Academic systems

The academic programs are quite different in the US compared to Germany or other European countries. The undergraduate studies take 4 years out of which the first one ("freshmen") is quite general studies, the major is chosen only later. Before the degree students do an undergrad research project, maybe similar to our bachelor's thesis.
But while hardly anyone wants to quit physics after our B.Sc., here it is a much more uncertain question if one wants to continue in a graduate school and if the application is successful. People usually apply to very many grad schools. The decision to continue is not only for the following 2 years (as our master) plus eventually 3 more years for the PhD, but immediately for 5 years since an intermediate master's degree does not exist. On the other hand, grad students are paid throughout the entire 5 years (for being teaching assistants) whereas we have to pay tuition fees for the master studies - although significantly less than in the US...
In the first two years grad students have to attend classes and pass qualification exams in order to advance to PhD candidacy. By that time they should have joined a research group to focus on their own work from then on. But apparently they can already start their research activities earlier.
The grad classes start again with theoretical classical mechanics and electrodynamics which we studied already in the 2nd and 3rd semester of the bachelor. Their homework assignments seem a bit lengthier, though (e.g. problems from Jackson's e-dyn. book). Besides, it is not sufficient to hand in the homework solutions, but they have a written "quiz" every week to solve one of the homework problems during the exercise session alone. In my flatmate Tia's year, there are only 7 physics grad students, among them 4 women, good quota!
The physics department of UCSC is rather small and there are not enough professors to lecture more specialized courses. The most advanced here are introduction to QFT and GR. Therefore the PhD students can attend summer schools.
It is a bit weird that the degrees B.Sc. can be so different. The lecture courses of PhD programs start on a more basic level than our master. However, in the mean time American students learn so much and do so good research that obtaining a PhD from the US has a very high reputation.