University: California State University Fullerton
City: Fullerton
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: business administration
Study type: semester abroad
I studied at California State University at Fullerton from August 2009 to December 2009.
A little bit about me: I’m Björn and I’m studying International Cruise Industry Management in Bremerhaven. My university of applied sciences also has various partner universities around the world, but 90% of them are in the Erasmus program in Europe and only one in the USA, the Boston Community College in Massachusetts, which on the other hand didn’t appeal to me at all, so I looked elsewhere regarding. to colleges in the United States. I found my way to MicroEdu early on and was far from disappointed, more on that later. See educationvv for California State University San Marcos Exchange Program.
Application, preparation and organization:
Getting to the college you want is a long and sometimes annoying process, but it was worth it in the end. I speak from experience as I did a high school year in Palmdale, north of Los Angeles, in 1996 and that’s how I contracted my “USA disease” for which there is no cure to this day and probably never will be : ). As already mentioned, my university of applied sciences does not have any partner universities in the world tailored to my needs, so I had to reorient myself and not really have to use our International Office.
The first thing I used was the internet as a source and I came across MicroEdu very quickly. There are several reasons for this. A very helpful, informative and clearly designed homepage that leaves nothing to be desired. Furthermore, MicroEdu is free of charge when it comes to applications and the like, which is no longer considered normal at all these days. Other organizations want an application fee etc. College Compact doesn’t. The young women are all very helpful and very competent and, above all, you get a response very quickly. They helped me with any question and no question could throw the girls at College Compact off, even with less intelligent questions they were always polite and helpful.
So I filled out my application and sent it in and everything went pretty quickly. I got my I-20 so I had plenty of time to do my visa appointment well. I went to the US consulate in Berlin. There was only one scheduling problem on my part. Before that I was on a cruise ship for six months and worked there in finance and guest relations. Since the F1 student visa is only processed 30 days before the start of the course, it took some effort and charm from the US embassy staff to hand over the VISA right away. Another aspect was that I had already received another VISA 6 months earlier, a so-called C1/D VISA, which was very carefully scrutinized. But in the end, everything was fine and I got the VISA the same day,
Other aspects that still need to be done include financial proof that the costs can be borne throughout the stay, proof of insurance and the Learning Agreement. I don’t want to say that it’s like that everywhere, but for me it was quite a catastrophe to get everything under one roof. Before I went on the cruise ship, everything had to be taken care of. There was a daily e-mail exchange and phone calls with MicroEdu, who had to send everything to Fullerton, which they did brilliantly and to my complete satisfaction. Since I am almost finished with my studies, there were course problems, because 95% of the courses that were offered in Fullerton I had already written or were too similar. There should be courses
I then flew to Los Angeles on August 4th, 2009 and lived with my host family in Corona in Chino Hills. So I had 3 weeks to enjoy my “world” before my studies started.
The first time in California and Los Angeles was a return to my world for me. I was back in my adopted country of America and I have wanderlust at the thought and would like to turn back time.
Nevertheless, the Unistart was exactly the opposite of what I had hoped for. There were big problems with the courses. First of all, it was a tremendous act to get my professor in Germany to sign all the courses I wanted. This hurdle was cleared, now came the next one. All courses that were promised to me were either taken or were no longer available and were no longer offered. So there was a lively exchange of emails with my professor in Germany, which turned out to be very difficult. So it happened that I sometimes attended 6-7 courses without knowing whether I would be enrolled. That was not only annoying, but also scary because, unlike at my German university, quizzes were written regularly and of course the midterm exam was not far away. After nights of e-mail conversations, both parties in the USA and in Germany could be reconciled. I had to take 4 completely new courses, so I didn’t get any of the ones I wanted, had to have them approved in Germany and the USA and then I could start. I have to mention that the proof of insurance, e.g. T has caused problems because the USA is completely and against everything hedging and questioning and was very difficult to get carried away with a “YES, everything is fine”. So this hurdle had to be cleared. So I didn’t get any of the ones I wanted, I had to have them approved in Germany and in the USA and then we could start. I have to mention that the proof of insurance, e.g. T has caused problems because the USA is completely and against everything hedging and questioning and was very difficult to get carried away with a “YES, everything is fine”. So this hurdle had to be cleared. So I didn’t get any of the ones I wanted, I had to have them approved in Germany and in the USA and then we could start. I have to mention that the proof of insurance, e.g. T has caused problems because the USA is completely and against everything hedging and questioning and was very difficult to get carried away with a “YES, everything is fine”. So this hurdle had to be cleared.
