I visited UCLA for Summer Session C from early August to mid-September 2008. My experiences at this university were mixed, with the positive ones predominating.
Getting there:
In order not to get into the university stress of the first few days, I arrived in Los Angeles a few days earlier. The flight from Frankfurt via Philadelphia to Los Angeles took about 14 hours. That is why you should plan a few days for acclimatization and book a better hotel. There is so much to do in Los Angeles. I used the days before I started university for two visits to Venice Beach and various sights.
After four days in Los Angeles and in a hotel, I finally went to university. I was staying in Sproul Hall, a dormitory just across from the cafeteria. Check-in was more than straightforward. I shared my triple room with a German and a Chinese. Sharing a room may seem a bit strange to German students, but it is normal at North American universities. It also offers the advantages of not losing touch with fellow students and of always being supplied with enough information. I’ve always liked not being all alone in a room, and that’s possible for 6 weeks.
UCLA:
UCLA is one of the largest universities in California, and by far the most prestigious university in Los Angeles. The university is located between Bel Air and Beverly Hills. The campus is very well maintained, clean and laid out like a park. In addition to the lectures, there is a wide range of sports activities for students. From the university bus station you can use almost all major bus routes to get to popular destinations in Los Angeles. The campus is also approached very late in the evening. After midnight, however, you should opt for a taxi. Read more student reviews on Existingcountries.
Courses:
UCLA offers the most extensive program of courses in any American university run by MicroEDU. With a focus on taxes and controlling, I decided to take the courses “Management Accounting (MGMT 122)” and “Corporate & Partnership Taxation (MGMT 127B). Basically, it can be said that studying at UCLA is much easier than at German universities. Just the existence of a mid-term halves the subject matter of the final exam and makes it really easy to pass the courses. In addition, there is consistently friendly support from the professors. If you then show interest, a fraction of the usual exam preparation is enough for a really good grade. However, one should also consider the factor of fun and the already mentioned, Don’t forget the extensive leisure program in Los Angeles. The summer session only lasts 6 weeks, so you shouldn’t take much more than 2 courses.
Canteen:
UCLA offers a variety of meal plans. If you want to stay flexible in your leisure time, you should opt for 15 meals per week. The meals include an “all you can eat buffet” and can be used for breakfast, lunch or dinner. At first, the food on offer seems quite diverse, but after a few weeks you will notice a certain consistency in the menu. In addition, unused (but paid) meals expire and cannot be used in the following week.
Although my experiences at UCLA were basically positive, there are also grievances there that should not be missing in a field report. First of all there is the equipment of the Anderson library. Despite relatively high tuition fees, the library is equipped with a maximum of 2 textbooks per course. These textbooks can only be borrowed every two hours. One book must always remain in the library as reference inventory, while the second book can also be borrowed overnight from 5:00 p.m. There is a $ 5.00 / hour fee for late returns. If you don’t feel like this back and forth, you have to decide to buy a textbook. Here, however, a price of well over 100.00 USD must be expected. Compared to the library equipment of German universities, the equipment at UCLA is really sad. I bought my own book for my heading (MGMT 127B). Anyone interested in the book can contact me by email. The organization of moving out of the student dormitory should also be mentioned. Summer Session C lasted until Friday, September 12th. Usually the last final exams are written on the Thursday of the last week. However, there were also fellow students who had their last exam on Friday and then had to move out by 5:00 p.m. It doesn’t really matter what reasons exist for this measure. The student dormitory was paid for for 6 weeks and should then be available until the Sunday of the last few weeks.
Basically I can recommend studying at UCLA to everyone. With the exception of my diploma thesis, I was able to finish my studies there, and I am glad that I went abroad one more time at the end of my studies.
