University: San Diego State University
City: San Diego
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: vehicle technology
Study type: semester abroad
Application process:
You should take care of yourself half a year before the start of the semester.
Töffel test, course selection (courses that are credited), visa and, if necessary, a student loan application can take a lot of time. You should already have 80 points in the Töffel test, because the on-site test is handicapped. Collge Contact was a very good help. All questions have been answered.
Well, the college is very nice and big, built in the Spanish style. The sports facilities are really good. The only downside to eat there is only finished stuff from Rubbios…. etc.. Otherwise the UNI rocks badly. Crashing courses is a joke in the technical area, you can get almost any course you want. As for courses, I chose 2 different thermodynamics courses (were much easier than in Germany, one reason for this is that there are always midterms (exams during the semester)) and a geography course (very interesting) for 9 credits. I took the remaining 3 credits for surfing, kayaking and sailing, which was absolutely amazing. Visit mcat-test-centers.com to get information about James Cook University.
Reside:
You should look for an apartment locally.. so it’s best to rent a hostel (e.g. Ocean Beach Hostel in Ocean Beach : -) and see:
In 1 week you will definitely have a car and an apartment.
Just look at (www.craigslist.com). There you can find everything from underpants to luxury yachts.
Cool residential areas
are definitely by the sea! There are 3 good areas there.
Pacific Beach: for party foxes
Mission Beach: for athletes and party foxes (directly at Mission Bay Aquatic Center)
Oecean Beach: for chillers
(Uni area: for spackers (many of those who lived there regretted it))
Locomotion:
- So if you’re in America and don’t have a car, you’re just a fool, you’re pretty much the fastest by car (gasoline costs a third to half compared to Germany).
- A Honda Civic or a similar Toyota is very cheap there and also reliable. For $1000 you can get a car that drives. If you have style, you buy a VW BUS, Beetle or a Pick UP
- Longboard is also pretty cool for short distances or even a beach cruiser (bicycle)
- It takes about half an hour to three quarters of an hour to get to the university from the beach by car or trolley
Life in San Diego:
- Surfing is a national sport. (In the water there are usually only dolphins, stingrays (not dangerous if you don’t step on them, but no sharks)
- General Mediterranean hammer-horny beach life
- Life is almost always outdoors as the weather is always good
- There are a lot of Germans there (mainly business students)
San Diego and California Attractions:
- The standard things see travel guide.
- Blackbeach (for surfers)
- Overnight in the desert
- Grand Canyon at the South Rim (hike with overnight stay at the Colorado River)
- whale watching
- Get a motorcycle license for $18 and cruise on a Harley
- Kayaking in the many caves
- Going to Mexico: TJ is not recommended (has a lot to offer culturally, it is cheap but very dangerous at the moment)… it gets better southerly, e.g. B Ensenada is awesome
- etc.
Nightlife:
This is very cool as most of the clubs are a good mix of bar and nightclub. You can have a lot of fun. Unfortunately, everything closes at 1am, but after that you usually go to one of the many house parties.
There are 2 main party areas:
- Downtown
- expensive but there is a lot to offer
- The only bad thing is the public transport (so it can happen that you have to take a taxi, which can be expensive)
- Pacific Beach
- very many students and also cheap, Tuesday it’s always crazy there (because it’s cheap)
Money:
Rent: (Munich standards, you have to reckon with 45 euros for a small room in a shared apartment)
Food: a bit more expensive than here, but quite good
Clothing and electrical equipment: very cheap, there are many outlet centers and they are really good (best only arrive with swimming trunks).
A lot of bucks go for trips. But the trips are worth every buck.
Books are very expensive.
Anyone who is broke after the semester abroad has done it right.-).
Conclusion:
A semester abroad is very, very cool. San Diego is a good choice because of the good weather, the English language and the location by the sea.
You get to know the culture well, learn English, have to overcome a number of hurdles and experience some adventures.
All in all one can say: Krrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaassssssssssssssssss!
