San Diego State University Review (36)

San Diego State University Review (36)

North America

University: San Diego State University

City: San Diego

Country: United States

Continent: North America

Field of study: media

Study type: semester abroad

Decision per semester abroad and San Diego:

I had already planned my decision to complete a semester abroad in an English-speaking country before I started studying media management and journalism at the Jade University of Applied Sciences in Wilhelmshaven. The decision in favor of San Diego was ultimately made based on a variety of criteria. However, the decisive factors were the many positive testimonials from German students, the good performance of the university in the ranking of American state universities and the weather. Visit mcat-test-centers.com to get information about London South Bank University.

admission procedures etc.

The admissions process turned out to be surprisingly uncomplicated for me. This is thanks to the free and very competent advice from MicroEdu, which accompanies you through the application process in a very targeted and professional manner. Necessary documents for a successful application are: curriculum vitae, grade point average, language certificate (either Toefel or DAAD language test), proof of insurance, copy of a photo ID and proof of payment for the visa and the I-20 form.

Flight

The flight to San Diego usually takes between 18 and 20 hours and is very unbureaucratic and easy if you follow the steps required in the application process. The cost of the flight varies between 700 and 1000 euros depending on the time of booking. Usually you make one or two stops along the way. The airport in San Diego is relatively small and uncluttered and is located right next to the city center.

City & Living

The city of San Diego with its 1.3 million inhabitants and its extremely large area offers a wide variety of housing options. The Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach and College Area neighborhoods are particularly popular with students. Apartment prices in San Diego are extremely high compared to Wilhelmshaven and many other German cities and are typically around $700 per month for a standard sized room in a multi-room apartment. Furthermore, the housing market in San Diego is extremely overcrowded, which can mean that there can sometimes be a good 20 to 30 applicants for an apartment advertisement. That is why it is important for exchange students to be patient, as American landlords and roommates often prefer Americans, as they usually stay longer in the apartment. Nevertheless, I can only recommend everyone to make an effort to move in with Americans, as it is an eminent advantage both for English language skills and for integration into social life. Living with Americans in America sounds obvious, but it definitely isn’t. At least 90% of the German students in San Diego live among themselves. After a 10-day search, I finally found an apartment with an American student. The apartment was located in Pacific Beach and was about 1.5km from the beach. The rent at $700 per month was also quite moderate for the location. My roommate – Trevor – turned out to be a real stroke of luck. During my time in the USA we spent a lot of time together, went on various trips and became very good friends. For next summer

University

San Diego State University is an extreme contrast compared to Jade University in Wilhelmshaven. Not only that more than ten times as many students study here (33,000). The income of several 100 million euros in tuition fees per year is noticeable on every corner. The huge campus with all its faculties, sports facilities and extracurricular activities is certainly one of the most diverse and beautiful in the USA.
However, the course selection process was relatively laborious and nerve-wracking, since the international students had to “crash” the courses. This means that the courses cannot be selected in advance, but must be “fought for” within the first three weeks with the signature of the teaching professor. It was fought for because the American students have priority and one has to hope that the American students do not claim all the places. However, after three weeks you usually have the courses you want, only the courses from the business college are difficult to get hold of, since an extremely large number of economics students from Germany choose San Diego and thus compete for places. The journalistic courses are usually relatively easy to crash.

Management and Organizational Behavior Organization & Leadership
Media Technology in the Global Environment Multimedia
Marketing Media Project II
Principles of Advertising Media Project III
Research Methods in Mediated Communication Media Research

The level of the courses varied considerably. While the level in “Media Technology in the Global Environment” was shockingly low, the “Principles of Advertising” and especially “Marketing” course proved to be extremely demanding.

Vicinity:

San Diego not only offers many sights as a city, its location in Southern California in the immediate vicinity of the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix (AZ), Las Vegas (NV) and Tijuana (Mexico) also invite numerous trips to explore foreign cultures and get to know cities. Furthermore, all cities within the USA and the Central American countries can be reached for relatively little money.

Costs

The costs are the only negative aspect of my semester abroad. Since I don’t get any foreign student loans, I had to pay the tuition fees of 6600 dollars (6000 regular, 600 additional for three extra units) myself. For further costs see table:

Tuition $6,600.00
Car (5 months – absolutely necessary!!) $2,000.00
Rent (5 months) $3,500.00
Flight $1,300.00 Living
(5 months – groceries) $2,500.00
Other (books, telecommunications etc.) $1,000.00
Trips (optional) $4,000.00

In all, my costs came to about $20,000. However, trips to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Hawaii, Costa Rica and New York were also included. Aside from these trips, however, it’s difficult to spend less as the cost of living here is significantly higher and I definitely haven’t lived lavishly. I can absolutely recommend a car to everyone. On the one hand, because the maintenance costs for a car in the USA are significantly lower than in Germany, on the other hand, because the public transport system is abysmal and you can easily spend 3 hours a day on the bus/trolley.

San Diego State University Review (36)