What turned out to be strange was that as soon as you were on site, everything went very quickly with the insurance company and everything that had previously been criticized via e-mail was also accepted. So it was cooked very hot, but eaten lukewarm. One tip is to take out a good German insurance company here, I chose Allianz because it has a US headquarters in New York and the insurance company is very competent. Many have taken out insurance via the Internet or which did not offer any of the required evidence and had very big problems with it. The on-site insurance offered by the college is very expensive, but if you don’t feel like arranging everything here ahead of time, it’s at least an alternative.
I then moved to the University Village (UV) 2 days before the start of my studies, like many other international students. Of course, there are also many American students on site. I already arranged everything in Germany and got in touch with another German student in such a way that we will definitely move into an apartment together. Some Germans also looked for an apartment complex on site, which worked out well, but of course it couldn’t always run so smoothly. We had furniture in the room, the others had to buy everything together, which was laborious and expensive. Either it is then rented to the next tenant or you stay on it, which was not the case with us in UV, since everything was included. I wanted to be on the safe side so that I managed everything from Germany or from my cruise ship, if possible. Everything worked out great and I was assigned a room, it couldn’t be better. The food has a great Mexican urge, which in turn was very delicious.JRight at the pool, right at the café and right at the exit and parking lot, PERFECT location Lots of choices, from a salad bar, breads, cereals…everything. You can also cook for yourself, as the apartments are all equipped with a kitchen. In addition to the living room, kitchen and bathroom, there are 3 bedrooms. A “regular room” that I had. Enough for one person. Then there is the “Large Room”, which is a lot larger, and a “Deluxe Room”, which has its own bathroom, but which 2 people can/must share. The shower room is very small including. Toilet, but you can deal with that too, I think. There are 2 sinks, so there is no “quarrel” and there is enough space. My room was $975 a month, all inclusive. The internet that is offered there is not so “full” because all the people who live there access the internet. It would be advisable to get some internet, which we did. So only the three of us accessed it, which was correspondingly faster and more reliable. access the internet. It would be advisable to get some internet, which we did. So only the three of us accessed it, which was correspondingly faster and more reliable. access the internet. It would be advisable to get some internet, which we did. So only the three of us accessed it, which was correspondingly faster and more reliable.
I liked it there because I z. T have found good friends with whom I am in contact, although the age is very young and it will be accordingly. Make up your own mind, I thought it was cool and we had a lot of fun. The proximity to the university was also great. 15 minutes walk to the large BreaMall with the bus that stops right around the corner and Albertsons (supermarket), Target, Barber Shop, Mc Donalds etc. just over the bridge from Highway 57 and you’re there, really great. The area is okay, some smaller Mexican “gangs” that aren’t particularly dangerous, at least not to me. I jogged twice a day, sometimes at night and nothing ever happened. Yorba Linda Blvd. down and up the hill and you find yourself in a very, very luxurious corner, where you can jog very well, so no jitters. All very friendly!
Fullerton, the place is okay. The city center is small but clear. Harbor Street has bars and restaurants, that’s all there is, but it’s enough. Since I don’t drink alcohol anyway, it wasn’t a big problem for me. Anaheim is only 5 minutes away and has more choices, so it’s a good place to go if you’re itching for clubs or bars. Fullerton itself is quite spread out, as is everywhere in California. Hardly anything works without a car. Actually, a car is almost mandatory, but you don’t “die” without a car either. Downtown Los Angeles can be reached in 45 minutes in GOOD traffic conditions, but that can easily be 1-2 hours, since Highway 91 and I-5 are ALWAYS full, no matter what time of day or night, and that’s extremely annoying, but it is not changeable.
To the University:
California State University, Fullerton (also called CSUF, Fullerton State or Cal State Fullerton) is a state university in Fullerton, California, in the greater Los Angeles area.
With 35,970 students, it is one of the largest colleges in the California State University system.
CSUF was founded in 1957 as Orange County State College.
