University: San Diego State University
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: International Business Administration
Study type: semester abroad
I would like to give you a brief overview of my impressions of my semester abroad at San Diego State University (SDSU) in California . Maybe I can help one or the other to get a relatively realistic picture of student life in San Diego. See iamaccepted for 5 best nursing schools in Europe.
From day one I felt very comfortable in San Diego. My first impressions were extremely positive. What immediately struck me – the friendliness and helpfulness of the Americans. You don’t feel like a stranger in the country. Well, of course you should also be an open personality yourself. But I think for someone who is planning to start a semester abroad, this is not a question. Everyone in San Diego seems to have their own style, because each of them is very different from the other. You really feel free in the land of unlimited opportunities. I had very mixed feelings before I arrived. Had to think about the crime you see in the news every now and then. Mainly because it’s right on the border of Tijuana ( Mexico ) lies. But the security is so good that there is no reason to be scared at all.
The university is amazing! The campus is so huge that you need a week to find your way around. Many students bike or skate from one lecture to another. Simply because the way from one lecture to the next felt like a 400 meter run. When you are on campus, you have the feeling that you are in a new little world that you walk into 3 times a week. In fact, you don’t even need to go outside. You can find almost everything you need there.
As an SDSU student you can use the gym and the swimming pool for free. There are various courses that you can take. The food court offers many different dishes. In addition to Subway, Chinese or Mexican fast food, there are also delicious salad bars. There are two Starbucks coffee shops on campus alone. Many people spend their time here just to have a coffee and chat. Many also meet to work on joint projects or to study together when the library just seems too dull. The bib is equipped with everything you need. Should it happen that you forget your laptop, you can simply use one of the many PCs that are available. The San Diego State has many sports teams. The basketball team is the most popular. There are some basketball games during the semester. You can get tickets for free if you’re fast enough. Take advantage of this, because you don’t want to miss the feeling. Typically American like! ‘ alt=smileys title=smileys v: shapes=”_x0000_i1127″>The games take place in the Viajas Arena, which is right on campus.
Most decide between campus life or beach life. If you want to live on the beach, your best bet is to look for a condo on Pacific Beach or Mission Beach. Most students live there if they opted out of campus life. Reside on the beach is more expensive in most cases, but it’s not really far from the university either. You can reach the campus in 20 minutes by car. However, it takes about an hour by public transport. Public transport is not as good as we know it here. Therefore, it is much more convenient to rent a car. It’s difficult to get around without a car. Renting your own car can get very expensive, so it’s a good idea to share a car with others. I didn’t have a car but used Uber a lot instead. Uber is essentially a private taxi, but far cheaper. With the app, Uber is very convenient to use.
I chose to live in the college area. My apartment was less than 8 minutes by bus from the university. During the day I had no problems as the buses ran regularly. However, this is over from 10 p.m. Most of the exchange students I met during my semester abroad had to organize their own bed linen, towels, dishes, etc. Luckily I already had all of this in my apartment. It was private accommodation. I lived with an American couple. For accommodation directly on campus you have to calculate between $600 and $900. That was too expensive for me. And mostly these are individual small rooms that are only equipped with a bed, wardrobe, chair and table. I paid $750 for my own little one bedroom apartment. I had a double bed, a wardrobe, table and chair. In addition, my own bathroom and a small kitchen in the same room.