The happiest time of my life at UC Berkeley

                     This summer, I attended the summer sessions at UC Berkeley. One of my friends who had attended the summer session in 2005 had recommended me to go there. She said that spending time in Berkeley was one of the happiest time of her life. I don’t regret my decision and I can say to her “You were right.” In Berkeley, I studied, played, and traveled to a lot of places. I also made many friends. They all became assets of my life.

                     I took the Business Communication and the ESL language courses. The professor of the Business Communication class was so nice to students. She especially treated the students with warmth. She spoke very slowly and clearly for international students so we could understand the lecture well. Another class was ESL, which stands for English as a Second Language. This course focused on listening and speaking in English. When I had to make a speech in front of my class, I was really nervous. However, after doing it several times I started to take it easy. It helped me to improve my English skills. I gained a lot of confidence. I also made many foreign friends in the ESL class. There were only 16 students in the class and because of the small number of students it was easier to become closer to them. We went to the Oakland Museum and the Oakland Court together.

                     I also did various activities. One thing I did was swimming. Swimming was a good way to relax after all the hard work of going to classes, studying, and learning. I enjoyed it a lot. Besides, I went to Las Vegas and Napa. Those places were really exciting. Napa especially has many cool wineries, and they were very unique. In addition, I could learned tango since there was a free dance class in the dormitory. Also, during the coffee hour, I could chat, bond, and get closer with my friends and new people. It was very valuable to me.

                     During the time I spent in Berkeley I stayed in a dormitory called International House where people from all over the world came and stayed. I had many friends there. Whenever I had breakfast I could talk with them. I would never be lonely. Whenever I had a hard time, my friends in the dormitory cheered me up. When I first got there I was lonely and had nobody to talk to but once I met my roommate I didn’t feel alone. She was a very good, nice, and friendly room- mate. She treated me like a family. I am so thankful to her and all of my other friends. They were great to me.

Going to Berkeley was a great choice. It was a good experience, and I learned a lot from it. I strongly recommend you to go and visit Berkeley. I feel that it is a very good place to go and study. When you go there you will get and learn more than you expect. The school puts no pressure on you. Berkeley is helpful to you not only because you can improve your English skill but also you can gain responsibility for your life. Berkeley makes you want to do that. Berkeley makes you want to succeed. I loved my stay there and I don’t and will never forget it.

-Yoo So-young (Law, 4) participated in the summer session at the University of California, Berkeley, for six weeks this summer.