My name is Lukas P. and I am a dual student for logistics management at the EUFH in Neuss. The fifth semester is a semester abroad during the course of studies at the EUFH. I decided to spend a Spring Quarter in the USA, California.
The CSU East Bay, I have chosen as this by the cost, unto one of the better universities in California heard and a good reputation has. The university is in the Bay Area, in the nice town of Hayward.
Application process:
The application process for the university is quite simple, as you will be well supported by MicroEDU (thank you dear MicroEDU team for the support). After the application phase, I was accepted very quickly and I was really looking forward to March 2018, as I then went to the USA, California for the first time.
Accommodation:
During my Spring Quarter at CSU East Bay, I rented a room through AirBnB in Castro Valley. This was a very good decision because it took me about 20 minutes to get to the campus with the shuttle from the BART station. As a result, I had a lot of contact with Americans and was able to get to know everyday American life.
Course choice:
The course choice at the CSU East Bay is relatively simple and straightforward and takes place according to the system of “class crashing”. In the first week you attend a lot of lectures in order to introduce yourself to the respective lecturer and to find out whether the course descriptions in the university’s online portal meet expectations. Depending on the lecture area, the enrollment process is different. Most of the time, you get a foam paper in which you enter your name, student number, course number, lecturer, etc. and present it to the respective lecturer within the enrollment week for international students. If there is still enough space in the course and the lecturer signs the slip, you just have to hand it over to the department, where you picked it up beforehand. On the day of enrollment you will then receive a code with which you can enroll in the course online. Most courses have four units, which correspond to seven ECTS points.
In the American university system, it is typical that you not only have an exam at the end of the lecture, but also have to hand in homework in between, presentations have to be made, online quizzes have to be made and in addition to the final exam, at least one midterm per lecture is written.
The advantage of this type of university system is that the final exam does not make up the overall grade of the lecture, but mostly only 30-40 percent, as the things done beforehand give you grades / points that are included in the final grade.
The choice of courses at CSU East Bay is broad and I found it easy to choose interesting courses. In addition, all American students are very nice and it was easy to make contacts. It is also possible to work on campus (e.g. at Starbucks, your own Dining Commens or in the library).
Leisure:
The university offers excursions on the weekend for which you only have to pay $ 10 for the transport (bus). Read more on Toppharmacyschools.
If you don’t live directly on campus, the university offers free shuttles from the Hayward or Castro Valley Bartstation, which run regularly to and from the university. There is also a campus loop shuttle that students can use so they don’t have to walk around the entire campus.
Location:
The CSU East Bay is located in the Bay Area of San Francisco in Hayward on a hill, from which you can see the Bay Area up to the skyline of San Francisco when the weather is clear. The campus area is very nicely laid out and there are numerous green areas. The BART takes about 30 minutes to San Francisco Down Town (Embacadero stop), which runs every 20 minutes and costs about $ 12 there and back (round trip).
In addition, from the CSU East Bay, day trips / weekend trips by car to Yosemite National Park, Lake Tahoe, Silicon Valley, Highway One (Pacifica, Halfmoon Bay, Santa Cruz), Stanford University, Sacramento, Oakland, Napa Valley, Sonoma etc. company.
Conclusion of the semester abroad:
Overall, I liked the CSU East Bay very much and the effort for the university to get good grades is limited, so that you can explore the area well. In addition, the location of the CSU East Bay is terrific, as you can be in San Francisco Down Town in just 30 minutes and explore the city on foot. In addition to the BART, San Francisco also has the Muni train, a bus network and Uber is also a cheap way to get around (SF public transport is one of the best in American cities).
Another positive point is that the tuition fees are quite cheap compared to other universities in California and you still live / study near a metropolis.
All in all, I can recommend the university due to the lower tuition fees compared to other universities, due to the very good location and the variety of offers (choice of courses, excursions etc.).
(For photos you can check out my Instagram account @dream_big_xvi next to the pictures on MicroEDU.)
