University: San Diego State University
City: San Diego
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: business administration
Study type: semester abroad
Preparation
The idea of going to San Diego came about quite spontaneously and at very short notice. We, I was there with a friend, only started preparing all the documents (Bafög, visa, etc.) at the end of March. As with many others, there were a few difficulties with Bafög and it also took up the most time. But all in all, there was just enough time. I would definitely recommend starting a little earlier if you want to save yourself the stress. What gave me a lot of headaches back then was the TOEFL! If you feel the same way, a tip: do the test on site! Not only is it a lot easier, it’s also free! I very much regret that I did the Toefl back then. I was missing 2 points back then, so I had to do the test on site. See andyeducation for University of California Los Angeles Study Abroad.
Maybe a word about the flights. We booked at very short notice and paid €670. You could also find slightly cheaper flights on the ABC flights page. JSo don’t take the first one that’s best, but SEARCH
Ah yes, and a nasty surprise awaited us shortly before we left. If you fly with Delta you have to take into account that you can enter with two pieces of luggage, but leave with only ONE! Don’t ask why, it’s like that!
Had my suitcase sent home by mail (Luggage forward) but was quite expensive! But since we didn’t fly home immediately, that was ok.
So get in line for the cosmic real estate prices. A room (unfurnished of course) easily costs 700-800$ without utilities!
The hostels, for the first few weeks, are booked up quickly, so don’t hesitate and book as early as possible!
San Diego is quite big and you have to decide from the start whether you want to live downtown (near the beach) or in the college area (near the university). Since we didn’t have a car, we decided to go to the college area. We shared a room and paid $350 each. Ah, by the way, we found our apartment on the internet. Was really very fast.
The distance from the stores in the US is enormous. Well, if you don’t have friends to drive you to the grocery store, having to lug everything around in your hands can get really heavy and annoying very quickly.
) but the prices for the groceries are all the more expensive.JThe clothes there are cheaper (exchange rate difference In general, what I really didn’t like about my semester was the food! All way too sweet and way too soft. ugh!
University
The university looks very nice and also has a lot to offer. In addition to a really modern and huge fitness room, very well equipped library, there is also a pool.
The support of ALI students is really good! So don’t despair if you have any questions, they’re really happy to help!
The courses are very different than here. I had at least one test EVERY week and had to do a lot of homework. So you really have to stay on the ball.
Travel & Weather
The location of SD is just perfect for traveling! Besides Mexico (20 minutes by car) and LA (2 hours) it’s not really far to Vegas or San Francisco. And thanks to companies like Greyhound, it’s pretty cheap too!
There is also a lot to discover in SD! JI’ll just say beaches and of course PARTIIIEEESS
After the semester was over we traveled around for a month. Among other things, Miami and New York. At student-universe.com, students get many discounts and, among other things, very cheap flights. So don’t forget to inform yourself beforehand!
The weather is just gorgeous! Sunshine every day and very warm! But in winter it can also get a bit chilly at night.
Conclusion
Thanks to MicroEdu, my preparations were only half as bad. I had a lot of questions at the beginning and I got an answer to every question.
In summary, it was a great time that I would be only too happy to repeat. I just fell in love with San Diego! For me: The best city in the USA. I met a lot of nice people there and just had an unforgettable time! Still dreaming about it almost every night.
I would really recommend EVERYONE to go abroad and especially to San Diego!
It was sooooooooo much fun!