Final thoughts about my semester at UC Berkeley

Hello Everyone!

A few days ago, my semester abroad at UC Berkeley and the  Berkeley Haas Global Access Program came to an end and I still cannot quite believe it. Everything went by so fast. 

Here are some photos of the graduation ceremony: 

Instead of writing a long text about an experience that cannot really be described anyways, here are my “key findings”.: 

The number one thing I learned at Berkeley: 

Even though there are hundreds of things that I could mention now, one thing that I really didn’t expect to “learn” was to develop a different mindset towards the world and my life. In one of my classes called “Opportunity Recognition” we talked a lot about the big problems in the world including climate change or inequalities. Even though many of us talk about this on a regular basis, it was definitely a different thing to discuss it in class. My professor then said – and I will never forget this – “If you worry about small problems, you are a small person. If you want to change the world you need to think about the big problems.” 

Small problems for him are little things we all worry about like a fight with a neighbor. Big problems, instead, are things that affect many people or e.g. animals.

This discussion or the overall mindset of this professor really changed the way I think about my life and what I want to do in the future. It became even more important to me to work for a company, or found an own company that also has a social mission and contributes to a better future for all of us.

My favorite thing about Berkeley:

Again, there are many things that I really like about Berkeley, but the number one thing is definitely the quality, motivation and engagement of the professors and students. 

I always tell my friends in Germany “It’s cool to be a nerd here.” and I’m sure many would agree with that. 

There is never an empty library at any time during the day (and night) and everybody is willing to help. You can get answers to your questions within minutes, even directly from your professors on a Sunday afternoon. This would never be possible at my home university in Munich. 

What’s more, the students are extremely motivated and clever. They don’t just study for the exam and then forget everything like it is in many universities in Europe. They really want to learn and apply their knowledge. This different mindset is just really motivating and inspiring. 

What I would have done differently: 

That’s a hard one! I think overall I wouldn’t have done much differently, except from my housing situation. I lived with other German students in a flat about 25 minutes walking distance from campus. Even though it was a nice area and much much cheaper than what anyone else payed, it was not only quite far from campus but the fact that I lived with Germans didn’t make my experience as “American” as it could have been. 

Instead, I would have loved to live in “International House” which is right next to campus, includes breakfast, lunch and dinner and you can live with people from all over the world. Still, you wouldn’t really live with many Americans, but it’s definitely a very cool experience. 

For my part, I couldn’t apply for the “International House” anymore since I decided to go to Berkeley only a few weeks before the program started. I quickly got a flat with people that I knew and this was just the easiest and cheapest way to do it. Still not a bad decision thoughJ

What I would recommend others: 

1.     Don’t think “It’s too late” or “It’s too expensive” …. 

     

     There are ALWAYS ways to go to Berkeley(or the USA in general). The BHGAP program has an application deadline on July first (The program starts in August the same year) so you can apply pretty late and still get a spotJ 

     And, they also have a scholarship available (5k). Plus, there are many scholarships within Germany or other countries that many of my classmates received. This way, the whole experience is much more affordable. In any case, I believe it’s worth the money spent and nobody can take away this experience! 

2.     Look for housing early!

Housing is really hard to find so try to look for it as early as possible. Everything below 1000 dollar a month including utilities it quite cheap. 

As I said, I would recommend living in the International House. Others lived in a fraternity (boys only) if you really want to experience the American college life and are into drinking. I would not recommend living alone or with people who speak the same language as you. 

3.     Go for some adventures and challenge yourself! 

Once you are in Berkeley, I would recommend joining some clubs that interest you or that do something that you are not good at (yet). I for example joined ballroom dancing and will do figure skating next semester, both things that I always wanted to do but that I never tried. 

I also bought a van and built a bed inside and traveled around with it while surfing. This is definitely recommended even though you can also rent a van like this for about $80 a day which might be cheaper and easier. They are called Escape Campervans. Definitely highly recommended! ;) Another company that offers something similar is called “Jucy”. Their cars are usually a bit smaller and cheaper. 

Jalama Beach near Highway 1 along the coast. 

Me and my van on a road trip along the coast :) 

4.     Just Do It! 

      I cannot emphasize this enough. 

I spoke to so many people and everybody tells me: “I want to do the same, it’s so cool! …..” But then when I asked why they don’t do it, I usually get answers like “I already have a flat here… or a boyfriend… or my family…” and so on…. 

I also have my friends, family, a flat, a car, skiing and so on in Germany, but I still go abroad, because I know I can come back in just about 4 months. It’s nothing. Time flies and it is really no problem to leave home for a few months and go out of your comfort zone. You can always come back, you can even skype with your friends every day. But I’m sure, you don’t even need that because you easily make new friends within a few days and will have a lot of fun. Time passes by so fast that you wished you could stay longer. :) 

What’s next? 

During my time at UC Berkeley, I was searching for an internship in the Bay Area, preferably at a tech startup. I had a couple of interviews and visited many companies and I finally decided for “Urban Miles” – a startup in the mobility industry. There, I will be working as a Product Management Intern in San Francisco until the end of April 2019.

Aside from that, I am going to try to take one more Data Science course in Berkeley. 

After April, I am going to return to Germany and continue my studies at the LMU and CDTM in Munich. Nevertheless, I am sure I will return to the US very soon again. 

My new team at Urban Miles :) 

After all, I guess it was still quite a long text. 
Anyways, feel free to contact me at any time on LinkedIn or Facebook if you have any further questions. And remember: 

You can only grow if you challenge yourself! 

Julia