University: San Diego State University
City: San Diego
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: Business Administration, Economics
Study type: semester abroad
Dear San Diego enthusiasts,
I, too, rolled through the testimonials some time ago. Many have helped me, I often read something twice. That’s why I won’t tell you anything that you can read on Wikipedia, but a few short and sweet tips that would have helped me:
San Diego:
If you want to go to Cali, do your semester abroad in San Diego (SD). With San Francisco, it is the best city on the West Coast, but for a semester abroad it is definitely No. 1!!! Good weather, beach, pleasant university, lots of parties and pretty and nice people can be combined here like nowhere else in Cali. See anycountyprivateschools for 3 best universities in Washington DC.
Before you leave, you should arrange a rental car (more on that later) and a hotel (preferably via priceline.com) for the first few days. The hotel then just for 5 days, you can always look for a new one.
Apartment Search:
Many write here that you can also live well at the university. However, this is absolute nonsense. On the one hand, the apartments there are not cheaper. On the other hand, you miss the unique opportunity to live near the beach as well as all the parties in PB and downtown. We lived in Pacific Beach (PB) 30m from the beach and it was awesome. So you should live in Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, La Jolla or Ocean Beach. Whereby PB is the best solution when it comes to partying (you can also drive like this at house parties at the university). There are many clubs, bars etc. The best way to search is via craigslist, you will always find something! And don’t let $100 more rent fail you to live close to the water, it’s worth it! Oh yes, surfing is of course also an incentive, go to the beach,
Automobile:
There is a 40% student discount at the Alamo (Google search: isic 40% alamo -> The Isic pass costs €12, so it’s worth it, but you only have to show it at the Alamo in exceptional cases) and so you can afford a rental car. The three of us had 4 different carts (because the rental period was limited), all absolutely new, midsize SUVs, first tank of fuel incl. etc. Cost everyone €1000 for the entire time, but you don’t have any stress and very good cars for the round trips. If you buy a car, you have to reckon with follow-up costs because there is no TÜV and you only get scrap for affordable money. Everyone who did that had to pay extremely more in total! At Dirt ceap car you only get rust buckets, priced similar to Alamo. So: clear choice!
University:
I usually study in Münster, the level of business administration is pretty high here. The level at SDSU reminded me and my friends more of vocational school. So don’t waste your time learning, we got an A for almost every exam with a maximum of 1 hour. Try to limit unit days, we had 2 long unit days and the rest of the week off. Try to be flexible with course selection. Don’t take the standard management courses (350, 357, etc.), but also Econ courses if you can. That’s the only way you’ll end up in courses with Americans, ALI courses (ie extra courses for internationals) are shit, believe me;) The big downer at the university are the many Germans. Try to stick to Americans and other foreigners to speak a lot of English.
Travel:
Plan your trips early. It is best to immediately fill a calendar with the weekends of your trips. Otherwise you can hardly do everything and time goes by faster than you think. We were in LA (puke), San Fran (awesome), Yosemite (awesome), Grand Canyon and surrounding area (awesome, do a kayak tour!!!!) and Las Vegas (amazing to party). Of course, Hawaii is also supposed to be great, but only those who book early can get there cheaply!
Costs:
Of course, the entire semester cost a lot of money. However, that should be clear beforehand. If you don’t get a foreign student loan, you have to plan with 11-13 thousand € including tuition fees, flight, travel and of course the cost of living on site in order to have a great time and really take everything you need with you!
I hope I could help you! It was the most relaxed and best semester ever! On to SD!!!
PS The best parties are downtown, especially at the Fluxx. A party bus (that’s a moving disco, incredibly awesome!) runs back and forth from PB for free. You absolutely have to use that.