University: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA
City: Santa Barbara
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: economics
Study type: Summer Sessions
I was at UCSB with a friend from August 3rd, 2008 to September 15th, 2008 and took the Accounting Information Systems (ECON 185) course in session B there. See mcat-test-centers for Universidad De Belgrano University of Belgrano.
You might be wondering why I only took one course. This is simply because I had different admission requirements due to my studies at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich.
We can only recommend the “normal” courses, as we have learned from some other foreign students that the level in the extension courses is supposed to be rather low and you don’t really get much with you. Our course, on the other hand, was appropriately demanding but was also fun, not least because of the good lecturers. For me, the big difference to studying in Germany was that I worked a lot with electronic media and that I was given homework, which was included in the final grade. These were also created digitally and sent by e-mail. We had to work for the course with two two-hour lectures a week about three times a week for two hours of learning/reading and twice a week for one hour of homework. This is because, that we have worked through two books with about 200 pages each in the ten weeks. You had to get these books yourself, as well as the I-Clicker. The bookstore repurchases most of the stuff used, so paying $200 for a book isn’t as bad as it first appears.
At our own request, we were not accommodated in the international houses, which are off campus, but in one of the residence halls, which turned out to be very cheap, since we were the only foreigners in the entire building. That meant you had no other option than to come to terms with the Americans. Since that was also one of our goals, it just suited us. In addition, you had the opportunity to come to the quite interesting private parties. This is also what the other international students who have not lived on campus or in Isla Vista confirmed. They had almost no contact with Americans at all. In general, we were given a very warm welcome there and made real friends.
We ate in the canteen on campus. We booked in there for ten meals a week, which is also sufficient, since after the initial euphoria you have to realize that all-you-can-eat fast food isn’t fun every day. We paid seven dollars per meal, which is really okay. To get rid of those pounds I can only recommend the sports facilities on campus, there you will find everything your heart desires, from an outdoor/indoor pool to two well-equipped gyms, a climbing wall, basketball halls and a soccer field.
At the university as a whole, you notice that you pay a lot of money and that this is also used for the university. It is very clean and modern there and you are not taught in mass courses with old material, but with new media and with a maximum of 60 people. You will also receive excellent care, as you can bother the people in the extension office with any questions and you will always receive friendly advice at all other facilities.
I have to say that we went there primarily to live and to get to know the country and its people. A university with its own section of beach is ideal for this. You can also drive to many destinations from there or fly to national destinations. Otherwise you can also spend the nights downtown SB or at parties in Isle Vista, there is always something to do. By the way, Isla Vista is a huge student town, about 5000 students live there in apartments or houses, so if you want to stay at UCSB for longer than six weeks, you should consider renting there. Because the infrastructure is absolutely designed for students.
By the way, there is a big difference in the party culture, since it is extremely common to organize private parties there, because it is simply cheaper and if you bring beer you are cordially invited. You have to be over 21 to buy alcohol.
On the other hand, you experience service in California as it is in the book, whether it is when you eat or go shopping or just want to ask for directions, the people are almost always friendly.
The entire stay was expensive in any case, since we didn’t skimp on buying clothes at the cheap dollar rate, but I don’t regret a cent and if I could afford it, I’d be on the plane again now.