UC Berkeley, UCLA, Art in New York Program
Experiencing what it is like to attend a prestigious university in America through a summer session is an increasingly popular activity among Ewha students. Currently, the International Education Institute (IEI) offers programs with UC Berkeley and UCLA. In these summer sessions, students can obtain credits by taking regular courses or taking ESL courses to improve their English skills. In addition, as of this year, IEI is offering a six-week English-language Program at the University of British Columbia from July 4 to August 11 and students can obtain three credits. Another popular summer program which is organized by the College of Arts and Design is Art in New York, a two-week tour around the art galleries and museums in New York. The Ewha Voice has created a guide to these programs based on the evaluations given by previous participants. Further information can be obtained from the IEI and the College of Arts and Design.
1. UC Berkeley Summer Session
Registration
This is a six-week program which begins July 3 and ends August 11. Registration for the program is held twice, in January and in March. The cost is a minimum of $1,900 for five credit hours, which are transferable to Ewha. Regardless of the number of courses students take, only six credits are transferable.
ESL Courses
The ESL course is not as rigorous as regular courses and includes numerous field trips that the participants said were helpful in understanding America.Regular Courses
Students repeated that active participation was encouraged and daily assignments were given out in most courses. Thus, time spent in the library, doing assigned readings, and working on team presentations was relatively long. But participants also said studying with Berkeley students, and taking classes in their majors was a good experience.
Housing and Food
Berkeley's International House was where most Ewha students stayed. Although the food did not quite meet the expectations of some students, it provided students with a variety of international dishes. International House staff also posted regular information on tours and extracurricular activities for residents. Other students stayed in the Residence Halls where they could meet current Berkeley students. Some students felt too many Asian students were in the Residence Halls. Costs for the Residence Halls and International House range between $1,450 and $2,530 per session.
Tips
Take a laptop computer, if possible. In addition, look out for numerous events and activities on notice boards in the dormitories.
2. UCLA Summer Session
Registration
This is a six-week program which begins June 26 and ends August 4. Registration for the program begins in January and also in March. The cost is a minimum of $2,136 for 8 credit hours, which are transferable to Ewha. Like the UC Berkeley Summer Session, only six credits are transferable.
ESL Courses
Many students said courses such as speech and pronunciation were helpful in improving their English. In some ESL courses, some participants felt that there were a lot of assignments.
Regular Courses
The discussion or lecture based courses were challenging which led some students to change the courses they had signed up for. However, students who completed the courses were satisfied with the quality of the lectures. Many participants responded that UCLA offered unique and interesting courses that were not provided in Korea.
Housing and Food
Lots of international students stayed at UCLA's Rieber Hall. Some students felt uncomfortable using public bathrooms and shower facilities on each floor. Numerous programs were organized by the Rieber Hall staff to help students make friends easily. Some participants liked the food which was served in a buffet, while others felt tired of eating it for six weeks. Saxons Suite was where four people shared a room together and could conveniently use the bathroom and shower facility. In the off-campus apartments, there was relatively a lot of freedom as students could cook their own food, and had no restrictions in having alcoholic beverages. Costs for Rieber Hall and Saxons Suite (on campus) range between $1,855 and $2,511. Costs for off-campus apartment range between $1,271 and $2,009 without meals.
Tips
Beverly Hills, Hollywood, and Santa Monica Beach is only 30 minutes away by bus. Travel over the weekend by renting a car, or go on cheap package trips to San Francisco, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Yosemite provided by UCLA.
3. Art in New York Program
Registration
This is a two-week gallery-tour program which begins late June. Registration begins in May. The total cost of the program is roughly $3,000 with the airfare included. Students, regardless of major, can obtain three credits which are transferable to Ewha.
Housing and Food
Previous participants were satisfied with their stay at the hotel and with the food. They stayed at an Inn in Korea Town and were served American and Korean meals.
Free Time and Traveling
The schedule for the day normally began at 10 a.m. and ended at 7 p.m., so students spent their free time after 7 p.m. watching performances in New York. After the completion of the program, some students chose to travel and return individually.
Comments
Professor Kang Ae-ran (Painting & Print Making) who is in charge of the program says, "Students visit numerous galleries that are essential to go to; all in two weeks. Also, the program provides opportunities to visit the studios of famous artists and meet professionals in Art." A participant, Kim Se-mi (Fiber Arts, 3) adds, "We were able to visit art galleries and museums that would have been difficult to visit individually."
Tips
Studying various artworks beforehand is helpful. Taking a camera is a must.