University: San Diego State University
City: San Diego
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: business administration
Study type: semester abroad
Ever since friends from higher semesters raved about their stay abroad in San Diego, it has been a dream of mine to do a semester abroad at this university. This dream came true, also thanks to MicroEdu and my expectations were exceeded by far. The effort for the university was definitely worth it and despite some negative experiences, the time in San Diego was the best of my life! I can only recommend a stay abroad in Cali to everyone. Visit toppharmacyschools.org to get information about University of Technology Sydney study abroad program.
organization
In order to be able to study at San Diego State University, the fulfillment of a number of conditions is essential. For example, an English certificate at C1 level, the F1 student visa, around 6,500 euros for the tuition fees and lots of papers to fill out. When it comes to paperwork, MicroEdu provides all application documents free of charge. Furthermore, the friendly team at MicroEdu is always available for further questions and accompanies students during the application process.
Housing
Accommodation can also be organized from Germany. The advantage here is that there is definitely accommodation waiting for a student, but you don’t know the roommates you will live with later, and unfortunately the pictures of the apartments on the Internet often do not correspond to reality. So I recommend looking for accommodation locally. No one has been looking for an apartment for more than three days and everyone has found an apartment. Craiglist.com or housing brokers who are active in Facebook groups are suitable for finding accommodation. However, the apartment brokers, some of whom also come from Germany, do nothing other than mediate apartments offered on Craiglist via Facebook and you then pay a fee of $200 for this. That’s why I recommend looking for the apartments directly on Craiglist.
When looking for an apartment, stay away from dubious pensioners or Mexicans who offer incomplete rental contracts and where the money is handed over in cash. It happened that students did not get their deposits back. Be careful!
The big question when choosing accommodation is: Beach or Uniarea? Both places have advantages and disadvantages. In the Uniarea you save yourself the sometimes annoying search for a parking space and you are close to the campus. Furthermore, you can quickly reach the Unipool and the Uni-Fitness-Center. You get to know a lot of students, with a bit of luck you can get into the American fraternity parties or you can take part in the house parties of the “Internationals”. In particular, the “BLVD 63” complex is recommended, which offers a beautiful facility, lots of action, lots of parties and a uni transfer with a shuttle bus.
However, the beach area is gorgeous. Options are Pacific or Mission Beach. Mission Beach has a laid-back vibe, is very pleasant and perfect for quiet and relaxed living.
There are many bars and restaurants in Pacific Beach, and the nightlife is ideal for students. We recommend the weekly visit to the Taco Tuesdays, where you start drinking in Duckdive and later continue partying in the Backyard. The beaches are beautiful and there is a lot of surfing, you can enjoy the summer temperatures until the end of November. The drive from the beach areas to the university takes 20 minutes outside of rush hour.
Living and Expenses in San Diego
Life in San Diego is wonderful. Lots of sun, warm temperatures, nice and open people, lots of leisure activities and an active nightlife make for a perfect environment for students. However, life in “America’s Finest City” also costs a lot. For example, a simple meal at a fast food restaurant can cost as little as $10, rents are extremely high (average $650-$850 per month for a shared room), and a car is a must if you live in the beach area due to public transportation is poorly developed. You can rent cars from Dirt Cheap Car Rental, which offers used cars for $400 a month. A gallon of fuel (3.8 liters) costs an average of 2.8 dollars.
Studies
If you decide to spend a semester abroad at San Diego State University and want to have modules credited in Germany, you can expect weekly homework, presentations, projects and some midterm exams. I felt like I spent half the time in San Diego in the library. Nevertheless, you improve your English, the level is lower, comparable to the upper level in Germany and in some subjects the grades are additionally “curved” upwards at the end of the semester.
At SDSU, most of the teaching takes place in Special Session Courses. These courses are specially designed for students from abroad, where you mainly go to school together with other students from Germany and Scandinavia. I have taken the following subjects:
Leadership in organizations
Leadership was a complex subject with weekly homework at the beginning, a larger project, two intermediate exams and a written work on the project. However, the professor gave full marks for every homework assignment and the weekly project reports, the only exception being the project presentation. Leadership is a very rewarding module; if the intermediate exams are passed well, an A is realistic. Attendance is checked.
