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THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIALife whilst studying at the University of California

The UC System

• Founded in 1868

• First campus in Berkeley in 1873

• Over 250,000 students over ten

campuses

UC Berkeley

• Berkeley was the first UC Campus

• Located in the San

Francisco Bay area

• History of student

activism and social

engagement

Academic HighlightsEnvironmental

Design

Engineering BusinessLetters and

Science

• 7,000+ courses

• 170 departments and programs

• Home to top scholars, star athletes and groundbreaking scientists

• Opportunities for creativity and innovation

• L&S includes more than 60 departments in biological sciences, arts, and

humanities, physical sciences, and social sciences.

UCB

ACADEMIC LIFE

• Berkeley uses a semester system: 2 x 15 week semesters

• Assessments take place during ‘finals’ and during 1 week midterms

• Graded via A-F – with a cumulative GPA

• DeCals

• Attendance & contributions part of your grading

• Structured examinations

• Emphasis on teaching and learning in class, not on independent

learning.

ACADEMIC LIFE

• More class time: 2-3 lectures per week

• Larger class sizes

• Class sign-ups

• US Students undertake mixture of GE, Major and Minor classes –

upper division and lower division

• Reading from ‘course’ readers, not reading lists

• Emphasis on study groups

• TA’s and Professors – more integrated student/teacher relationship

Courses

• Lower division (1-99): Introductory level

• Upper division (100-199): Higher level

• Check for completion of pre-requisite courses.

• Contact your home advisor to confirm credit for enrollment at UC.

• Keep copies of your UC work.

UCB

UCB

Clubs, Activities & Sports

• 1,200+ student clubs and organizations

• 80+ student publications, from science and creative writing to television and

radio

• 27 men’s and women’s sports teams, from co-ed flag football to martial arts

• Wear your blue and gold to Cal Bears games

Student Groups

UCB

Campus Services

• Tang Center on-campus student health services and Counseling and

Psychological Services (CPS)

• Career Center – learn skills for your future, internship placement resources

• Disabled Students’ Program (DSP) –provides access to all students

• Cal1 Card for access to events and using public transportation

UCB

Traditions

Meet Cal’s mascot Oski the Bear or hike to the big C.

STUDENT LIFE

• Caltopia (free stuff)

• Calapalooza

(societies)

• Four Pools

• Concerts at the

Greek

• Cheepstake Hill

• Berkeley Art Museum

• Shattuck

• Tilden Park

HOUSING

• You are not guaranteed housing as an exchange student.

• Some options include:

• On campus – shared dorm, meal plan, resident advisors

• Off campus – private accommodation, apartments and

‘community housing’

• Co-ops

HOUSING

• International House

• Residence Halls

• University Apartments (Channing Bowditch Apartments)

• Student Housing Cooperatives (UCEAP students have

priority on waitlist)

• Off campus housing – Cal rentals

• Further info here

The Bears – ‘Go Bears’

TRANSPORTATION

• AC Transit Sticker

• Bus ride away from marina

• BART system

• 30 minute ride to San

Francisco

• Stops running at midnight

• Clipper card (like Oyster)

• Biking – be careful

• The Bay Area is a walking area

STUDY SPACES

• Café Strada

• Philz Coffee

• Westside – north and south

• Libraries (41 total)

• East Asian

• Engineering

ACTIVITIES

• Visit the redwoods, Big Sur

• Visit Los Angeles

• Megabus/Greyhound

• Loads of beach towns to visit along the coast.

• The 5 Highway

• The 1-Pacific Coast Highway

• Baseball Games

CLASSIC BERKELEY ATTRACTIONS

• C.R.E.A.M

• TopDog

• Ici

• Cheeseboard

• Silver

• Durant Food Court

• Telegraph Avenue

• Campanile

• Big C

• Football

Time line

• Apply online and

submit required documents

• May: Begin housing application/search

• June: Enrollment begins (through the start of term)

• June/July: Visa application

• Mid-August to mid-December: Fall term

• Mid-January to mid-May: Spring term

UCB

• Visit the UCEAP website for application resources and instructions

• Discover UC- UC Berkeley

• Study Plan tutorial

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How to apply

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Financial Matters

• Financial resources form

• Estimated living expenses

($18,900 for academic year)

• Mandatory Campus Health Insurance

(approximately $1300 per semester in 2015-16)

• Document management fee – unlimited transcripts

(approximately $55)

USEFUL WEBSITES

• Your UC campus experience

• Student Life

• Planning your studies