It’s quite large and very spacious, but it’s the complete opposite of our technical colleges or universities. Nevertheless, there are still increases, e.g. B Michigan State University, which I attended for a while in 2001. Cal State Fullerton is more of a commuter school, very few students live on campus itself. At MSU, for example, more than half of the 60,000 students live on campus, which is not the case in Fullerton. But the CSUF is very nice, the buildings are easy to find and despite the high number of students you somehow don’t lose the overview. There is a canteen where I only ate once at the beginning, since the meals were included in the price at UV and therefore free of charge, you don’t have to pay in the canteen, that’s how I saw it. The Titan Bookstore is where you can get everything what is necessary to organize everyday school life and even more, from clothes to books and PC hardware and software. Everything is available. There is also a fast food restaurant (Carl’s Jr.) and countless vending machines. There is also a gym to keep his figure in shape and a basketball hall where the Titans play. There are still tracking fields etc. Everything on campus.
JExcursions are offered by the International Office, so a lot of us went to Disneyland for free, which was very positively received, because you have 100 dollars or not
We received a total of 12 credits for these 4 courses, a number that is normal for America, since American students still have a part-time job or an internship alongside the university.
My courses were:
- live entertainment business
- Travel & Tourism
- GeographyCalifornia
- Geography in World Economics
As already mentioned, there were big difficulties due to the financial crisis, so the international students are employed at the back. But the greatest effort is made to settle everything and often the hands of the International Office are tied because the state is to blame, whatever.
The amount of work is already greater than in Germany, but the level is far behind the European standard. I’ll be honest, I did almost nothing at all, learned very little for the exams and wrote the 8 essays, some of which were 3000 words, quite quickly. Reading was a requirement, but not a major obstacle. So I completed my courses from very good to good with a very, very small amount of work. Wouldn’t have been possible in Germany, at least in my personal opinion.
Since I’m already studying entirely in English in Germany, the language wasn’t a problem at all. I’ve had a “native language certificate” for 4 years, which of course made a lot of things easier for me. Since I was already familiar with everyday college life through friends and my own experience, that wasn’t a problem either. I felt at home very quickly and at ease. But even if your English isn’t so good or it’s perhaps the first longer stay away from home without the usual environment, don’t worry, you’ll quickly find new friends who will help you and there’s the internet. The USA has a very friendly way of dealing with people, not like in Germany, where pessimism prevails, but everything is viewed very relaxed and there is often, not always, a positive aura. Of course, there is also the superficial behavior here, which disturbs many, but you get along very well with the people. The danger of assuming this superficial is very great. Even those who are not familiar with the USA will find their way around very easily.
I don’t need to say much more about Los Angeles. The City of Angels is a city of contrasts. On the one hand Beverly Hills, Bel Air and the Hollywood Hills with their celebrities and LOTS of luxury and on the other extreme poverty. East of Downtown is the well-known “Tent City”. Hundreds of people live in camping tents on the street. Less during the day, but in the evenings and at night it is a terrible sight, otherwise poverty spreads throughout the city. In East LA in particular, many people live below the poverty line, which makes you scratch your head and wonder why the overrated actors and musicians are making millions and millions. Live, they look just like any everyday person, it’s a good thing there are computers so they can stand out. Don’t be fooled by Los Angeles Because many only see Hollywood and luxury, that’s a small drop on a big stone, many are fighting for survival, right now. Don’t get me wrong, my future after my studies also lies in the Los Angeles area, should the economic situation improve. Everything is available in the Los Angeles area, there is nothing that does not exist.
It’s 8 hours to San Francisco on the I-5 and about a day and a half on the famous Highway 1 along the coast. In any case, plan an overnight stay and don’t rush down, simply impressive and super cool and take your time. San Diego is a little over an hour away and then the jump to Mexico is done right away as it’s another 15 minutes from San Diego to the border. Las Vegas is 5 hours approx so everything is within easy reach.
My conclusion:
Was just as hoped and dreamed of. I lived my dream with a convertible under the California sun. It was a homecoming to my world and I didn’t miss anything in Germany and now I’m getting back into my boring everyday routine with lectures at my university of applied sciences and the lousy weather in Germany. I can advise everyone to do a semester abroad in the USA or somewhere else. Do not let your partner or friends talk you into it, because this experience is priceless and helps in the further course of life.
I’ve been in California for almost 8 months now and haven’t seen everything because it’s much too spacious and big. At the end I did a very big road trip with my lady, which was a good idea. All in all a perfect time that I would NEVER want to miss.
A big thank you goes to Aline Meyer, who was almost personally responsible for me. The whole process would not have been possible without you, which in no way means that the other employees are worse, on the contrary, I only had the most contact with Aline Meyer. She took a lot of work off my hands and did it to my complete satisfaction. MANY MANY thanks for that!!!!!