University: San Diego State University
City: San Diego
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: Entrepreneurship, organization and leadership
Study type: semester abroad
Introduction:
According to my study regulations, a semester abroad was not compulsory, but I still decided to complete a semester abroad. Having never been to the US before, I really wanted to go to a university in America. After some research, I chose San Diego State University (SDSU) and it was the best decision. Two months after the semester I’m still thinking back to my good times in San Diego and even have some wanderlust and can’t wait to get back to San Diego and visit friends there. See andyeducation for University of California Davis Study Abroad.
In the following report I will share my personal impressions and experiences with you, which I gained during my semester abroad at SDSU. I completed the semester abroad in my fifth semester in the International Management course with a focus on Entrepreneurship at the SWF University of Applied Sciences in Meschede.
University:
San Diego State University is a public university in San Diego, California. Over 33,000 students attend SDSU. It belongs to one of the largest universities in California. SDSU offers two semester programs: General Courses and Business Courses. The International Business Program ranking is 12th in the United States and the university itself is 68th. Since there are more than 600 state universities in the US, SDSU’s ranking is quite good.
The university also has a huge fitness center, several tennis courts and a swimming complex, shops, concert and entertainment venues, and the Aztec Student Union. The university ID gives you free membership to the sports and swimming complex, the library, all events on campus and even free tickets to all SDSU sports team games. Weekend trips to various national parks are also available for a fee.
Studies:
Thanks to the organization MicroEdu, the application process for the SDSU went smoothly and I was accepted relatively quickly. MicroEdu took care of my application with the host university, so I sent the required documents to MicroEdu and they checked them. If everything fits, the application can be sent directly to the host university.
San Diego State University was my first choice because of the variety of sports on offer and a large selection of interesting courses. When choosing a course, it is important to fill out a learning agreement with your home university so that you can have the courses credited afterwards.
I attended four courses (12 units). Each additional course is subject to a fee. Tuition was $7415.
Completed courses:
MGT 0355 International Entrepreneurship
This course was very interesting and varied but also a bit complex. Two exams were written during the semester. There was also a Global Board Game Project, in which a board game was to be developed as a team. The numerous guest lectures were very interesting.
MGT 0460 Business Plan Development
This course included two exams, a presentation and some group assignments. The effort for this course should not be underestimated, but I would choose the course again because it was very varied with some guest lectures.
MGT 0455 Social Entrepreneurship
Also in this course there was a group project and two exams as well as a presentation and some interesting guest lectures. Also recommended.
MGT 0475 Leadership in Organizations
This course covered topics such as leadership transition, leadership qualities, leadership characteristics and behavior, influence and values, leadership development, definition and meaning of leadership, leadership theories and many more. Two exams were written and a presentation in the form of a self-made creative film.
My greatest experiences / My highlights:
My stay abroad consisted only of beautiful moments. I lived with a host family who took great care of me and also celebrated my birthday with me. I felt like “family” the whole time and was able to experience American culture and lifestyle firsthand.
During my stay I was able to play and watch a lot of tennis, which was very important to me. First, I took an advanced tennis class at SDSU, and I also took part in team games with a team outside of SDSU. The crew was very nice and funny. That was an interesting and cool experience. In March 2018 Indian Wells hosted the 2018 BNP Paribas Open and if you are a tennis enthusiast there is a good chance of seeing some great tennis.
During spring break I visited many beautiful cities and places such as: Long Beach, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, Malibu, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Yosemite National Park and many more. Every place had something special and that’s why it was a pretty cool experience. But what I liked the most was San Francisco. Also, it was a cool experience to go swimming in the ocean in the winter with nice sunshine.
What did the stay abroad bring you?
- The stay abroad improved and expanded my language skills. I feel much more confident using the language.
- During my stay I gained a lot of great experiences, met a lot of nice people and made some contacts that could be of importance for my professional career.
- I was able to expand my knowledge in the field of entrepreneurship.
- I was able to experience American student life, which is very different from German.
Conclusion:
The few months at San Diego State University were simply very exciting and great and can therefore be recommended. If you have the opportunity to do an internship / semester abroad, do not hesitate and do it. Thanks to my host family, I was able to experience American culture very closely.
Even if America and especially California are not exactly cheap, the semester abroad was very worthwhile because of the many beautiful and valuable experiences.
Tips: If you decide to complete a semester abroad, please remember to find out about the foreign BAföG and various scholarships ( e.g. PROMOS, ERASMUS) and the required documents ( e.g. language certificate, visa, bank card ) in good time ) to get early. It is also important to take care of the course selection as early as possible and to coordinate this with the home university. Also, I would advise you to leave some time at the end before going home to travel around.