Human Resource Management
HRM is a very informative module, the professor is very competent and knows exactly how to lead lectures. There is hardly any homework, three intermediate exams and a presentation that is rated very strictly. Nevertheless, with good preparation for the intermediate examinations, a good grade at the end of the semester is also realistic in this subject. For the intermediate exams in leadership and HRM it is sufficient to memorize the slides from the lectures. Attendance is checked.
Investments
Investments was my easiest and most boring subject at the same time. The 84-year-old professor Andrew Do is of Asian descent, his lectures are difficult to understand due to his accent and he also writes them in the form of a monologue in which he likes to talk about his gambling activities. There is homework that has to be handed in but is not checked and serves primarily to check the students’ attendance. The homework does not have to be learned for the three intermediate exams, for this it is sufficient if quizzes from the lectures are photographed and learned later, since these quizzes only come with changed numbers in the intermediate exams.
International business finance
By far the hardest subject. A lot of learning effort, difficult intermediate exams and some homework. Boring professor with a very slow and monotonous speaking style and lax attendance control. Bad experiences in this module, not recommended!
Leisure and excursion possibilities
Now let’s get to the best part of life in San Diego. San Diego / California offers everything a student heart desires: cheap alcohol in supermarkets, legal cannabis purchase from 2018, well-toned, relaxed, tanned and well-groomed students and, and, and. Fraternity parties are unimaginably wild, countless stars often perform at clubs for cheap tickets, Taco Tuesday at the Backyard is packed weekly and super fun, and for the under-21s, cheap partying in Mexico is an option. In Mexico you can also let the pigs out until 6 a.m. and not until 2 a.m. like in the States. Please note, however, that you always need your passport for entry (in Mexico and the USA), as German ID cards are not accepted. The border crossing takes just a few minutes, taxis are waiting for nocturnal tourists at the Mexican border and will take you to your desired location in just a few minutes. Take your F1 visa with you though, you can’t go back to the States without it!
San Diego in particular offers a variety of different restaurants, the beautiful International Balboa Park, downtown with a beautiful skyline and popular leisure activities such as yacht parties, skydiving or visiting a shooting range. There are also chic clubs downtown, such as the Parq Club or Omnia, but do not buy drinks in the club, as they often cost double-digit amounts. So: Drink up properly!
Furthermore, you can travel perfectly from San Diego. Many students have flown to New York or Hawaii, you can party weekends in Las Vegas and see the shows in Las Vegas. los Angeles is two hours from San Diego and offers many attractions including the Walk of Fame, Hollywood Sign, Beverly Hills, Long/Venice/Malibu Beach and Universal Studios and Six Flags Magic Mountains. If you want to visit further Northern California, are San Fransisco and the Silicon Valley worth mentioning. Exciting tours to Alcatraz are offered in SF, the Golden Gate Park and Pier 39 are beautiful places and many other sights such as the Golden Gate Bridge are available. However, especially around the Golden Gate Bridge, many cars are broken into, even during short stays. Many students have had their laptops and other valuables stolen, so take as few valuables as possible with you on your travels and keep them with you at all times!
Are you nature lovers? The beaches and national parks offer indescribable sights. Be it the Sequoia National Park with its giant sequoias, the Yosemite National Park with its black bears and waterfalls, the nearby Joshuatree National with a breathtaking landscape or the Grand Canyon with nerve-racking, hundred-meter-deep gorges. Indescribable sunsets give magical moments to every evening. Beautiful pictures for your Instagram profiles are guaranteed.
Conclusion
All in all, my time in San Diego cost me €17,000, most of which went into tuition and the high cost of living. Nevertheless, the experiences, experiences, friendships and adventures were forever. You will develop as a person and see the world and Germany in particular from a different perspective.
In closing, I wish everyone who makes the journey have fun in San Diego and enjoy every second!
