many courses as possible in the first week and choose the ones they like best. Even if a course is already full, you can still enroll using a “PTE number” from the respective professor. For example, in the first week I was able to swap a finance course for a management course with Prof. Ullmen.
Apart from the lectures, I recommend everyone to go to the Powell Library and immerse themselves in the extraordinary atmosphere.
Study conditions / free time:
The study conditions at UCLA are very good. Not only the courses themselves, but also the recreational opportunities are very diverse. There are fitness studios, pools, soccer fields and basketball courts on campus, all of which can be used free of charge with the “Bruincard”. By the time I was at UCLA, numerous NBA stars were training on the UCLA courts. During my summer session, stars like Lebron James, James Harden and Kevin Durant came to the university campus.
I recommend everyone to take advantage of the range of sports on offer, as it allows you to make numerous new contacts. I particularly liked the “Pick up” football, which was held every day except Sundays. Students from all degrees at UCLA met there every night around 6 PM to play soccer. This was a great balance for me.
We also used the Uber to take the Uber to the beaches in Santa Monica and Venice Beach. Here you have a kilometer-long sandy beach, which is just 20 minutes away by car. The “Bird Scooters” have proven to be a very good means of transport for me. These are scooters that are scattered all over Westwood and with which you can get from A to B quickly. For $ 1 + 25 cents for every minute you ride, these offer an affordable alternative to bicycles. Since the scooters are available at almost every front door, they were my number one means of transport on and around campus.
Other things you should definitely do are the Arts District on Melrose Ave, Griffith Obervatory, Runyon Canyon, Malibu Beach, Manhatten Beach, Laguna Beach, Downtown Food Market, Palm Streets in Beverly Hills, Tailgate at a football game UCLA. Read more student reviews on Toppharmacyschools.
Furthermore, I would recommend everyone to take some time after the summer session to travel to California or the USA. After my summer session, I traveled to numerous places with friends from Germany (including San Diego, Santa Barbara, Las Vegas, Death Valley, Miami, Key West, Exumas Bahamas).
Conclusion:
I was only in the US for two months, but looking back it still feels like a dream. It was a time I will never forget. I was able to collect so many new impressions, get to know a new culture and new people and have grown as a person. I advise anyone who doesn’t have the time or money to spend a full semester abroad in the US to attend a summer session.
Thank MicroEDU and particularly Katleen Schünemeyer for the extraordinarily good work they throughout the Summer Session has done. You can always reach out to MicroEDU with questions and they will do a lot of the work that comes with you, especially during prep time.
