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 – San Diego is one of the most livable cities in the world and anyone who has the opportunity to live there for several months should not miss this opportunity. In order to make it a little easier for you to start your dream semester abroad, I would like to tell you about my experiences. See ehuacom for 11 best fashion schools in Europe.
Visa
As soon as the SDSU’s approval is in the mailbox, you should take care of the visa. Although a large number of documents are required for the visa application, the application on site in Frankfurt is ultimately quick and unproblematic. I thought about it way too much beforehand. Ultimately, they didn’t even want to see proof of sufficient financial resources. If you are well organized, you can get through to the consulate within 1.5 hours. I received the visa approval within 4 days.
Finding a room on site turned out to be not that easy and is unfortunately one of the big minus points in San Diego for me. That’s not to say there aren’t enough accommodation options, but you’ll have to dig deep into your pocket to have your own room. For a long time I thought back and forth whether I would like to live in the party strongholds of Mission Beach, Pacific Beach or Ocean Beach, or whether I would rather be close to the action and, above all, to most university events. Since I didn’t want to be stuck in traffic every day on the 8 (the main ring road in San Diego) and it seemed very practical to live as close to the university as possible, I decided on the College Area. If you also have a car anyway, you are within 15 minutes on the beach.
Now to my spectacular apartment search : -P One can really almost speak of a super meltdown, so I would like to warn you about one or the other apartment complex in the college area. If you decide to look for a room in the college area, you’ll find that off-campus apartment complexes are springing up like mushrooms. Pulling money out of the pockets of foreign students by paying extortionate rents has probably become a national sport. Sterling Collwood, Paseo Place, Granada On Hardy are just the tip of the iceberg. In such apartment complexes, a room for a single person can cost as little as $1,250 per month.
Of course, there are also so-called “shared bedrooms” in which you can live ass to ass with a stranger for six months for $750 a month. Of course, you also get a great eat-in kitchen with a cooking island, an oversized flat screen and usually a washing machine/dryer, but the apartments are usually so worn out after just a few months that a contractual clause says “after each move, the room in question will be completely renovated”. I didn’t want to believe this necessity until I was offered such a room myself. In addition, one is so impressed by the “showrooms” shown before that one actually only wants to sign the rental contract. However, the “showroom” shown to me had absolutely nothing to do with my later room in a shared flat.
When I finally decided on Sterling Collwood, the “Room Matching Program” was explained to me in more detail. This questionnaire asks about your personality, what time you go to sleep, whether you like to party, etc. The aim is to find suitable roommates for you. In itself that’s a great thing, but you would have to consider at least one or two of the preferences given. When it was time to move in, I still hadn’t seen the room I was supposed to get, so I was supposed to sign the contract and transfer the first month’s rent. Only then was I given the key to the apartment. Since everything in America is more or less about buddy trust, I just accepted the process.
Arrived in front of the apartment door, I first noticed the scratch marks on the door opening, which indicated that someone had already tried to force their way into the apartment. But when I got into the apartment, I really couldn’t spit. The apartment was in an impossible, disgusting and disgusting state. There were clothes from the other two roommates everywhere. Dirty dishes were piled up in the kitchen, the floor was stained, alcohol was everywhere, in the girls’ room an oversized mountain of dirty laundry was piled up on one of the two beds.
When I made my way to my room, it was finally clear to me: This is not where you will spend your semester abroad. The carpeting was torn out on the sides, the furniture wasn’t in its intended place, but stuck together in the middle of the room. So much undergrowth had grown in front of my window that hardly any light came into the room and when I opened the window, the smoke from the barbecue grill that was right in front of my window came in straight away. Not to forget the swimming pool, which was particularly busy that day and whose volume echoed directly into my room from the adjacent courtyard. Really, no preference I had previously expressed was honored in any way. I don’t mean to badmouth the off-campus apartments, but for the fact that you sometimes have to pay twice as much rent as in Germany, you can expect a lot more. So I advise you to find a private house in the college area with some cool people. You can definitely get away cheaper there, have peace and quiet if you want peace and quiet and the fun factor increases.
