University: San Diego State University
City: San Diego
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: business administration
Study type: semester abroad
First of all, a huge thank you to MicroEdu. My semester abroad would never have worked without you! I felt like I called Tatjana 1000 times. And yet I was helped over and over again in a totally friendly and helpful way. Real world class! See act-test-centers for 7 facts about Rome.
I still remember how helpful all the feedback was to me before I flew to San Diego. But despite all the ratings and comments, it was very, very different from what I had imagined. It was AMAZING!
You simply can’t go wrong with this semester abroad. Nobody I know wants to leave there again. There is hardly anything better. About me: I am male, from Frankfurt and flew there in my 5th semester.
For the canned:
Semester choice:
Even if many say you should definitely go there in the summer. I can only say: The spring semester is also great! And the weather is great too, so don’t worry!
I lived on the beach in Mission Beach. Relatively fewer SDSU students live there. But many other students from other universities in San Diego. And above all, many AMERICANS live there! Because that’s the big problem with San Diego. It is filled with Germans. That’s a pity, because you want to improve your English above all. And if you’re not careful, you’ll very quickly find yourself in German circles. Simply because it is convenient in the beginning. I can only say: I have absolutely no regrets that I lived on the beach.
If you don’t have a place from the start, I can warmly recommend the California Dreams Hostel in PB for the first few days. Fair prices and a super cool atmosphere are guaranteed. And you are right in the action!
Automobile:
You should definitely get yourself if you don’t want to be dependent on others. There are so many destinations…Las Vegas, LA, San Fran, Grand Canyon. The list is long. And most importantly, be mobile within San Diego. There is nothing near the university except for the university swimming pool and gym. The beach, PB (with all the bars and parties) and downtown (the big clubs) are all very difficult to reach by public transport.
Lifestyle:
What doesn’t come today will come tomorrow. And if not, it’s not bad either. That’s how I would describe the lifestyle in San Diego. And i love it. That was a really good contrast to the otherwise very stressful everyday life in Germany. That leads me straight to my next point, which…..
University:
The university was also very stress-free compared to Germany. There were exams spread over the semester, but that was really very pleasant. There were only multiple choice exams. And there were never negative points. So, if need be, one could also guess. There were even points for attendance alone. There is a lot of group work. Put some effort into this and motivate your team members. Then you are really easy on the safe side.
I see the process of course allocation as somewhat problematic. We were all, without exception, attributed to ALI (partner of SDSU, own building separated from the main campus). There are only foreign students there (80% Germans, 15% Scandinavians and the rest Italians/Spanishes.) That was really, really a shame. We had to choose 2 courses from Germany before the semester. These were firmly attributed to us in the ALI. And then we were allowed to choose two courses from NOW ON THE SAME. As soon as we got the information, the first people ran to the voting booths. First come, first served. And boom, the most coveted places were already gone.
In order to finally get an “on campus course” with Americans, I first had to go to a professor and then to ALI and work hard for all of that. Fortunately, at least one course worked out. So be careful here!
Costs:
are enormous. I spent a total of almost $15,000 (including tuition). In any case, get the subsidy from Bafög. That really helped me a lot. You can easily budget at least $750 per month for living. It doesn’t get any cheaper (only Schranz maybe), there are no upper limits. You can also calculate at least 350 per month for the car.
Every time I’ve been to the grocery store, I haven’t walked out for less than $50. It’s so expensive there! I would calculate at least $200 a month for food. And that doesn’t even include eating out. You can celebrate (if you want) really cheap. But I’m talking about bars in PB, where you have had a drink beforehand and only treat yourself very little on the spot. Admission is often free. The drink prices but partly the horror. And that even in smaller bars/clubs.
It’s really bad downtown. A table easily costs $800! And the drink prices are also impressive. Stay away from the shots, they cost the same as long drinks!
To celebrate:
Despite the expense, partying in San Diego is awesome! did you understand? THE TOP HAMMER! There is something for everyone. Beach parties, house parties (college area), bars (PB) or the big clubs (downtown). It’s cool everywhere! Especially in PB (Pacific Beach) there are special days with offers every day (Taco Tuesday, Wings Wednesday, Thursty Thursday, Freaky Friday) There is always something going on. You really have to try the wings! So delicious. Downtown is really happening. I always thought the Fluxx was particularly cool. But there were other tastes too. Oh and like PB, there are a lot of cool bars there too. It just costs a little more. The best way to get downtown is on the party buses. You really have to take part in this. I think I went with them 20 times in the first few weeks because it was so cool. There are different providers. All party buses will pick you up (beach or college area) and drive you downtown for just under $20. Inside there’s great music and something to drink. Admission is already included. So the price is absolutely fair. And you come into contact with Americans. The atmosphere is usually really great in the party bus, you can get past the queue at the club. Don’t ever forget to take your passport with you, because our ID card is not accepted there (nor your driver’s license…). And definitely take part: LAS VEGAS! I haven’t tried the bus tours that are offered there. The trip and the fellow travelers are not supposed to be really good (mostly only Germans again), but the price is usually great.
Sports:
Is there enough. So either go to the gym, the aqua center, play squash, soccer or football (everything on campus). You absolutely have to watch a game of the Aztecs (as all SDSU sports teams are called) in basketball. There’s such a cool atmosphere, it’s really a highlight! Achso: absolute body cult in San Diego. Every second person is well trained.
Valuation:
100 out of 5 stars
Summary:
Get everything out of San Diego. Avoid German fellow students (what are you going there for?), do everything and celebrate as much as you can! And don’t take the university toooo seriously. Sometimes there are other important things too. Have fun folks, I envy you!