University: California State University Fullerton
City: Fullerton
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: business administration
Study type: semester abroad
This investment is definitely worth it! Such a semester abroad costs everyone a small fortune, but the memories, experiences and friends that you make there remain unforgettable and are worth every penny! See existingcountries for University of California Santa Barbara Review.
About the application process:
For me, the decision to go to the CSUF was made very quickly, because on the one hand the tuition fees were within an acceptable range and it is simply unbeatably well located. In order to be able to apply, I still needed proof of my language skills. To get this, I took the DAAD language test at the language center in Münster. The test costs little money and can be done without much effort. After I had collected my remaining documents (financial proof, overview of grades, etc.), the application could be sent off and after a week I was accepted. Now that I had successfully applied for my visa in Frankfurt, everything was done.MicroEdu gave me great support with this process, so the effort was really very small.
To find an apartment:
After reading countless reviews of the housing options here at MicroEdu, the Homestead Apartment convinced me the most. After a few phone calls and emails, we were put on the “waiting list” for $200. However, we were assured that we will definitely get an apartment when we arrive. Shortly before departure we called again to make sure that we could move in directly on the day of arrival. Soberingly we had to realize that they messed up our request and we can only have an apartment a week later. Because of this, we then looked for a hotel on site and went looking for it ourselves the next day. In the end we decided to move into a one-room apartment with two other Germans, also in the Homestead Apartments, and not to wait another week because the date kept getting pushed back. This decision really saved each of us a lot of money because we were able to limit rent payments to 4 months (8/16-12/16) and each of us was paying less than $500 (warm) a month in rent. The Homestead Apartment complex is really well maintained and the apartments are very clean, but the staff and their organization can be forgotten. My recommendation for you, get information about the University Village, because everyone who stayed there was more than satisfied and the apartments and especially the food were really great.
To study:
The CSUF campus is really beautiful. Above all, the buildings of the business students were immediately convincing.
When it comes to choosing a course, please don’t let yourself be unsettled too much. You won’t get all the courses you want right away, but use the first two weeks to crash courses and you’ll get your four courses together. It is important here that you have a large number of courses checked by your home university in advance with regard to crediting.
My courses:
- Personal Financial Management (FIN 310) with Jeff C. Parsons: Cool professor, very little effort, good grades. Recommended!
- Economic Development (ECON 333) with Jason Gurtovoy: Incredibly disorganized professor, a lot of effort, average grades. I do not recommend.
- Organizational Behavior (MGMT 340) with Iyad Aamir: boring professor, very little effort, good grades. Can you do.
- International Business and Management (MGMT 350) with Pawan Tomkoria: best professor, effort is absolutely fine, grades are very good. Highly recommended!
Leisure:
The CSUF is really unbeatable located. I can only recommend that you buy a car locally or rent one in San Diego for the duration of your semester abroad. You should definitely visit San Diego, it’s an incredibly beautiful city and it takes less than two hours from Fullerton. We also visited the following places during the semester: Los Angeles, Joshua Tree National Park, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon (and here is my absolute recommendation, go to Antelope Canyon and Hoseshoe Bend beforehand, they are in an incredibly beautiful national park and are both more than worth seeing!!), Yosemite National Park, San Francisco, all the beaches near LA, etc..
You should absolutely calmly drive down Highway 1. The view is beyond breathtaking.
If you are doing your semester abroad in the winter semester, you should definitely use the free week in November to travel. I flew to Hawaii with three other friends I met during my semester abroad. I think the trip to Hawaii was one of the most beautiful in my life, so I can more than recommend Hawaii to you.
End of semester:
At the end of the semester we flew to Atlanta, from there by bus to Miami, from there by plane to Washington DC, from there by bus to Philadelphia and from there to our final destination, New York.
We spent Christmas in Miami and New Year’s in New York. This trip at the end was a more than nice end to the great time in America.