University: San Diego State University
City: San Diego
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Study type: semester abroad
The campus, built in the Mexican style, is impressive by German standards. All university facilities are in one place, as are sports facilities, a supermarket, a bookstore, an electronics shop, an open-air stage, etc. See liuxers for how to open a bank account in Germany.
We didn’t live on the university campus or in the immediate vicinity of the university, but in the city center. Although many people have pointed out the unsafe situation downtown, I have never felt this way. Police officers are present on every corner and give the impression of security. Downtown itself is pretty nice, but expensive. There are four nice streets where you can find full pubs almost every night playing everything from jazz to Irish dance music. There is no real downtown in San Diego, but there is a large shopping center with many shops, cinemas, cafes, hairdressers, etc. The bus and subway connections to the university and the beaches are okay. You can reach everything from downtown by public transport. Every now and then it just takes a while. Buses to the university, for example, take approx.
Because we didn’t live in the immediate vicinity of the university, we were on campus all day. Since the sports and leisure activities were very extensive, there was never a dull moment. The campus is very nice and you can study, eat or just relax on the green areas very well. The “Mensen” consists of several small suppliers. Among them is, for example, an Italian, a Mexican, an Asian and of course McDonalds. In addition to the canteens, you can also find Starbucks on the university campus and I was probably one of their best customers. Life on campus is very pleasant, nice and relaxed.J I missed the student parties.
We flew to the States with no accommodations. In the first three weeks we stayed in more or less good hostels. After that we made ourselves comfortable in an apartment building right in the city center and stayed there until Christmas. The accommodation was convenient and cheap. We had 35 square meters, a kitchen and a bathroom. The kitchen was integrated into the living room.
I really enjoyed my time in San Diego and would love to go back again. It was a great time.