University: San Diego State University
City: San Diego
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: business administration
Study type: semester abroad
Since a semester abroad is integrated into my bachelor’s degree, I decided to go there based on recommendations from my fellow students who also did a semester abroad at San Diego State. See andyeducation for University of California Riverside Study Abroad.
It was the best decision of my life! If you should decide for the SDSU, you will also have your experience and you will not regret it, I can tell you that.
Preparation: At the beginning you have to take care of a lot of organizational things. On the one hand independently, on the other hand MicroEdu was a great help. The employees at MicroEdu are incredibly nice and friendly and are really happy to help you with even the smallest problem. You can always email or call them. They usually reply within a day.
For me, MicroEdu was a great support in preparing for the semester abroad. JI would like to thank you all again – especially Tatjana, who was my contact person
SDSU: Please note that you should be in San Diego at least two weeks early, as you should take jet lag into account and possibly if you want to travel around before the start of the semester.
When I first saw the university I was really impressed. It really has a lot to offer – as international students we get free access to the “Recreation Center” where there is a gym and a basketball hall for the sports enthusiasts among us;-) the Aquaplex also has a swimming pool, where we also have one have free access. All of this is represented on campus. In addition, SDSU students get free tickets to various college games such as basketball and football. You shouldn’t miss this. It’s really exciting and thrilling to have seen something like that (like in the movies). The basketball games take place in the Viejas Arena, which is also on campus. Football games are held at Qualcomm Stadium.
The campus is really huge. There is plenty to eat and several Aztec Markets where you can buy sundries, drinks and snacks. The Aztec Student Union also has Starbucks, The Habit – Burger Grill and Chipotle.
SDSU also has many beautiful outdoor spaces to lie down, relax, and learn. In addition, the library also offers seats for a nap, which many students do. JMe too, by the way
The professors, like very, very many Americans in my opinion, are very funny, open and nice. It is often the case that attendance is compulsory in the courses, but not in all of them. But the professors will tell you that beforehand, you don’t have to worry about that.
Unfortunately, since I chose the so-called “Special Session Courses”, I didn’t have the opportunity to study together with American students because these courses are explicitly intended for international students, which of course also means that there are an incredible number of Germans in the courses. I would say 90%. From time to time there might have been a few from Sweden or Denmark. That’s it. Which is a pity.
COSTS/ACCOMMODATION: The tuition itself is very expensive, but of course living in San Diego is not cheap either.
During my time in SD I lived with an American host family, where I paid $800 per month for accommodation. Included were breakfast, dinner, internet and your own room – which is perfectly fine for the price.
MicroEdu and the American Language Institute (ALI) took care of finding the host family. Personally I found it disappointing; when applying for a host family you have to fill in preferences and I had indicated that I didn’t want to live in a family with children under 10 years old. Unfortunately, in the end this was not taken into account at all because I came into a family that had three small children (aged 1, 3 and 5). Also, when I was assigned a host family, I wasn’t told that they were Mormons as an example. I think something like this should be communicated to you beforehand. Of course it was an advantage to speak English with an American host family, but because of the small children, the parents didn’t have much time for me and that was the end of it, ie
Gasoline is very cheap for us Germans throughout the USA. You don’t have to worry about that;-) But San Diego also offers a train called the Trolley, which is also a great way to get around. However, I would recommend you to rent a car as the routes are all very far apart, which was sometimes really annoying because I didn’t have a car and was always dependent on the trolley, e.g. I needed to go to Mission Beach with the trolley and the Bus 1h 20 min and by car it was 20 min…
As the prejudices confirm, fruits and vegetables, especially fruit, are very expensive in America. yay!JBut don’t panic in California you won’t gain weight anytime soon
TRAVEL: Definitely travel a lot while you’re in SD!!! It is not expensive and there is a lot to see and beautiful. You will also quickly meet new people and form groups where you can just go on a road trip together and things like that. Of course, San Diego also has a lot to offer. The weather is perfect. JDuring my time from August to December 2014 it only rained twice
So and now I wish you a lot of fun, enjoy the time. It will be the time of your life!