San Diego State University Review (25)

San Diego State University Review (25)

North America

University: San Diego State University

City: San Diego

Country: United States

Continent: North America

Field of study: business administration

Study type: semester abroad

After the preparation for my semester abroad was relatively easy and smooth, not least thanks to MicroEdu, I set off towards San Diego on August 10th. I wanted to use the time until the official start of the semester on August 23 for initial orientation, looking for an apartment, looking for a car and of course a little vacation. I quickly learned the advantages of “America’s finest city”. The great Californian weather, which not only invites you to surf and sunbathe on one of the numerous Pacific beaches, but apparently also has an influence on the lifestyle of Southern Californians. The locals are more relaxed and friendlier than you are used to from Germany, be it in the supermarket, in the surf shop, on the beach or at the university. Compared to German universities, the latter is a veritable luxury resort. the campus, embedded in green areas, palm trees, a glass library, dining oases and its own basketball stadium, at first glance gives the impression of vacation rather than hard study. And this impression was somewhat confirmed during my stay. If you’re looking for an academic challenge a la Berkeley, Stanford or Harvard, you’ve definitely come to the wrong place at San Diego State University (SDSU). In addition, there is the relatively strange way of registering for courses, the so-called “crashing”. Despite the high tuition fees, this means that in the first few days the professors of the lectures that you would like to listen to “apply” for participation. The allocation is then based on free places, the mood of the professors or the luck of the draw. You don’t always get all the courses you want. However, with a little effort and commitment, you can put together a timetable that is satisfactory and at least includes courses that can be credited in Germany. Incidentally, German students are traditionally among the best in each class, which is not least due to the lower level of demands compared to a German university. With a little study and active listening, getting good grades isn’t too much of a problem. At the same time, this has the enormous advantage of being able to enjoy the most important thing of a semester abroad, which is definitely the contact with locals and other exchange students who come to San Diego from all over the world. San Diego in particular invites you to hundreds of extracurricular activities. Be it training in the university’s own fitness studio (which is one of the most modern I’ve ever seen), sports in one of the numerous university teams or simply with the surfboard on the beach. Partying (21 is a must) is available 24/7 at one of the many clubs downtown or in the bars of Pacific Beach, the student favorite area. And of course not to forget the fantastic travel opportunities from San Diego. Hawaii is only 6 hours by plane from San Diego, plus San Francisco, Los Angeles, the great west coast between these two metropolises, Las Vegas, numerous national parks, Grand Canyon etc. etc. Visit ehuacom.com to get information about CSUC study abroad program.

Personally, I enjoyed half the year, met a lot of new and interesting people, went on a lot of trips, took a lot of parties with me and also got decent grades. I can only recommend a semester in San Diego to everyone. There is only one danger when you come home to rainy Germany after 5 months of sun and warm temperatures: wanderlust.

San Diego State University Review (25)