University: San Diego State University
City: San Diego
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: business administration
Study type: semester abroad
The summary first, if you want to have fun you can definitely do so in San Diego, if you want to learn a lot you can definitely do this too, but in this case you should better read another experience report and be patient – more on this in the following lines. See jibin123 for what do you need to work and study abroad.
Housing
Definitely PB or Mission Beach – if you want to live near the university, you can do that too, but it won’t necessarily be cheaper and you won’t live on the beach!
Just go through PB / Mission Beach and look around – brokers usually ask for a credit check, which you cannot show as a German. Private landlords are more open to foreign students. Searches on Craigslist are usually crowned with success and cost nothing. However, you should really be patient and approach the matter relatively soberly, the search can sometimes take a week or two – but in the end everyone will find something adequate in their price category.
Crashing courses is really no fun, since I didn’t care what I got, I had the courses accordingly, but at least only Tuesdays and Thursdays. Since I also only had to pass – I didn’t want any courses credited to me, my motivation was relatively low – a lot can be achieved here with little effort. There should also be some students who work well together in the exams – be careful – Americans don’t like to be copied.;)
Automobile
I mean not absolutely necessary – bus and trolley goes for university – for trips rental car – and otherwise taxi – from downtown to PB still the best way – about $35.
For the first few days, a rental car is essential, looking for an apartment, clarifying university formalities, etc.
It’s best to check into a cheap hostel downtown, centrally located between the university and the beach, and look for a rental car, eg Dirt Cheap Rentals – just google it. Are cheaper than the usual Alamo and co, and also have new Mustangs. I was never asked for an international driver’s license. Mustang was about $360 a week with zero deductible.
Our condo was in Mission Beach, we didn’t buy a car. The bus takes you to the trolley station and from there the trolley takes about 25 minutes to the university. Maybe not the most comfortable way, but it works really well. If you live right on the beach, then you don’t necessarily want to leave there very often. Many fellow students who bought a car had to put a lot of money into repairs. If you often take the bus, buy the semester ticket for $135 at the university, the ticket then sticks on your student ID – but you shouldn’t lose it.
Party
determines the rhythm of life – Tuesday – dirty in PB – Thursday – Downtown or La Jolla or the Bar West in PB. Saturday Downtown, Stingaree Envy, etc.
Most of the time you can sign up for the clubs on a guest list, which then gives free entry until 11pm or something, best to sign up for the djhere.com mailing list or sign up for Facebook.
Travel
Vegas is not far, LA is even closer, there is a lot to see. Get the Mustang and drive up Highway 1 to San Francisco. Tijuana is also worth a trip, you should definitely take your I20 with you, otherwise you might be allowed to stay in Mexico. Common sense is also important here, the Americans are very afraid of everything south of the border and will tell you one or the other horror story, if necessary always $80 in your socks and you are on the safe side. While you’re there, you should also make a stop at the Las Americas outlet, Polo, Tommy Hilfiger, everything there, at very, very reasonable prices.
Money
If the exchange rate is good, congratulations otherwise certainly depends on the lifestyle. If you consistently party 3X a week and don’t buy from Food 4 Less (the really cheapest supermarket – near the Hazard Center), etc., it can get expensive. Of course everything is also cheap. You shouldn’t underestimate this factor, since a few thousand dollars will quickly be spent.
All in all there is a lot to be said for San Diego, the beach, the weather and lots of fun. If you are more looking for an academic challenge and prefer not to meet Germans everywhere, you are not necessarily at the right place here. Based on the number of reviews, you can certainly guess that there are a lot of Germans here.