Automobile
It doesn’t work without a car! If you want to make the most of the semester abroad and don’t want to waste 1.5 hours to get to the beach by public transport, you should rent a car from Dirt Cheap Car Rental. This car rental probably sounds anything but serious, but it is simply the best, cheapest and most uncomplicated alternative among the local car rental companies. Therefore, the request before the beginning of the semester is also extremely high, which is why you should reserve before your arrival if possible. The comprehensive and liability insurance and a regular 4-week check are already included in the price. Top!
Campus
SDSU’s campus is truly a feast for the eyes. There are palm trees everywhere and going to the lectures in hotpants and flip-flops, of course, is just awesome. “Fun studying” takes on a completely different meaning : D After just a few days, you’ll find your way around the campus and know where the most important buildings are. In addition, most of the local students and professors are very helpful.
Courses
I can only recommend the lectures of Prof. Steven Osinski to those who specialize in marketing courses. I’ve really never seen such an authentic and passionate professor. He combines theory with practice and he really entertains you every morning. At the beginning of the first lecture, Bob Marley walked and introduced himself by his first name. Every semester, he lets a well-known selection of guest lecturers from the private sector give a lecture. Personally and professionally, I was able to take a lot from his lectures.
I can also recommend the journalism course “Advertising and Social Media” with Prof. Davis. This is really an insider tip as it addresses the marketing topics of the future and makes extremely interesting lessons. Viral marketing and corporate presence in social networks are becoming increasingly important for companies. This has long been recognized in America. In Germany, unfortunately, the topic is still not getting the attention it really deserves. In addition to three smaller “midterms”, a 12-page “paper” must be written. The effort is not small, but I just had a lot of fun dealing with the topic. In addition, Prof. Davis is a fair professor.
If you study in San Diego you also have to do water sports – there’s no way around it. Most students sweeten their schedule with a physical education class of their choice. There are additional costs of $169 per semester, but it’s worth it! I decided to go sailing and found the weekly course to be an enormous personal enrichment. Spending your time on the sparkling water in the sun is simply the most beautiful thing.
Nightlife
Private house parties are plentiful in the college area, and while large-scale private parties are banned in the apartment complexes, all hell broke loose there on the weekends. If you want to explore the nightlife on the Beaches, you should usually go out on Taco Tuesdays (tacos for $1) or Thirsty Thursdays (drinks for $1). As for discotheques, I can recommend the Fluxx, small but fine, and the Stingaree, a large discotheque with several dancefloors and a rooftop. However, you have to budget $20-$30 for the entrance fee.
Tips
Car, apartment, furniture, bicycle etc. – no matter what you need, you can usually get it from Craigslist. (www.craigslist.com)
If you are filling up in the USA for the first time, you should know that this is only possible against payment in advance. The gas theft is just too big.
For a view of all of San Diego, head up Mount Soledad.
If you pay the original price at the checkout in America, it’s your own fault. Anyone who shops in supermarkets (Vons, Ralphs, CVS, etc.) should get a free customer card as soon as possible, which gives them discounts on every purchase.
A really great spot for a romantic campfire overlooking San Diego is Fiesta Island on Mission Bay. There are only fireplaces all around.
If you want to get cheaply from A to B in San Diego and don’t own a car, you should buy a $5 day ticket for the trolley. That’ll get you across San Diego in a day.
Conclusion
Doing a semester abroad was definitely the best decision I’ve ever made. San Diego is fantastically beautiful and rightly bears the title “finest city”. The metropolis has a lot to offer in every respect and studying is just fun. I will never have such incredibly entertaining lectures again. There is just something very special and impressive about American culture. If you’re considering a semester abroad in San Diego – do it! If you have any questions, just send me an email.