University: San Diego State University
City: San Diego
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: Business
Study type: semester abroad
Hi my name is Henning and I was in San Diego from August 2011 to December 2011. First of all, I would like to thank MicroEdu for the mediation, they really did a good job and always tried to answer my questions as quickly as possible… great! See jibin123 for Slovakia or Slovenia where to study.
Now to my semester abroad:
San Diego
Well, the city of San Diego is my absolute favorite on the west coast. For me there is nothing that compares. The whole city looks like one big holiday resort. The beaches are beautiful, the people are super nice and the parties are awesome! Of course there are also a large number of homeless people who like to talk to you at bus stops, but they were all pretty nice to me and seemed rather harmless. San Diego is not lacking in attractions either, there would be the Zoo, Seaworld, the USS Midway, Balboa Park, Coronado, Downtown and many many more. In addition, cities such as Los Angeles or Las Vegas are easy to reach by car. So if I could persuade my family to move, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second and go back to San Diego!
First piece of advice: make sure to look for an apartment on site first! It may sound a little scary at first, but it really is the best thing you can do. I found a really nice apartment right on the beach within 2 days. Which brings me to advice #2: MAKE SURE you live on the beach. I didn’t quite understand the people who lived at the university. The area there is not very nice and it is also not cheaper there. I don’t know about you guys but I’ve never had the opportunity to live on the beach and if you do too then San Diego is the place to be. I lived in Mission Beach myself, it was super nice there…really recommended. Pacific Beach is pretty much as good, a little busier there but not quite as quaint. Since these two parts of the city are right next to each other, it doesn’t really matter where you live. Since I didn’t have a car, I always had to take the bus to the university, which of course wasn’t ideal, but since I only had to go to the university 2 days a week, it was ok. I had bought a bike from Walmart and then made MB and PB unsafe.
University
Yes, I don’t really have that much to say about the university. All in all ok. The first two weeks were a bit exhausting thanks to “Class Crashing”, but if you don’t let it stress you out too much, then everything will work out as you want. I had three courses, two in marketing and one in public finance. In fact, you have to do a lot during the semester (if you want to have very good grades), which for me mainly consisted of reading and online tests. However, the level of the tests and exams was not very high, at least compared to my university in Germany, so that I was able to achieve around 90% in all courses. The ALI at SDSU is very helpful when requested and takes good care of the international students.
Costs
Well, what can I say?! That’s probably the only negative thing about a semester abroad in San Diego: Everything is a bit more expensive than you think. The tuition fees are within the limits for US conditions, but that’s about it. In my opinion, you should calculate at least 600 USD rent for the accommodation, rather more. I lived for 650USD and had to share a room, but the apartment and the location were really the best. Many of my fellow students have lived in unfurnished rooms far away from the beach for a comparable price.
Groceries are also more expensive than in Germany, at least if you want to cook healthy. And even the average party evening can put quite a strain on the wallet. Therefore the 3rd tip: Always pay attention to happy hours and other promotions, that is usually really worth it!
Conclusion
After half a year there can only be one conclusion: By far the best semester of my life. Even if the pockets are empty now, it was more than worth it. The time in San Diego is simply unforgettable and I can’t think of a better alternative. I would do it again and again and can only recommend it to everyone.
Thanks again to MicroEdu for the really good and fast help!