University: San Diego State University
City: San Diego
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Study type: semester abroad
San Diego State University in California is really a very good choice to do a semester abroad! See ehuacom for study in Russia.
The study can be managed very well with medium and, above all, continuous effort. The degree is more practice-oriented and does not go into as much academic depth as the degree in Germany. In my opinion, it also makes life a lot easier that exams or tests are written continuously throughout the semester (at least 3 mid-terms instead of 1 final). These mid-terms are small in size and therefore have a shorter learning phase. In addition, most of the exams are in multiple choice form, which in my opinion makes it even easier to answer.
Other positive affects of the university and especially the city of San Diego include the fact that you can have a lot of fun at the university, be it the free football/basketball games, the free gym or simply the varied nightlife of San Diego.
Above all, the gym knows how to convince here, as it is open very late and offers a lot of space to train. In addition, the university offers a great supporting program with a water complex, tennis courts, but also plays etc.! The university itself is very green, offers plenty of space in the library for research on PCs or simply for learning, where there is even a room that is open 24 hours a day.
Plus, you have the Pacific on your doorstep, so if you’re a water sports nut or just want to chill by the sea, San Diego is perfect!
The constant summer temperatures also ensure a particularly pleasant flair that San Diego, with its numerous attractions and very nice residents, combines with a Mexican influence (especially culinary) and thus makes it very worth living in!
Unfortunately, this also has its price. The cost of living in San Diego and California in general is not to be underestimated!
Unfortunately, the selection of the courses was really a mess, because as a “General” I had to crash all the courses and sometimes had to fight for 5 places with 100 other students!
Furthermore, unfortunately, many students, especially German students, have developed a taste for doing a semester abroad in San Diego.
You often find yourself walking across the campus and almost exclusively hearing German, which is a shame since you are there to learn English.
But what speaks in favor of San Diego and the State University is the geographic location. Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Hawaii expand the range of leisure activities immensely, as trips taken leave unforgettable memories.
If you have decided on San Diego State University, here are a few tips that have helped me a lot:
- The first thing I did was get a cell phone number, which is absolutely necessary to buy/rent an apartment or a car and to be able to arrange everything.
- Since neither the German identity card nor the driver’s license are valid as identity in San Diego, you always have to take your passport with you if you want to identify yourself (which is very common, since you can only get in everywhere from the age of 21). That’s why I applied for the California ID, it only costs $27 and you do that at the DMV in San Diego. With this ID you don’t always have to carry your passport with you.
- Public transportation in San Diego isn’t that great. Sooner or later you will realize that you need a car to get from A to B in Cali and especially in San Diego! Either you rent one (cheap dirt car rental) or you buy one and sell one! geico is recommended as insurance. It’s best to do it with friends so you don’t have to bear all the costs yourself!
- Of the courses offered by San Diego State University, I can particularly recommend the Mission Bay Aquatic Center’s surf course. The course is a lot of fun, not so crowded with Germans yet and you really learn to surf! Other water sports such as water skiing etc. are certainly very funny!
In the end, everyone always has their own personal experiences and goes into the semester abroad with personal goals. I myself was very fortunate to live with an American 2 minutes from the sea, which not only improved my English but also my surfing skills enormously. San Diego really is a great city, and San Diego State University has a lot to offer! I would love to study here again!