Since San Diego State University is not a partner university of my university, I initially imagined the application to be quite complicated. However, that was not the case at all. Top-Medical-Schools.com does this very well. If you have any questions, you will be given quick and competent help by email, phone or in person in Münster. In any case, apply early. The “Semester at SDSU” program is understandably becoming more and more popular with German students, which is why there is now a deadline for submitting applications that has been pushed forward.
I arrived in San Diego in early August and spent the first few days in downtown hostels in the USA. If you decide to do this, you should definitely book early from Germany, as August is the high tourist season and many hostels are fully booked. Living in Motel 6 can also be recommended. Hotels are not recommended as they are pretty expensive everywhere.
As a second step, I rented a car. In my opinion, Sunset Car Rentals near the Mexican border are the best value for money. Dirt Cheap Car Rentals can’t keep up. Again, book early so that you get a smart car. From my point of view, a car is absolutely essential in San Diego. There is a very good public transport network, but it takes a long time to get from A to B.
The next step was to find an apartment. I decided to live close to the campus, which from my point of view makes the most sense. On campus you can use all the facilities such as the outdoor pool, fitness studio, sports facilities, library, hospital, pharmacy and much more. Apartments in close proximity to college are still quite expensive despite the aftermath of the financial crisis and the drop in house prices, as San Diego is one of the most expensive cities in the United States. $ 600 for a room that you share with someone else or $ 850 for a single room are normal prices. It is often the case that 2-3 weeks before the start of the semester, many rental contracts for 5 to 6 months are offered. When the rental agencies have completed a certain amount of work, only 10 or 12 month contracts are offered.
Rental agencies like Sterling Collwood have a lot to offer (gym, pool, barbecue stations, study rooms with computers and printers, shuttle service from the apartments to the university). Hardy Avenue Apartments are also reasonably priced and are right on campus.
When I had a car and an apartment, I had enough time before the lectures started. With German fellow students, whom I met in the hostel, I did a lot in San Diego and all over the west coast. In San Diego you can go surfing, the beaches are very nice. In the evening you can either go to the clubs downtown or go to bars on the beach or to one of the many parties in the dorms or with the brotherhoods and sisterhoods. San Diego State is known as a party college across the country.
But it is also very easy to study. The campus is just huge. As already mentioned above, there are many offers for students that make life easier. The library is huge and good for studying. Books are sold out quickly, however, so you have to rent or buy books that are relatively expensive. Another problem is that as an ALI student, it is quite difficult to get to lectures in the individual courses. You have to go through a class crash. So for every course you want to take, put yourself in a list with the professor and then hope that you get a place. That was pretty much the only thing I did in the first few weeks of the semester. But then I got places in all the courses that I wanted to take. That was three business administration courses and then surfing and golf courses.
Life is really good in America’s finest city. The weather is always good, the people are always nice and that really rubs off. You really are in a good mood every day. It’s also easy to get into conversation with the Americans, who are open and nice people. The prices for groceries are approx. 30% more expensive than in Germany. B. the fuel is incredibly cheap.
Of course, you don’t only experience positive things. Everything has negative and positive sides, but the positive sides always outweigh the disadvantages. In summary, it can be said that the semester was a really great time. You do a lot in that time and actually the semester was far too short. I will definitely come back again. That is already certain.
