During 2008 summer, I had a chance to study in UCLA via Ewha’s University of California (UC) Summer Session Program for six weeks. All students at Ewha are qualified to participate in the UC Summer Session Program and can choose between UCLA and UC Berkeley. I chose UCLA for its great location, Los Angeles , sunny weather, good curriculum, and a beautiful campus. UCLA campus is also a popular location for movie shoots and concerts, which adds up to the fun of living in Los Angeles for a bigHollywood movie fan like me.

During the Summer Session I took two courses unrelated to my major, courses offered from Communications Studies Department and Musicology Department, to explore my interests and experience field of studies not commonly offered in . I found the courses to be more challenging than I first imagined as Summer Session courses are fast paced and equally challenging as the regular school year courses. Moreover many regular UCLA students take Summer Session, therefore I had the burden to compete with them and adapt to the new environment. Yet it is a great opportunity to meet people of diverse backgrounds and really hear the “American views” of different social issues. Many Korean students, including Ewha students, tend to take English as Second Language (ESL) courses to learn English, but I highly recommend anyone considering going for UC Summer Sessions to challenge yourself to take regular courses. And I would also recommend this program to those in their freshman or sophomore years since it is a great opportunity to explore your real academic interests.

In addition to the academics, living in dorms and being part of the American university cultures were equally exciting. I stayed in a room with a UCLA student, and every few weeks there are various events hosted by the housing office for Summer Session students to socialize. The school offers various sports and recreational programs for students such as yoga, pilates, tennis, and dance classes, so that students can best utilize their time in UCLA aside from studying. Moreover, because of the campus’ great location, there were plenty to do during my extra time. Hollywood, Beverly Hills,DisneyLand , andSanta MonicaBeach are just the few places to visit within the suburbs via bus.

After my stay in UCLA, I felt that six weeks are definitely a short period of time to truly absorb everything in LA. But it is long enough time to study, travel, make new friends, and have the most memorable summer break during college years.

Kim Soo-yeon (International Studies, 4) joined the UC Summer Program.

저작권자 © Ewha Voice 무단전재 및 재배포 금지