University: San Diego State University
City: San Diego
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: International Business Administration
Study type: semester abroad
It has always been my wish to do a semester abroad at a university in the USA, so I found out about the possibilities from other fellow students who have already completed a semester abroad in the USA. See act-test-centers for SSU Study Abroad.
After I came across MicroEdu on the Internet quite quickly, it was clear that I would plan and carry out my semester abroad with this organization.
The preparation was lengthy and sometimes exhausting, as there was a lot of bureaucracy involved. I was always able to turn to MicroEdu and was always helped as quickly as possible. It was decided pretty quickly that San Diego State University was the only place for me, as all the criteria I made for were met:
- It was right on the beach
- In California
- One of the best universities in the country
It was supposed to start in August, before that I had to apply for a visa and book a flight (which I did in June). There was already a group on Facebook for all students who will spend a semester abroad at SDSU. I also met my future roommates there.
On August 6th (a week before classes start) I arrived in San Diego with my roommate. We were both immediately impressed with the beautiful city called San Diego. It’s an indescribable atmosphere, all the palm trees, the beach, the friendly people – you felt at home straight away.
Little by little, our other roommates arrived in San Diego, our house, which was right on Mission Beach, had room for 6 people, 5 of whom were German students and one student from Denmark. It was quite easy to find accommodation since we did it directly from Germany. But I also heard from other students who really needed a while to find suitable accommodation and therefore had to spend several weeks in the hostel.
On 8/11 University finally started. On the first day there was an introductory event where the students were divided into groups, right after that we were allowed to take photos for our student ID cards.
It only started three days later and we had to choose our remaining subjects, since you can only choose 2 special sessions in advance, i.e. the lectures that you can definitely attend. Sometimes it was also said that courses had to be “crashed”, ie one went to a course and politely asked the professor whether one could still take part in the course. In many cases this also works, but you should always consider an alternative option, as it can also happen that the courses are full and you can no longer get in.
My courses were: Marketing, Business Plan Development, Multinational Business and Organizational Behaviour. All of my courses were so-called “special sessions”, which means that I only had internationals in the course. In terms of effort, it was great. In each course you had to give a presentation on a certain topic and write 2 exams, 1 of which was a midterm exam, which you wrote in the middle of the semester. It has to be said that you sometimes have to buy books or have internet access to do your homework. I spent a total of $400 on learning materials.
You have quite a bit of free time during the semester if you plan your courses so that you don’t have lectures on Mondays and Fridays, for example. In the whole semester I was in Las Vegas 3 times, 2 times in Los Angeles, at the Grand Canyon and one week in Cancun/Mexico and many small trips to the neighboring cities/beaches.
San Diego is a city with many opportunities, there is something going on every day and so you quickly make friends, whether they are other students or locals, nobody has to be lonely here. There was something to do every day, for example every day had a motto: Sushi Monday, Taco Tuesday, Wingy Wednesday, Thirsty Thursday and Friday/Saturday were used for going out anyway and of course Sunday is Funday. In addition, one arranged to meet up with one’s friends, went out and celebrated in Pacific Beach, which delighted with its numerous pubs/bars.
At the end of the semester I was personally very sad that it was over so quickly, I had experienced so much, found so many new friends and learned new things. I can only recommend a semester at SDSU to everyone, it will certainly be the time of your life !