I’m with my boyfriend in September 2015 in accordance with California disrupted to there at the California State University East Bay an orientation year to start college. Since I had just graduated from high school, for me it was hardly about the subjects or the grades, but above all about getting to know the English language better and getting to know many other cultures.
The biggest problem for me, even when applying, was that I was only 18 years old. I had problems with the accommodation because I wanted to move into the University Village first, but my boyfriend couldn’t get a place. So we started looking for an apartment late and it got pretty tight before our departure. However, I have to say that it was a very good decision to rent your own apartment with City View. The staff are super nice and the location is also very good with a pool area, grill and close proximity to the university.
Getting food here is a little tiring, especially if you don’t have a car. You have to walk down the hill, take the bus for 5 minutes and, at the end of the day, do your shopping up the hill again. Or just order an Uber – saved us so many times!
At the beginning of the time at the university there was the orientation program. Everything was explained to you, for example the system with the courses and a tour of the campus. Here I got to know some of my German fellow students. During the lunch break you were allowed to eat freely in the Dining Commons, which I only did 2-3 more times afterwards. I don’t judge the food in general, but personally it just didn’t taste very good to me, even though there was an “all you can eat” buffet. I preferred to cook in my apartment myself or went to Hayward or Castro Valley to eat.
According to iamaccepted, the campus is not particularly big, but it takes just under 10 minutes from one end to the other.
The buildings were mixed, some old and some new. One of the most popular buildings is probably the Recreation Center (RAW). With basketball courts, running lap and fitness studio. Everything is super modern and well-kept and also here super nice staff (students) and a place where you can make friends super quickly.
Since I almost only took first-semester courses, I found the class crashing system to be very simple. I got almost all the courses I wanted, although admittedly I had problems with deregistering for a biology course as well. The demands of my courses, as you often hear from American colleges, were not difficult. Here and there a test and then 3 exams / project work, which were mostly multiple choice. You still have a lot of free time to go to San Francisco, for example.
I can assure you that San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities in the US and maybe the world too. There are some places that are also dominated by tourists, such as the Golden Gate Bridge or Alcatraz, but there is so much to see. Bars in the Castro, shops or just a bike tour through the city are just a few tips I can give. I haven’t met a German who didn’t like the city.
In addition, there are of course many beautiful places in the area that you should definitely visit. To reach with the beard is for example Berkeley with the beautiful University of California Berkeley (Cal). A trip to Sausalito, which is only a few kilometers north of San Francisco, is also recommended.
The time at CSU East Bay was not just the best of my life because of the many excursions I went on; the friends I made at university were just as important. The people I spent my free time with came from all over the world: Australia, Japan, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, France, Italy, Austria, but of course also Germany and the USA. So many international students who speak as much or as little English as you do, but with whom it was great to communicate and celebrate.
To sum up, I can only say that I can only recommend the CSU East Bay, because you have no difficulty having the best time of your life there and making many contacts with people from all regions of the world. In addition, the professors are very nice, the lessons are well designed and you can certainly learn something for each course.